Lurking Fear TR

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Messages 1 - 46 of total 46 in this topic
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 15, 2007 - 03:00pm PT
Just a few pics of a trip up Lurking Fear last fall(October 2006).
Juli leading the 2nd pitch.
Juli leading the 13th pitch.
Juli on Thanksgiving Ledge 1 hour after accidentally amputating the tip of her pinky finger. How did this happen you might be wondering? Just be careful of your Protraxion when hauling, and keep your sh#t together.
Nice sunset picture from the top of El Cap.
After spending the night on top, I finally got Juli to the emergency room in Modesto and had her finger surgically repaired 28 hours after it happened. She is one strong person. Turns out she almost lost the next finger in line and ended up with a deep laceration to the bone, we had hardly noticed it when taping her up. I will never forget the vision of her finger tip hanging out of the protraxion. Brutal.
Russ Walling

Social climber
Out on the sand.... man.....
Jun 15, 2007 - 03:03pm PT
WOW! Way to suck it up!
steelmnkey

climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
Jun 15, 2007 - 03:05pm PT
Man, between this one and the girl who had her teeth ripped, some of you dudes are climbing with some flippin' HARD wimmen!!! Nice job!
Crimpergirl

Social climber
St. Looney
Jun 15, 2007 - 03:09pm PT
Holy moly! When you wrote that she amputated the tip of her pinky, I envisioned skin removal. NOT THE END OF HER FINGER! Yikes.
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 15, 2007 - 03:14pm PT
Cam was engaged, it was what pulled her finger tip off. When the bags are stuck don't try to pull on the load side, if they come free and you are space hauling on the other end, watch out. It was a simple mistake with a painful lesson for her and a humiliating and regretful experience for me.
imnotclever

climber
Jun 15, 2007 - 03:22pm PT
Wow! Just wow. Amazed.





Anybody else remembering Fly'n Bryan (IIRC, it was somebody with Ammon) and the beak to the hand?
salad

climber
San Diego
Jun 15, 2007 - 04:32pm PT
i like to pick my nose with my pinky.

hardcore stuff! good show juli!
Melissa

Gym climber
berkeley, ca
Jun 15, 2007 - 04:33pm PT
Holy day-um. I ever loose part of a finger in a piece of climbing gear, I hope I've got the good graces to tape it up, show it off, and smile for a picture. I hope it's all working OK now. I too thought you meant that she cut a chunk of flesh off...not bone.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
Jun 15, 2007 - 04:40pm PT
I am humbled.

wow! is right Juli.

Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 15, 2007 - 04:46pm PT
Thanks everyone, best day at work ever.

Yeah, once we got past the Trauma/Drama we realized that what radical said "F*#k Pinkies!! They are useless anyway...
What the hell do we need those thing for??" was pretty true. Amputated right above the distal knuckle, she can still flex the knuckle, and she was climbing again before her stitches were out.

The rock is sweet! After all the comments we heard about Lurking Fear not even being an El Cap route, I felt like I got the full value experience.
Melissa

Gym climber
berkeley, ca
Jun 15, 2007 - 04:49pm PT
"After all the comments we heard about Lurking Fear not even being an El Cap route"

I've never heard that!

Congrats on your summit too. It's hard to get past the pinky thing, but I'm sure the rest of your trip was quite and experience too.
N0_ONE

Social climber
Utah
Jun 15, 2007 - 05:27pm PT
Ouch!!!!

Way to suck it up!!

Good job guys!
Gunkie

climber
East Coast US
Jun 15, 2007 - 06:58pm PT
Holy crap! I almost puked when I saw that. You guys are a lot tougher than me.

Nice job pushing on and finishing the route... and not calling for Werner & co.
M.Tea

Trad climber
Utah
Jun 15, 2007 - 07:50pm PT
seriously....way to see it through. proud!
john hansen

climber
Jun 15, 2007 - 10:53pm PT
Maybe she got better at climbing after that .It worked for Tommy Caldwell...
murcy

climber
San Fran Cisco
Jun 16, 2007 - 12:27am PT
yeah, not hauling around all that extra fingertip weight and all...
valygrl

climber
Boulder, CO
Jun 16, 2007 - 12:28am PT
Juliieeeeeee! I don't know you, but I feel your pain! I hacked the tip off my right pinky on uh... oh this is soooo embarassing.... um... the approach.... in spires gully. Wiht self-inflicted rockfall.

And no, we didn't do the climb. I went straight to the e-room and begged for morhpine.

You are a stud!

