Discussion Topic |
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 10, 2007 - 09:40pm PT
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What exactly do I mean by "Blown Out"?
As we all know, the devil is in the details, so I'll spare you those.
As with most of us I do what I can.
"Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back"
 Bruce Springsteen
I just hope my buddy The Fish doesn't come back as a urinal like Werner said he would, yo.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2007 - 09:41pm PT
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So late spring of this year it was time for Tarbaby to get up high and get a grip!
A little ramble from Long Lake, up onto a beautiful grassy shoulder, over a long 4th class rock ridge to Pawnee Peak, then continuing over Shoshoni, passing through the towers of Chessman Ridge, onto Apache, Navajo, then back down Niwot Ridge to Long Lake.
(following the thin red line)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2007 - 09:42pm PT
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Wipe the sleep from your eyes and embrace the light. You have slept now for a thousand years beneath starless nights:
The masks were raised when the God came down from off of the mountain:
And now it's time for you to take off thy mask and cross the Rubicon:
Just like Ulysses, on an open sea. On an odyssey of self discovery:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2007 - 09:43pm PT
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Across the sea lies the fountain of renewal,
Where you will see the whole cause of your loneliness can be measured in dreams:
And I wish and I pray that there may come a day for a savior's arms:
We scaled the face of reason to find at least one sign, that would reveal the true dimensions of life, lest we forget:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2007 - 09:44pm PT
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And maybe it's easier to withdraw from life, with all of its misery and wretched lies,
Away from harm:
We lay by cool still waters and gazed into the Sun and like the moth’s great imperfection,
Succumbed to its fatal charm:
In our vain pursuit of life for one's own end will this crooked path ever cease to end?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2007 - 09:49pm PT
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Lyrics by Dead Can Dance
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 10, 2007 - 11:19pm PT
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My knees hurt after doing that hike/climb in my mind.
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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Nov 11, 2007 - 12:55am PT
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sweeeeet tarbuster...i miss CO a bit more every time you post this stuff...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 12:56am PT
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Hey Werner,
Don't mess wit me bro.
This is serious stuff I'm layin' out here.
(your knees are fine, trust me)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:01am PT
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Paganmonk:
Maybe Werner could lean on you a bit, cuz we still got miles to go...
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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Nov 11, 2007 - 01:06am PT
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i'll carry him if i have to - this looks like a journey well worth the effort, with sites the eyes need to drink of, and deeply...those peaks are a feast for the soul...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:24am PT
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I thought I'd found a reason to live, just like before, when I was a child:
Only to find that dreams made of sand would just fall apart and slip through my hands:
But the spirit of life keeps us strong and the spirit of life is the will to carry on:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:26am PT
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Adversity, what have I done to you, to cause this reclusive silence, that has come between me and you?
And the spirit of life remains in light, And the spirit of life remains inside:
I never thought that it would be quite like this, living outside of mutual bliss:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:27am PT
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But as long as the veins in our arms still stand up, the spirit of life will keep living on:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:33am PT
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Somehow, when I come to these places alone, I begin to sense a deep abiding reverence for those who have gone. And on this particular day, in this lush and beautiful spot pictured above, I began to cry.
Imagine that, tough guy in a cowboy hat, by himself, swiftly moving along a high ridge at 12,000 feet, crying. Just a little bit. I get to these places and I think of Chuck (both of them), Jerome, Yabo, Randi, Billy, Walt, Dano, Allan, Sean, Danny, Bruce…
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survival
Big Wall climber
arlington, va
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Nov 11, 2007 - 01:40am PT
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Tarman,
That is downright beautiful with the right words to boot. I will be looking you up when I come out there someday.
"Where,...where are we going?
Where,....where are we now?
When,....will it be over?
And will we,....will we make it somehow?
Joe Walsh
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:42am PT
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We will!
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survival
Big Wall climber
arlington, va
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Nov 11, 2007 - 01:47am PT
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Strange,.....I was thinking of Bob Williams before I got to the bottom of your thing here. I climbed the P.O. with him and he is in that group also. Now Jim Anglin is with them too. You had some good thoughts there brother.
