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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jun 29, 2009 - 03:29am PT
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Playful, not grumpy, nor gumpy...
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adventurous one
Trad climber
Truckee Ca.
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Jun 29, 2009 - 03:30am PT
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I'd like to second Mr. Donini's sentiments above.
And I am neither grumpy nor old.
In fact it's great contributions to this forum from guys like Donini that make wading through all the off topic chatter here bearable.
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reddirt
climber
Elevation 285 ft
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Jun 29, 2009 - 07:46am PT
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"have you seen an elderly gentleman wandering around the store?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:15am PT
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Onyx,
Come on, can't help growing old, but grumpy- geez. Climbing still puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face but news about Billy Mays well... Tell you what, come for a visit and we will chat about things on the way to the Black Canyon. I just happen to know this climb that requires full attention and will be a welcome relief from the deafening noise of pop culture.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:32am PT
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Jim, Onyx couldn't reach high enough to tie your shoes. Grump on big guy! We love ya!
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:38am PT
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Jim's not grumpy...he's from Philly. F*#king straight shooting blue collared talk. The PC crowds from CA and CO just can't handle it.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:39am PT
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What Philo said.....Hell, I've been called Grumpy.
Not too awful concerned about some salesman.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:13am PT
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What's a gumpy old man?
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:25am PT
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The Black Canyon? Jim, sign me up.
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:29am PT
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I have to agree with Onyx.
I remember in the early 70's Jim was grumpy (and looked old) back then. Around the campfire he would never discuss religon, politics, or sex. It was always climbing, climbing, climbing.
Most of us then knew he would burn-out early and never amount to much (with climbing)!
You know, Onyx. Considering the amount of time he's spent "at altitude" it's a wonder he can still write!!
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WBraun
climber
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:30am PT
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Old men like Jim have every right to say what they feel .....
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richross
Trad climber
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:37am PT
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Jim at the Grumps reunion last October.
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:46am PT
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d - Hey onyx, that didn't sound grupmy old manish to me...
that sounded lke a challenge!
Good luck
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:46am PT
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Is that grumpy or gimpy?
A little of both perhaps?
How about a thread about who snores louder on bivy, Donini or Crunch? Is that on topic?
Could we go to the video please,.....
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:52am PT
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MORE CLIMBING STUFF!!!
THANKS GUMPY!!!!
(Jim's new nickname....GUMPY....I like it!)
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Tahoe climber
Trad climber
a dark-green forester out west
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:54am PT
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Donini is one of the more respected climbers here.
And the quote the OP posted is dead on.
And I'd give a lot to follow him up that Black Canyon route he mentioned.
TC
ps: Not enough climbing makes me grumpy, that's for damn sure.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:18am PT
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Jim is grumpy? Trenchant, yes, and perhaps delightfully acerbic.
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:27am PT
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I'm on Donini's side.
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:29am PT
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If you remember the movies Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men, those guys ended up with Sophia Loren and Ann Margaret, sounds like "grumpy" is the way to go!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:39am PT
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Onyx- a cheap and tawdry stone suitable only for bordertown curio chess sets. When you have something to add to this forum besides another putrid diaperload from your sorry ass I will be amazed. Jim is a legend, you are a joke! Get the picture anonymous crybaby?!?
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:39am PT
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Mr. Donini - I regret to inform that you're engaged in a battle that can knott be won.
However, I am with you 1000%.
Been there - done that.
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P.Kingsbury
Trad climber
the jeep
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:41am PT
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Donini is hilarious!!
met jim at the cat wall one time a few years back.....and told him we were from Montana...
"I knew some guys from Montana who told me that they never reported their new routes....I'd never report em' either if they were that shitty"
hahahahaha (quotes probably off...but close)
cheers,
patrick
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old toad
Trad climber
yosemite, Ca.
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:43am PT
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Grump On!!!!! I read this site for the climbing info. Donini is right, too much OT crap. If I want information on current events I will go somewhere else. By the way, Old=Grump, I should know.
Ron
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:43am PT
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Steve,
you don't get it.
A critical thread by Onyx is a badge of honor on the taco.
First Layton and now Jim, Onyx only assails the cream.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 12:00pm PT
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Perhaps young Master Cheapstone should lead Crack-A-Go-Go in his quest for manhood. Yuk-Yuk-Yuk!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
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Jun 29, 2009 - 12:02pm PT
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Donini = The Real Deal.