Only reason to really miss that fingertip: Backspace

:)
nick d

Trad climber
nm
Jun 16, 2007 - 01:30am PT
Welcome to the land of nine fingered people! As someone else alluded, one of the prime uses of your new "feature" is jamming the stump in your nose. It can make some people very uncomfortable. Never know how "handy" that can be! Sorry for your loss, but you are a total stud for carrying onward and upward.


ps...I did all the hardest climbs I have done post amputation. Get used to tinc'ing and taping it and you can use the tape job to great advantage.

Michael
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 17, 2007 - 03:33pm PT
Bump, because I am bored.

Can you imagine calling for a rescue for a little accidental pinky amputation? I figured we would be ridiculed forever, besides Juli wouldn't have anything to do with a rescue.

Wonder what the worst reason for a rescue has been?
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 17, 2007 - 05:44pm PT
"he was to tired to walk back up"

I guess that is about what I was expecting. It seems to happen around here once a season or so. Someone called for a rescue a couple summers ago due to being stuck in the scrub oak, just didn't want to bushwack anymore.

Have fun up there Riley.
couchmaster

climber
Nov 18, 2008 - 10:16pm PT
Wow, what a total badass your lady is.

As far as the worst reason for a rescue, a group of Koreans called for a a rescue on Denali because they didn't like the weather as it later turned out. I think the full story is that they called for a rescue, and the rescue happened. Later, the Park Service learned the reason and was pretty burned about it, but the Koreans we all no-compas, like meh... we paid for rescue insurance in advance- WTF?

Think of the poor bastards heading up in that sh#t weather while the Koreans huddled in their tents...inside their thick fluffy sleeping bags....
Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
Nov 18, 2008 - 10:24pm PT
bump...Juli is a badass
ZeHardcore

Trad climber
San Diego, California
Nov 18, 2008 - 10:29pm PT
WOahhhh! BUMPPPPP!!!!!

Now, that is ze hardcore! Brutal! What a badass
east side underground

Trad climber
crowley ca
Nov 18, 2008 - 11:05pm PT
way to hang in there! I think lurking fear is a cool route, good work
Lambone

Ice climber
Ashland, Or
Nov 19, 2008 - 12:27pm PT
man, f*#k the pro-trax! Kong Block Roll all the way! Props for soldiering through a shitty injury.
the Fet

Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
Nov 19, 2008 - 01:28pm PT
Wow, missed this first time around.

"I ever loose part of a finger in a piece of climbing gear, I hope I've got the good graces to tape it up, show it off, and smile for a picture." Yeah, what a good sport.

As Tommy says in Dosage Part 99, "high four and a half!"
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Nov 19, 2008 - 01:41pm PT
Dang! Way to finish and not bail!

Another great report I missed the first time round while up on the wall....
yo

climber
I drink your milkshake!
Feb 25, 2009 - 12:36pm PT
Oh no she didn't! bump
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 25, 2009 - 01:06pm PT
Wow, what's this doin back on the front page?

Thanks for all the kind words.

And to the Fet, how did you get your screen name. Somewhat unusual and yet it is what we call Juli's brother.
drljefe

climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
Feb 25, 2009 - 01:13pm PT
If Tommy Caldwell isn't proof/inspiration enough....
Remember my main man Jerry Garcia!
Jordan Ramey

Big Wall climber
South Pasadena, CA
May 8, 2009 - 09:27pm PT
bump cause that's hardcore
Lambone

Ice climber
Ashland, Or
May 10, 2009 - 02:21am PT
nice bump!

good reminder to becareful with a protrax!


Garcia is the king of the Jamband genre for sure too...

instert:
...no pete we don't need to hear how bad the pro is again.
Jaybro

Social climber
wuz real!
May 10, 2009 - 02:38am PT
Though I hesitate to put Jim Waugh with Jerry and Frodo, and the rest, ya gotta hand it to him...
drljefe

climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
May 10, 2009 - 02:42am PT
you gotta "hand" it to him!!!
Tahoe climber

Trad climber
a dark-green forester out west
Sep 17, 2009 - 12:04pm PT
That's proud. Nice work. -TC
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 26, 2009 - 11:17am PT
shameless self promotional thread bump.

At least it is climbing related......and it has a Garcia reference. Makes me proud.

As the 3 year anniversary of Chubbs(yes, her stubb has a name) gets closer , I realize I have failed once again in my resolve to climb in the Valley more often. Oh well, at least I am still climbing. As for Juli, she is still a bad ass...nothing is gonna keep her down.