B
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:49am PT
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They don't really go until we do, because they are inside us.
Good night Bruce; sleep well everyone.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 09:33am PT
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Time for a bit more...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 09:39am PT
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Last night I saw a host of angels, and they were all singing different songs:
And up above kergillions of stars, spangled all over the sky:
And they were spirals turning, turning in the deep blue night:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 09:44am PT
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And suddenly for no reason, the way that angels leave the ground, they left in a kind of vortex,
Traveling at the speed of sound:
Just as I started to leave, just as I turned to go, I saw a man who'd fallen,
He was lying on his back in the snow:
Some people walk on water, some people walk on broken glass, some just walk round and round in their dreams,
Some just keep falling down:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 09:50am PT
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So when you see a man whose broken, pick him up and carry him:
And when you see a woman whose broken, put her all into your arms:
Because we don't know where we come from, we don't know what we are:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 09:54am PT
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So when you see a man whose broken, pick him up and carry him:
And when you see a woman whose broken, put her all into your arms:
Because we don't know where we come from, we don't know what we are:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 09:58am PT
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And you? You’re no one:
And you? You're falling:
And you? You're traveling, traveling at the speed of light:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 10:08am PT
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The day the devil comes to getcha, you know him by the way he smiles:
The day the devil comes to getcha, he's got a smile like a scar:
The day the devil comes to getcha, he's a long way from home:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 10:15am PT
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And then kerjillions of stars start to shine, and icy comets go whizzing by:
And everything’s shaking with a strange delight:
And this is it: the enormous night:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 10:21am PT
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Downward through the evening twilight in the days that are forgotten:
And all along the watchtowers and under the big western sky:
We're going to hang some new stars in the heavens tonight:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 10:24am PT
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And you? You’re no one,
And you? You're falling,
And you? You're traveling, traveling at the speed of light:
Lyrics by Laurie Anderson
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 10:24am PT
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At the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe.
-Bruce Springsteen
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 11:21am PT
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...At any rate, the loop tour which I just chronicled here on The Taco started at 6am and I was back at the car by 1:30 pm that day.
I always hustle on these things, due to weather considerations and my own disposition to aerobic extension, but on this particular spring day, Lisa was counting on me getting home by 2pm so I could drive her down to Pike's Peak, so she could train on it the folowing day, so I got home quickly and off we went.
Gotta love the at-hand diverse opportunity of those Colorado Rockies!
Pikes Peak, same day, but a bit later:
And the following morning, along the road to Pike's summit:
Bigger Bagger Buttress:
Lisa running repeats on the last few miles of Pike's Peak:
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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Nov 11, 2007 - 11:54am PT
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that's beautiful, Tar...thanks for sharing.
-t
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 12:07pm PT
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Have a day Bro!
See you soon, Creek side, for some squishy fishy...
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mingus
Trad climber
Grand Junction, Colorado
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Nov 11, 2007 - 12:41pm PT
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That was a superb set of photos and lyrics to stumble ascoss on a quiet Sunday morning....You took me to the best of churches......ridge running in "The Big Empty."
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Nov 11, 2007 - 12:52pm PT
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Really Nice Roy!
Loved the high adventure
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Nov 11, 2007 - 01:08pm PT
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Thank you, brother. Beautiful, beautiful.
Soon the Laurie Anderson started resonating; from nearly two decades back I just knew.
You're making me swallow some of that Sierra chauvinism.
So is the Coast Range.
COAST RANGING
Ridge rambles
Are where you find them.
This week, for me,
The Santa Cruz Mountains.
Billowing grassy tops
The sea far below covered in fog.
Couldn't seem to find Eagle Peak.
Surprised instead by a stone bench
Memorial to Wallace Stegner.
He ambled up one side of this ridge,
Me the other. Sat to have a smoke
With the writer who inspired my
Writing about the desert,
America's Empty Quarter.
But that's a different thread.
My phone rang.
(Phone?... Rang?...)
Snapped me out of this wild.
