Cozmic Bandito-Gang Bang- South Face, Mt. Watkins

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Buggs

Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
Feb 27, 2009 - 06:41pm PT
The lovely and spacious Sheraton Watkins

Buggs

Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
Feb 27, 2009 - 06:45pm PT
Mel "Lyndon Baines" Johnston leading the aid pitch off Sheraton Watkins. I was supposed to clean this pitch but since I was about to puke, Bruce did it. Thanks for this and every other bailout in our past Brother Survival.

Buggs

Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
Feb 27, 2009 - 06:47pm PT
Some where higher up. F@#%! By this time I was on Auto Buggy, juggin' and choking on dry halitosis.

Buggs

Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
Feb 27, 2009 - 06:54pm PT
Keith cleaning the last pitch to the right (left?) of the visor. The day is almost over and the dusk and darkness is almost upon us. Bruce talked about Chief Tenaya's revenge. I felt it physically as we hiked off the back side, bushwhacking our way down to (Snow Creek?), only shorts to hide the thighs, the full on manzanita scratch program for knees to top of boots. Revenge indeed.
Zander

Trad climber
Berkeley
Feb 27, 2009 - 08:06pm PT
Oooo, this thread keeps getting better.
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 27, 2009 - 10:55pm PT
Right on brother Buggs!!

I knew you'd scare something else up.
I wish I had your way with words!

"The full on mazanita scratch program for knees to top of boots."

You got me smiling again.....
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Mar 29, 2009 - 07:18pm PT
Bump this guy up top again.
More Climbing.
All of the Time!!!!
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Apr 2, 2009 - 12:57pm PT
Bump this one up again--a great TR
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 2, 2009 - 01:37pm PT
Thanks again SteveW!

Wish I had some more pix from that trip. Maybe someone else can slide some from their trip in?

The electric koolaid bivvy at Snow Creek was something else....
Hoots

climber
Tacoma, Toyota
Apr 8, 2009 - 12:11pm PT
Awesome climbing photo BUMP.
Crimpergirl

Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
Apr 8, 2009 - 12:31pm PT
Survival - no worries if there are no more photos - just start drawing cartoons. We like cartoons too! :)
tom woods

Gym climber
Bishop, CA
Apr 8, 2009 - 01:34pm PT
Do I have to tell my Watkins story to keep this thread alive?

It's shameful. It's a true bail story, in other words I bailed for no real reason what so ever.


I had made plans to do the regular route in the spring with two friends. Over the winter, I had a heart breaking break up with a girlfriend of seven years, and was really bummed out. I planned to propose, moved up to Portland and everything. Then got shut down.

So spring rolls around and we head up there to do the route, three of us, all climbing well.

We camp in the canyon one night. Then spend the next day hauling our stuff up to the base of the route, which is no small task and takes us longer then planned.

That evening one buddy leads up to the base of the long pendulums. I get the pendulum pitch which sketches me out because the two bolts are rusty quarter inchers sitting in a seep.

I give it a half ass go, and then bail. Nobody else wants to do it, so my other buddy, who's tall leads up the free version bolts.

In my bummed out mind, the whole operation seems stupid, but my partners put up with my mopey ass.

The next morning we get up and haul up two pitches, the thought being that getting off the ground will improve my psyche.

It doesn't and I bail, leaving the other guys to continue on to finish the route two days later.

I bail and hike out on my own. My buddies always try to claim that I had to be somewhere and we were a day behind schedule, but that's not true. I did have a camping trip with the non climbing friends to go to the day we were supposed to be off.

I bailed, because of my head.

I did get to the camping trip on time and got really drunk for three days, and sick for another three days.

As for the girl? I am now happily married to someone else and we have a little boy, so it worked out in the end. The other girl is long gone, but I sure wish I had done the route.

The one consolation was that while walking back down Tenaya, a big ice fall came off the wall near half dome. It headed right toward me so I hid behind a big tree. The ice crossed the creek but didn't reach me. It was pretty cool.







survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 8, 2009 - 01:59pm PT
Tom,

That's a good story! Don't worry brutha, we've all had our LAPBJ in the past. ( Lame Ass Psych Bail Jobs) Mine were usually due to CSWD ( Chicken Sh*t Weather Disorder ) or PVA
( Partner's V*ginal Ache ), but there have even been cases of MOLE ( My Own Lame Excuse )

We've all been there.

Now SACK UP and go do that route!!!
tom woods

Gym climber
Bishop, CA
Apr 8, 2009 - 05:51pm PT
I've thought about another attempt on the route, but as I get older I'm more bummed I missed out on a great climb with my friends than I am about missing the route.

If those guys wanted to go back up there I would, otherwise I'm game to move on to something else that they haven't done.

I have another buddy in mind though for Watkins.
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 8, 2009 - 06:06pm PT
Tom,

Good philosophy.

I'd go back too, if I wasn't so gawdd*mn WEEEEEEAAAAAAK!!!

