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Russ Walling
Social climber
Out on the sand.... man.....
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 16, 2008 - 11:47am PT
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If true, see you in the next one. Condolences to those left behind. Bummer....
From Mountain Project:
John Simpson
From Golden, CO
A friend of my recently told me that Alan Nelson, a man who put up literally hundreds of routes in Colorado, died about 3 months ago from cancer.
I did not know Alan personally but nearly every guide book that I have for Colorado has him listed in it in some way or the other. He put up many routes in Clear Creek Canyon and North Table Mountain. He contributed a lot to the climbing community in Colorado and the surrounding states. He will be missed.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Apr 16, 2008 - 12:20pm PT
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wow, wow. so sad if true.
alan, me, watusi, off white, and a host of others (you guessed it, "the scumbags") all learned how to climb together back in high school. i've tried to contact alan off and on over the years, with no luck. his mom and dad got divorced decades ago and so i lost touch with them as well. alan had malignant melanoma in the mid-80's but it was treated successfully. does anyone else out there know more about this? hope its a false alarm, but it sounds pretty real....
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Apr 16, 2008 - 12:20pm PT
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If this is true, my deepest condolences. Last I saw Alan was a few years back while on a short trip to Colorado. He was off to So Platte new routing and seemed pretty happy.
Alan was a long time So Cal climber and highly motivated. Alan was very active in Josh and Tuolumne in the 70s and early 80s, establishing quite a few new routes, including some very run out face climbs.
Alan compiled one of the first Tuolumne guidebooks -- hand drawn topos, xeroxed -- before the area had one. I still treasure my copies.
Rest in Peace Alan.
R. Vogel
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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Apr 16, 2008 - 12:38pm PT
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It would be nice to get a solid confirmation of this sad news. BITD I knew him pretty well from his time in Tuolumne and the Valley late 70's early 80's, he was a great character amongst the rest of us "characters". Have not seen or heard of him in many years, he will be missed.
Peter
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Apr 16, 2008 - 01:29pm PT
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No definite indicator, but according to mountainproject.com, his last visit to the site was back in September 2007.
Condolences if this turns out to be true.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Apr 16, 2008 - 03:40pm PT
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if this is true then a real bummer!
Alan had a big heart and a ton of motivation and a great eye for lines. He may not have climbed the "hardest" but he always had the best attitude.
I got to climb with Alan a bunch in the early 90's in Colorado when we were the first to go into clear creek with the bosch and make it happen.
He will be missed in my eyes and another one who followed the dream and did not let the bullshit get in the way!
ks
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couchmaster
climber
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Apr 16, 2008 - 03:49pm PT
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Wow: That sucks, and it means that the rest of use have to inevitably take one more inexorable step closer to the cliff edge as well.
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Loomis
climber
Lat/Lon: 35.64 -117.66
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Apr 16, 2008 - 03:50pm PT
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Sorry to read this, Alan was a geat person.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 16, 2008 - 03:55pm PT
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I last saw Alan in 2004 at a Lumpy Ridge volunteer community trail maintenance gig.
I hadn't seen him in many years; we talked a bit and life looked good for him -- he said he was in Denver.
Sadly I didn't get his contact, because we had been trying to find him for these last two Joshua Tree reunions.
We all had nicknames for each other back in the bad old days; one of his was the "The Spaced Ranger". He was a unique fellow, always smiling, in some ways different from the rest of us to the degree that he really followed his personal instincts as opposed to those of the group, and perhaps partly due to this, Alan was a very productive climber.
Another prime player in our old school tribe.
So sorry to hear of his passing.
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wbw
climber
'cross the great divide
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Apr 16, 2008 - 03:58pm PT
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This is certainly no confirmation, but a friend of mine who has been trying to get in touch with Alan recently, told me that his phone number had been disconnected. My friend apparently had reason to believe that the number had not been changed or temporarily disconnected. This is the friend who told me last fall that Alan had cancer, and was not doing well at all. Both of us thought the disconnected phone was significant somehow, although who knows?
I did not know Alan at all, but was certainly aware of the fact that he was a very prolific new-router in CO and CA. I climbed with him once, and had a lot of fun. I think he was living in Ft. Collins last fall. I don't want to say RIP until it is appropriate, but it seems this could be the second prolific Front Range climber who has lost a battle with cancer in the last few weeks.
Edit: just saw the above posts. RIP Alan.
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AKDOG
Mountain climber
Anchorage, AK
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Apr 16, 2008 - 04:01pm PT
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Sad news, I still have Alan’s Tuolumne guidebook in my collection.
Best wishes to Alan’s family and friends (too young)
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Apr 16, 2008 - 04:03pm PT
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Alan, author of my favorite topo annotation: Eat rat poision here.
On to the big climbfest in the sky, Amigo.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Apr 16, 2008 - 04:32pm PT
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I had some encounters with Alan during my brief tenure in YV and TM. I recall the fall he soloed Magic Mushroom (or was it Mescalito? or the Trip?) and a route to the right of Yosemite Falls.
I bought a haul bag that he sewed. I think he was branding them "Rainbow Whales". All I know that it sucked because it was so big that I could fit too much inside it resulting it a major unwieldy pig.
Remember him in life...
Here's an AAJ article the he wrote on B-Y that I recall him telling me about.
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/AAJO/pdfs/1984/109_nelson_tuolumne_aaj1984.pdf
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 16, 2008 - 04:35pm PT
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FTOR
Sport climber
CA
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Apr 16, 2008 - 04:55pm PT
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bummer--rest in peace al. climbed a lot with alan in the early 80’s. we bagged the 2nd of ‘you asked for it’ and were the first u.s. team to have a go on the BY. held me on the obligatory 50+ footer when i popped a knob after he lead through the 1st in fine style. remember spending a week in the valley where we did day ascents of the rostrum, half dome, astroman, west face of cap and mother earth on middle. alan had a brush with cancer back then as well but it was removed without relapse. lost contact with al after his move to colorado, but heard he was happy and doing well. miss you buddy...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 16, 2008 - 05:04pm PT
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Hi Rob,
Good to see you here on the Taco.
I just read Alan's account of your shared ascent of You Asked for It. Those were good years and Alan was in the thick of it. You two shared some good times, that's for sure.
-Roy
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Apr 16, 2008 - 05:12pm PT
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if i recall correctly alan also bagged the second or third of "baby apes" at josh.
i remember right around that time, he'd been climbing and training so much that he'd gone from being a pretty scrawny dude to being pretty damn swole -- except he still had his pointy little poindexter head perched on this massive torso of muscle. i laughed out loud after not seeing him for a year or so. i've got some great old shots from the early 70's, guess i'll have to get my scanner working...alan was pure motivation, pure psych, and while he could be pretty darn sarcastic it was always with a laugh and a smile.
