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rodneysdaughter
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 16, 2019 - 10:10pm PT
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I’m writing with the sad news that my dad, Rodney Jue, passed away from colon cancer on Saturday March 2. He liked to keep his age secret and let all the “kids” at Indian Rock guess, but he was 65.
Climbing at Indian Rock was a huge part of his life. He began going to Indian Rock with his friend Fred Cook in the 1970’s, was away for a while, and started going again in 1995 when our family moved back to the bay area. He made his 40-minute pilgrimage to Indian Rock almost every weekend. Dad liked to joke that he was a below-average climber, but he knew every inch of Indian Rock (and a good chunk of Mortar Rock). He was known to be very generous with his time, helping other climbers figure out the trickier parts of different routes and traverses. A self-described “retro-grouch,” he finally began using a climbing pad around the time he started working on Nat’s Traverse. He got pretty close—completing it in two parts, with one rest—but the complete traverse eluded him when he started feeling sick in 2017.
If you knew him and would like to attend the celebration of life memorial on March 30th, you can ask me for the details at: melodious1@gmail.com. We'd also welcome stories and pictures.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 16, 2019 - 11:39pm PT
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Oh my goodness! I didn’t remember the name, but I recognized him immediately from the photos. RIP Rodney! I always enjoyed running into him, sometime after decade gaps. Condolences, Rodneysdaughter, you had a very special dad. I remember seeing him with you or your sister or both, too.
So sad. He made a lot of peope smile.
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FredC
Gym climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Mar 17, 2019 - 09:06pm PT
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Tribute to my oldest friend
Rodney and I met when I was 4 or 5 and were friends for just about 60 years.
I got to introduce him to climbing in the Meadows in 72 or so. I took some high school friends up the left or maybe right water crack on Lembert Dome. Of the whole group he got the climbing bug and never stopped.
Folks might remember him for his years in Southern California.
He and I and families and friends have been going to Yosemite since the 1970s pretty regularly. In the last 12 or so years we had settled on the Meadows in August for a week every year.
Everybody knows how magical that place is. We spent many summer weeks climbing, hanging out, and wandering around with good friends up there.
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Mar 17, 2019 - 10:13pm PT
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What a nice thing to do for your dad.
My condolences to you.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Mar 18, 2019 - 03:47am PT
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As an Indian Rock regular in the early 1970's, every loss hits home. Thank you for sharing, even if the news is sad. My condolences to you and your family.
John
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Mar 18, 2019 - 04:22am PT
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My condolences, as well, Rodneysdaughter and Fred C. We only have one dad and they cannot be replaced. Good friends, there's no price.
I never met Rodney, but anyone that hangs out with Leo Burke is alright with me.
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i-b-goB
Social climber
Nutty
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Mar 18, 2019 - 07:20am PT
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Thanks, you can tell he loved you and your sister and enjoyed life, climbing with friends and the outdoors! RIP Rodney!
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NJ
Gym climber
OAKLAND !!
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Mar 18, 2019 - 10:38pm PT
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As a beginner at Indian Rock and then a beginner on Yosemite granite, Rodney always took time to watch, show me what I might try, what the rock meant, and always with encouragement.
I loved watching Rodney and friends look at the rock and discuss all options, then lace up and climb. It took a long time for me to understand why he had resoled the same pair of climbing shoes so many times.
I feel so lucky to have spent so much time with such an amazing man and his family. Every time I touch stone in Yosemite and look up into that night sky (that he could identify everything in!!!) I will think of him and smile.
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amyjo
Trad climber
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Mar 18, 2019 - 11:48pm PT
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RODNEY JUE
A delightful combination of deeply down to earth and whimsey.
Great taste in music. Generous. Over the years I have been lucky
to also come to know his tough/gentle wife - like her orchids -
and his daughters, of whom he was so very proud. This all seemed to come out of nowhere
and happen so quickly. No more see you next year in Tuoluomne.
No good way to say goodbye.