Hustle down the twilight
Too late to scoop up my son
From the surf.
In town, instead,
Wine and laughter
Wild friendship.
DR
11.11.07
For T and T
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hashbro
Trad climber
Mental Physics........
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Nov 11, 2007 - 01:29pm PT
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Roy-Boy, you are a brave, passionate and visionary poet......
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2007 - 01:36pm PT
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Thanks Hashbrother!
(near all of those words were from Dead Can Dance & Laurie Anderson)
And Doug Robinson drops in a wonderful sketch!
It's a free for all kids, post up whatever strikes the heart.
This'll be up for a while, as I've got lots more material from another season above ground and under the sun...
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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Nov 11, 2007 - 01:52pm PT
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Aahh, it is a good sunday morning when the sun shines after a cleansing rain, and there is a great trip report from Roy to enjoy!
Thanks,
Peter
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Nov 11, 2007 - 02:12pm PT
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Roy,
Thanks for the inspiration for the beginning of the dark season. The peaks look pretty rubbly in summer, but just add a blanket of snow and it disappears.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 11, 2007 - 03:04pm PT
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That was Art.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Nov 11, 2007 - 08:16pm PT
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Tarbuster, climbing's easy...hiking (and comedy) is hard.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Nov 11, 2007 - 09:43pm PT
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Thanks Tar,
A tonic for what ails.
Zander
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Mimi
climber
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Nov 11, 2007 - 10:56pm PT
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bump for Tarbaby. You continue to deliver! Thanks for the images.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Nov 12, 2007 - 01:41am PT
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Roy, more than any other poster here, you get to the real heart of what's so engrossing and life-enhancing about climbing. It's not about difficulty per se, or any absolute limits, but about our relationship with the rocks and hills, ice and snow, the people we're with, and our internal responses that lead us into a sort of blind awareness of ourselves and the universe.
You make me think, and feel, and remember. Thanks for all that, Tar.
-GlorifiedJello
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 12, 2007 - 03:47am PT
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Roy, more than any other poster here, you get to the real heart of what's so engrossing and life-enhancing about climbing.
Yah he does.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Nov 12, 2007 - 11:10am PT
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Tarbuster that really was a wonderfull thread. Even quoting Laurie Andersen lyrics. Too wild! Thank You.
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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Nov 12, 2007 - 11:49am PT
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"If there's ramblin' in the rambler let 'im go."
Thanks for the pics!
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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Nov 12, 2007 - 03:12pm PT
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Tar does have a way of putting the right perspective on things. What a nice way to watch another season drift off into winter. Thanks Roy!
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screelover
Mountain climber
Canuckistan
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Nov 12, 2007 - 03:31pm PT
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Mr. Tar,
Thanks. You just made my day.
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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Nov 12, 2007 - 03:49pm PT
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Roy Boy,
I think we climbed together on and off for 6 or 7 years. So more than most you know how I feel about hiking... but your post here was pretty damn inspiring. It didn't choke me up like reading the "Perfect Life" thread, but it was pretty nice.
Great job bro.
Guy
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s_mestdagh
Trad climber
Between Boulder & Crestone, CO
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Nov 12, 2007 - 05:49pm PT
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Tarbuster, I've done most of this traverse (from Pawnee Peak on). The section above Blue Lake turned me around though (as approached from the East). I have a strong aversion for large teetering blocks. How did you find this section and the Rabbit Ears? Mostly left, mostly right or ? Thanks.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 12, 2007 - 06:05pm PT
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Mestagh,
On the rock ridge from Little Pawnee to Pawnee, heading west past Blue Lake, I most often stayed right (north) when necessary to keep it 3rd/4th class, with some weaving to the left (south) side. Where are the Rabbit Ears?
'Glad everyone enjoyed the presentation!
Thanks for the compliments.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Nov 12, 2007 - 07:21pm PT
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Bump for the rubblicious reverie. That was quite moving, tar.