Cheers.
hoipolloi

climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
Sep 26, 2009 - 02:30pm PT
thats funny, my partner was telling me about this in July while we did Lurking Fear in a shove.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Sep 27, 2009 - 01:56am PT
hey there rudyi2, say, thanks for the:
"shameless self promotional thread bump."

hope you get more climbs in, too...

god bless... :)
shipoopoi

Big Wall climber
oakland
Sep 27, 2009 - 02:57am PT
Wow, that is proud stuff. funny, about 10 days ago or so i was at the same place with my wife heather, only two placements above the belay, when the fixed stopper i was hanging on blew. i had backcleaned a cam below, and was just about to move onto the a bomber cam above. i took a fall factor two onto the belay, sending heather sailing into the belay, hurting her knee in the process. luckily, she was belaying well below the anchor. as always, like everybody should, i had the top bolt on the belay clipped. i fell free about ten feet, spanked the slab right next to her, and went sailing past her another ten. i took the hit along the entire side of my left body...bloodied thigh, bruised ribs, left elbow, sufficiently evenly enough to not get seriously hurt. we licked our wounds and continued onwards, topping out in under 16 hours, but fried enough that we spent the night on top of the route, nursing a piddly fire with a few twigs all night to keep from freezing. but this was nothing to juli's epic, i feel like such a sissy now, shipoopoi
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 23, 2009 - 02:00pm PT
I don't know Shipoopi, it sounds pretty epic. Not to diss on Juli because she is always a bad ass, but it was just a pinky after all. Sure it was messy and looked like hell but it doesn't effect your ability to walk at all. Plus we at least had bivy gear. That would have been a cold night.
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Oct 23, 2009 - 02:29pm PT
Sweet.
What a great route.
Somewhere I have a few killer shots from that climb.....'cep'n we didn't amputate any parts. Hardcore!
scottpedition

climber
Oct 23, 2009 - 02:40pm PT
Thumbs up for self-reliance, tough, and burly.

The worst reason for a rescue? This Grand Canyon espisode last month has to rank up there. A group calls for rescue three times in 48 hours, each time for being thirsty:

http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=4850

On the evening of September 23rd, rangers began a search for hikers who repeatedly activated their rented SPOT satellite tracking device. The GEOS Emergency Response Center in Houston reported that someone in the group of four hikers – two men and their two teenaged sons – had pressed the “help” button on their SPOT unit. The coordinates for the signal placed the group in a remote section of the park, most likely on the challenging Royal Arch loop. Due to darkness and the remoteness of the location, rangers were unable to reach them via helicopter until the following morning. When found, they’d moved about a mile and a half to a water source. They declined rescue, as they’d activated the device due to their lack of water. Later that same evening, the same SPOT device was again activated, this time using the “911” button. Coordinates placed them less than a quarter mile from the spot where searchers had found them that morning. Once again, nightfall prevented a response by park helicopter, so an Arizona DPS helicopter whose crew utilized night vision goggles was brought in. They found that the members of the group were concerned about possible dehydration because the water they’d found tasted salty, but no actual emergency existed. The helicopter crew declined their request for a night evacuation, but provided them with water before departing. On the following morning, another SPOT “help” activation came in from the group. This time they were flown out by park helicopter. All four refused medical assessment or treatment. The group’s leader had reportedly hiked once at the Grand Canyon; the other adult had no Grand Canyon and very little backpacking experience. When asked what they would have done without the SPOT device, the leader stated, “We would have never attempted this hike.” The group leader was issued a citation for creating a hazardous condition (36 CFR 2.34(a)(4)).
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
Oct 23, 2009 - 03:17pm PT
F'ing jackass tourons.

My pops fired off the Grand trails couple times in the last few years. He was seriously cognizant of the hydration problems. Then when he saw the big water sources it was cake for him.

How can those morons do crap like that?





to stay on topic for the thread LF photo...


Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 23, 2009 - 04:05pm PT
Nice photo. That is one of the better pitches on the route. Easy but glorious. The Grand traverse is also a great pitch. I logged a nice 20' fall on that pitch after trying to go free for the last few moves and slipping on piss soaked rock. Thanks Cat, what was wrong with using a pee bottle?
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 24, 2009 - 05:35pm PT
bump for photos of sweet crack!
Rudyj2

Trad climber
UT
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 10, 2009 - 08:49pm PT
Bump for a photo update of Juli's pinky.

Juli climbing the 2nd pitch of Up the Irons 5.11, a 4 pitch route we put up this summer.

Close up...finger workin' fine. Cold day even in the sun in July.
Messages 1 - 46 of total 46 in this topic
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