Amy Jo
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Nick Danger
Ice climber
Arvada, CO
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Mar 19, 2019 - 06:16am PT
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My condolences to family and friends for the loss of another wonderful person. Our climbing tribe was rich for him being a part of it and poorer for his passing.
Peace
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Mar 19, 2019 - 06:22am PT
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I'm very sorry to hear of Rodney's passing. My sincere condolences to you and those who knew him.
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FRUMY
Trad climber
Bishop,CA
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Mar 19, 2019 - 08:37am PT
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Sorry for your loss. TFPU
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Mar 20, 2019 - 06:28am PT
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When I started auditing my Indian Rock Course, your dad was one of the kindest, least sardonic of the crowd. He of course new ever hold by name and wore his chalk bag on a sling, with style. But it was the energy and lore that he shared that made the biggest impression. He'll be missed.
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Mar 20, 2019 - 10:02am PT
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He began going to Indian Rock with his friend Fred Cook in the 1970s…
Fred Cook, or Bruce Cook?
Condolences to all who knew Rodney, and to the entire Indian Rock family…
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G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
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Mar 20, 2019 - 10:48am PT
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So sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed running into Rodney at Indian Rock and chatting while working on Nat's Traverse. A real loss to the Indian Rock community.
My deepest sympathies,
Greg
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FredC
Gym climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Mar 20, 2019 - 11:17am PT
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Hi Rmuir, he means me Fred.
Hope you are doing well. It has been about 40 years since we bouldered together.
Fred
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Zclipper69
Trad climber
mill valley
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Mar 20, 2019 - 11:24am PT
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My condolences to the family and friends of Rodney. Man, not too long ago I was watching him cruise his way through Nat's traverse at Mortar, looking strong and elegant.
His energy and passion for climbing made him seem invincible. At Indian he was always super kind and friendly, always happy to share his knowledge and help others.
Rodney will be truly missed.
RIP
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telemon01
Trad climber
Montana
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Mar 20, 2019 - 11:46am PT
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Beautiful post and tribute- RIP Rodney
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Ahnsight
climber
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Mar 20, 2019 - 01:18pm PT
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My deepest condolences. I’m fairly new to climbing but your father had a big impact on my growth and passion for bouldering. He taught us noobs the history and showed us endless problems and fun party tricks. Rodney opened up his mind & arms to any and all climbers who visited the Pit. He was there when I climbed my first V6 and that same day he had his highpoint on Nat’s Traverse. I’ll never forget how psyched he was. His commitment and willingness to help others inspired me to be the climber I am today. He climbed tricky/technical sequences with style and ease. I remember having a fun climbing session with him on watercourse. He showed me some eliminates and I really enjoyed his variation of Pipe Cleaner, “Pipe Dreamer”. He was too short to make the reach on Pipe Cleaner so he made a variation that still mimiced the same movements. Thanks for showing me the way, Rodney. Thanks for showing me 20 different problems on the Watercourse wall alone. I still use your beta for going low around the first corner of the Indian Rock Traverse. He will be missed. Thanks for posting
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Mar 20, 2019 - 02:24pm PT
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thanks for sharing, i hadn't heard through the grapevine.
awful news. i hadn't seen rodney since i moved back to SoCal.
many happy sessions bouldering with him at i rock and mortar and the meadows.
condolences to the family
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Rtag
Boulder climber
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Mar 20, 2019 - 03:59pm PT
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So sorry to hear about Rodney. I had gotten to know Rodney over the many years climbing at Mortar Rock. I have such good memories of being up a Mortar working on Nats and chatting with him about our shared love for Tuolumne and Yosemite. I remember that after I sent Nats traverse the next time I saw him he was so happy and excited for me. He brought such great energy to Mortar Rock. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family and friends.
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FredC
Gym climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Mar 21, 2019 - 09:46am PT
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Thank you Ahnsight!
I know he really loved hanging out with you guys up at Nat's. I tried to get him to come to the darn gym but he was so happy out there.
We got a pretty cool group together in the last few years and had some really fun dinners together. Rodney so loved these events. Here's a photo with Peter Haan, Tom Higgins, me, Rod, and Allen Steck one night. A super fun group of people.
