Wind Rivers. 1969

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eeyonkee

Trad climber

Golden, CO

Oct 23, 2006 - 11:08am PT

Thanks for the story Jeff. When I first started climbing, my older brother went on a trip to the Wind Rivers circa 1970. They looked like fairy tale mountains. Ever since, I've always wanted to go, but never managed. Maybe next year.

By the way, Jeff. That picture of you on some climbing rag cover doing Road Warrior is one of my all time favorite climbing pictures. I remember the day I laid eyes on it. I immediately called up my friend Clean Dan and told him that was our destination for the next weekend. That was one of several times, including two with your cousin George, that I did the thing.

handsome B

Gym climber

SL,UT

Oct 23, 2006 - 11:17am PT

Great stuff.
The Winds are a magical place.

Jello

Social climber

No Ut

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 27, 2006 - 06:32pm PT

I just added the route line to the picture of Haystack in the initial post. Finally starting to figure out how to work these computer gizmos.

Pate

Trad climber

Apr 24, 2010 - 12:46pm PT

Cirque of the Towers and shrooms, a good mix.

Jello

Social climber

No Ut

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 24, 2010 - 05:00pm PT

Hey Pate - do you say that Pah-tay, or as in bald ? - thanks for the bump. The Winds in general are one of my favorite rock areas, and that climb on Haystack is one of my favorite memories. Since this post on ST, Steve Bechtell(sp) contacted me to tell me he and other friends had been working to free climb the route, but hadn't yet quite done it and would need to do a two-pitch variation around the roof area and another on the crux aid pitch. They did confirm the aid at A4, though, and the hard crack that I led free on the FA as being 11-, which is not bad for 1969 on a big wall wearing Robbins boots!

-Jello

tom woods

Gym climber

Bishop, CA

Apr 24, 2010 - 05:44pm PT

Pate- I'm stuck at home with the kid today, thanks for digging up these old threads.

Jello- thanks for the story. That's a nice looking wall.

Pate

Trad climber

Apr 24, 2010 - 05:59pm PT

Jello- no sweat, your stuff is always worth bumping. I've been digging deep today! The Winds are a really special place for me too, they were my introduction to Western mountains as a teen-ager, on a trip in from Big Sandy, all the way through the range, ultimately to the Gooseneck Pinnacle and the top of Gannet, and then the trail of tears down the Glacier Trail, popping out at that Audubon sanctuary. I'd done a long 6 week haul on the AT, but that trip, 24 days, was an eye opener and a game changer. I carried a green Contour IV on that trip- you were with me in a way! I've gone back many many times, to The Cirque, and most recently on a nice mellow fly fishing trip.

Here's a shot of me up on top of Gannet on that first trip, stoked! This would be 17 years after your efforts in Robbins boots. I'm 17 in this shot. So when you were in boots I was in diapers.


	Credit: Pate

TomCochrane

Trad climber

Boulder Creek CA

Apr 24, 2010 - 08:22pm PT

That sounds like a great route. I made several attempts to do a new route on this wall of Haystack, and then succeeded on an easier line to the right. I didn't consider the route that you did. The route we attempted involved nailing up under the big arch with the idea of finding an exit over the roof to climb the long jam crack to the right of your route. I figured it would be a combination of hard aid and spectacular jam crack climbing. The nailing under the roof was very difficult due to solution deposits filling the shallow cracks. After wasting a lot of time trying to do this, I gave up and did an easier line that starts near the right base of the big arch and goes directly up. My partners were Rick Millican, Beth Liversedge, and another young woman whose name I don't recall. Fred Becky showed up while we were doing the climb and was disappointed that we got there first; and he wrote it up in the Alpine Journal. As Fred watched, he thought we would be benighted, but I tied all our ropes together and raced to the summit in the twilight and then brought the others up together and we descended in the dark. I don't think Fred ever realized that it was me leading the route. I called down to him, but he didn't hear us. I was disappointed that he didn't stick around to say hi.

mike m

Trad climber

black hills

Apr 24, 2010 - 08:34pm PT

This is why I haven't renewed my magazine subscriptions for the first time in 15 years. Great story!

Fritz

Trad climber

Hagerman, ID

Apr 24, 2010 - 08:41pm PT

Jello: Thank you!

It is always a joy to read your stories. I was not on ST in 2006, to enjoy this adventure the first time around.

Pate: Thank you also: for your bumping up all these threads I never read previously.

mike m

Trad climber

black hills

Jan 9, 2013 - 09:11pm PT

This is a good one.

Nohea

Trad climber

Living Outside the Statist Quo

Jan 9, 2013 - 10:47pm PT

Yea! Great read. You mix Jello's writings with the time you've had a chat with him. Great stuff!

Aloha,
Will

TomCochrane

Trad climber

Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay

Jan 9, 2013 - 11:05pm PT

I didn't realise you could get PAs in the States back in '69

they could have been Fires, not sure when i got my first pair of those, but it was earlier in the 60s

tinker b

climber

the commonwealth

Jan 10, 2013 - 04:04am PT

thanks, that was awesome.

steveA

Trad climber

bedford,massachusetts

Jan 10, 2013 - 04:38am PT

Thanks for the fine story.
I was at Deep Lake last August, with a large group, including your old buddy
Jim Donini and Angela.

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Jan 10, 2013 - 05:38am PT


	Haystack Mountain, Wind River Credit: Tozo

Mille grazie, Jello.

It's seven years since this got posted. Is it in a collection one might find to buy? I hope so. If not, is there a collection of recollection. Ice is not so appealing, but good writing is, so...What's up with that literary bend in your head? Anything I need to read?