Pete Livesey's 'Rock Climbs in Yosemite'

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Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 22, 2009 - 10:37am PT
Pete Livesey’s topo book of selected Yosemite climbs is interesting to compare to George’s more professional ring binder selected topo book and to current topos.

There is no date of publication, but it was probably compiled in early 1974. "Crack-a-go-go" is not shown, and this stellar route was free climbed by Pete and Ron Fawcett in 1974. Also Pete and Trevor Jones free climbed "The Moritorium" in 1975 and here it is shown as mixed free and aid.

It is alsp interesting that the "Bircheff-Willaims" is shown as all free, which Pete and Ron Fawcett (I think) did all free in 1973 or 74. Geroge Meyers and Kevin Worrall are credited with all the free ascents in any guide I have, but I thought that they were not able to do the pendulum moves free. That is what I reported in my article on MCR in 1976 (written in 1975). Maybe Kevin can clear this up in my mind.

Pete's topo book is eclectic mix of climbs , drawn and notated by him, Keith Nannery, and Dave Nicol. The introduction states that only 30% of the Grade VI climbs had been done by the three contributors. It seems that most of the remainder were personal topos. The text to worth reading just for the slice of life in the early 70s that it provides.

I cannot read the text of his introduction on my screen. If this is a problem for everyone else and someone knows how to fix it (I download from Photobucket), please send me an e-mail.





Pete’s topo don’t really show the features of the rock. George took more care to show the topos in approximate relation to a front-on view of the rock features. “New Dimensions” is show separately in the index but is lumped onto the Cookie page.



Note the comment “amenable to fiddling” on the 5th pitch of the “Salathe.”



Note the 70's ratings for the Steck-Salathe.








Pete really liked climbing on Middle, and he shows seven. Interestingly he excludes the “East Buttress.”








Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Feb 22, 2009 - 12:15pm PT
Cool stuff Roger! Thanks for posting those funky old topos!
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Feb 22, 2009 - 01:19pm PT
thanks for posting this Roger, great to see the routes in Livesey's "eyes" as he tried to interpret the ratings...

As for the resolution, I've tried two things, but basically you're going to need more resolution, 460x600 doesn't quite do it...

from your original scan try to sharpen the image using one of the sharpening tools in your viewer (don't know what you're using)... an alternative might be to increase the contrast.

Then save (a copy) of the image at the eventual size you're interested in, my guess is that you might "cheat" it up to 700 pixels high (that would make it roughly 537x700) and perhaps readable.

What I've done is to use the OCR function of Adobe Acrobat, to extract out the text from a .pdf version of the files and post that separately, or saving the .pdf after you OCR'd it, someone else can extract the text if they're interested...

But anyway, great to see this mythical guide in any form...
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Feb 22, 2009 - 03:17pm PT
Roger,

Cool old topos!

Photobucket should host images up to 600 x 800.
A good method is to scan in black & white mode at your highest resolution.
Then reduce your scan to 600 x 800 and save as a .GIF (you can use the free software Irfanview on a PC to do this).
Then upload this to photobucket. This should yield a readable intro.
Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 23, 2009 - 12:35pm PT
I gave up trying to get a clear .jpeg for text pages of Livesey's guide. I did, however, miss the first half of the Academy Awards and consume two glasses of wine trying.

Using the OCR embedded in Microsoft office is easy enough to transfer .pdf scans into plain text, which is what I did here.

INTRODUCTION

This guide was originally intended as a quick ‘run-off’ for use by the itinerant British climber, although it has now been considerably expanded. Needless to say we do hope that our North American cousins will find it both acceptable and useful.

In order to aid the often all-too-short stay of the Yosemite visitor we have laid out a number of classic and enjoyable routes which include many of the finest itineries (sic) in the area. Many new and restyled routes have been added, most of these tend to lean to the difficult side. In order to stimulate the metamorphosis of the unitiated (sic), a number of the more esoteric courses are offered. This small collection is in no way designed to replace the ‘Roper’ guide but merely to supplement that excellent production.

The use of ‘topos’ has always been a mildly controversial issue. Undeniably topos make route-finding easier and give one a very clear picture of the route as a whole. Consequently the sense of adventure is blunted, some of the mystery lost. Nevertheless most climbers demand efficiency first. Topos are efficient. Most climbers in fact would vote for topos. However each to his own trip; for the very few, whom from choice, climb established sizeable routes without a topo; may they long continue to do so.