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yo
climber
a tied-off Tomahawk™
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Jun 29, 2009 - 12:08pm PT
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Donini touches little boys on their bathing suit place, and worse than that -- he sportclimbs.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 29, 2009 - 12:24pm PT
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Are we not supposed to ask you how you know?
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apogee
climber
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Jun 29, 2009 - 12:31pm PT
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:05pm PT
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If he's Gumpy,
who, is Pogey?
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:10pm PT
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That's right, it's a climber's forum - climber's as in the singular possessive. And if it's only one climber's forum, guess who that one climber might be? It's CMac's sandbox, which he kindly allows us to play in. Aren't we lucky that there aren't many rules?
If it was our forum, as in the plural possessive, as in "climbers' forum" (apostrophe after the s, not before), then mob justice might rule. But luckily we have a benevolent despot watching over us, and stopping us when we don't play nice.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:14pm PT
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Nice Anders, nice.
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Karla
climber
Colorado
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:26pm PT
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That grumpy old guy brought a smile to my face yesterday for sandbagging "The Mission" (Thom Engelbach) on a sport climb in Ouray. Yep, a sport climb. Jim - I think the crux is at the next bolt...oh maybe after the next one...just a couple hard moves and then it's over...oh yeah, I forgot about the upper crux. It was great entertainment.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:30pm PT
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Piton Ron wrote "A critical thread by Onyx is a badge of honor on the taco. First Layton and now Jim, Onyx only assails the cream."
I think it's a bit of Pot and Kettle action too given his posts over on MountainProject.com under the ironic handle "Funguy".
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:32pm PT
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How about calling him FunGay™ in honor of Pride Week?
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:36pm PT
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i feel after 30 or more years of climbing at a high level, you can be grumpy, snappy or what ever you want.
still a free country..
one mans grumpy is another mans bliss...
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Jun 29, 2009 - 01:44pm PT
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Based on his online posts seems like kind of an as#@&%e. I'd dismiss that because who doesn't come off as a blogging as#@&%e? But my friend who met him at a crag reported the same impression.
Sorry
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:21pm PT
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Are you referring to Donini or FunGay?
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Rankin
climber
North Carolina
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:26pm PT
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Donini is one of the biggest heroes on the taco. I haven't followed the forum that closely lately, but there doesn't seem to be anything really grumpy about Donini. Hell, most of the men on the taco are as#@&%es anyway (myself included). It's the internet, what do you expect? Either way, Donini could be grumpy as hell, and I'd still want to read what he has to say. Onyx, maybe you should just go climbing with Donini, as he suggests, and see if you still want to call him an 'old man.' Watch your ass though, the Black Canyon looks evil and that dude isn't playing around.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:31pm PT
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"grumps" Donini is one of my heroes!!!!!
I'd like to have a record like his.
A class act if there ever was one.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:32pm PT
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There are worse things than being grumpy and old, actually---- imagine waking up one morning and finding that you are now a tawdry bordertown curio chess set! Apologies to Kafka.
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Dickbob
climber
Colorado
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:32pm PT
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I want to call you out Funguy. I'm kind of an under the radar type of guy. Took me years to post here. Coming out of my shell a bit now but you dont seem to understand... Nearly all the folks who post here are my hero's and very good people. You have attacked two of them in recent memory. Stop it! Your from Arizona right? You should know better. Have a little respect.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:35pm PT
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True story: I'm a young punk (high school) climber up in Idyllwild, scraping around Tahquitz and Suicide rocks when Richard H. and I run into Jim Donini. He has some Yosemite seasons under his belt so he's an instant star to us and we're asking him everything we can seeming that we're heading for the Valley soon as school lets out. This guy Donini is also good friends and climbing partners with reigning Idyllwild kingpin Bud "Ivan" Couch, who hates us wannabes - and we're looking for any chance possible to one-up old Bud because we're like that.
Anyhow, Donini mentions that Bud was a master at Suicide and Tahquitz but that he didn't fare so well at Yosemite, where recently he couldn't follow Jim up the Left Side of Reeds. I wrote that name down in my mind, vowing to climb it and put some distance between myself and the thorny Bud Couch.