This is my favorite photo I got of Rodney leading in the Meadows.
Time spent with good friends sharing what we love.
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rodneysdaughter
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 21, 2019 - 11:34am PT
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It's really wonderful to hear from everyone <3
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scuffy b
climber
heading slowly NNW
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Mar 23, 2019 - 08:10pm PT
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He was so nice! I used to marvel at the way he camped out in the crux at Far Left waved and waved at the knob above, many inches away. It hurts so bad.
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ingar
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 24, 2019 - 06:51am PT
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Thank you for posting this!
We’ve climbed with Rodney (and even your sister I think) at Mortar and Indian Rock for many many years, and always looked forward to chatting with him during his sessions. His humility, self-deprecating humor, knowledge of climbing and light-hearted conversation were such a welcome counterpoint to some of the more “contemporary” interactions with other climbers there.
He will be dearly missed, and this is a quite a blow to oral tradition that exists at the Berkeley boulders.
-Ingar
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Mike P
Mountain climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 29, 2019 - 10:20am PT
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Melody and family, the first thing I want to say is: everyone loved your dad!
I won't be able to make it to the service tomorrow. My condolences to all.
I met Rodney in 1992, the year I moved to Berkeley and started visiting the local boulders. Rodney was usually there every time I went to Indian Rock, with his chalk bag slung over his shoulder like they did in the 1970s. He localized that place for decades! As others have noted, Rodney was friendly (not fake-friendly) and easygoing with everyone, whether you were a noob or a crusher. Those first few years I never saw him at Mortar Rock, one block up the street. Then all of a sudden, one year, there he was at Mortar, and his Nat’s Traverse project began. It’s worth noting that Rodney was not a young man when he started working on Nat's. For that alone: respect!
In case you’re reading or hearing this and you’re not a climber, or not familiar with the route, Nat’s Traverse is a famous boulder problem about 25 feet long, mostly climbed sideways close to the ground, ending with a heartbreaker finish on top of a house-size boulder. The moves are powerful and complicated. It was first climbed in the 1970s and is still considered difficult today.
Rodney's style on easier, lower-angle terrain at Indian Rock was classic old-school: careful and methodical, with precision footwork, the way you'd climb on big crags up in the mountains. His style on Nat's was totally different and highly individual: he was quick and punchy, charging through the hardest sections as fast as possible to conserve energy without making mistakes, a brilliant adaptation to the modern moves and strenuous nature of the route.
Rodney worked on Nat’s more or less weekly for more than a decade. Several times he was able to climb it in two sections, taking one short rest break standing on the ground midway. This is proud. Many good local climbers have never done Nat's Traverse, or even matched Rodney's efforts. But according to the rules of the game, Rodney never actually, officially succeeded on Nat’s.
What I really admire about Rodney is that he had no problem with this.
Whenever I asked him "how's it going on Nat's, dude?" he seemed unconcerned with the idea of progress. Not because he wasn't invested or wasn't trying hard — he was trying super hard! — but because "success" wasn't the reason he was keeping company with that boulder. In fact I got the impression that it seemed better to him, in some way, that he might never do it. It meant he was trying something truly hard for himself, without any expectations and without a need to win. He was climbing just to climb. He was climbing as a practice.
The practice was the reason to practice.
To a competitive boulderer hooked on achievement and status, this was eye-opening — if you noticed it. Rodney was a humble master and would never have conspicuously tried to teach this lesson, even though he was teaching this lesson every time you saw him. A true Jedi.
We hear a lot about climbing (or doing anything) "just for the love of it," for the sake of it. Rodney actually did this with his bouldering. This is rare. We will never forget him!
Mike Papciak
"Continuous practice is not necessarily something people in the world love, but it is the true place of return for everyone. The effect of such sustained practice is sometimes not hidden. Do not be hindered by old age and frailty. Do not consider whether you are in your prime or old and frail." -- Eihei Dogen, "Continuous Practice, Part One," 1243
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Mar 30, 2019 - 06:35am PT
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Nice remembrance.
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