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jvSF
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Feb 27, 2012 - 03:19pm PT
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thanks le_bruce! awesome pics. did you get my message? should no longer be a stranger...
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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Feb 27, 2012 - 03:47pm PT
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Hi Steve-
I'm not sure he would get the email for a while. As I said above he told me he is without his computer right now and my recollection is that he doesn't have a smart phone.
I told him he might want to take a look at this revived thread and I read him some of the posts. He laughed at some of the theories about the route name and the cleaning, etc. When he gets into town, he'll check in and tell the story.
Phyl
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selfish man
Gym climber
Austin, TX
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Feb 27, 2012 - 11:55pm PT
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Likewise, hope to meet you sometime, phylp
don't know about the rating but Lunatic Fringe felt harder to me than Heart of Darkness at JTree (which is supposed to be an 11a), and my hands are quite big so Heart of Darkness does not feel easy
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Feb 28, 2012 - 12:12am PT
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the picture taker's picture taken
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Feb 28, 2012 - 12:46am PT
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phylp- I hope Barry tells the tale of this now classic route name and all!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Feb 28, 2012 - 02:11am PT
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Lunatic has three crux's
The finger crack down low, some tiny knobs are key
The bulge after the rest where you sorta lieback for a short bit until you can swing your foot up and rock on it
and the final thin bit where you can try to go straight up but it's easier to step left and reach for a rail
It's solid.
But done it so many times that I did it no falls blindfolded on top rope
But wouldn't dare lead it at this moment
Peace
Karl
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Feb 28, 2012 - 01:40pm PT
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Haa ha, nice pic Ed - I think that grimace was a fluke, b/c I spent nearly every minute of that day smiling.
It was good to meet you.
jvSF - sent you the link.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Feb 28, 2012 - 02:04pm PT
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I remember martygarrison telling me that BITD, he saw some Italians cruising (fighting?) Lunatic. They were wearing hiking boots.
Now that is proud.
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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The other Bates thread remind me to look back at this thread. It doesn't look like Barry ever checked in to tell the story, so I do feel that it's worth setting down that he told me that the crack was perfectly clean when he did the first ascent.
He says he doesn't have any idea how that rumor about it being filled with dirt and having to be cleaned out, got started. He says he was surprised when he looked up at this clean beautiful crack, why it had not yet been done, and that any number of you folks who were climbing in the Valley back then could have walked up and gotten the first ascent.
As to the name, he says it's more or less in the vein of climbers being on the Lunatic Fringe of the mainstream of society.
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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Largo and Kevin know the deal. All these Bates routes were the real deal BITD of EBs, nuts and swamis. Not to mention that your chalk bag was typically a small stuff sack with a rock in it to keep it upright. I belayed Kev on his ascent of Five and Dime as I believe he belayed me on mine. It was definately far more committing back then. One would get a nut in at the last stance before the crux and then have to run it through the crux to the sinkers before getting another piece in. It was definetly exciting. It would be a nice whipper if you popped. If your nut pulled...wow. On the Fringe I got a 4 hex at the start of the finger crack and then I believe a seven hex at the first crux thin hand section. I never felt totally good with the pro. It was okay but if you fell and it pulled you would deck. The first time I led it with cams I had to laugh. The 4 hex was replaced with a number one friend that you didn't have to worry about lifting out and then at the crux you could reach up as high as you could with a number 2 and practically have top rope until you got to the sinkers. Lets face it, Cams turned most of these climbs into sport routes. Not that this is a bad thing, its just reality.
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chill
climber
between the flat part and the blue wobbly thing
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My old hex and stopper rack is so much lighter than what I haul around now that I sometimes think about going back to it. Then I think not.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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I miss the clanking. But thats all I miss.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Lets face it, Cams turned most of these climbs into sport routes. Not that this is a bad thing, its just reality.
Chappy makes his annual post, hit and run, nice.
Well Mark, that seems pretty true, but I'm hauling more years and ass with less forearms and balls, so it kinda evens out, donchathink?
Peace, Bruce
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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My old hex and stopper rack is so much lighter than what I haul around now that I sometimes think about going back to it. Then I think not.
I'm struck by that thought often, but since my bodyweight is also rather weightier than it was in my days of pins or hexes, the extra weight of the cams doesn't seem to make as much difference.
Now, if only I could figure out how all those squeeze chimneys became off-widths!
John
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 25, 2012 - 01:07am PT
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You may be able to plug and yank by the lower crux but the 5.9+ section to finish is what always kept me from free soloing this route and still isn't sport climbing...I hope!
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