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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 27, 2009 - 04:29pm PT
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Apologies in advance for lack of color correction, lack of sequential ordering, lack of captions, and high bandwidth. Cheers!
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Jordan Ramey
Big Wall climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Jan 27, 2009 - 04:42pm PT
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Those pictures are rockin'
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Danielle Winters
Trad climber
Alaska
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Jan 27, 2009 - 04:43pm PT
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WOW ~ That last pitch coming over the " visor "looks like a monster!!!
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jan 27, 2009 - 04:51pm PT
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Cool pictures, John.
What is the move out of the horizontal bombay chimney? It doesn't look like anything is in.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2009 - 05:05pm PT
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Roger- Walt hiked way up into that chimney (the monster aka the elephant) placed a rivet (he only had a foot or so to work with between the chimney walls), then lowered off and did a wild hooking sequence of moves out at the lip.
Danielle-yes that final visor was truly rockin'! All natural placements on that one on the FA.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jan 27, 2009 - 05:05pm PT
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I am so small. That wall is so big.
kick ass JM!
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Gene
climber
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Jan 27, 2009 - 05:09pm PT
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Wow!
Thanks John.
gm
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Thorgon
Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
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Jan 27, 2009 - 06:05pm PT
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Yes, that visor looks wild,
and these are incredible shots
on any bandwith!
Thanks for the post!
Thor
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Jan 27, 2009 - 06:11pm PT
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That's a hell of a roof.
JL
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Jan 27, 2009 - 06:19pm PT
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Wow!
The Vampire fangs!
Wonder if Walt felt like that section of rock was going to release itself during his nailing rivets session?
Love all these post about your rock climbing adventures John M.
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Mr.T
Big Wall climber
topanga
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Jan 27, 2009 - 06:41pm PT
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Thanks!!!! I love to see some of the history invovled with these inspirational routes. How about some stories?
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
I don't even know anymore
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Jan 27, 2009 - 06:49pm PT
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sweet
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yo
climber
I drink your milkshake!
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Jan 27, 2009 - 06:57pm PT
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That doesn't really look like Snoopy...
And yeah that roof is SICK.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2009 - 07:16pm PT
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Mr T-
in October, 1989 I showed up in the Valley after having hightailed it in 1986 with my big wall tail between my legs after our rescue on the SOuth Face of Half Dome, and there I bumped into Walt in the Lower Pines campground. He had just hiked down from the base of Half Dome and was carrying a huge haulbag.
"I've had it with that route. It's f*#king hell up there" he told me. He had been spending the last month or two fixing pitches on a new route, solo. But it was clearly burning him out, and he had just bailed, leaving five pitches fixed for perhaps another go the following Spring.
What happened next, I can't recall all the details, but we spent the next few hours in the River's campground, drinking lots of beer purchased on numerous runs on his old 10 speed at the nearby Curry store next to the Mountain Shop. Like termites out of woodwork, soon a bunch of people were hanging around, playing hacky, cooking up coffee on the tailgate of an parked pickup truck, that sort of scene. Some dope appeared no doubt.
The next thing ya know, Walt and I are discussing going back up there to finish the route. For me, I couldn't believe what was happening. I hadn't climbed a wall since the rescue three years before, and frankly, I never thought I would ever again. Just the thought of it terrified me. But who better to be reinitiated into the vertical campworld than sir Walter Bipley. Yeah!
I believe we spent seven days on that climb. With every cloud, every bit of breeze I was sure it was the beginning of the end, but all in all we had spectacular weather (of course it was pretty cold on the north face in October). We listened to a Cream cassette over and over again on Walt's custom hanging walkman and speaker set up. He was obsessed with the White Room, the song that inspired the name of his other new route on Half Dome with Sean Plunkett, and that tune still reminds me of our climb too.
