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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 29, 2008 - 04:46pm PT
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Closing in on finishing this sprawling picture book of the Stonemasters, and am finding that the text is a tad thin on several key areas. Much of really stellar material in the book are the spontaneously dashed-off blurbs from the original Stonemaster thread of sixteen or so months ago (it went for 1,000s of posts, remember??). Anyhow, I’m looking for the same kind of irreverent and hilarious anecdotes, first person accounts and generic spray on the following people and topics: John Bachar and his sololing; Richard Harrison; bouldering at Roubidoux and Stony Point, and the long nights out at Joshua during the 70s, when Hidden Valley Campground was Ground Zero for shenanigans.
Thanks,
JL
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F10 Climber F11 Drinker
Trad climber
medicated and flat on my back
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Jul 29, 2008 - 05:05pm PT
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JL
Good luck on the 70's in JT, it is pretty fuzzy and a big blur
Looking forward to the book
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GDavis
Trad climber
SoCal
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Jul 29, 2008 - 05:13pm PT
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Some moments I've absorbed in the past little while that I found really awesome:
-Daryl Hatten riding naked through the lodge and Bachar taking heat
-Bachar boxing Leichtfuss in TM (and subsequent pummel)
-The first solo of Nabisco Wall, with note as narrated in 50 Favorite Climbs
-First Free Ascents of Overhang and Hot Rocks
You probably are already cognizant of these events, and they are not all Stonemaster stories, per say. Speaking as someone who wasn't even alive when these shenanigans happened, they hold a certain caché.
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Out on the sand.... man.....
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Jul 29, 2008 - 05:16pm PT
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JL, the "Bago Rides" are a must include..... Yabo standing on top, surfer style.... long rides to Jumbo with no way back.... was it Vogel who clipped into the ladder with a butt bag and went all the way to 29?
You'll need to unearth some real fogies to get the early-mid '70s poop..... the guys with the good memories didn't arrive until like '79 to seize control of the campground.
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James
climber
Leavenworthless
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Jul 29, 2008 - 05:30pm PT
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Last summer, Lucho, Bachar, Lynn Winn, and I were walking stomping through the forest on the way back from South Whizz Dome. We started slandering about Kauk, who's game with the ladies is smoother than his footwork. JB tells us this story.
Back in the ninties, or eighties, maybe even the seventies, Ron had just split with some girl and was somewhat destitute. John tells Ron not to worry about it. Ron's had plenty of girlfriends, he could find another. John goes ahead and asks Ron how many girlfriends he's had and without a second of hesitation Ron replies "86."
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Jul 29, 2008 - 05:43pm PT
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OT, but it reminded me. One time pre 1980, the Cilley one and I were at the Ahwahnee sweet shop, slurping down ice cream and the coffee they used to roast there, at the bar, a stool between us. A truly lovely young woman with long straight brown hair tried to enter and was told there was a line and she would have to wait.
"We have a space right here," said Richard. She joined us. She had a sundae, we all laughed, she scooped ice cream into our coffee, we laughed some more, somebody (Dick?) produced a pint of, something (rumplemintz?) that went into our drinks, we laughed and had a great time. Eventually she wandered off, Dick looked me in the eye and said,"She's the 37th most beautiful woman in the world." I didn't know, but I couldn't argue.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Jul 29, 2008 - 06:40pm PT
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Not book-worthy, but I'll always remember, about 1980, a tube-socked Bachar climbing unroped next to us on Lembert:
"Say, what route is this??"
"That'd be Truck 'n' Drive. I guess those socks are pretty tight, eh?"
Good luck with the proj, Largo and Winky.
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Jefe'
Boulder climber
Bishop
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Jul 29, 2008 - 07:30pm PT
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John, what kind of stuff do you want to know about Richard? Basement stories, pounding pins in dirt cliffs, bouldering at Baldy, bridge traverses, let me know.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 29, 2008 - 07:38pm PT
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It was in Nov. '76 that two eastern girls came to C4 and got a spot next to the rescue site (#18 wasn't it?) just after dark.
Total gumbies.
2:00AM one of them starts screaming.
Seems she had a bag of Chips Ahoy that a bear was heartily enjoying while, paralyzed with fear, she stared right up at the bear's anus.
I'm surprised she knew what it was at THAT distance, but she did.
After several people chased away the bear things quieted down.