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rincon
Trad climber
SoCal
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Apr 16, 2008 - 10:39pm PT
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Alf's Arete, Pumping Ego, 29 Palms, and many more...
Thanks for some fine routes Alan Nelson. RIP.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Apr 16, 2008 - 10:57pm PT
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Alan was a true dedicated climber; a strong desire for the new route, and just climbed his ass off. Out at J.Tree, he did so many First ascents;......he knew where the virgin rock was, and he went for it...........He was just an ordinary climber like everyone else, but his dedication and focus took him to the next level of WAY good climber;......(while most of the rest of us settled into the easy chair of 5.10/5.11-).........then he moved to Colorado and kept on keeping on..........A sad day for the climbing world indeed.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
In the mountains... somewhere...
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Apr 17, 2008 - 01:04am PT
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I knew Alan for a long time but never climbed with him much. One August day he and I spent climbing all the routes on the Peanut Gallery in Tuolumne. It was quite entertaining because he is pretty big and I am quite small and the routes he found hard, I found easier, and vice versa. I will always remember that day, we had an absolute blast swapping leads.
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Carolyn C
Trad climber
the long, long trailer
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Apr 17, 2008 - 11:42am PT
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Rest in peace Alan
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Jim Wilcox
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
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Apr 17, 2008 - 02:36pm PT
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He left this life too soon, and for that alone deserves to hang with us on page one a little longer.
In honor of those who go before us....
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scuffy b
climber
up the coast from Woodson
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Apr 17, 2008 - 04:47pm PT
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I only knew Alan during his Berkeley days.
It was always puzzling to me that he could
be so damn strong.
Enthusiastic. Supportive. Fun to boulder with.
Rest in Peace.
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Carolyn C
Trad climber
the long, long trailer
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Apr 17, 2008 - 05:01pm PT
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One day while bouldering at Mortar Rock in Berkeley he peeled off the traverse, which is overhanging. As this was in the days before crash pads, he headed for the the ground, his arm extended in a defensive move, and landed hard with a resounding "crack." He had broken his wrist. I know he was hurting, because he turned a whiter shade of pale. He went off to the hospital, and then showed up a few weeks later (maybe even a week later) with his cast on, intent on continuing to boulder the best he could.
Very intense, and yes, enthusiastic guy. I think he loved music, too.
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Richard M. Wright
climber
Lakewood, Colorado
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Apr 17, 2008 - 06:33pm PT
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Alan appears to have died of a gastrointestinal cancer earlier this year. As Alan's primary climbing partner over the last 18 or so years in Colorado, I will be putting together an obituary for the climbing mags. Any stories, help, insights, or connections as regards his family, climbing, etc, etc would be highly appreciated.
For example, at his wedding in 1996 I met his mother and sisters but do not have any current information that would let me contact them.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 17, 2008 - 10:44pm PT
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a sad loss indeed:
Alan was lean mean climbin' machine,
a creative and motivated human being...
hope he didn't suffer.
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crankenstein
Trad climber
Louisville, CO
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Apr 17, 2008 - 11:37pm PT
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How can information like this take so long to hit the net? I didn't know Alan but I have traveled many of his routes. He will undoubtedly be missed even by those who never knew him.
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bachar
Gym climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Apr 17, 2008 - 11:42pm PT
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Sad news. I didn't know this happened.
Alan was a fun dude to hang out with. I always had good laughs with him. He always had good energy and was always positive. Damn...
My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
RIP brother - see ya' soon enough on the other side, John
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Brutus of Wyde
climber
Old Climbers' Home, Oakland CA
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Apr 18, 2008 - 12:08am PT
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BUMMER.
Only met Alan a few times, but they were memorable times.
Off Belay, Brother.
We'll be expecting your topo when we get there.
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10b4me
climber
hanging by a thread
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Apr 18, 2008 - 12:40am PT
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sorry to hear this. I didn't know him, but only heard good thing sbout him.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 18, 2008 - 01:08am PT
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Alan had the identifier word "KOOK" stamped on the
shafts of his rigid stemmed friends, remember?
man, this is sad.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 18, 2008 - 09:21am PT
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Yes Ray,
That was another one of his nicknames too.
We all had multiple...
I didn't know he embraced it so far as to stamp it on his cams.
I think his breakthrough period was right about the time he did those routes on the left side of Drug Dome with Louise Shepard; the stuff near Easy Wind. Arms Race was one of them and they rated it 5.12.
I'll post up his article on Tuolumne Meadows later today.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 18, 2008 - 09:29am PT
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was lucky enough to climb w/ Alan Nelson a little,
the day we went up to that corridor to do Brain Death at Josh,
funny, one look at the start and no one had to say it,
Alan went up to set the top rope, :)
He let me go first, I fired it and it was evident watching him
go next the true nature of his sporting spirit, Alan was a really
fine sportman - competetive for sure, but with that happy spirit
that said he loved it, and kept it in perspective.
He didn't fall, I remember that.
Alan had a lot of class but was never "above" anyone
and his motivation never took on a "hard" edge, it was
evident he was pleased with some on his accomplishments,
the type of climber you could feel good about
saying "that's awesome" (El Cap) because his spirit
and his love of the sport were the finest.
He took me along to do a couple wide cracks at Josh,
remember the day, we started early and were out late
and of course my ass was dragging when we got back.
Alan still buzzing at top speed.
Got up thinking about needing to write this,
because he was such a cool guy and a fine climber,
and because his spirit and sense of competition were the
best, he was core and very deserving of being remembered
in a special way.
Taking pause this day to reflect on Alan Nelson,
he showed us what was possible if you had the right
attitude. Alan just buzzed with Life.
thanks,
Ray
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Apr 18, 2008 - 06:36pm PT
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i'm still trying to track down katie (his younger sister), or karen (his older sister), because i'm sort of blown away that nobody saw this coming. does anyone know how to get ahold of karl mueller? he'd probably know something.
i'm a little bit sadder about this news, as it is starting to sink in.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Apr 19, 2008 - 04:21pm PT
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Awww hell, Alan was one of those guys I had high hopes of running into again sometime. My first real climbing trip was with Alan and BVB to Josh, on a Sierra Club Rockclimbing Section trip run by Alan's dad. The image of the young Alan, that white cap, thick glasses, the arch of his nostrils, is so sharp in my mind.