I would like to thank Pete Livesey and Keith Nannery in particular for their help in drawing together material for this guide. Thanks also to George Homer and Jon Jones and the many Valley climbers who gave invaluable assistance.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The large loose-leaved format was found to be the only practicable one. It is recommended that topos are detached as needed and mounted in ‘Transpaseal’ or some such product.

Routes are arranged as in the ‘Roper’ guide i.e. starting at the West end of the north side of the valley and finishing at the west end of the south side. With simultaneous use of the ‘Roper guide the location of routes should be obvious. With new routes adequate indications are added.

Over 70% of the enclosed climbs have been climbed by the three main contributors. Most of the topos were drawn during or directly after an ascent. The glaring exception is within the realm of the VI’s. Only 30% being directly checked. However every effort was made to draw copy from recent (or only) ascent parties. Pin and nut lists are sometimes included, these should be treated with reservation. The status of climbs change quickly-- aid pitches fall to the free- climber almost daily. It is therefore impossible to give up to date information.

Signs & Symbols:
(2)--stance and end of pitch number
B --bolt
P -- fixed pin
H --hook move
r -- rivets
n -- fixed nut

Corrections gratefully received by Dave Nicol, Hawse End Cottage Portinscale, Keswick, Cumbria, England.

PRACTICAL YOSEMITE — Pete Livesey

In 1946 and 1947 John Salathe climbed two routes that were to trigger off an unprecedented revolution in climbing techniques and approach. His ascents of the S.W. Face of Half Dome and the Lost Arrow Chimney were instrumental in the creation of a climbing area that has become a household word, a reference point to climbers from whatever part of the world — Yosemite.

Much has been written about Yosemite, many photographs published of what must be one of the finest rock climbing areas in the world. As the American climber makes his pilgrimage to Britain and the Alps, so the British climber feels incomplete without the experience of Yosemite. I hope this introduction will help achieve that aim.

Expense may be seen as the biggest objection to a trip to Yosemite for the British climber, — this can however be alleviated by many more or less devious means. With a little inside information on how to get there, and what to expect in America and ‘The Valley’ a season in Yosemite costs very little more than the average Alpine Season.

GETTING THERE:

Yosemite lies in East Central California some 150 miles east of San Francisco and five and a half thousand miles west of London. It is a predominantly forested National Park, some 60 miles in diameter and lying between 3,000 and 11,000 feet high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Flying is the only reasonable way of getting there, but the £400 standard return fare is beyond the reach of most climbers. There are alternative air fares however that make the journey excellent value for money. A.B.C. (Advance Booking Charters) are cheapest but least convenient. They can usually be obtained from any travel agents for two to eight week periods, from April to October. One must book and pay sixty days before flying, the cost ranging from £160 to £235 depending on when one flies and who with (Yosemite seasons are April - May - June and September - October, the cheapest time to fly). One can fly to Los Angeles or San Francisco, the latter being slightly preferable, but more flights go to Los Angeles. Some of the larger A.B.C. Firms do offer longer stop tickets, and these are usually at the cheapest rate. Cheaper still is to get a ‘stand by’ A.B.C. ticket. Two or three of these are issued for each flight, and one arrives at the airport and gets on if someone fails to show — otherwise you wail for the next A.B.C. flight. One way tickets are available this way

The sixty day booking regulation and inflexible return dates are the drawbacks of A.B.C. Next down the list are student flights: these are charter flights operated from Paris, and cost £195 return to San Francisco, including London - Paris fare. These can be booked up to three days beforehand and return dates are flexible. You do need to acquire a Student Card however, usually obtainable from Univeristy (sic) Travel Departments.

More expensive still are excursion flights run by regular airlines — these are around £200 and usually limited to three or four weeks. It is possible, of course, to fly to New York or Toronto for £50 - £80 (A.B.C.) and hitch or bus across. To hitch takes 4 - 14 days and to bus costs as much as flying direct to the West Coast. These prices are correct for the 1975 season, but they are rising rapidly. One should always try more than one A.B.C. firm, their prices vary considerably. The least expensive, and certainly one of the most pleasant ways of reaching Yosemite I found for 1975 is to get the cheapest possible A.B.C. flight to New York (Laker) then buy a ‘Visit U.S.A.’ air ticket issued by the Association of Local Transport Airlines, and costs $150 dollars for unlimited travel on local airlines for 21 days. Using this method it is possible to fly London to Fresno (near the park) return for £145. Best to buy your ‘Visit U.S.A.’ ticket in Britain.