About a half hour later she loudly whispers to her friend asking to share her sleeping bag.
The friend whispers back to go to sleep. The bear was gone etc.
There is a pause and then she whines, "But I wet mine!"
Bellowing roars of laughter erupt from the rescue site where the conversation had been quite audible.
When I woke up a few hours later the pair had evaporated.
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10b4me
climber
the gray bands
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Jul 30, 2008 - 01:16am PT
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Blinny,
that's why I like you, your writing always paints a picture.
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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Jul 30, 2008 - 01:26am PT
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John Long,
You need to visit Bachar and get him to open up. The man is brilliantly funny once you get him started on story telling.. Nothing is better than getting it from the horse's mouth.
(Just my two cents)
AF
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Double D
climber
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Jul 30, 2008 - 02:07am PT
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Largo... No doubt you've already written some stuff about Tobin but as an aspiring noob Tobin was a very cool dude and a major inspiration.
One day while Bill Price, Augie Klein and I were swimming across from the Cookie road, Tobin sort of just shows up out of the bushes and asks if any of us want to go do outer limits. There's no doubt that we all had a hippie lettuce buzz and at the time we were climbing 5.9's so the prospect of a 5.10 seemed pretty ominous. Prior to really pondering the situation, I blurt out that I'm game.
As I dried off and walked out to the car to get my swami belt Tobin is talking with this guy with the biggest camera and tripod I’d ever seen. Then, seeing my hesitation, he says, “you don’t mind if Bob (?) here films us, do ya?” The color must have totally drained from my face as I was not only petrified of climbing a 5.10, but being filmed? There was just no graceful way out so again without thinking, I hear myself saying, “naw, it’s cool.”
Belaying Tobin, I’m totally in awe at his abilities. Smooth as Belgium chocolate he glides up to the belay. As I access the situation, I decide that the best way to tackle the climb was just to go as fast as possible hoping to make the belay before I’m totally pumped. Much to my surprise the tactic works but only after chalking up to my elbows prior to lift off. I had no clue how to rest but luckily he didn’t place much gear to clean or else I’d have been hosed!
Never did see the film, but years later my mom, who was a school teacher, showed it by total chance to her class as it was apparently distributed to that market. Tobin was always very gracious to us and largely inspired all of us into the realm of 5.10’s and up.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jul 30, 2008 - 02:13am PT
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GDavis re: Bachar boxing it is a great story but I would only let John tell it first...JB has been great to us .... John is such a sportsman....
but being there I have details....love to the climbing community
haha, Lynne Leichtfuss
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jiimmy
Boulder climber
san diego
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Jul 30, 2008 - 02:23am PT
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How bout a book which says how boring climbing is and how dangerous it can be and that chicks dont dig climbers. the crags are getting way too crowded. San diego isnt big enough for all of us.
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Double D
climber
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Jul 30, 2008 - 02:24am PT
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Ok, I just though of another really funny incident. When I was a freshman in high school we were on a week trip with Yosemite Institute and I was showing a friend Kia around the Swan Slab bouldering area when low and behold, there’s Largo doing laps on, well, the lap boulder. I knew who John (Largo) was because I had bummed a ride with a friend of Rik Reider's the day that you guys all started up Stoner's Highway on Middle. So seeing you bouldering was kind of like running into Tiger Woods at the driving range. Kia had seen my shoes (old PA’s) and asked me what type of shoe John was wearing. I’m like trying to keep the conversation in hushed tones as we stood there gawking and explained that those were the new EB’s and that EB’s totally rule.
I’m sure we were way blowing your concentration just twittering away. You turned, slightly perturbed and said, “it ain’t the shoes!”
To this day that always busts my gut, but sorry for blowing your concentration and being such a geek!
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Jul 30, 2008 - 09:19am PT
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Largo- get off your fat middle aged ass and get this book to the printer!
I am totally looking forward to reading it.
I thought the best thing you ever wrote was a piece in Climbing- mid- 90's maybe? about your life falling apart- having panic attacks and wondering "what the hell?" Then focusing on yourself and how you dealt with relationships. I could so totally relate.
All the best
murf
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Jul 30, 2008 - 12:14pm PT
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It's the late 70s in the inner circle of Hidden Valley CG. Two people announce that they are going to do the Bearded Cabbage by headlamp. Bachar hears this and says "If you guys are really going to do this, I'll get my sax". Thus it happened, a surreal scene, a circle of light making it's way up the Cabbage and Bachar wailing below.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 30, 2008 - 01:25pm PT
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You see this is a perfect example of how bogus rumors get started. Somebody reads this and then says, "I heard that it was Bachar's idea to have sax with a cabbage at night."