Couple weeks later I stumble into Camp 4, meet Donini immediately, who wants no part of my blustery ass and shunts me off to Jim Bridwell, who likes arrogant punk kids and straightaway tells me to grab my shite, we're going climbing. "Make it the Left Side of Reeds," I say, and Jim has no problem with that (he leads the 2nd crux pitch with no pro - just trails the rope for me). I manage to thrutch up the bastard, having never done an offwidth climb before. I'm off to the races from there, in part thanks to Jim Donini for introducing me to Bridwell.
Back then, Donini was one of the best crack climbers around, and I wish I would have gotten the chance to climb wih him a little more.
JL
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 02:39pm PT
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'nuff said...
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jun 29, 2009 - 03:02pm PT
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"This guy Donini is also good friends and climbing partners with reigning Idyllwild kingpin Bud "Ivan" Couch, who hates us wannabes - and we're looking for any chance possible to one-up old Bud because we're like that."
Hahaha. Well, Ivan had to teach the JDs down at MSJC all week long-- he probably just couldn't stand dealing with more of them on his weekends!
This thread was worth it just for Largo's anecdote. Helped me to appreciate Couch.
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 29, 2009 - 03:32pm PT
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Being good climber does not make you a good/decent human being...Jim has a lot of good qualities which makes him both.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:15pm PT
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Yeah, .... well, .. I hear he gives penalty slack to republicans.
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jstan
climber
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:23pm PT
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As a rule it is not useful to defend people who are fully capable of defending themselves.
I do think we are being far too hard on Onyx. You guys have been around so long you have forgotten what it was like to want to be something other than what you are.
Edit:
According to people who taught alongside Ivan, he was one of the most respected teachers at that campus.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:28pm PT
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It's not polite to diss others. I try not to(except rampant polititards, they suck!).....What Onyx is sayin', I believe, is that he really didn't have anything to contribute, but HAD to post!
SOMETHIN', anything! Yaarrrrr.
When you have an issue with someone, take it to their face. That way, folks will know you may be a fool, but not a coward.
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:29pm PT
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Jim's always been cool as a cucumber and helpful. Hard to see how he could be interpreted as 'grumpy.' I guess people that disagree with Onyx's POV are grumpy?
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originalpmac
Trad climber
Ouray, CO
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:33pm PT
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Jim is probably one of the nicest climbers I have been fortunate enough to meet. Real friendly, real inviting.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:37pm PT
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Funny story about Bud, John. About that same time, Bud was in the Meadows and got into this seemingly endless loop about deciding if he was going to climb the Salathe Wall. I had only just met Bud, but certainly knew him by reputation as a very good climber. The loop was a little unsettling: was he really serious about questioning his ability to climb the Salathe? Or was he letting loose with a Shakespearian "To climb or not to climb" existential angst. Or was he just having fun, of an odd sort?
I took a gamble that it was somewhere between the latter two and told him that if he had been thinking about climbing El Cap and he hadn't, he never would. "The way to get up El Cap is to walk to the base and start climbing," I said. He looked shocked. Un oh, I thought to myself, maybe it was number one.
Anyway he forgave me, and invited me to come visit in Idyllwild. We climbed a few things, nothing I remember distinctly, except a nice, recently done short crack. He pestered me at the top, asking if I thought it was 5.10. I did my usual, "I don't rate climbs," demurral, but he persisted. Finally I told him I wouldn't question either a 5.9 or 5.10 rating and that it was a nice climb. I think I picked the wrong answer again. I think it was his route and rating.
I wonder if Bud ever climbed El Cap.
Regarding Jim's complain, it occurs to me that when most posters complain about the limited number of climbing related threads, they get dumped on in short order to "post a climbing thread." Jim may not be grumpy but there seems to be a general hesitancy to poke a stick too far in his direction. Maybe "grumpy" is just the cute and cuddly version of Jim.
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10b4me
Boulder climber
Neil Young land
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:43pm PT
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Jim is great guy. offered to put me up at his place in Ouray next time I'm there.
a qustion for the OP. why aren't you out climbing?
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jstan
climber
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Jun 29, 2009 - 04:49pm PT
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"Maybe "grumpy" is just the cute and cuddly version of Jim."
Could be.
Friends who worked and climbed with Ivan for many years felt his life plan was neither relaxed nor one leading to great age. It was, however, pretty much what he wanted.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno
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Jun 29, 2009 - 05:20pm PT
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The grumpy, old men littering this site are what makes it so awesome! Like the rest of us, either learn to deal so that you can enjoy them and partake in their wealth of knowledge, and history, or bail. Super simple!