Ha ha!!!
Miwok

climber
Apr 8, 2009 - 06:17pm PT
Great TR! Talk about getting it done. Nice job.
Olihphant

climber
Somewhere over the rainbow
Apr 26, 2009 - 09:46am PT
From start to first to last that was awesome! More please.

But whats i really wants ta hear bout is more Brave Little Toaster stories.
Frodo wouldn't have gotten far with out his BLT.

You Banditos are cozmic.
Buggs

Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
Apr 26, 2009 - 04:58pm PT
Okay, since I am in some circles known as the Brave Little Toaster(BLT), you will get your wish.

As the nOOb on the Cozmic team, the boys did a good job during the three weeks preceeding the Mt Watkins venture to ensure BLT had at least a functional knowledge of what the hell he was doing up there to keep things in order. You see, BLT grew up in the cornfields of Nebraska and the tallest thing he climbed there was a grain silo.

So we decided a month in the valley would be enough time to expand BLT's mind enough to allow for a big wall ascent at the end of the trip. Cookie Cliff to start, aid practice on Crashline, Central Pillar, and others over the prep period help alot. East Buttress of Middle Cathedral got BLT up high and opened his mind to the "other" significant aspect of climbing,...

Going down! After a long day of climbing, the descent from things can be as challenging as the climb. In fact, it can present itself as the crux of the bizkit. Anyone familiar with the way down from Middle knows what I'm talking about. Anyway, BLT, extremely dry, malnourished, hallucinating, talking to himself, putting one foot in front of the other, in the slick, gutter-like (like hell, those grooves ARE rain gutters)grooves of granite, hoping a slip doesn't lead to gymnastics, plodded his way down from the glorious heights. Coining a phrase that would be used over and over throughout the last 20+ years of climbing with the Banditos, I had to "take it off Autobuggy" to safely get down from the crag.

So after a psychedelic stroll down from Olmstead Point to get a look at the descent from Watkins(as well as weird green lichen, fish that may or may not have been there, and cloud formations building up and disappearing over Cloud's Rest-BLT was actually fearing these clouds at several moments), we figured we were ready as we'd ever be. Taking advantage of BLT's angular state of mind, Keith's former spouse kept goading him.

"You really gonna go up there Buggs?"

Gulp.

"It awfully high and scary."

Cough, cough, gulp.

"I don't know Buggs, you could DIE up there!"

Eeeek. Gulp. Cough. Hurl.

She was right. I didn't belong up there any more than I belonged in the coup. I don't know about this, maybe I should go back to Nebraska and buy a mayonaise farm.

Later that evening at the Mountain Room, as the paranoia faded and the margaritas kicked in, I was back to being the Brave Big Toaster and I didn't care what SHE said, I was going up there with the boys cause that's why we came down here.

Enter the haul pig.

I've carried heavier, helping several parties in Alaska carry moose hindquarters weighing 125 pounds for a mile and a half or so, but they pale compared to the unwieldy, teetering, back jabbing, twin bull whip strap, comfort-challenged, sack of heavy metal and fabric S@#T pile that I hauled for miles up Tenaya Creek to the base. Even the cool bathtub-sized pools on the way up there couldn't relieve my suffering.

Enter the Scruffy Buttress.

For those deciding to go up there, the Scruffy Buttress is a somewhat formidable foe. Not that it bears any malice to the wayward climber, but it is the last challenge before the sandy bivy at the base of the climb where you can rest in comfort, drink margaritas, and prepare for the climb. So it actually seems harder than it is. The Scruffy Buttress has the distiction of nearly taking the BLT's soul.

At one point, there was a boulder to climb up and over which was on a steep incline strewn with boulders of varying sizes. The move required stepping across to the left, traversing the boulder to get a foothold in order to elevate up and over the boulder. As I stepped out to gain this foothold, the pig shifted, and my foot came down on some manzanita leaves.

Manzanita leaves on slick granite underfoot, heavy haul pig, shifting, foot slips, leg follows, haul bag shifting, suddenly airborne, grasp for branches, both legs airborne, flailing, cursing, praying. Thankful that Bruce has one hand on top of the bag, holds my sorry ass to terra firma. Visions of a tumbling, painful death at the final resting place hundreds of feet down the Scruffy Buttress.

Get me off this s#$t.

End Act One.
Olihphant

climber
Somewhere over the rainbow
Apr 26, 2009 - 05:31pm PT
Bravo BLT keep the goodies coming!
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 26, 2009 - 07:05pm PT
Ho Mahn, Buggs, you've done it again.

The Brave Little Toaster has become an integral part of the crew because his attitude and his sense of humor are unmatched!

"Hoping a slip doesn't lead to gymnastics." Classic Buggs.

There have been times when he has had us all doubled over in tears.

"Man, we've got to have this guy along for some sh*t that will really bring out the best in him!"

And indeed it has.

I was hoping he'd tell the tale about Reeds Direct!
Messages 81 - 100 of total 187 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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