Kook was a nickname that came up in the early days in San Diego because he was, well, a wacky guy, with an early aid obsession practiced on the scruffy local crag, high energy, very bright, sharp and witty, quick with well crafted remark in that nasal voice, a real Gang of One. It was totally Alan to take a bittersweet appellation and make it his own.
As I recall the story, he and Karl Mueller were on their way to do a route on El Cap and wound up one of the first on the scene when those three guys cratered off the Nose rap route. They dropped their attempt to help out and do what they could, and shortly thereafter Karl pretty much stuck to bouldering, but Alan kept pushing further.
I feel stricken.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Apr 19, 2008 - 11:13pm PT
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I feel stricken
no sh#t doug, this is like learning that your younger brother, who you sort of fell out of touch with, but always expected to hang with gain, died while you weren't looking.
what the f*#k.
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tetonhack
Social climber
jackson wy
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Apr 19, 2008 - 11:43pm PT
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BVB, so sorry, I remember you always talking about him. You and I stayed with him for a night or two in Berkley. All I remember was a very small apartment with lots of books. He pointed us to local coffee and we were on our way. Sorry for the loss of a friend.
th
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Apr 20, 2008 - 12:28am PT
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It would be nice to see some pics of Alan;..I don't have any;..anyone have some to share?
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 20, 2008 - 01:26am PT
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Wow...I'm truly shocked to have just read this...Alan was a great friend, and I'm really sad to hear about this. I myself fell kind of out of touch, as happens in later life, and it's things like this that really remind you of how fragile this mortal coil truly is...Like BVB, Off, and others had said previously, he was part of our original core SD group and I'll always remember it seemed like every time I'd go to Mission Gorge in the '70's, he'd be there at the top of the trail always ready to crank! I went to RC.com to Alan's pics to grab these, with one he even had of me as well at age 15. These are his captions also.
Alan Nelson using a ground-down hook on a clean, hammerless, no-bolts lead of the forgotten A5 test piece "Misbegotten" in 1976. You can forget "bounce-testing" gear on this obscure testpiece. (Photo by: Unknown)
Alan Nelson onsighting the big roof of the Direct South Face in tennis shoes in February 1978. Shouldn't he be in school or something? (Photo by: Unknown)
Werner Landry established this 5.10 slab to roof crack in 1975. In 1976 Michael Paul played hooky from high school to snag an early repeat. Everyone was impressed, until we'd all done it too. (Photo by: Alan Nelson)
I'll always cherish his friendship, one of my fondest memories was doing Morongo Man in Josh with him completely blazing on acid and laughing our asses off! Or watching him float Equinox onsight! I'll be seeing you brother!
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Apr 20, 2008 - 02:36am PT
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hey mike, good to know i'm not the only one feeling this one. i don't know what to say, my god, alan was younger than us. this ain't right.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Apr 20, 2008 - 04:18am PT
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Here's a picture from that Thanksgiving trip to JT in 1973. Alan is seated with the hat and glasses, and to the right all stacked up are his dad, his mom, and younger sister Katie. His older sister Karen is in front of him.
I might have taken that picture of Alan on Moosedog Tower, perhaps with his camera since I don't think I have those shots in the archives. I think it was Alan, BVB, and me there that day. Alan's tennie ascent inspired me to try the same, but I got severely spanked.
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can't say
Social climber
Pasadena CA
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Apr 20, 2008 - 08:56am PT
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hey all...I've been MIA from most of these threads, but for some reason Alan's death has hit a harder note within me then I thought would be possible this far out from being a climber. But it only reinforces my own ideas of mortality, friendship and our very brief time on this orb. I think I only climbed with Alan once or twice and neither was that memorable. But this photo of Alan reading one of Shawn Curtis's manuscript's, on the Weenis's Mercedes with Russ in attendace, at Chris Cantwell's wedding hit me as very emblematic of our time on this earth..short, memorable and every second worth while.
Alan gone..
Shawn gone..
Yabo..gone
Walt..gone
Raligh..gone
Fish..still amomng the living..
who's next..?
It doesn't realy matter cause we're all lined up for the count.
you're all my brothers..whether you know it or not
cheers
Pat
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 20, 2008 - 10:53am PT
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I just spoke with Crusher last night; he had been working on a Colorado climbing guide, with Alan's input on route information. He couldn't understand why Alan stopped returning his calls, but he had suspicions of the worst -so sad.
Today Crusher and Strappo will release Steve Dieckoff's ashes from the top of Yellow Spur.
From Climbing number 73, July -- August 1982,
Article by Alan with photos from Alan and Shawn:
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Apr 20, 2008 - 01:58pm PT
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Hi Mr tarbuster,
You might have been pounding down more of the Chateau Collapso than you thought last night; actually I never really knew Alan, nor ever spoke on the phone with him. Maybe you talked to the other Supertopo crusher personage????? Was she there?
As for Steve's ashes ceremony, we have decided to delay this for a while (maybe a month), due to various scheduling problems (and my own crippled-with-indecision nature). I'll post an update on the Dieckhoff thread when we do get a date firmed up.
Sorry for the late notice about this.
I'm still up for Friday cragging...
Cheers,
Crusher
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Apr 20, 2008 - 02:12pm PT
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Very sorry to hear that we have lost Alan. Great climber, wonderful guy to be around. Had an enthusiasm for climbing like few others. Hope others can post some more pictures of him.
Rick
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 20, 2008 - 02:23pm PT
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Crusher,
Chateau Collapso indeed.
We are loosing people at an alarming rate.
Must have been Fred Knapp who'd been working with Alan, come to think of it...
Yes Ricky, the pictures are real nice.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 20, 2008 - 03:33pm PT
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Yeah Bob...It is kinda crazy...I'll bump for my bro!
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Karl Mueller
Trad climber
Boulder CO
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Apr 20, 2008 - 07:23pm PT
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I knew and climbed with Alan as a teenager in San Diego 30+ years ago. For a few short years we were brothers, climbing whenever possible and figuring out how we were supposed to fit into the world. I got caught up in school and followed a more mundane path but Alan pressed on to do innumerable first ascents, many of which were very serious. His on-sight free-solo first ascents in Tuolumne were aptly reported in Climbing as “A Moth Drawn to a Flame” and reflected his intense drive and uncompromising attitude. Labeled a kook by an acerbic local in a community of competitive San Diego climbers in the late seventies, Alan embraced the label for the rest of his life as a unique iconoclast.