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 08:46pm PT
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Haven't met Donini yet, but run into his posts and threads. If asked to describe him the word grumpy would not come to mind. More like nice, thoughtful, firm in opinions and usually well thought out comments. Jess my take......lrl
Edit: Oh by the way, great story John Long. Cheers.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 29, 2009 - 08:50pm PT
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Grumpy is back. I've been out clipping bolts on steep limestone trying to get my finger strength up. When Onyx comes out to climb with me in the Black Canyon I don't want to disappoint. Largo, the Bird called me today. He thinks the World is going downhill fast. You owe me a beer for hooking you up with him.
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:02pm PT
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Jim...I'm working in Glenwood Springs for the summer...let's hit a route in the "Black".
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:05pm PT
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onyx is working his troll.
he corrected "factious" to "facetious."
college boy.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:09pm PT
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Have anything to say Master Cheapstone??? Or are you wondering where your next case of diaper rash is coming from!!!
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scuffy b
climber
Sinatra to Singapore
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:18pm PT
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Is Onyx for hire?
Being dished on by him is a sure route to an outpouring
of support.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:26pm PT
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Quantity or quality?
Supertopo may not ever be 100% climbing threads, but the on-topic stuff is as good as it gets, and better than almost everything you will find anywhere else.
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bachar
Gym climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:37pm PT
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Donini for President! ... damn it, I'm tired of electing whimps.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 09:56pm PT
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One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in his bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous tawdry curio chess set.
INTERMEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZO
Growing more silent and almost unconsciously understanding each other in their glances, they thought that the time was now at hand to seek out a good vendor for her. And it was something of a confirmation of their new dreams and good intentions when at the end of their journey their daughter stood up first and advanced her young cheapstone body.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:32pm PT
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Levity interjection....maybe.
Know yo heard this one, but makes me smile.
"Sometimes I wake up grumpy,
other days I let him sleep."
bitd fridg magnet for own past grumpy....
Edit: not the best joke for this hardcore slander. Lets's see... :d
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:40pm PT
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When the chips were down for me on Latok, Jim watched over me like a mother hen. But don't tell anyone. Onyx, Donini only looks grumpy...when he's not smiling.
Anyway, your lousy posts even sort of make me grumpy, too.
-GrumpyOldJello
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drljefe
climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
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Jun 29, 2009 - 10:57pm PT
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Grossman's all puffed up!!!
Whatever Onyx.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:04pm PT
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Tough crowd, Onyx...tough crowd.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:43pm PT
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Jello and Stevie Grossman have felled another Oryx:
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Jun 29, 2009 - 11:50pm PT
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Onyx- howz't feel getting dissed by the big boys? kinda like paddling out to a heavy break just to have "da boyz" say go home haole!
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LuckyPink
climber
the last bivy
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:13am PT
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haha Donnini for President, he's already been president...AAC 2006
btw Onyx(?) when your climbing resume adds up to something within range of Jim Donini's then you might have something to post
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Ottawa Doug
Social climber
Ottawa, Canada
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:20am PT
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At least the grumpy guys have climbed stuff and have real knowledge to share. What's not to like. Most of us got into climbing because we can't take the bull$hit of the real world. Maybe some people find it 'grumpy' when some of the people who post on this site have real experience and make strong statements without all the preamble bull$hit. I'd rather hear the real goods without the preamble. Hip, hip hooray for grumpy old men!
Cheers,
Doug
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:27am PT
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Just a question, no need to reply. Don't want to start another ot thread .....has anyone heard about grumpy old women ? Do we exist ? Or are we all nice ?
Ok, please ignore. Thread drifter here....but jess wondering and having too much fun enjoying the tacofest this pm.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:31am PT
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hahaha! Good one Mr. W.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:37am PT
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"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend,", said A: "you still speak in riddles."
"What? In riddles" said G. "No! for I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying."
Youthful energy and the wisdom of the mature are always an interesting combination. Often leading to great things, sometimes to misunderstandings. But I'm glad we 'belong' to an egalitarian community, where all are on an equal footing. Challenge yourself mentally and physically, do your best, be honest with yourself and others about what you've done and how you've done it, minimize your impacts on the human and natural environments, behave as a decent human being, and you're as good as any other climber.