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s_mestdagh
Trad climber
Between Boulder & Crestone, CO
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Nov 12, 2007 - 07:40pm PT
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Rabbit Ears .. not sure if I got that from Roach's Indian Peak guide or based on the obvious impressive twin tower view from the South. I'll have to get back up there next summer and try to weave my way through this section.
Thanks for the info and great post, Tarbuster!
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Scott Cole
Trad climber
Jackson, WY^
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Nov 12, 2007 - 09:53pm PT
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Always time for a bit more.
scole
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goatboy smellz
climber
colorado
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Nov 12, 2007 - 10:04pm PT
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Rubble on, Roy!
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Nov 13, 2007 - 12:09am PT
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Yeah, very nice Roy!
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Standing Strong
Trad climber
the only coast
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Nov 13, 2007 - 02:38am PT
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kickass tr, worth the wait for the photos to load.
thank you, thank you!
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Nov 13, 2007 - 11:36am PT
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Nice one Roy.
Prod wrote:I think we climbed together on and off for 6 or 7 years. So more than most you know how I feel about hiking... but your post here was pretty damn inspiring. It didn't choke me up like reading the "Perfect Life" thread, but it was pretty nice.
I wrote a hiking guide to the Indian Peaks and my main hiking partner was Nala... we covered a lot of ground together in this beautiful alpine playground...thinking of taking some of her ashes to Pawnee Pass and let them float in all directions.
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Hardly Visible
climber
Port Angeles
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Nov 13, 2007 - 04:26pm PT
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Nothing beats a beautiful day in the mountains for getting to the essence of things. Nice report Roy.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 13, 2007 - 05:01pm PT
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The Rockies are so rubbly, it's true.
And at the same time the high country feels sublime, if you're raised to it.
I thought I might never get back up there, but last summer, a day or two after Tarbuster's and my Eldo adventure,
I found a peak minor enough to hike up.
The hike took an hour then I stayed two on the summit, just soaking in the cosmicity of it all.
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Ricardo Carlos
Trad climber
Off center, CO.
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Nov 13, 2007 - 05:06pm PT
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Blown Out Climber Series: Ramblin’ the Rubblicious Rockies
Roy
You do more than most imagine or even wish to do.
Blown Out I say BS fondly
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Nov 14, 2007 - 06:29pm PT
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A beautiful ode the the genuine joys of the mountains. It touched some a long-forgotten but precious memories for me; all my earliest mountain experiences were in Wyoming and Colorado.
Here's a relevant shot from the way-back machine, 1960 or 1961:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 14, 2007 - 10:25pm PT
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Navajo & Apache!
Seen from Lake Isabelle: very nice.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:02pm PT
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Thanks for postin' up folks, nice stuff!
Well shoot,
I pretty near hit my stride on that last run.
‘Nice to have a witness, so thanks for comin’ along & takin’ a peek!
Now for something a bit more pedestrian.
This next bit chronicles the drive along Highway 9 from Silverthorne to Steamboat Springs, where you get an excellent view of the eastern escarpment of the Gore Range.
As Werner said, all that scrambling can be hard on the knees, thus the car.
Not sure what the mountain bikes are all about:
A view into the Indian Peaks as we leave home:
Always a good sign:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:03pm PT
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This might be Keller Mountain of the Gore Range, just North of Silverthorne, Eagles Nest Wilderness:
More Gore Range tasty treats:
While this is the regal Powell Peak, the Gore Range monarch, from a safe distance:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:04pm PT
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Green Mtn Reservoir:
Eagles Nest Mtn:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:05pm PT
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On toward Rabbit Ears Pass:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:06pm PT
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Things that in Steamboat, very northern Colorado, that make you go, Hmmm:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:07pm PT
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Lisa, pumpin’ for 1st place Masters, up the shoulder of Mt Werner:
A little “out west” activity to round out & wrap up the trip:
And Charger, he says to me, "You ain't no real kuh-boy, are ye?"
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 16, 2007 - 10:10pm PT
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Life looks fine!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 10:18pm PT
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Just keep things well anchored out there on the right coast Chiloe, and with a little help from our friends, we'll git' by.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 16, 2007 - 10:33pm PT
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Well unlike your wide-open mountain views, I spent the day standing in lines and sitting in small chairs, traveling 6 time zones back home to where the power had gone out so we fired up the woodstove and oil lamps.