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jul 30, 2008 - 02:02pm PT
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Well yeah, Ron, but Becko said it. And he is unimpeachable.
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L
climber
Dancing beneath a Full Moon on the Edge of Forever
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Jul 30, 2008 - 02:05pm PT
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Good one, Ron...sax with a cabbage.
I also liked the wet sleeping bag story...I wonder if that gal ever went camping again.
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SamRoberts
climber
Bay Area
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Jul 30, 2008 - 03:01pm PT
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In the late 70's me, Mark Bowling and Dave Katz (I think) got a hold of some 'shrooms and were laying back on some boulders watching meteor showers in Hidden Valley CG. The soundtrack to that psychedelic night was Bachar's sax riffs echoing off the crags. Pure magic!
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 30, 2008 - 03:55pm PT
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Keep 'em comming, boys. We're almost there.
JL
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jul 30, 2008 - 04:32pm PT
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oh, for sure. you gotta have vision, man. you gotta have vision.
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Jefe'
Boulder climber
Bishop
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Jul 30, 2008 - 06:41pm PT
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The first time Richard and I took Tobin bouldering at Baldy, he wasn't able to get up anything. Then he finds this boulder at the bottom end that's on top of the dirt bank that has a five foot finger crack, he climbs up the dirt, then fires the crack. It's amazing that Tobin just couldn't do face moves on boulders.
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Tahoe climber
Trad climber
a dark-green forester out west
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Jul 30, 2008 - 09:29pm PT
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Sax and bearded cabbage has GOT to be a euphamism for something.
And if its' not, it should be.
TC
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jul 30, 2008 - 09:34pm PT
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Anastasia, you're right and he is honest...or at least honestly funny.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Jul 30, 2008 - 10:23pm PT
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Seems like all you'd need to do is head over to the Fish compound with a case of greenies and a tape recorder and you'd fill out a couple chapters...
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Jul 30, 2008 - 11:06pm PT
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John Long~
Jimmy called it right..
Why don't you talk about the things that the local Santa Susana Cafe Climbers are talking about, "HOW DANGEROUS CLIMBING IS". (like the lady who was climbing the Sehara terror and got hit by a" hockey puck "size rock and it severed her arm off, in thirty seconds she bled to death and how the Boyfriend had to get himself off the wall.
Better yet, talk about how many kinds of territorial climbing gangs are out there (esp as Stone Masters?). You guys can be tough and you only respect the real beta add least that what it felt like
as a spectator, I want to see climbers as "full on risk takers" ,so Pipe dreams can be scary. Tell us all!
Have fun writting a Book.
Ryan M
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nb3000
Social climber
Oakland, CA.
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Jul 31, 2008 - 12:42am PT
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anything with big ass ghetto blaster radios
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Jul 31, 2008 - 12:44pm PT
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Largo, are you planning a book tour? I'm sure it would be fanatically popular. I do occasional talks for A-16, in SoCal, and would be happy to pitch it to them......
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Jul 31, 2008 - 01:10pm PT
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I heard once that the author of the book once flattened several hundred beer bottle caps with his thumb and forefinger.
True or not, it does make for delightful fodder at your next cocktail party.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Jul 31, 2008 - 03:02pm PT
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Funny how the stories get bigger as time passes. Russ, it wasn't 29 Palms, but Jumbo Rocks...
By the mid 1970s, HVCG was full of climbers. These weren't your affluent climbers of today, but young guys (and a few gals) mostly driving beat up cars and sleeping in the dirt.
A bunch of us "B-Team" climbers -- we were in no way cool enough to be part of the Stonemasters – noticed how the large motor homes would regularly cruise around Hidden Valley CG vainly seeking an empty campsite.
Perhaps it was Dave Evans or Matt Cox that hit upon the brilliant idea of hitching a ride around the campground loop on these slow moving beasts. The ever present ladder on the back of the Bagos presented an easy place to hang.
This of course proved to be great sport. And as climbers are want, the ease of catching a ride only emboldened us. It wasn't long before someone climbed to the top of a Bago, and "surfed" around for all to see. Occasionally, this growing lack of discretion lead to irate drivers yelling at a climber who beat a hasty retreat.