I've always been glad that we're in a community where the rawest novice can talk and even climb with the wisest and strongest climber. No room for snobs.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:42am PT
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reddirt, darn funny video yo posted earlier in thread.
bwahahaha, "have you seen an elderly gentleman wandering around?"
Ok, finally got my gut chuckle of ze day. :D Gracias Amigo.
Edit: yeah, mighty hiker....they put up with me. Love each and everyone of you for helping lynnie heal and grow. Peace.
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Swami Jr.
Trad climber
Bath, NY
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Jun 30, 2009 - 01:33am PT
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I have a feeling Mr. D was just saying "Stop being such a bunch of pussies and climb." I don't find anything wrong with that.
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Bread
Trad climber
Craggy Mountains, NC
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Jun 30, 2009 - 08:05am PT
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Donini always said, "life is like a box of chocolates....."
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Michael Kennedy
Social climber
Carbondale, Colorado
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Jun 30, 2009 - 09:01am PT
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I got to introduce Jim in Banff last year when he gave a great slide show before a rather large audience. Here is what I said:
I am honored to be here tonight, to introduce a person whose influence on the climbing world is so enduring that he may be best described as a force of nature, a constant akin to the whisper of the wind through a distant pass, the early sun etching the features of a high mountain wall, the inexorable march of a glacier towards the valley below.
In other words, he’s ancient.
His climbs have always exhibited a commitment to technical difficulty, small teams, and excellent style, as well as a fine-tuned sense of the great risks – and great rewards – inherent in the alpine environment.
A consummate story-teller, he also recognizes and celebrates the absurdity of our pursuit. He can be an intimidating figure, with his razor-sharp wit, his strongly held (and frequently shared) opinions, and his willingness to call a spade a spade.
Thirty years ago we were well into our third week on the North Ridge of Latok I, when Jeff Lowe fell grievously ill in the cramped snow cave of our highest bivouac. We’d become a tightly-knit team, having suffered together through storms, the doubts and fears of stepping into the unknown, and many uncomfortable nights out.
But George Lowe and I could only watch on in awe as Jim Donini nursed Jeff through three painful, stormbound days in that snow cave, then four more of rappels to get us back down from our attempt. Like a loving mother or some benevolent guardian angel, he never left Jeff’s side.
So behind a sometimes gruff exterior – it is not without reason that his friends refer to him, affectionately, as “Jim Da-meanie” – lies a person who values friendship above all else, someone who exemplifies the ideals of “the brotherhood of the rope.”
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Jun 30, 2009 - 09:27am PT
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I guess Michael says it all.
A partner you can count on when the chips are down, thats really what it all boils down to.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jun 30, 2009 - 09:47am PT
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As Michael points out above, Jim had an unwavering resolve that showed clear in caring for the injured. I am reminded of this story.
In the very early 1970s, probably 1971, a young lady, a Curry summer employee, slipped on wet rocks in the cascades under the Upper Falls and suffered a bad head injury. She was sun bathing with her friends and her dog slid down the wet rocks. When she started after her dog, she slipped and fell down the wet rocks. Her friend came running down the trail into Camp 4 pleading for help.
Jim, Steve Wunsch, and I, along with others, started up the trail. We didn’t know what to expect. I am not sure that we even had any gear. We just hurried along. When we got to her, she was unconscious, laying on the smoothed rocks where she had landed, and soaking wet. Jim took over and immediately told us to keep her warm and still. We took off our clothes, down to our underwear, and put them on and under her. She was still somewhat aware of what was happening as she tried to struggle as we took off her pants. I have no idea if she realized she was not being attacked when we dressed her in our clothes, but she quieted back down.
Others had come up the trail with equipment, and Steve was coordinating getting a rope in place and equipment down to us. I think John Dill, still a full time climber then, was there also. Someone from camp had called the NPS, and they called in the local helicopter. But the pilot would not fly into the Falls amphitheater, and we had to wait for the military chopper—this was still very early in the days of YOSAR. When it arrived it hovered above the cascades, its downdraft forcing the freezing cold water into our bare skin. It felt like needle pricks cover every exposed inch of skin. The girl had stopped breathing and Donini was giving her mouth to mouth, trying to keep her alive. With Jim doing all the work, our comrades were moving to get out of the painful spray.
Jim kept up his gentle, rhythmic mouth-to-mouth, cradling the girls head, ignoring the spray. Someone had brought up an ensolite pad, which I was gripping by its ends against the helicopter’s down draft, trying to cover Jim's back so he could concentrate. It took all of my concentration to just hold the pad, counting my breaths and trying not to pass out from that icy cold water ripping at our skin.