Got another look at the comet again though, that was peaceful. Jack loves it when we go outdoors at night. He sits as sentinel on high ground, taking in all the sounds of the forest.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 16, 2007 - 11:28pm PT
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That Jack, he's got it goin' on, yo.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2007 - 01:43pm PT
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Here's a quick scramble, with ample access.
I gobbled this sweet lil' snack in July, utilizing my typical frenetic pace to complete the loop.
You can summit Mt Evans in your car, 14k+, then drop off the shoulder on foot and do a loop up onto Mt Bierstadt's SE Ridge, over the Sawtooth, then back up onto Mt Evan's Summit.
My knees were feeling a bit shagged this year in midsummer and Lisa was training on the upper slopes of Evans each week, running to the top from Echo Lake.
I kept getting all my stuff ready to do this scramble, never feeling right. Then we left fairly late one morning for her work out. I droped Lisa off at Echo Lake and once I drove on up to the shoulder of Evans, I was totally unprepared, yet I felt I was okay, so I spontaneously decided to bust the traverse, starting at 10am.
The Black Wall, seen from the car during the "approach":
Mount Evans, viewed from Summit Lake:
The Boiler Plates, on Evan's eastern flanks, provide some good slab routes:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2007 - 01:47pm PT
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Just above the point of departure, on Evan's southern shoulder, with Bierstadt's summit in view:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2007 - 01:52pm PT
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A drop of about 1000' feet puts you into lush meadows below Bierstadt's SE Ridge:
Some good 3rd class rock crowns the ridge:
And after summiting Bierstadt, a descent to the connecting ridge, The Sawtooth, is traversed en route back up to Evan's Summit:
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 17, 2007 - 02:33pm PT
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The Sawtooth traverse to Bierstadt was my first intense climbing experience. I went up there as a high school kid, no gear except an aspen pole for a walking stick, and smooth-soled work boots. My companion dropped out of our adventure when he saw the steep ridge, so I kept going solo -- with no idea what I'd get into. After traversing the Sawtooth, for some reason I descended the south side of Bierstadt, out of sight from Mt Evans. Somewhere in a gully I got cliffed. At one hard move, I tried to figure out how to sling a flake with my leather belt, but that didn't work. Had to do some exposed scrambling to continue, totally scared and alone.
It was almost dark by the time I got back to the Mt Evans road, where my companion had concluded I was dead and it was his fault for quitting.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 17, 2007 - 04:28pm PT
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That Jack, he's got it goin' on, yo.
The lucky mutt has had a good life but he's graying now too. Took him to the vet for what turned out to be a torn ligament from one too many talus fields. We're thinking about getting him one of those doggy-stairsteps things so we don't have to lift him to get in the car. I laughed when I saw one of those years ago.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2007 - 04:32pm PT
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Slingin' horns with our belts on the front side and borrowing the doggie stepper on the back:
Buckle up, we gonnah have it all!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 17, 2007 - 04:35pm PT
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You see the big picture.
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SteveW
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Nov 22, 2007 - 05:27am PT
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Hey Tarbuster
How come no photos of alpine forget-me-nots?
How something that delicate & bootiful can live in
such places. . . :-)
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J. Werlin
climber
Cedaredge
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Nov 22, 2007 - 11:25am PT
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Finally found my way into this thread. The very very best of what ST is about.
Thanks Tarbuster. I hear yah. Cheers.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 01:52pm PT
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Thank you for the complements fellas.
I much enjoy putting these things together.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 02:07pm PT
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To resume my ramble and to cut loose the next scrambles installment,
Featuring a Southern traverse of RMNP to Elk Tooth & Ogallala Peak,
First, an introductory passage from a reply to Stich in a thread midsummer:
"Master Stich, on this Sunday last, my precious wife and I, traveling unburdened of photographic supplies, gained the col between Meadow Mountain and St. Vrain Mountain, a good deal southeast of your position on the Pagoda, thence gaining a rare and distant view of that most brooding and barren southwest escarpment of Long's Peak.