Mellowing later in life, Alan strove to create classic, safe well protected routes that the average climber could enjoy without risking life and limb. It is ironic that Alan died of natural causes, considering how close he came to getting killed in high-speed rollover car accidents and in a bike accident as a student at Berkeley. His most memorable brush with death had to be the time he had just finished a hard aid route on El Cap. Lifting a heavy haulbag over his head, he heaved it over the side. Incredibly a loose strap became caught around the back of his neck and pulled him to his hands and knees right at the lip with the 100 lb bag hanging in mid air by his head. Somehow he managed to shake the thing off and it sailed straight to the deck. Alan realized that he needed help with substance abuse while in his thirties; this and his near-death experiences led him to become deeply religious later in life and seemed from my perspective to give him peace. I contacted him a month after he was diagnosed with a huge tumor last summer. He was very positive at that stage and looked forward to getting through the chemo and working to get back into shape. He talked of the support his “church family” gave him in Ft Collins and how much he appreciated their help.
I have many fond memories of Alan and remember his thoughtful generosity in particular, always offering me the choice leads even though he was a much better climber, springing for tickets to concerts or meals after a day of hard climbing. I remember bouldering with him on sea cliffs in San Diego when we would run along the beach between sets, trying to get high enough on a problem to avoid getting creamed by a wave. We didn’t pay attention once and a sizeable wave started to curl about 20 feet from the cliff. I ran seaward towards the thing and dove into it. Snorting sand and salt water, I surfaced with a chalk bag full of milk to watch Alan sprinting towards an alcove in the cliff, trying to outrun the breaker. He didn’t quite pull it off and got flipped head over heels and absolutely pounded against the base of the cliff, twisting a knee in the process. Other memories include getting benighted with him in the middle of winter at the top of the shield at Tahquitz as seniors in high school, half frozen in thin cotton clothing, or doing the Edge with him in later years when he shouted encouragement as I slapped the corner, desperate to reach a sloping stance with a bolt.
I will mourn Alan’s passing but look forward to remembering him on warm sunny days in Colorado, clipping solid bolts he carefully placed so that others might enjoy his vision.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Apr 20, 2008 - 07:57pm PT
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Thanks Karl.
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Rockin' Gal
Trad climber
Boulder
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Apr 21, 2008 - 10:32pm PT
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I read this thread with interest as I met Alan in Tuolumne in 1981 and was involved with him on various levels until 1989 or so. We did many great climbs, including the Diamond, Levitation and Hemispheres. I hiked to the top of the Trip when he soloed it in 1981.
My memories of Alan are of a man who never felt accepted or ever fit in with the ruling class of the climbing scene. I find that everyone’s glowing appreciation of the man to be, well, not hypocritical, but self-serving at a minimum. He did embrace the outcast role and reveled in it, perhaps not a bad choice for someone reviled as “The Kook”.
I realize that this will not be a popular opinion, but then I didn’t know Alan as a popular guy. I am simply speaking the truth as I know it to be. I have some great pictures of him, but they are on slides.
Alan, thanks for the great routes. The climbing motivation in me honors the climbing motivation in you. Namaste....
Sally Moser
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 22, 2008 - 09:07am PT
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Um, Okay...
Now that you have that off your chest,
Sally,
I'd be happy to help you scan and share your slides of Alan.
-Roy
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 23, 2008 - 03:30am PT
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I'll just bump this for my...Brother...
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Jim Wilcox
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
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Apr 23, 2008 - 02:09pm PT
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Sally,
57 posts hardly represent the vast number of readers here, and even then they are not all unique posters. You'll notice most make up the San Diego group that obviously started climbing all about the same time.
At a time of loss it hits everybody differently, and pondering degrees of loss is taking time and energy away from honoring the individual.
Jim
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Apr 23, 2008 - 03:41pm PT
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sally,
i do not know who you are directing you comments about alan to, but rest assured that those of us who grew up with alan, those of us who busted through the grades with alan, those of us who were in boy scouts with alan, those of us who were all part of his core san diego posse, have been mourning his death every day since we learned he passed on.
i cannot get the picture of him dying in a hospital room without his bros there out of my head. i do not understand how he could have been dying without me knowing about it. i would have dropped everything in my thoroughly messed-up life to be by his side.
your comments reflect a belief that there is a pecking order in the climbing world -- and there is one, for those who choose to pay attention to it. alan was a master climber, and he knew it, and anyone who climbed with him in his prime knew it. if he felt smited by a lack of public adoration or media attention, he never spoke to me about it. his early ascents of the hardest routes in cali, his solo of the trip -- the first person to solo that route -- speak for themselves.
but whatever his life as a climber was, i will always rememer alan as my friend, plain and simple. i knew his sisters and father and mother very well. to me, this is a death in the family. please do not color it with climbing world bullsh#t.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 23, 2008 - 04:45pm PT
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Here Here Bubs!!! We only want the positive here, OK? I'll always remember that Alan was my friend, not just a climber.
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shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
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Apr 23, 2008 - 06:50pm PT
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yeah, alan was a character, with that
bright red hair, and always hellbent on first ascent
glory. he was obsessed with climbing the
Bachar-Yearian route, the testpiece of the day...still
is. anyway, after he failed with my roomate, rob
oravetz, he went up there with somebody else. because
the bolts were 1/4" buttonheades, alan thought to
place screamers on the bolts. when he whipped the
screamer ripped out all but the last bartacks on the
screamer, and he got dinged a bit. it was a grand souvenir for the mantle. never giving up,
he came back a year or two later, and finally climbed
the route and joining "the club Bachar-Yerian".
alan was equally adept at establishing copius amounts
of first ascents, and then popularizing them with what
can only be considered the supertopo of yesteryear. i
would get out on his climbs just because they looked
so good on paper.
he also squeezed some routes in that pissed off
locals(cross reference on polly dome is a prime
example), and he even made the mistake of adding a
belay bolt on the bachar yerian so that the belayer
would be out of the way of a big fall. the next day i
spotted john bachar verbally berating alan for this in
the medlicott parking lot. i slowed down a bit, and
then just kept on driving by.
we shared many a campfire together, became good
friends over the years, and i always enjoyed the huge
hats he employed to avoid getting any more skin
cancer. i last saw him in my days at rifle colorado,
in the mid nineties, where he was again recieving flak
for overbolting and oversqueezing routes in the
area...and again with the best topos ever.
its sad he's gone. steve schneider
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Richard M. Wright
climber
Lakewood, Colorado
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Apr 23, 2008 - 07:23pm PT
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I had the opportunity to speak at length with the Pastor of Alan's church who was at Alan's bedside when he died, heroically I might add. Alan had a lot on his mind at the time, primarily things connected to his family and the church. It was no slight of the climbing world that he did not have any climbers present at the time. He had an important priority list of things he needed to do and people he had to see and to speak with. Typically, he did exactly what he needed to do, when it needed to be done, with no consideration that the strain itself was stealing time from him. I'll add more specific details in the obituary for the climbing mags, but do imagine that he knew exactly what he was facing and probably had a pretty good idea of the little time he had left.