Jim just kept up his steady, gentle mouth-to-mouth. In the end the helicopter moved off, the military medic came down the ropes, giving us orders to keep up the mouth-to-mouth, unceremoniously, in his dry fatigues.
Jim kept it up until the girl was in the litter.
She had died sometime before.
Everyone was grumpy for awhile.
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MarthaP
climber
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Jun 30, 2009 - 09:55am PT
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Donini? Gumpy? That old hottie?
Hard to consider him gumpy when he's dressed in drag emceeing the Ouray Ice Fest auction a few years back. Best lap dance I've ever seen, too, and I KNOW Erin Eddy got a "rise" out of it. :-)
But when he danced over to my seat so I could tuck that $20 in his bra and he winked and smiled, well, ladies and gentlemen, I'd be censored for telling you what was going through my mind.
No, no gumpiness award for JD. I'd raise a pint or three in honor of him without hesitation.
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jstan
climber
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Jun 30, 2009 - 10:10am PT
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The wind from the chopper blades must have reached something like 100mph. Someone handed me a belay rope and said, "hold this."
Apparently the girl went over the edge head first, just as did my father. When you fall in any position other than feet first, you are in very serious trouble.
How about that? After all these years I learn I was on one of YOSAR's early rescues.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 30, 2009 - 10:46am PT
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Your father?!? Where and why...if there is a why, John.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jun 30, 2009 - 10:50am PT
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A small, if a sometimes very sad world, isn't it John? I didn't know you were there. At the end, after I had put my wet clothes back on, I probably climbed your belay rope hand over hand, calling up as had all others in turn, "Is this rope secure?" and getting a wearied, "Yes. The rope is secure."
After I walked down to the Valley, I immediately flew into a rage at the Park Service for wasting time with the local helicopter, making the point that if we were going to risk our lives to help folks then the NPS should make sure that they have pilots who would do the same. Everyone was shell shocked at the girl's death, and under the circumstances, I was out of line with my public assault. Wayne Merry, ever the cool voice of reason and restraint, quietly told me that I was right but that the doctors had told him that saving the girl was hopeless in any case. That was probably the beginning of our long friendship.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 30, 2009 - 11:13am PT
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Wow,
Onyx's thread certainly took a turn to the amazing here.
Awesome stories, powerful old gummers and coffin dodgers crawling out of the woodwork to celebrate one of our best.
Old Onyx didn't even realize he was creating a Donini appreciation thread! Or maybe he did...?......
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jun 30, 2009 - 11:56am PT
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So Largo did being introduced to the Bird mean you were finally "off the Couch"?
Donini's epic efforts to initiate a rescue with ten puncture wounds in his thigh from Malcom's crampon speaks louder than words. He's the man!
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WBraun
climber
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:33pm PT
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Wunch and Beadlove YOSAR, a blast from the past.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:44pm PT
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Nice one, Werner!
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:45pm PT
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Very cool Werner!
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Jun 30, 2009 - 12:55pm PT
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Thanks to FunGay™ for starting this thread!
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L
climber
Just takin' the long way home...
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Jun 30, 2009 - 01:30pm PT
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I kinda like Grumpy Old Men. They tell good stories. They're funnier than hell. And usually, they've lived long enough and seen enough to just let the trivia stay where it sprouted from. And it's almost all trivia.
Grumpy Old Women, on the other hand, usually have houses from Kansas fall on top of them.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 30, 2009 - 01:33pm PT
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Whatever you say, Glinda. :-)
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L
climber
Just takin' the long way home...
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Jun 30, 2009 - 01:34pm PT
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Hiya Mighty!
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno
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Jun 30, 2009 - 01:35pm PT
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I watched the grumpy old man in Return to Sender last night. Was thinking about Micah and popped it in. There he was. Looked *real* grumpy while he crushed that steep .11 crack. ;)
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jstan
climber
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Jun 30, 2009 - 02:00pm PT
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Yeah, Roger. I sneak around a lot. The pilot on that chopper was really excellent. I was watching closely for some reason. Did not see that ship move more than an inch or so. He just was not in communication. Had he been he could have moved off. I, also, was totally worn out. Got $12 for my presence. Gave it away to someone.