From Los Angeles or San Francisco to the Park the easiest way is to catch a Greyhound Bus on the LA — SF Valley route and alight at Merced. Buses from here to Yosemite leave in the early afternoon; total cost from LA/SF being 12-15 doflars. It is easy to hitch from Merced to the Park (90 Miles) and usually faster than the bus. Do not pay at the Park entrance, show your Passport and you enter free.

If you want to see the States as well as visit Yosemite then the best and cheapest way is to fly to Toronto (A.B.C.) and use a Greyhound ‘Usabus’ ticket to travel anywhere in the U.S. or Canada for two weeks, a month or two months. These tickets cost £48 (for a two week pass) and must be bought in England before you go; Greyhound have a ticket office in London.

LIVING THERE:

Camp Four, or Sunnyside Camp as it is now known, is the only campsite catering for the climbers’ needs and it would be pointless using any of the other Valley camps. All are within a mile of the focal point, Yosemite Village, and all are served by a free bus service. Camp Four is behind the garage close to Yosemite Lodge, a hotel, bar and restaurant complex. The camping formalities in the camp change frequently; at present (1974) one is obliged to register at the site entrance and pay 50 cents per person per night. However, this fee is only collected conscientiously during the summer, the climbing seasons seeming to escape officialdom. There is also a ‘seven day maximum stay’ in summer, but this seems to be overlooked if you are a foreign climber.

Individual campsites are grouped around a table and fireplace, six people per site, and it is obligatory to cook at the table. Tents are not necessary in summer, but are useful and convenient. A flysheet isn’t needed however, and if you’re short of space a sheet of local polythene is the answer. During spring and autumn the nights are quite cold and a tent is necessary.

A paraffin stove is the cheapest way of cooking — find a can and get your fuel (called Kerosene) from the garage in Yosemite Village, 60 cents a gallon. Americans normally use petrol stoves that burn ‘White Gas’ at 80 cents a gallon, obtainable from the same garage. As stoves are not normally taken on routes, weight and size are not crucial. Food is best bought at the Village Supermarket, and prices are comparable with British Supermarket prices. Avoid tinned vegetables and meats, very expensive, but fresh vegetables and meat are cheaper than Britain. It is usually more economical to eat rice and noodles than potatoes, but there’s not much in it. The cheapest meals are salads and chuck, steak, kidneys, chicken backs, fishy fingers, or an American invention called ‘Tuna Helper’ and ‘Mince Beef Helper’ — all cheaper than similar British food. Stores are open until 9.00 or 10.00 p.m. and it’s around this time that bargains are to be had — free meat and cheese scraps from the ‘Deli’ or surplus precooked food from the cafes. Eating out is fairly expensive in the Park, generally 50% up on British prices, though there is little difference outside the park. Of the seven cafes and restaurants in the park, the take-away chicken and pizza cafe in the village gives the best value.

‘Scarfing’ is popular but illegal in the cafeterias; Americans buy vast meals then leave most of it; climbers assist by discreetly disposing of the rest. One can have a large, cheap meal in the Lodge restaurants by ordering soup, green salad and baked potato, then making full use of the frills.

Drink is best bought at the Supermarket — beer here is rather cheaper than in Britain, but the cheapest buy is wine or port in gallon bottles. There is a bar at Yosemite Lodge, but it’s very expensive if you buy drinks inside; in summer it’s more usual to drink at tables outside the village stores.

A word of warning here about bears and things; Camp Four is full of furry and feathery things that steal food and are usually two steps ahead of you and your attempts to stop them. Basically all food, or anything that smells of food, must be in one of the tin trunks lying around the campsite, or in a sac hanging from a tree. Bears are
unbelievably strong and ingenious — they have been known to open cars like a tin opener to get at bread crumbs on the floor.