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Rockin' Gal
Trad climber
Boulder
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Apr 23, 2008 - 11:05pm PT
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Steve,
Thanks for keeping it real.
Roy's going to post some photos.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Apr 23, 2008 - 11:13pm PT
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Always has a lot of respect for Alan and his climbing ability. We talked at length on the phone a number of times about the bolting wars in and around Boulder.
Cool guy who gain a great perspective on climbing and life in his latter years...hope that he didn't suffer.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 24, 2008 - 12:50am PT
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Sally gave me these slides of Alan to scan and post:
Vaya con Dios Al...
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 24, 2008 - 01:05am PT
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Nice one Roy!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 24, 2008 - 11:37am PT
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Much thanks to Sally for the pictures.
Our tribe is slowly being diminished; but I think we can give great thanks for the richness passing through our collective fingers, there isn't much else we can do about it.
The thick glasses and white sailors hat was iconic for Al,
I gotta give him credit for a sense of humor blended with his somewhat maverick personal style,
Alan Nelson seemed to enjoy the ruse and I like the way he pulled it off, with that cheeky smile, that said as much as, "this is me, suck it if you don't like it, hey, let's go climbing!": definitely a complex character...
But how many of us had seen his bare face as in this shot on Solosby wall in Joshua Tree?
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Apr 24, 2008 - 12:44pm PT
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Hah, I was thinking just that Roy, no hat or glasses. Did Alan take to contacts later in life? Those things on his face that framed his view of the world were so much a part of his image it was remarkable to see him so naked.
Thanks for sharing the pictures Sally. I don't think your opinion was any more blunt or abrasive than Alan himself would be in discussing his death and place in the climbing world. I think you should consider the possibility that his embracing of outsider status pre-dated the nickname, rather than flowed from it. It's worth noting that Warren Harding was one of Alan's earliest role models.
Nicknames were all the rage back then, and if they didn't have an edge they didn't mean so much. The Kook was more benign than some, others in play were The Goon, The Alien, Mo-Ron, and the occasional Supertopo poster who was labeled Pee Bottle. Alan wasn't the only one to embrace his label, Kelly Vaught is still widely known as The Troll. Certainly none of these people were worthy of disparagement. Well, except for The Goon, he was all of that and more. I know nicknames can be wounding, certainly I still owe Ron Amick an apology for putting his derisive moniker in print in a guidebook 30 years ago, but I'm curious to know if Alan was actually pained by his?
One of Alan's first jobs, during high school, was working at Taco Bell in Pacific Beach. It was almost an afternoon ritual to go hang out down there when Alan was working. Most often we'd wind up paying for food, but sometimes we could cadge some free stuff from our buddy. Ahh for the days when inventory control was much more primitive. I often think of those days when I see some crew of kids hanging out and heckling their friend at work.
Thanks all for sharing pictures, stories, and feelings.
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FTOR
Sport climber
CA
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Apr 24, 2008 - 12:58pm PT
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Some reflections on Alan that I passed along to Richard, thought i might as well post them here as well...
Sad news of Alan's passing. Seems in character that we would just be learning of this, he was always one who held his cards close in hard times.
To tell you the truth, while we did a considerable amount of climbing together, I completely lost contact with Alan after he moved to Colorado. Every once in a while a mutual friend might mention they ran into him, but that was about it. I'd be curious to know a little about his life there. I'd heard that he had become a serious christian, and you mentioned in your post that he was married. Kids? Sounds like he as alone in the end, hope not.
We both were at Cal Berkeley as undergraduates. I was minoring in art (majoring in climbing) and Alan was in the school of architecture. Remember, this was at the time you actually had to climb on rock, and the reputation of Berkeley as a mecca for rock climbers in northern CA was well established. Indian rock was the place to be and that's probably where we hooked up, though it was long time ago now and I don't really remember when I first ran into Alan. The community of climbers was much smaller then, basically, you knew just about everyone who climbed in your area.
As you must well know having spent any time with him, Alan was always driven. It was always important that he be pushing something. Whether it be going up the boldest line or establishing a new one with his stamp on it. While pretty driven myself, frequently, I was just along for the ride. After graduation, I settled into the life of climbing bum, and Alan was my frequent partner. We were both working for a while with another climber friend as house painters in Berkeley, earning just enough to get by and living the life. I remember fridays rolling around and we'd be on our way to the meadows. This was during the Regan years, the economy sucked, but at least you could rent a $100 room in Berkeley, and stay in the meadows campground on the 'honor' system. This meant we would hold a campsite with a tent for the week and have a place to head for.
Back then Bachar was king of the meadows, his bold routes were the target of anyone looking to make a name. For whatever reason, Alan made it his mission to share in the glory and go after those routes, as well as do some of his own. But the truth is, let's face it, he just wasn't as gifted a climber as John, few were. While neither was I, I was pretty good at the time, and probably a little better than Alan as well. So 'In the path of the master' never quite set right with me. He never ran it by me before it was published.
While we failed in our attempt of the BY, I came back in a couple years and sent in fine style. Cos had done it the week or two prior and gave me the belay, gladly getting a top rope. I believe these were in the range of 7th and 8th ascents overall. After hearing Alan and I had the audacity to have a go on it, Schneider was inspired and went up and claimed the coveted 2nd. I'm pretty sure Alan also came back and finally sent it too. I know there was talk of him replacing the old 1/4" taper bolts, and messing with the belay at the top of the 1st. Alan was never one to avoid a little controversy.
Oh, but good times. Certainly the best I've ever had. I really don't know what's going on these days in the elite climbing world, but at that time, it was all about pushing the 'mental' limits of climbing. The old adage, when in doubt run it out, was very real, and when you bothered to put a rope on at all, protection was at best scarce and the consequences of falling were real. Leads were done to impossible stances where you'd prey you get the bolt in before coming off, and hand drilled 1/4" were the norm. Besides the Bachar routes, we worked our way through most all the big routes up there, especially on Fairview, many of which have had no more than a few assents even to this day.