Steve:
Two years before I started climbing my father fell head first from a roof and became a quadriplegic. It gave me a very special view regarding risk.
I also vowed that if things ever got desperate it makes more sense to admit you are going to pay a price. You need to pay less attention to avoiding the fall and more attention to keeping the rope away from the legs.
Edit:
1971. That would have been the year I took the picture of Serenity Crack.
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Jun 30, 2009 - 03:25pm PT
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Philo,
It was 11 puncture wounds; I was wearing mono-point crampons. Seriously, I'd be so dead if it weren't for the Doninis. That's right, all of them have saved my life. Jim, by downclimbing 2,500 feet to the glacier so he could flag down a passing plane while I was freezing up on Thunder Mountain, and Angela by proving that a Subaru can do 90mph on a windy mountain road when you're trying to rush your dying friend to the hospital.
Long live the Doninis!
Mal
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 30, 2009 - 03:25pm PT
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Glinda was the GOOD witch - sorceress, anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glinda
We need to discuss who gets cast as the Wicked Witch of the West. FatTrad, maybe? LEB?
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L
climber
Just takin' the long way home...
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Jun 30, 2009 - 04:51pm PT
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I know who Glenda was, MH.
And as one of my favorite Grumpy Old Men, I know you'd never be so unGrumpy as to imply I was ever on the wrong side of the house from Kansas...;-)
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jun 30, 2009 - 05:33pm PT
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Mal,
was that windy or winding? LOL
Had the breakfast burrito maybe?
Angela may have been fast, but I like the way the ambulance had to stop to give you the KaCHUNK.
(still, I haven't found out yet whether its grumpy or gimpy or,....................... gumby?)
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jun 30, 2009 - 06:01pm PT
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Returning to the original post and Jim's complaint. I agree with Jim completely. When ST was young there were lots of non-climbing posts but there were relatively few threads. Days would go by before a thread would slip off the first page. It was easy enough to just read the threads that were interesting. Until a few years ago, when I was travelling and spending lots of time in hotel rooms, I could keep up easily. Now, with so many posters and with less time to browse, it is harder. I don't think the ratio of climbing to non-climbing threads has changed, but it requires a bit of work to stay on top of the speed with which they slip off the front page. I am thankful for the bumps.
All that said, all the suggestions to 'fix' the problem with rules or tags of one sort or another have either been shot down by folks who know a whole lot more about what works on an open forum than I do or haven't been implemented by Chris for whatever reason.
I would still like some sort of tagging system that counts the number of reads a thread gets so at least it is possible to see if good climbing threads are read even if no one comments. I just found out that PhotoBucket keeps track of the number of times any thing that is loaded from my account is looked at. It makes me feel better about the stuff that I have spent time digging up, scanning and posting.
I have some good climbing friends, who everyone would love to have post up, who won't post because they cannot see past the fog of non-climbing threads. That is too bad for the rest of us, becuase they are walking, breathing history of the 50s and 60s. (A large proportion of the 70s Valley climbers post. Maybe its a generational thing.) Personally I don't expect that the Internet will conform to my tastes; I figure I have to adapt and make it my own. But not everyone wants to do that.
So, I have come to accept that the way it works currently, as a more or less self regulating cyber camp fire, is workable. There is a natural limit to the number of really cool climbing stories or events and there is a real benefit to making everyone feel welcome with what ever they have to offer.
Jim's post and this thread to highlight it is part of the self regulation. So are fattrad's efforts to keep his "Clash of Civilization" comments in one place.
And, there have been some climbing related stories posted on this thread that might not have come to light otherwise (John Stannard and I worked together in 1971 and didn't know it until today.)
I liked The Wiz lots better than The Wizard of Oz.
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Jun 30, 2009 - 08:38pm PT
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Sir.Donini is The Real Deal. For sure.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 30, 2009 - 08:49pm PT
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Thanks for the clarification, jstan. Being a builder and a climber, it is the short falls that seem to do the worst damage and keep my attention focused. I tend to relax once the ground is out of play...
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jstan
climber
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Jun 30, 2009 - 09:06pm PT
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A story told me by a solo artist who shall remain nameless regarding a difficult moment encountered some 300' up. He said he began looking down to see where he should try to land.
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S McClure
Trad climber
California
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Jun 30, 2009 - 09:11pm PT
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"Who builds these pedestals and why must I worship before YALL'S ALTERS...?"