In a white room
With black curtains
Near the stations
Blackroof country
No gold pavements
Tired starlings
Silver horses
Ran down moonbeams
In your dark eyes
Dawn-light smiled
On you leaving
My contentment
I'll wait in this place
Where the sun never shines
Wait in this place
Were the shadows run from themselves
You said no things
Could secure you
At the station
Platform tickets
Restless diesels
Goodbye windows
In walked into
such a sad time
At the station
As I walked out
Felt my own need
Just beginning
I'll wait in the queue
When the trains come back
Lie with you
Where the shadows run from themselves
At the party
She was kindness
In the hard crowd
Consolation
For the old wounds
Now forgotten
Yellow tigers
Crouched in jungles
In het dark eyes
She's just dressing
Goodbye windows
Tired starlings
I'll sleep in this place
With the lonely crowd
Life in the dark
Where the shadows run from themselves
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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Jan 27, 2009 - 07:40pm PT
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Really inspiring John. I love seeing these photos and hearing your stories. I think the way wall climbing panned out for you is incredible, the way things went in the mid 80's and then how hard you bounced back at it.
Did you ever imagine that in only 3ish years you would be headed for the biggest (right?) wall in the world? (yeah "only" right? I am starting to understand the immensity of change that can take place in 3 years). Ive watched your Great Trango Tower slide show, its damned impressive..talk about a huge wall...
Really awesome, thanks for sharing, keep it coming.
Dave
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nature
climber
Tucson, AZ
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Jan 27, 2009 - 07:49pm PT
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om namah shivaya
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jan 27, 2009 - 07:54pm PT
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Great story & pics John!
Even after all these years have gone bye, it is still hard to fathom Walt's demise. The valley hasn't felt the same ever since.
I've always been interested in doing the Kali Yuga & now my desire is much greater than ever. I'm gonna hit up Eriksson & see if he wants to do it too.
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WBraun
climber
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Jan 27, 2009 - 08:53pm PT
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John & Walt are some of the best guys to climb and hang out with.
Climb big wall with John and you're having fun.
Walt's gripped and intense, so you laugh at him all day.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2009 - 08:59pm PT
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Thanks Werner! You're the best partner, I felt pretty lucky to have gotten to go up with you for your once-in-a-decade aid climb.
Levy, I think the whole bottom part of the route is in boulders in the skree slope. So the new start would be all new pitches.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Jan 27, 2009 - 09:18pm PT
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Oh Deucey, you old skool, lo-tek, Ektachrome(?) shooter.....
that stuff is priceless!!!
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2009 - 09:39pm PT
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The Snoopy made Wheat Thin look like 5.4. I think Walt rated it 5.10+, but I could be wrong. Steep up there, and that flake is thin! There was a point or two where if Walt fell, the rope would have been cut like butter.
Kali Yuga: the fourth age of the Hari Krishna story, the age of "hypocrisy and quarrel". A name to depict the world as Walt was seeing it at the time.
I don't know much about the added bolts on the second ascent, I have heard a bit about it, but its all hypocrisy and quarrel anyway, so why add more? Though I must say I was amused at how the 5.13 climber BWP drilled on my 5.9 move after the scary "A2+" hook traverse. Both were pretty sandbag ratings. It wasn't a reach move, it was a scary mantle on a small ledge to avoid a rivet and spice things up during the creative process of establishing an aid pitch. (And me, only a lowly 5.11 yosemite climber at the time.)
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WBraun
climber
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Jan 27, 2009 - 09:40pm PT
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Kali Yuga
During the present age, Kali-yuga, practically all desirable qualities will gradually diminish. For example, dharma, which indicates a respect for higher authority that leads one to obey religious principles, will diminish.
In the Western world, theologians have been unable to scientifically present the laws of God or, indeed, God Himself, and thus in Western intellectual history a rigid dichotomy has arisen between theology and science. In an attempt to resolve this conflict, some theologians have agreed to modify their doctrines so that they conform not only to proven scientific facts but even to pseudo scientific speculations and hypotheses, which, though unproven, are hypocritically included within the realm of "science." On the other hand, some fanatical theologians disregard the scientific method altogether and insist on the veracity of their antiquated, sectarian dogmas.