Of the firsts that I remember doing with Alan was an obscure offwidth up on Mariuolumne called Missing Link. Who else would seek out an 11.c offwidth in the meadows? I remember struggling up the thing just to be bouted by a move passing through a roof, then I found the 'missing link', only to be too spent to pull it off. I could sense the glee as I turned the lead over, Alan gladly bagged the first.
I also remember Alan having this beater ford pinto back then. Of note was the fact that he just couldn't keep windows in the thing. Some bear adopted his car and made it part of his nightly routine to rip out the windows whether he had anything in it or not. He finally just kept the windows down but it would still go for the 'crawl through' just for good measure. Maybe he was just into f*#king with Alan's head... many were.
The biggest route I did with Alan was Mescalito on El Cap. I wasn't much of a big wall climber and was constantly given sh#t by those guys. My counter was that anyone could do aid, so when Alan was up for this route one of the bigger nail-ups going, I gladly accepted the challenge. I think we were both a little naive about this at the time, but this never stopped us before. Certain we were at the start on our first day of fixing, Alan was up there pounding hooks into dicy rivets... hmm. Hey Alan, isn't this supposed to be pretty much a trade route? Turns out we were on the chopped Wall of The Early Morning Light. Alan had somehow gotten up most of that first pitch before it sunk in something wasn't quite right. (As an aside, does anything ever really change? I mean the issues surrounding that route are the same as that 1600+ post topic on the forum today.) Anyway, not to be deterred, we found the start and successfully did the route after five days of toiling. My only and last big wall. The climbing went without incident except for the last day. I woke to the sound of Alan moaning and retching, he was clearly sick as hell and in no shape to climb. But since we were just 3 or 4 pitches short of the summit, i really wanted to top out. Come on Alan, can you just clean? i'll do all the leading and hauling. He agreed to give it a go. I remember him miserable and slumped over in the slings all day, but he toughed it out and we made it. That was just the kind of guy he was...
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scuffy b
climber
up the coast from Woodson
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Apr 24, 2008 - 01:13pm PT
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Thanks for posting those stories, Rob.
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Richard M. Wright
climber
Lakewood, Colorado
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Apr 24, 2008 - 02:51pm PT
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I don't know if anyone else wants or needs to read about how Alan's cancer evolved. I wanted to know because it connected me to Alan near the end, and I can imagine that his other close friends may want to know as well. It speaks to Alan's character in a very personal and profound fashion.
I spoke at length with Alan just prior to his second round of chemotherapy. At the time he sounded like Alan: upbeat, jazzed to show me some new rock in the Pouder Canyon and around Virginia Dale. He had just finished two sets of Ride The Rockies - brutal bike rides. He knew that he was in for a huge challenge with the second treatment and the recovery he was going to face. His cancer was of neuro-endocrine origin, but gastrointestinal in location. It had wrapped around and invaded much of his intestinal track. Following the second treatment at the end of September, surgery was performed to remove as much cancer as possible. The double hit had left him very weak and loosing weight rapidly.
In the middle of October his father passed away, also from cancer. It had been a huge issue in Alan's life to reconcile himself with his father and long standing difficulties that had separated them, and this had finally come about some time prior to his diagnosis. It can well be imagined that this was a major moment in his life. Being Alan, and with no regard to his severly weakened state, he flew to SanDiego to attend his father's funeral. That and the return trip took a huge toll on what little he had left to fight the cancer. The cancer grew in stunningly short time from tennis ball size to grapefruit size to basketball size and had begun to invade his liver. More surgery was performed, even dissecting off a piece of the liver in the hopes that the tumor would follow it and not invade the rest. In the end this was more than even Alan could overcome.
Even doped up on drugs, this was an enormously painful and arduous process. What seems heroic to me is Alan's resolute confrontation with the disease, his willingness to extend himself for his father's sake without regard to the consequences for himself, and to do this all without complaint and in the same upbeat fashion that he had always lived his life.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Apr 27, 2008 - 03:46am PT
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Bump.
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E
Social climber
Tujunga CA.
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Apr 27, 2008 - 10:25am PT
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I just wanted to relate a little story here . I was with Al at the top of the Zodiac the day of the haulbag incident. We had just finished up the route and were preparing to boot the haulbags.
We were a team of four(Mike Lechlinski and Dag Kolstrud)
So Alan carries a massively loaded bag out to the edge. We were all going to be shooting pictures of the bag getting launched.
So he lifts it over his head and hucks it off-immediately one of the straps hooks his neck and slaps him to the lip of the cliff-I mean right on the edge,so there he is, glasses hanging off his head , bag dangling still from his neck. I swear that he first reset his glases before flicking the bag strap off. I turned around and looked at my friends expressions-priceless. Then the bag hits the deck-Boom!-and Alan starts shaking-we were flying on mushrooms which Al had brought for us -whoa!
I've told that story many times thru the years
See ya in the next world Alan
Erik E.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 27, 2008 - 11:38am PT
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More photos from Sally,
Alan leading Tuneup in the Meadows:
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Apr 27, 2008 - 04:32pm PT
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Sally and Tarbuster,
thanks for taking the time to post those cool
pics of our departed friend...
it's really appreciated.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 27, 2008 - 10:42pm PT
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Apr 27, 2008 - 11:13pm PT
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I remembered that I did have a group shot that included Alan, taken at Suicide in the late seventies.
It is not a pleasant memory, but I was with Alan when we witnessed a terrible tragedy in 1978. He and Karl Mueller were approaching El Cap to fix the start of the Nose. Dick Shockley and I were with them on our way to start the Salathe. About 150 yards from the base, I stopped to point out to Dick three climbers on the rappel route of the Nose about a 1000 feet up. We had resumed walking when a loud wooshing noise, like a rock fall, made us all involuntarily step back from the wall. I looked back up to see that the three were gone, with only a jacket wafting down where the climbers had been. The enormity of what had occurred almost brought me to my knees: three people had died right in front of us. I am sure Alan, like the rest of us, never forgot that day.
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Richard M. Wright
climber
Lakewood, Colorado
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Hi Sally ! Thanks for posting Alan's photos. I sent an obituary to Matt Samet (Climbing) and was hoping that you could post something there as well. I have some photos from the wedding, but nothing great of him climbing. Yours might be more appropriate. - Richard
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Sally's picture of Alan on Long's Peak summit:
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Buggs
Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
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Never knew the man but that last picture is a nice tribute to him. Thank you.
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Geat pics!
