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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Cool thread Folks,
Thanks,
Zander
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Decades ago the start of the hard lybacking pitch was always wet and you had to claw up a flake on the left to keep your hands dry. I must have done that lyback pitch ten times and never once was the first bit dry. Can't figure how it didn't start sprouting weeds again - maybe too much chalk. It was a must do route in the 70s, a genuine classic.
JL
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NoRushNoMore
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 8, 2007 - 06:16pm PT
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John, yes it was wet just as you described it, at the start of the pitch 3, little slimy but no grass or anything.
The other wet spot was at the start and thru pitch one but in a much worst condition: dirt and grass that I had to clear from the cracks to place gear. This pitch will have to be cleaned up again to restore climb back to a five star status and to keep climbing safe, too many loose blocks on it at this point.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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"What I fear with rockfall at the Folly is that the whole damn thing might peel outta there. If you've ever done Wild Thing you know what I'm sayin. "
I did Wild Thing on my 40th birthday and the only fear was ME peeling outa there!
http://www.yosemiteclimber.com/WildThing!.html
I used to love the Good Book but all the rockfall has discouraged me from going back. That said, I think once you finished the approach pitch to the 10d, you'd be out of the way of the rockfall.
I'm light so I was disappointed those OW bolts got pulled. The lieback was at my limit enough without a couple fatty cams to be dragged up there. Sadly, folks were alreadly bailing before the OW final pitch before the bolts got chopped and now we can expect more of the same if folks get the guts to go back there.
That 5.8 wild pitch is a misprint, it's 10a. I'm ashamed to say that I was leading that pitch once and found my harness was getting looser and looser. I mantled up in the chimney-sort-of-hole and found I hadn't doubled back my harness! Good thing I was having a good day cause on a bad one I would have had a hang on the 10d earlier.
I really, really love the West Face of Rixon's as well. I did it numerous times after the major slide with only a stone coming down once in a blue moon. Then I went up there and after we rapped there was a big noise and then a cloud of dirt sweeping down the talus slowly from the West. We walked back to the car and NPS had actually closed the road, the rocks had come close enough to make em nervous. That has been enough to keep me away the past few years.
I think the grass didn't grow back on the 10d cause it slants such that, even though it's wet a lot, it would be hard for stuff to recollect.
Peace
Karl
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Bart Fay
Social climber
Redlands, CA
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Seems like having the first pitch buried is a plus.
Boring grassy wanderings, as I recall.
Fun route. Good memories. Big tick fer us little fish.
Maybe the best route with the WORST summit.
I was knackered on that last pitch.
If I was on lead, I'd have been pissed that the bolts were missing.
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BadInfluence
Mountain climber
Dak side
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seems like we need more photos of folly in this thread
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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This thread jogged my memory of climbing Wild Thing with Dale Bard and Richard Harrison in about 1974. Some very unique situations on that climb, if I remember correctly. Here is Dale on the lead.
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WBraun
climber
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Nice
Did the "Wild Thing" but can't remember with who.
Free soloed the "Good Book" one day dragging two 7mm ropes to get down.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Didn't Yabo slip on the wet spot while soloing the second pitch and managed to latch the spike bucket about a body length lower on the way by!
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WBraun
climber
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That's what he said, Steve.
But was he free soloing without any ropes to get down and was he going to down climb the thing if he did it?
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Hey Werner and Kevin, a bunch of us did a swarm ascent of 'The Good Book' shortly after it was first free climbed. I can remember Ron leading the long open book and I led the wild pitch that traverses out and back on flake. But I cannot remember anyone else.
I have b&W pictures of Ron leading the first pitch and then someone else following. Were either of you guys climbing in that group that day? There must have been 5 or 6 of us.
Great route, by the way. Too bad it got the whacked.
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WBraun
climber
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Roger
I think the very first time I ever did it was with Dale. Then all the other ascents are a fog. I went up there with so many different people over the years I haven't a clue who they all were today.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Found another picture. Here is Richard coming up the first pitch of Wild Thing bringing the tubes.
Werner watching from below.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Here's a Good Book story I just remembered and don't have the common sense not to post:
A good friend and I headed from Wawona to the Valley to climb the Good Book. A bit of guy talk and catching up on our lives revealed that we had both fooled around with the same woman on the same day in the recent past. (Heck, we were sorta young and this was California, but still, it was shocking)
So we get to the climb and I realize I forgot my right climbing shoe. Screw it, I went for it with just my left climbing shoe and an approach shoe on my right foot. Made for a challenge but I pulled it off with no falls. (a miracle since it's not an easy climb for me)
On the way home, I got a flat in my car, changed it, and then the spare went flat too. We hitched back to Wawona. Nothing came between our friendship, on or off the stone
Peace
Karl
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Karl, are you sure that wasn't book of revealation? What if it had been the bad book?
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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good pics - burly looking route
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NoRushNoMore
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 9, 2007 - 05:14am PT
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Pitches 2 thru 6
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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I remember leading the OW pitch back in May of 1978. I found a great hold inside the crack, but when I pulled up on it, it flexed and turned out to be a big flake. Next thing I know the flake, which turned out to be pretty darn big(3'x6'???), comes off and plummets down into the depths of the OW with a very sickening sound. What a great route!
Bruce
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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I remember having my hat handed to me by the OW at the top- that thing really kicked my butt. My arms were so blown that I had to pry them open because they were cramping up.
Still it was a cool route.
I had a list of routes to do that I had pulled from the great photos in "Yosemite Climber" totally inspirational
murf
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