This was still the era of swami belts. Belay seats -- commonly called butt bags -- were the solution for hanging belays. They also were an obviously more comfortable and hands free way to dangle off the back of the Bago. So equiped, someone we knew had taken the Bago thing to the next step and ridden all the way to Echo Rock before disembarking. Of course, the temptation to outdo this feat was simply irresistible. I set my sights on Ryan Campground.
It seemed logical that any Bago cruising HVCG would then proceed to Ryan in search of the elusive empty campsite. With a butt bag, sling and carabiner I stalked a likely lumbering Bago and latched on as it exited Hidden Valley. I set up my hanging belay, settled in and enjoyed the view.
As we approached Ryan, I prepared my exit. Unfortunately, the Bago had other ideas and without slowing in the slightest continued east on the main road. Soon Saddle Rocks and Hall of Horrors whizzed by, followed by Sheep Pass. I was getting worried, but figured that they surely were going to stop at Jumbo.
This assumption was also wrong. As we rumbled past the entrance to Jumbo, I had visions of Des Moines, Iowa being our next stop. I was getting off. But at 30+ mph it was too dangerous to simply leap off. So, I removed my hanging set-up and began beating on the side of the Bago as hard as I could until the driver stopped to see what was causing the racket. I jumped off and ran away.
It took a long time to get a ride back and even longer before I hitched another Bago ride.
DE and I later commemorated all these shenanigans with the route Ride A Wild Bago.
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Jul 31, 2008 - 03:17pm PT
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If it exists, you must include a shot of Yabo or Tobin doing 'Superfly' with the full twist.
Another image, though totally created with words, is a story Mussy told about doing 'Great White Book' or 'Hermaphrodite Flake' way back when in full Hendrix gear with the Driver (or someone else.) Anyhow, along comes TM Herbert, forearms the size of tree trunks, with his date. As he passes TM says, "So, you rock and rollers?"
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jul 31, 2008 - 04:10pm PT
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it was tobin who first added the full twist to "superfly". not that yabo would have hesitated to do the same!
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L
climber
Dancing beneath a Full Moon on the Edge of Forever
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Jul 31, 2008 - 04:26pm PT
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Good story about the RV, RV.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jul 31, 2008 - 04:53pm PT
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hey sketchy, there were some good stories about how much you all loved little yappy dogs....and how you expressed this love to the darling mutts..hehe
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jul 31, 2008 - 06:39pm PT
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John,
just back from the Tour de France and catching up. Here are
some of the more memorable ones from my prespective:
-tagging onto winnebagos from the Sunnyside gas station with
skateboards
-riding down from Tuolomne (well, where it is downhill all the
way) on skateboards.
-Jumping off the doubledecker natural gas bus while going over
the Merced River bridge and trying to hit the water and not the
bank.
-Darryl Hatten sneaking back into the Valley and climbing the
Nose under the alias Douglas Fir.
-rearranging the colored carpet squares in the old Yosemite
Mountain Room during the evening movie presentation to spell
"f*ck you".
-Bridwell, Bard, et. al. getting popped in 1974 for coming out
of the burned down Curry Mountain Shop after an unauthorized
fire sale.
-Alan Bard and Tom Carter water skiing behind Bard's orange Opel
in the 300 yards between trees on the side of Hiway 120 next to
Tenaya Lake.
Jet lag, more opefully later,
Bruce
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Jul 31, 2008 - 10:34pm PT
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The first time I saw someone jump off the double decker into the Merced it was Rubidoux Jim Wilson. We set it up with Matt Cox casually walking out into the buses path to slow it down at the critical moment. He (Jim) launched from the upper deck and all of us cheered. Even the tourists were ready as he had to get up on the railing to make sure he could clear the bridge giving all passengers ample warning. It was perfectly executed.
ps. The Hidden Valley Bago riding is due for a resurgence!
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tdoughty
Mountain climber
descanso, ca
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Jul 31, 2008 - 11:19pm PT
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Largo,
Although I can’t comment on Stonemaster antics directly, I do have some remembrances of “the long nights out at Joshua during the 70s, when Hidden Valley Campground was Ground Zero for shenanigans.”