Thus bereft of systematic Vedic theology, material science has moved into the destructive realm of gross materialism, while speculative Western philosophy has drifted into the superficiality of relativistic ethics and inconclusive linguistic analysis. With so many of the best Western minds dedicated to materialistic analysis, naturally much of Western religious life, separated from the intellectual mainstream, is dominated by irrational fanaticism and unauthorized mystic and mystery cults. People have become so ignorant of the science of God that they often lump the Krsna consciousness movement in with this odd assortment of fanciful attempts at theology and religion. Thus dharma, or true religion, which is strict and conscious obedience to God’s law, is diminishing.
Satyam, truthfulness, is also diminishing, simply because people do not know what the truth is. Without knowing the Absolute Truth, one cannot clearly understand the real significance or purpose of life merely by amassing huge quantities of relative or hypothetical truths.
Ksama, tolerance or forgiveness, is diminishing as well, because there is no practical method by which people can purify themselves and thus become free of envy. Unless one is purified by chanting the holy names of the Lord in an authorized program of spiritual improvement, the mind will be overwhelmed by anger, envy and all sorts of small-mindedness. Thus daya, mercy, is also decreasing. All living beings are eternally connected by their common participation in the divine existence of God. When this existential oneness is obscured through atheism and agnosticism, people are not inclined to be merciful to one another; they cannot recognize their self-interest in promoting the welfare of other living beings. In fact, people are no longer even merciful to themselves: they systematically destroy themselves through liquor, drugs, tobacco, meat-eating, sexual promiscuity and whatever other cheap gratificatory processes are available to them.
Because of all these self-destructive practices and the powerful influence of time, the average life span (ayur) is decreasing. Modern scientists, seeking to gain credibility among the mass of people, often publish statistics supposedly showing that science has increased the average duration of life. But these statistics do not take into account the number of people killed through the cruel practice of abortion. When we figure aborted children into the life expectancy of the total population, we find that the average duration of life has not at all increased in the age of Kali but is rather decreasing drastically.
Balam, bodily strength, is also decreasing. The Vedic literature states that five thousand years ago, in the previous age, human beings—and even animals and plants—were larger and stronger. With the progress of the age of Kali, physical stature and strength will gradually diminish.
Certainly smrti, memory, is weakening. In former ages human beings possessed superior memory, and they also did not encumber themselves with a terrible bureaucratic and technical society, as we have done. Thus essential information and abiding wisdom were preserved without recourse to writing.
Of course, in the age of Kali things are dramatically different.
In the age of Kali brute strength (balam eva) will determine law and "justice."
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Jan 27, 2009 - 10:08pm PT
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the sequence of walt in the "maw" is unreal!!thanks for sharing your memories. very cool
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jan 27, 2009 - 10:47pm PT
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Now, that's a Big Wall......The Fabled Half Stone....A Place fo' sho'....Magical, Deucey.
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Bruce Perschbacher
climber
Carbonale,Ill. 62901.
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Jan 27, 2009 - 11:26pm PT
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Hey John,
Thanks for even more superb photos, and climbing history.
Cheers,
Bruce.
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Mr_T
Trad climber
Somewhere, CA
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Jan 27, 2009 - 11:30pm PT
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Favorite: The ol' leader was cluster effed, can't move, just dump the aider [on the yellow piece] and run for it shot!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jan 27, 2009 - 11:34pm PT
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Yowza....That's when you gotta pull them bloomers up right now!
Get on it time.
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Jan 27, 2009 - 11:47pm PT
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Man;
That's the coolest.
Thanks
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Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
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Jan 27, 2009 - 11:51pm PT
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John: thanks for adding the commentary. Knew it was wildly overhanging Half Dome, but otherwise was clueless.
1974 or 75 seconded Leaning Tower and was gripped the whole way on my first big wall. Seldom led overhanging aid after that.