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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hey mike, wassup?
yeah, great pics. is that lynn hill leaning down to look at a rattlesnake in rick a's pic from suicide?
i like the lone gallencamp scat peeking in on the lower left of the frame. sandbag shoe for the ages.
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gonamok
Trad climber
poway, ca
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Jul 18, 2008 - 03:37am PT
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Alan Nelson, aka "the kook" was probably the most accomplished climber to come out of San Diego, and one of my best friends. This is the first i have heard of his death, and right now im more stunned than anything. Al has always been out there, unflinchingly speaking his mind and doing things his way. I always admired his convictions and how he stood behind his words and actions, which he articulated so well. Its hard to imagine a world without him.....Al, I will never forget you man, you meant alot to me.
I first encountered Alan Nelson at Mission Gorge. He was leading the Misbegotten, an A4+, x-rated aid climb that NOBODY leads. Karl Mueller was belaying, the year must have been 1975 and i was a raw beginner. When i got there Al was about 40 feet off the deck, top looping on a bottomed out rurp that was sticking halfway out of the mankiest seam ever. Below him were three more rurps, and below that a horrifying assortment of tied off baby angle tips, copperheads and pin stacks, every placement marginal A4, none remotely capable of holding a fall. Any slip would have zippered the mess and probably killed him, but Alan was so calm and exact it was more mind boggling than scary to watch. Alans greatest power was his mental strength, which i was to see on display again many times through the years.
The next time i saw Alan was at Santee a couple years later. My girlfriend was with me and she tried to impress him by pointing out problems i had done (mistake), and Alan answered by doing every one of them on the spot and then asking is that all? I didnt know him, but his brashness and in your face attitude at a time when sandbagging was in vogue, i thought was really cool. We bouldered and i got paddled and schooled and sent home to mama, but he was supportive and fun to climb with (as soon as my gf shut up). He shared his last beer and what little smoke he had with me like i was an old friend, even though i was a 5.8 jockey and he was one of the top 2 or 3 climbers (if not the best at that time) in the county. Generousity was a Nelson hallmark. Despite his sometimes gruff demeanor, the guy had a huge heart and wasnt afraid to show it.
After that Al would climb with me whenever we met up. One memorable time at Joshua Tree me and Michael Paul and Al ate LSD and went bouldering around turtle rock. MP led a 5.11 finger crack that Al blazed up, and I somehow followed despite seeing, but not feeling my hands. The stuff was strong and it took forever for me to pull the belay because it was so confusing. We were frying hard when we happened upon Eric Ericson, who was on his way to TR Leave it to beaver, so we followed and(after watching yaniro waltz up it and Leavitt thrash and dangle)borrowed Erics rope after he cranked almost thru the crux but burned at the big flake.
Climbing the beaver while peaking on good LSD was wild. I couldnt climb for sh#t but the holds are good enough for anybody to get fairly high, and I blew off below the alcove in mid move. Alan then introduced me to the munter hitch belay, which consisted of unrestrained free fall with a quick catch just above the deck. So when i came off, i shot straight out as if unroped, prepared myself to die and was saved at the last possible second when Al finally cinched the rope. I mean he cut it close and i hit the ground pretty hard. It was stark terror, and Alan was laughing convulsively. I failed to find the humor in it at the time, but i learned that the kook liked the edge, whether playing or serious. He shared his last beers with us that night and we had a ball. A guy named Rob was trying the beaver with us, strong climber, good guy.
I wazs in the valley the next spring and met up with Rob from J-Tree, who told me that Al had cancer and was in a bad way. By then I really looked up to the guy. He was climbing baby apes and all these test pieces of the day without fanfare and though he was climbing with the Bachar crowd, he always hung and bouldered with the homies from SD when we showed up. Ill never forget meeting up with Alan as he was talking with Bachar at Hidden Valley. As i walked up Bachar was asking Alan if he wanted to go do some problem and Al said no thanks, i think ill go bouldering with Ron. I tried to act cool but that really felt good and thats how Alan was, loyal to his friends.
So when i heard about his cancer i wrote him a letter and offered our home for as long as he wanted, thinking he might want a change of scenery. He declined but never forgot that. He got strong again and climbing better than ever, doing all the hardest routes wherever he went. We got post cards and he always visited and we climbed when he was in town. I climbed all over the place with Al and was always amazed at his strength endurance and tenacity. Cracks, face, walls, boulders, sport, he did it all at the highest grades of the day.
Al was my friend and inspiration, a part of my life, a guy who turned down bachar to boulder 5.10 with me. One time i was thrashing on a climb Al had just walked up, and every hot guy in the monument was watching. When i began to falter Al yelled up to me "come on Ron, if I can do it you can do it"...not remotely, but that was Alan. Ok Im losing it now, so long old buddy, Ill never forget you.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:08pm PT
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thanks Ron.
nice words for sure.
a little bump 4 the SD home crew
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:22pm PT
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yeah, bump for alan. it's july, and he'd be in the meadows right now. so it goes.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Jul 20, 2008 - 03:48pm PT
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I wasn't as close to Alan as many of you but enjoyed running into him at the crags. Didn't he write a story about being dogged by a coyote on a night ride at Josh? Maybe he just told me about it.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jul 20, 2008 - 07:12pm PT
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The first time I ran into Alan was when I was working in the "climbing department" of the San Diego A-16 store. He walked up, gave me a nod, looked in the gear case at our awe-inspiring gear selection (apparently noticing the dearth of Friends), and simply said, "Hmmph...obselentrics." It was then that I knew I had no hope of ever being cool unless I got me a rack of Friends! ;-)
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jul 20, 2008 - 07:41pm PT
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hey there all... say, as i see, this is an older thread/posting here.... i did want to say to Richard M. Wright:
good luck with your quest to put together a collection about your past climbing partner.... not only as a friend of his, but to share his work, as well, or younger folks....
say, tarbuster.. thanks for the interesting and great-insight articles that you posted... and the 'underground climber' manual photo-note . these are all very special parts of persons inner soul, left behind to leave seeds for others...
say, and russ, thanks for sharing this info in the first place.... and starting up the thread... those of us that are not climbers, but do have it in our beloved family memebers, we enjoy learning about everyone in the climbing world---they are in someways extensions of those that we do know and love... and we appreciate everyones input into the rock-climbing journey--this great outdoors quest that so many men and woman love....
*edit--yes, forgot to mention, great photos, too
late condolenses to friends and families of alan nelson...
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Calvinclimber
Big Wall climber
Bend, OR
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Jul 24, 2008 - 12:03pm PT
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Alan was a member of Solid Rock - Climbers for Christ. I meet him in Vedauwoo in 2003 - where this picture was taken.