"Worship's" not it. Try "inspiration' - anyone should be stoked if able to climb well and hard for the rest of their days.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jstan
Was that Henry on Gorilla's Delight?
That sounds an awful lot like one I read about that. . .
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Swellymon, always enjoy your comments...good to hear from you as always...but never enough. Appreciate the stories you have from bitd.
Sir Roger, lovin' the hair ...do. :D Danny boy had similar but you are/were over the top. Smiles and crinkles, Lynne.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Hi Lynne,
We all look so young in those old pictures. Hair was mostly about not getting a hair cut as opposed to any style or statement. Of course, without meaning to, we were very much in the mainstream of the counterculture. No one considered themselves a hippy—a derisive term for ne’er-do-wells who lived in communes and had political views about the ‘man.’ We were rock climbers.
Since I still have a full head, allbeit nearly white, I've started to sort of flaunt it. Now if I could only climb like I did then!
Lyrics to “Hair” which opened on Broadway in 1968, a few years before that picture was taken.
She asks me why
I'm just a hairy guy
I'm hairy noon and night
Hair that's a fright
I'm hairy high and low
Don't ask me why
Don't know
It's not for lack of break
Like the Grateful Dead
Darling
Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!
Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair's too short
Down to here
Down to there
Down to where
It stops by itself
They'll be ga ga at the go go
When they see me in my toga
My toga made of blond
Brilliantined
Biblical hair
My hair like Jesus wore it
Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son
Why don't my mother love me?
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I saw Hair in London in 1970 as a kid. Boy, did my imagination run wild that night!
As I recall, Oh! Calcutta! was the only other theater production that featured full frontal nudity at that point in time. Diane Keaton wouldn't bare all however! I can't recall just how she managed that feat with the peer pressure in play. LOTS of hair extensions and crafty merkin, I suspect! LOL
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Obnoxiously Nurturing Yosemite Xenophobia
Would we call that an Onyxy Moron?
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steveA
Trad climber
bedford,massachusetts
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Jim-I assume you will read this- Mark calls me a "grumpy old man" all the time. Someday I'll get down to Indian Creek and you can sandbag me. Hope to see you soon. Best Steve
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Perhaps a Hair Thread is in order....Hair today and gone tomorrow. :D
Drifting back to topic....maybe that's what makes a "grumpy old man". :D
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goatboy smellz
climber
लघिमा, co
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Well, we need to put Piton Ron on a pedestal otherwise he wouldn't be able see what's going on...
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Ron, are you going to take that kind of impertinence sitting down? Or standing up? Anyway, whatever it is you're doing?
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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goatboy, dude, thanks for the lol,lol....things been getting to zerious on the Taco. lynnie
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Like a lot of you, I was shocked when someone took a poke at towering icon Jim Donini. I mean face it, we all know he's a hardman, I mean a hard man. He likes his eggs hard boiled and his women hard hearted. Donini doesn't wear underwear, he wears hardware. This man is hard to believe.
All of this got me to thinking. If there's one thing I've learned on the Taco, its that heroes and idols put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us. Now, its a common human trait that everyone needs a little adulation and affection now and then, but what's Jim Donini to do? A Supertaco "appreciation thread" seems just a little too effete for such an iron jawed steely eyed bastion of climbing integrity, don't you think? How's a man to garner a little praise and love to hold close and keep him warm during a cold bivy on a lonely night when the distant stars make mock of human achievement and whisper of the inevitable approach of personal extinction?
What better way indeed than to get your old friend to start a thread impugning your character? Really, is this collection of posts any different that some warm and fuzzy "appreciation thread"? A few barbs, ample accolades, and lots of tales and heart warming vignettes by old friends from back in the day when morning wood was as dependable as the sunrise. All the while, through this reverse-psychology approach, Donini maintains a plausible deniability, a distancing from his emotional need that keeps the taciturn rugged aura intact. Bravo man, well played!
To think I almost fell for this now obvious ruse. Watch out Donini, I'm hip to your tricks.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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It's not a "pedestal".
I prefer to think of it as a sniper's nest.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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THIS JUST IN:
Modesty has been uncovered by researchers to be the ability to call attention to whatever it is you are being humble about.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Unless you are Jonathan Swift, that is!?!
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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"Modesty has been discovered by researchers to be the ability to call attention to whatever it is you are being humble about."
...without anyone much noticing that you're doing it.
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