WHAT TO BRING:

It is normal to climb in vest and shorts, though normal British summer rock climbing clothing is needed for longer routes. Climbing gear need only be the same as one would use in Britain, but with rather more nuts, especially the larger size. It is rare to see climbers carrying more than half a dozen pegs nowadays. It is probably better to have rather more crabs than normal; climbers here tend to put two on fixed pegs rather than use a piece of tape. For the longer aid routes a light sleeping bag, Karrimat, protective clothing and a tube tent are ideal, with two extra sets of nuts or pegs depending on the route. A pair of Jumars and an abseiling device are mandatory. It is not usual to wear a helmet, though a harness is very useful to fall onto and as an excuse for failing in off-width cracks and chimneys. E.B’s are the usual boot, with perhaps a back up pair of P.A.’s, R.D.’s or gollies for the longer routes — rock boots with a vibram sole are not really viable any more.

THE CLIMBING:

The two main climbing seasons are the April/May/June spring season and the September/October fall season. The former has cooler weather but melting snow may be a problem on some routes in April. The spring season is a highly competitive time for local climbers while the autumn season is more of a ‘cooling off from the summer’ time. Best months for the big walls are May/June and September. It is perfectly possible to climb in the Valley during the summer months, the only impractical routes being the big routes on El Capitan; other multi day routes being in the shade for a reasonable part of the day, and Half Dome being distinctly pleasant. Some difficulty may be experienced at and after midday when on sunstruck climbs the rock and one’s feet become unbearably hot. Many valley climbers emigrate to the Tuolmne (sic) Meadows area of the park in summer. At 8,000 ft. it is generally much cooler, but also wetter and mosquito infested during July and August. The meadows are 60 miles by road from the Valley, or two days walk on easy trails.

The guide book to Yosemite ‘Ropers Guide’ should complement these topo’s, and is an immensely funny and worthwhile book available at park bookshops. It is well out of date however, and new route information not contained here can usually be found in the ‘New Routes Book’ that lives behind a mirror in Camp Four.

There is a one way traffic system in the Valley that makes hitching to the foot of routes fairly easy --hitching in the park generally is very easy but illegal!

If climbing in the summer months then it is usually best to climb on the south side in the morning and the north side in the afternoon--this only applies to short routes however.

The concern for ethics is much stronger in the U.S. than Britain, though the concerned British climber should face no problems. Nuts, are used almost exclusively now on free routes, with increasing use on big aid climbs, though nut ‘tapping’ appears to be a popular pastime. The crack routes frequently have very parallel sided cracks that take Chouinard polycentrics much better than the traditional British wedge or hexagon shape. However, as most routes were originally pegged or protected with pegs, the widening effect of the pegs has produced numerous perfect placements for the British style wedge. The full Clog and MOAC range of wired wedges are in fact much superior to the American equivalents.

Gradings are impossible to compare with those in real life: Yosemite’s fairy tale routes have problems that don’t occur in other areas, climbs tend to be categorised by their usually uniform characters, i.e. crack, slab, chimney or layback, a distinction one could not make in Britain. The difficulties arise, not in the technicality of one move, but in one’s ability or otherwise to repeat that move continuously for a hundred feet or so. Falling off is a much safer, pleasanter and acceptable tactic than in Britain; the rock is smoother and generally free of obstructions that would break one’s fall or leg. Climbs are also graded by length, or rather time. These gradings give an idea of what to take on the climb-- as a rough guide the following should suffice: Grade I, II and III take nothing; Grade IV take a water bottle; Grade V free, a water bottle and little food, perhaps a sweater also; Grade V aid, if you take bivvy gear you’ll have one, if you leave it you probably won’t need it. Grade VI, full haul sac.



scuffy b

climber
just below the San Andreas
Feb 23, 2009 - 12:40pm PT
Fighting grade inflation since...
graham

Social climber
Ventura, California
Feb 23, 2009 - 01:32pm PT
“Falling off is a much safer, pleasanter and acceptable tactic than in Britain;”

Too frigin funny!

Ole Pete was pioneer of hangin on the rope when stuff got tough or he hadn’t practiced the bejezes out of it with a top rope. Guess that’s the alternative for the unacceptable.

Just sayin

I use to listen a lot to this guy tell me how Bad ass the routes were in Briton.
Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 23, 2009 - 02:28pm PT
Pete Livesey climbed five FFA in the Valley and one FA.