This is a rugged and inaccessible portion of our beloved Park which we gazed upon, it appears remote, unmarred, yes, verily untracked with either trail or trinket.
I shall return and seek further engagement with this narrow corridor of ridgeline upon which we stood, which terminates West of the splendidly cleaved Elk's Tooth, but only after it handily bounds the Park's southern shoulder and is beset on either side with a most formidable precipice indeed."
-Roy Boy
While it appears that I may have ingested an entire leather-bound Victorian novel, please allow me to explain. I had in fact the night before been perusing “Mountain Climbing”, from Scribner's The Out Of Door Library, published 1897.
Detail from the spine:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 02:08pm PT
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And more excerpts from the book “Mountain Climbing”, to entertain us & build a proper mood:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 02:08pm PT
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 02:13pm PT
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I’ll be back in a bit; gotta go select the wine for Thanksgiving dinner.
I’m thinking and Austrian Gruner Veltliner for the white and one of their Blauburgunder for the red.
Both have nice fruit & crisp acidity: while these are typically accessible wines, they are also precise & complex.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Nov 22, 2007 - 03:13pm PT
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Speaking of Mt. Evans...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 03:33pm PT
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Ooh Lala!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:35pm PT
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Roundabout late September this year I felt well rested and ready for a nice long day out.
What made this ramble particularly interesting was its position along the northern border of the Indian peaks: the route traces a long cross country ridge, following the demarcation line of Rocky Mountain National Park’s southern boundary, for some grand views of that territory.
The long red line at the bottom of the map marks above the route, while at the top of the map, by way of comparison, I have highlighted the approach to Long's Peak. The green highhlighter indicates 4th class rock.
On the pictorial map below, the line follows the left edge of the page, eventually leading over Elk Tooth, and onto Ogallala Peak, and hence the Continental Divide:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:36pm PT
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Early morning at a point leaving the trail, looking east out over the plains above Boulder:
Just after sunrise I gained the saddle between Meadow Mountain and St. Vrain Mountain, which affords a wonderful view of the southern aspect of Long's Peak and Mount Meeker:
And panning south I could see Mount Alice, a nice face on the left of the picture:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:36pm PT
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:37pm PT
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After 3 miles of steep trail and 3 miles of cross country ridge, my stony objectives began to appear to the west:
A long spine of fourth class rock leading up to Elk Tooth:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:38pm PT
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A view to the southern edge of St. Vrain glacier cirque:
And up into the cirque itself, with Elk Tooth to the right, Ogalala in center, and Ooh Lala! to the left:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:38pm PT
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Looking back east along the incline of my morning’s path:
Looking east, down into the St Vrain drainage & Peaceful Valley:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:39pm PT
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To arrive at the position depicted in the photos above, I had climbed a significant amount of fourth class terrain, at one point, stemming and finger locking in a corner with key face edges to the left. Sometimes that fourth class stuff is sort of spooky: at another juncture, I traversed out along a slab to a great balcony which commanded much exposure, then slipped upward out of that position, pulling up over some tiers of solid granite.
I don't have pictures of this section of the traverse, but the going felt much like the efforted progress depicted below:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:39pm PT
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I kept up my pace, “scooping” air as I like to say, with that sensation of hustling along and pumping the lungs.
Soon I arrived at an edge with a clear view of Elk Tooth and its double summits:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2007 - 05:46pm PT
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I'll leave one to ponder the view from the summit of Elk Tooth,
While I step out for some wine & turkey 'n stuff with Lisa, her mother & sisters.
Looking west down towards my continuance over Ogalala:
Northeast to Mt Copeland:
And northwest to Longs & Meeker:
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JMC
climber
Tucson
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Nov 22, 2007 - 08:37pm PT
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Well now, Mr. Tarbuster,
That is a downright gorgeous vicarious scramble. Thanks for the extra helping of dessert on this day of gratuity and gluttony.