Way cool for us old farts to see the photos of stuff we could not comprehend leading. Fritz
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Thorgon
Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
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Jan 30, 2009 - 12:29pm PT
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KaliYuga:
That one always had a rep as
being sketchy!
Thor
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jan 30, 2009 - 01:00pm PT
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Bitchin' John....just bitchin'!
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Jan 30, 2009 - 01:03pm PT
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Bonga bonga! An amazing journey up the big onion.
I crossed that thing once- it looked pretty thin, made me glad to be on the route I was on.
Half Dome kinda holds a lodestone power over people- interesting to hear of the intensity that it held for you and Walter as well. I can totally picture obsessing over the White Room, over and over...it makes a lot of sense up there.
Thanks Deucey!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Half Stone....The Great South Dome.
Crazy Place.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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any more?
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Mike......Half Stone.
Hmmmmm.
Any thoughts that way?
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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I must say that I keep looking at these "stellar"pictures of you and Walt on the Dome.
my favorite one is when he disappears inside the fangs.
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That's Papajoto to you son!!!!!
Social climber
Oatmeal Arizona
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My partner and I did an early ascent of the Yuga. Great line, killer pitches, and a no-hands kneebar under the nose on the X-rated Snoopy flake!!!!!!!
PJ
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Lotta shizz comin' off that face, these days.
All over hell.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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Damn, that spiced my Thursday night. How, on an FA of Half Dome, do you see something like this above you, looming and horrifying above you all day, and just barrel forward into it the darkness of the moth-f#cker???
I also saw some pics from your Trango expedition - I've had dreams about the 'wormhole' formations you photographed and climbed up there. I can imagine them right now, chilling in the dark and wind at the top of the world.
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wallruss
Trad climber
cali
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John, I still consider the Kali Yuga one of the best and challenging big walls climbs for me. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. RM
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
pads are for girls
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Feb 12, 2009 - 03:52am PT
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bump
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
a greasy pinscar near you
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May 27, 2009 - 06:54pm PT
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So in the second[?] photo, there's some guys on...White Room? and the Jet Stream?
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Jimmy S
climber
Granite State
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May 27, 2009 - 08:44pm PT
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Very cool John, Thanks!
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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May 27, 2009 - 09:46pm PT
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Love the photos.... Couldn't care less about the sequencing or the missing captions... I pieced them together in my mind... and made up anything I felt needed captioning...
Thanks for the photos... Great moments in sports!!!
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bubble boy
Big Wall climber
T100
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May 27, 2009 - 11:59pm PT
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I've been drooling too. Looks like folks on Promised Land and Jet Stream???
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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May 28, 2009 - 12:05am PT
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I hope it's hot, then.....Half Stone is a cold place.
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Good one's! Nice to see Walt.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Here are four of the Deucie/Walt images re-pimped. Some really great historic images.
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wack-N-dangle
Trad climber
sincere condolonces
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Peter, I admire you keeping the memories alive for each other. Thanks for bumping this to the top and posting the pictures. Sometimes the Taco amazes me. It seems like a chance to sit in on conversations between sports stars. Kind of like the ones people pay huge money to see at trading card conventions.
Also,
http://www.bigwalls.net/climb/AMiddendorf.html
An aside: Once, I ran in to a guy at a crag. He put up at least one classic Valley aid line, as well as an A3 in the early 1990s. I laugh, because when I called him an aid climber, he responded abruptly that he was a free climber. I didn't laugh at the time, because I heard in his voice that he was serious.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 8, 2009 - 12:02pm PT
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Thanks for all the kudos.
Say, now that that one pic has been lightened up (thanks Peter), you can see a spot on my nose, reminds me when we racked up for that rig. Before the Kai Yuga, I hadn't touched big stone for many years, having turned snail eye after the south face epic (though I had been groveling up many technical desert spires), and was pretty nervous and excited about getting back into the multi-day steep.