But first I have to say that I’m sure everyone is aware that the Stonemasters ephemerally drifted amid a sea of climbers exploring and expanding from their roots in the “iron” & “golden” ages. While I, and so many others in southern California, chanced upon a Stonemaster crew at the crags, many of us were absorbed in our own quests to fulfill Robinson’s vision as put forth in the seminal Chouinard catalog.
Within this 70s “sub-culture” I remember cruising the HVCG one weekend in snowshoes and goggles, and returning the next weekend to cruise it in swim fins, snorkel and mask.
More specifically, there was my mentor (read older and able to buy alcohol). I finally got my turn to drive and was thrilled to escort him to JT. He constantly amazed me. For instance, between the time he called “Off Rappel” from a descent off Intersection Rock and the time it took me to pull and coil the rope, he had managed to arrange a date with a young female from HVCG who had doubtlessly been impressed by the daring and dangerous feat of bounding drunkenly down the wall. (Guess I failed to mention that we quite often celebrated our successes?) Chagrined, I found myself now stuck in the role of chauffeur. As the sun set, I escorted the couple to Echo Tee, where I parked and watched as they walked hand in hand out amongst the moonlight crags. Feeling like a man on a double date, ‘cept my date didn’t show, I gladly started in on the two cases of Schlitz I had in the bed of the truck.
As the buzz began to mollify my emotions I started fantasizing. “Well” I wondered, “are they tussling below the route “Halfway to Paradise?” Perhaps they were over by Touch and Go
or Double Dip? My mind wandered through possibilities as head lights approached. Too late, I realized I was standing with a beer in my hand, a ranger had me in his spot light, and I was still underage (dammit!).
At that time, law enforcement types weren’t quite as “by the book” as they are now. After ascertaining that I was underage, and that my “mentor” was wandering out amongst the rocks scouting for tomorrow’s climbs, he asked me to pour out the beers from the back of my truck. To this day, I’ll never know if he realized that a second case rested below the first or if he just took pity on a lonely waif, but believe me that with one hand I was busy stashing beers in the detritus strewn in the back of the truck as fast as I could, while I slowly poured out suds from a few others within the glare of the LEO’s spotlight.
(Footnote: of course when my mentor came back to the truck alone, he didn’t quite grasp the precariousness of my previous position, and only lambasted me for being so juvenile as to loose precious cargo. To this day, I’ve never lost that precious buzz. But that’s another story amongst stories ;-)
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robscout
climber
Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Someone asked for photos of Tobin Sorenson - I was friends with him back in the 70's in San Luis Obispo when I was in college ... I'll try to get them digitized and upload them here.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Well as long as we're wandering a bit, does anyone recall the par-tay in Joshua Tree at Ash Gordon's home? The host spent his time on the mantel of the fireplace in an urn..Mr. Ash Gordon.
According to the party hosts M. Gordon had a veritable zoo in the back yard....lions and tiger and bears etc. Seriously.
WERE YOU THERE...? It was a big party including new climbers from England, J. Woodward, Chris and was it Jerry Moffat? darn, brain dead tonight. Great party.
Yea, think it was Jerry. Lost his earring in a beer drinking chug. BITD. Even allowed the 4 under the age of 10 in. They had great fun and learned ALOT (only good). Cheers !
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Out on the sand.... man.....
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I was at the Ash Gordon party.... Moffatt puked all over the backyard whilst crawling on his hands and knees.... Chris Gore was the other Brit... Kevin Powell discovered Moosehead Beer and was wicked ripped and made me drive him to the liquor store to get more... I assure you, he needed no more..... but we got it for him anyway. He puked or was least hung over for like 3 days. Nice party.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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My family never noticed any "puking" at Ashes, but the Brits were always very discreet....and polite. All three lived at our home at one time. Chris and Jerry stayed until I began to bag on them about the dole checks they received from England on a regular basis.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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hahaha, looking sketch, thx for the story, that is brilliant! and fills in the explanation for wildly named route I'd always see in the book. That's A team quality for sure!
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Which El Cap bridge did people jump off the double decker into the Merced? It sounds like timing was everything.
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can't say
Social climber
Pasadena CA
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another good party I heard about but didn't have the pleasure of attending was the Pine Cove fete where Pete Minks pissed on the Union Jack. I think there are a few folks who post here who were there.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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That has the ring of truth.
I got into a tussle with Pete in C4 in Nov. '76 when he tried to piss into our campfire.
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Friend
climber
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Dec 19, 2014 - 10:20am PT
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Bumpity bump yo
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