-John
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Nov 22, 2007 - 09:26pm PT
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tar wrote:Somehow, when I come to these places alone, I begin to sense a deep abiding reverence for those who have gone. And on this particular day, in this lush and beautiful spot pictured above, I began to cry.
Welcome to the real human race. I do it when I am in these special places. The world we live in is so overwhelmingly beautiful that it brings tears of joy and appreciation to my eyes all the time.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 01:27am PT
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Once down off Elk Tooth, and up above on the shoulder of Ogalalla, I looked back at my path:
And I looked to my left, south, onto Ooh Lala!:
Then, straight on ahead into the work:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 01:28am PT
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Self portrait, at the southern border of RMNP, Ogalalla Peak, 13,138'.
This summit shot from Friday at 2pm: 7 hours out & 8 hours yet to go.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 01:29am PT
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The Continental Divide:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 01:29am PT
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Coming down off the heights, looking past my path above the north faces of Ogalalla and Elk Tooth:
Ogalalla north face:
Elk Tooth north face:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 01:30am PT
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Time for a short conversation with a glacial tarn:
A view out onto St. Vrain Mtn and the path home:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 01:31am PT
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2007 - 02:03am PT
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“The conditions of your existence are almost as old as the rocks. For thousands of years men have striven and suffered and begotten and women have brought forth in pain. A hundred years ago, perhaps, another man sat on the spot; like you he gazed with awe and yearning in his heart at the dying light on the glaciers. Like you he was begotten of man and born of woman. He felt pain and brief joy as you do. Was he someone else? Was it not you yourself?”
-Ken Wilber
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 27, 2007 - 12:33pm PT
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Nov 27, 2007 - 12:49pm PT
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Great!
you've been a lot of places I wanna go -
nice shots too.
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yo
climber
The Eye of the Snail
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Nov 27, 2007 - 12:56pm PT
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Ken Wilber bump
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 27, 2007 - 02:16pm PT
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So I read today on CNN.com that, in these global warming times, Colorado's ski season is off to another rough start -- but Eldora has the deepest base in the state. Out your window, can you see winter?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 27, 2007 - 03:21pm PT
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Yes I can see it Larry.
Lisa ran up to the resort this morning and the lifts are open.
I'll be strapping on some 3 pin gear this afternoon for a look in the woods.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 27, 2007 - 03:32pm PT
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From my window, prior to Thanksgiving:
Nederland Thanksgiving day, "The Pregnant Squaw" formation visible on the divide,
Which is l-r, Arikaree, Navajo, & Mt Albion:
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 27, 2007 - 04:35pm PT
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Nice views out your way, Roy. Right now I'm sitting in yet another airport. Keep the mountain winds blowin'.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 27, 2007 - 06:38pm PT
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First day out on skis this year, just an hour ago:
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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Nov 27, 2007 - 07:03pm PT
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oh man that's some of the good stuff tarbuster - both the pics and the words. Hat's off to you my man.
-tom
(ps stop stealing my snow...;-) )
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 22, 2009 - 03:25pm PT
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Give a bump a go!!! Great thread, Roy.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Aug 22, 2009 - 04:04pm PT
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Thanks for the bump Steve. I'd missed this when it was originally posted. Beautiful stuff from one of the best tacos there is.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 22, 2009 - 08:30pm PT
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Tarbuster threads are all rich with the spirit of mountains and mountain folk.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Aug 22, 2009 - 11:07pm PT
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You just can't say enough about the Tarbuster.
Awesome stuff, as usual, Roy.
Thanks for lettin' us in on it.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Aug 23, 2009 - 12:12am PT
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Just came across this on a sweltering Sunday morning in Okinawa. It reminded me again why Colorado folks often refer to their state as God's country.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
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Oct 20, 2010 - 12:17am PT
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That Tarbuster dude lives large. Glad I finally got to experience this thread.
Much Thanks Tarbuster!
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Nov 28, 2011 - 09:54pm PT
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Tarbumpster
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Dec 16, 2018 - 06:14pm PT
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Might have to try the old elk tooth.
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