In 1973:

Maxine’s Wall with Andreas Maurer at 5.10c ffa

In 1974:

Crack-a-go-go with Ron Fawcett 5.11c ffa
Gillette (no partner listed) 5.10 fa

In 1975:

Limbo Ledge (no partner listed) 5.10b ffa
The Moratorium with Trevor Jones 5.11b ffa
Koko Ledge, Center (no partner listed) 5.11c fa

In trying to date the Topo guide, there are some interesting tid-bits. In the introduction, Livesey talks about travel costs in 1975 in the present tense. However, the topos themselves show three climbs as mixed free and aid that were free climbed in 1975: The Moratorium (Livesey’s route), the East Face of Washington Column (Astroman), and Hotline. Two all free routes are shown which were completed in 1974: Lady Fingers and Rixon South Face. These two brackets indicate that the topos and the introduction were prepared between the 1974 and 1975 seasons, with the guide published in 1975.

There are two odd omissions with this timing: The Good Book ffa in 1973 is not listed although its neighbor Wild Thing is, and Crack-a-go-go which Pete climbed in 1974, is not listed.

It could be that the guide book dates are wrong for the Good Book and Crack-a-go-go, but I think both of these routes were done before 1974. Given that both routes are stellar routes, it surprises me that they are not included.




Butterballs is listed free: free climbed in 1973
Lady Fingers is listed free: free climbed in 1974
La Escuela is listed free: free climbed in 1973
Moratorium is listed as aid and free: free climbed in 1975
Rixon's South Face listed as free: free climbed in 1974
Wild Thing listed as free: free climbed in 1973
Good Book not listed: free climbed in 1973
East Face Washington Column listed as aid: free climbed in 1975
as Astroman
Bircheff-Williams listed as free: free climbed in 1973
Hotline listed as aid and free: free climbed in 1975
Crack-a-go-go not listed: Livesey climbed it free in 1974



Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Feb 23, 2009 - 04:56pm PT
Roger,

Based on the dates, perhaps the book was published in summer 1974. Ladyfinger was freed in 5/74. Maybe Crack-a-go-go was not freed until later in 1974? The month for freeing Rixon's South Face is not listed, either.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Feb 23, 2009 - 05:08pm PT
My recollection for Crack-a-go-go FFA was it happened in July of 1974 and Vandiver and i did the next free ascent of it one month later in August.
Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 23, 2009 - 05:30pm PT
Hi Clint,

I cannot remember the dates for the routes mentioned in 1974 exactly, but I am pretty sure that Crack-a-go-go was late spring, early summer. The cracks had been full of wet dirt that made it harder to clean out. That is part of the reason it took so much effort to clean it up. One day to dig out the cracks and then come back in a few days after it had dried off to clean out the rest. Nevertheless, I had to leave the Valley for a guiding session so as a practical matter it was probably June. Which is after 'Lady Finger.'

Another clue would be the date in 1974 that Tobin and John free climbed "The South Face" of Rixon's.

I would guess that the actual complication of the topos, based on the Nicol's notes, occurred over a period of time and could have been put to bed during 1974 without the benefit of the latest climbing in the Valley--everything was done with regular mail and took awhile. For sure the production control was a little iffy: the name of "Freewheeling" is hand written above the crossed out "Beauty and the Beast" (good thing, too!) but the table of contents is not changed. Pete could have written his introduction to the guide in early months of 1975 when he had tickets arranged to come back to the US. That would explain his precise costs for travel.

That leaves exclusion of the 'Good Book' as an oddity. I think that the date in the guide--I use Ed's compilation--may be too early, but my memory is very fuzzy on the dates.

Anyone have any first hand memories of this or secondary sources? Mike, John, Werner, Kevin, Peter? The 'Good Book' turned out to be an inflection point in Valley climbing, in my opinion, linked to 'Hotline' all free and 'Astroman.'

Peter posted while I was thinking. Peter's dates for Crack-a-go-go are consistent with my timing.

Mungeclimber

Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
Feb 23, 2009 - 05:54pm PT
the shading on the topos gives them life not usually seen in modern topos, yet the topos are clearly modern style.
graham

Social climber
Ventura, California
Feb 23, 2009 - 05:55pm PT

Couple of things I remember.