Anyhow, I was taping up my big wall hammer with cloth tape, and at one point the tape broke suddenly as I was pulling it around the handle, and the pick of the hammer slammed into my face, gouging into the top of my nose, right between my eyes. I think Billy Joe Ruskell (the mammy nun), and perhaps Ned Flange Guy were there in addition to Walt.Those guys were laughing their heads off. Blood was everywhere. It was definitely a stitch job in any other life, but we had to start the hike to the base later that day. Still have the scar.
Hmm, thought of a great Walt story the other day that I was going to recount here, but it's slipped the mind. Will write it down next time...
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Roxy
Trad climber
CA Central Coast
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FAT roof and sweet couple shots of leader heading into the sun...awesome man! Thanks for the share.
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Urmas
Social climber
Sierra Eastside
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Boy that does bring back some good memories! Did the third ascent with Fred Berman. It stands out as my favorite wall climb. Every pitch was interesting and challenging! There was nothing super scary, but every pitch involved some head scratching.
The maw was a balls out lead! It seemed like Walt intended to climb all the way up into that thing, hoping to find a gear placement, and made it about 50' up in there before giving up and drilling. It starts out a fairly comfortable chimney, but gradually narrows until becoming awkward and painful. I can just imagine how he must have felt - knees and elbows burning - with no end in sight and the gaping bombay below, then fighting to drill a hole without being able to take a full swing with the hammer (probably using it sideways against the drill holder).
After dreading the Snoopy Flake all the way up, I was ecstatic to find that kneebar rest under the thin flake shown in the photos. It was mind blowing!
Thanks for sharing John. I miss Walt!
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Mimi
climber
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Missed this one. Good job Marty.
Glorious thread! Thanks John for the flood of historical pics!
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Chief
climber
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Bump for a great thread. Classic!
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nopantsben
climber
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another awesome post. looks like a cool wall. some of kaliYuga has fallen off, right?
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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I love looking back on those old shots of Walt--how they can show both sheer terror (B.U.B.S.) and absolute calm (Kali Yuga), often within the same sequence.
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Rollover
climber
Gross Vegas
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Bump it up!
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Rollover
climber
Gross Vegas
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Dec 25, 2013 - 11:01am PT
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Bump
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Hadn't seen this before, bump.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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That roof sequence is mind-blowing... I first thought it was a sideways shot of a short vertical section after a slab at the topout, then the rope clued me in and how the photographer would get way out in space to take it. GNARLY.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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That 3rd picture (of Walt) I see a blue haulbag. Looks like an old Gramici one that I still have.
Sheesh, where'd the time go?
and yes that chimney looks way narly from my chair, I can just image being on that 1st lead...yikes!
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Wow, what great photos. I love those summit overhang pics. Anyone who says that aid climbing is easy has never done anything like that.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Cast the bantling on the rocks,
Suckle him with the she-wolf's teat,
Wintered with the hawk and fox,
Power and speed be hands and feet.
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ryankelly
Trad climber
Bhumi
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Was looking at South Face of Half Dome today. Cool to see these photos
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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We/I are so lucky to have access to content like this!
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ground_up
Trad climber
mt. hood /baja
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Feb 11, 2015 - 09:55am PT
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Bumpin the oldskewl HD big wall awesomeness !
When other topics become boring it is great to have
these classic ones to visit or re-visit.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Feb 11, 2015 - 10:59am PT
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Thanks again Deuce! Still one of the best threads ever, along with your other old wall threads.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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c/o cascadeclimbers.com
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2016 - 07:25pm PT
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Noice photo!!!! This is before the rockfall?
more first ascent shots here: http://bigwalls.net
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
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Badass business. Thanks for sharing all those great pics. It was good to see Walt's face again.
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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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great post from Mr. Braun that no one even commented on.
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cotuclimber
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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That's a lot of holes. Nice shots.
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Rollover
climber
Gross Vegas
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Aug 25, 2018 - 08:49pm PT
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Bump
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