He is still smiling after going tapeless on a Vedauwoo crack.
His passion for climbing and doing new routes has been well written about here. A passion I would like to share about is his love for Jesus. His highest desires were to please his Savior.
One time he wanted contact information for another active Valley climber from the early 80's who is now a member of SRCFC. Alan wrote, "I haven't seen him in more than twenty years, and I need to apologize for some inappropriate comments I made to him and about him during my prodigal youth."
Alan loved to worship. Now he is worshipping his Lord and Savior face to face!
Calvin Landrus
National Director of Solid Rock - Climbers for Christ
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Jul 28, 2008 - 07:44pm PT
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I saw Alan again last night. That is, if he were still alive, 16 years old, and throbbing front and center at a Hold Steady show. The same red hair, thick black frame glasses, wash of freckles, slightly upturned nose, trace of acne: and even the grin was the same. It's a wonderful thing when a stranger, all unknowing, can make you feel happy.
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scuffy b
climber
Zeno's Paradise
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Jul 28, 2008 - 07:50pm PT
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Thanks, Off.
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Stonyman61
Trad climber
Hartselle, Alabama
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Aug 19, 2008 - 05:51pm PT
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Alan will be missed, a true brother in Christ! And fellow Solid Rocker!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Aug 19, 2008 - 07:32pm PT
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hey there calvinclimber... say, that is wonderful news to hear... face to face, with the good lord above...
did not know that, til you shared... god bless....
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Jul 25, 2009 - 01:34pm PT
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Ciebola
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martygarrison
Trad climber
The Great North these days......
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Jul 25, 2009 - 02:45pm PT
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Rick A.....what a reminder your story of the three climbers coming off of the Nose rap route. I was on the NA Wall and had been following them while hanging ins slngs. Next thing I know they were gone. I have always been thankful that I didn't actually see the fall. The were from Minnesota I think.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jul 25, 2009 - 03:03pm PT
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More sadness! My sincere condolences.
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scuffy b
climber
Sinatra to Singapore
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Jul 27, 2009 - 11:51am PT
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I'm glad this got bumped back up.
Regarding OffWhite's story of seeing the Almost-Alan:
A few years ago I had a Jaybro sighting in Santa Cruz. I hadn't
met Jay at the time, but from photographic evidence this chap
was the spitting image. I was working up my nerve to introduce
myself, but as I walked by on my way to the head I got a look at
his feet and said to myself "NO WAY are those things fitting
into a 39 Mythos!!!" (info gleaned from ST, of course)
Just a few months ago, right after one of the photo-filled
Boulder threads, I saw a woman (in the same pub as the faux
Jaybro) who was, unmistakably, Chiloe's Leslie from 1976 or so.
Two days after hearing of Brutus' death, I saw him walking down
the street, for about 30 seconds. Then he turned into somebody
else, who I didn't know.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Jul 27, 2009 - 12:30pm PT
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Scuffy - were you at an Eagles concert, 'cause it might have been Joe Walsh separated at birth from the Jaybro!
Bizzarely enough, I had a similar "Brutus" encounter just this morning. I wasn't even thinking about him, just walking along and something about this guy in front of me looked and even sort of moved like him.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Jul 28, 2009 - 08:25am PT
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I saw a woman (in the same pub as the faux
Jaybro) who was, unmistakably, Chiloe's Leslie from 1976 or so.
I got the only one :-)
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Craig Jordan
Trad climber
Canon City, Colorado
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I know I'm way late on this. I recently learned that an Alan Nelson from Cali living in Colorado had passed.I now know it's the Alan Nelson that I climbed with in the mid 70's in San Diego. I met him when he was coming back after breaking his arm in a fall at Tahquitz. I climbed with Alan and "bvb" at the "gorge", Tahquitz, Suicide, and J tree. Good times and great memories. Of all the times I belayed Alan on his leads I never saw him fall. I remember him as a very strong and solid climber. Craig
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Ray Olson
Trad climber
Imperial Beach, California
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thanks for the bump and the memories...
Alan has been in my thoughts a fair bit lately,
a really fun and motivating soul to climb with,
a lot of class and creativiity, and yes a bit of a renegade too :-)
I miss him and his whirwind of very cool and vibrant energy.
rest in peace Alan my friend, a good customer
who took me climbing -
it was a blast.
Yes, am still affected by his passing, but now
there is no pain, not really, just the sweet letting go
of a time that still shines brightly, ah - youth!
have an Alan Nelson commemorative piece in the works,
something I think he would really dig,
down the road a bit I'll be sure and post - don't lemme
forget, ok?
climb on Alan, climb on good man!
thank you.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Mar 16, 2010 - 11:57am PT
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alan bump.
hey ray, what's up with the commemorative thingamajig?
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rich sims
Trad climber
co
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Mar 16, 2010 - 12:56pm PT
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My daughter and I are starting to climb at a new area to us. An old area of Alan’s. It’s hard to climb in many areas without coming across his presence at least in CO. & CA.
Thinking of TM days can only bring a smile.
Peace
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Carolyn C
Trad climber
the long, long trailer
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Mar 16, 2010 - 03:36pm PT
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Sorry I named the Indian Rock route incorrectly; it was a long time ago.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Sep 20, 2017 - 06:11pm PT
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Having just posted an old picture of Alan I found myself seeking out his obit here. Jesus, Guy Andrews and Ken Cook before Alan, now Ray and Bob and Werner are all dead too. That old San Diego crew keeps getting a smaller. I'm feeling a little sadness in my saddlebags tonight.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
"OBcean" San Diego, CA
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Sep 20, 2017 - 09:57pm PT
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Hey Off White,
Even though our paths didn't cross directly, we had numerous connections.
Roped up with all of those guys you just named above.
Last weekend was a memorial ascent of one of Werner's routes at Canyon Tajo. JV, one of the early 1970s crew, was there too. Spread some ashes overlooking the Sierra de Juarez, south face of Trono Blanco, and Laguna Salada in the desert. Lots of tequila, and some tears, flowing in the party afterward. Werner L. would have likes that.
Not many of us remain who are still climbing. Too many were sidelined with injuries, moved away, or just pursued other activities.
Regards,
J.S.
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Sep 21, 2017 - 06:16am PT
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Off White - I was thinking the exact same thing, as I re-read this thread. I knew all those guys, too.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Sep 21, 2017 - 11:47am PT
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Nice to hear from you guys, I bet the Canon Tajo thing was cathartic. I know there are plenty of us still kicking, some even climbing.
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