For thirty something years I always thought I did the second ascent of Crack a go-go. Peter, it wasn’t until you posted about it sometime back did I learn differently. Even last Fall at the cookie with Ron he said to me that didn’t you do the 2nd. With my new found Knowledge I replied nope it was Vandiver and Haan. His comment was “Really?” You see, he, JB and I were cursing around the base one afternoon and I thought it looked inviting and heard ole Pete had freed it not long ago. I grabbed a few wires, tied in and off I went. Wish I remember the dates but it doesn't matter to me.

When John Long and I did Lady Fingers I never knew it was and Aid route. I / We just thought we did the FA of a piddley (but good) little variation to butter fingers.

When it comes to this stuff Largo has the memory of a steel trap!

Mike
the Fet

Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
Feb 23, 2009 - 05:58pm PT
For only 2 colors (B&W) gif is better than jpeg, or pdf is better yet.
graham

Social climber
Ventura, California
Feb 23, 2009 - 06:21pm PT
I figured out a way to jog my memory on crack a go-go. We did it before we went to Colorado for the summer. The slides I have of climbing in the rocky mts have a time stamp of July. So more than likely ‘a go-go was June or early July for us (that’s 74)
looking sketchy there...

Social climber
Latitute 33
Oct 27, 2009 - 12:35pm PT
A Classic and pretty scarce guide. This guide pre-dated Meyers' "Yosemite Climbs" by about a year. The Nicol, Livesey, Nannery guide was published in England in 1975. Printed on Standard sized A4 European paper, it is approx 8.25 x 11.937 (a bit narrower and taller) than our paper.

Topos were in use in the Valley in the 1960s and were very common by 1974/75. [Glen Denny's great photo book, "Yosemite The Sixties" has a two page spread showing two detailed topos of the Salathe circa 1969] But guidebooks had not kept up. Roper's green guide first published in 1971, was still very old school and out of touch with what was happening in the Valley. In fact Roper rails against the seductive nature of topos in his Introductory material:

"Topos are highly detailed schematic drawings of routes. Designed to supplement or even replace written descriptions, topos are controversial in that they tend to make climbing a bit easier on the brain. Routefinding problems are simplified; one knows just where to expect a fixed piton or an off-route arch. They encourage climbers onto difficult routes because of their unshakable belief in the topo. Some topos have listed the actual pitons used per pitch. Topos assure speed records; they also lessen responsibility. No more querulous statements such as, 'I'll just look around this corner,' only, 'Here we are and where the hell's the belay bolt.'In other words, part of the adventure of climbing is removed. Topos are not used in this guidebook for the reasons mentioned above and also because this size book is impractical for them (topos are usually drawn on large sheets of paper)."

Of course, one could point out that the sometimes detailed written descriptions ruined the "fun" more than a topo. Roper exhibited a great deal of hubris thinking that he could dictate to climbers and thus stem the tide. One recalls Warren Harding's labeling of the "Valley Christians" in relation to this mentality.

In any event, Roper missed the boat and a group of visiting Brits had scooped the "locals." But, George Meyers picked up pieces and the rest is, as you say -- history.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Oct 27, 2009 - 06:29pm PT
a link to the whole guidebook with larger topos: here
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Oct 27, 2009 - 06:40pm PT
Pete Livesey was the only one of many British climbers I have known who had absolutely NO sense of humor. He was a walking, talking (although rarely) party douser.
oldcragster

Gym climber
WA
Oct 28, 2009 - 12:25am PT
Sorry, I disagree with your comment about Pete, although I can kind of see how one could think that. I spent a lot of time of a few years in the Valley with Pete and Jill on their visits. Just think of his usual dinner: six pack of beer and half gallon of ice cream. Pete always availed himself of the mtn. room bar and conversations were lively. Yes he was serious, but then he was a professor. I saw him laugh and smile plenty, but never really loud and silly. English humor....different! Great guy to hang with, even if I couldn't come close to climbing at his ability in the 70's. You can see I'm prejudiced by my close association. Roll on the ground....no. But grin from ear to ear....yeah! Gene
ninjakait

Trad climber
Feb 25, 2019 - 03:41pm PT
I just found my Dad’s copy of this too. Pretty cool to see so many detailed route topos.
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