What's it like to have a +25 year 'relationship' with a scruffy bouldering area? Kaity and Gabby would like to take you in a little tour of Knights Ferry Over Time, care to join us? These pics represent roughtly a 10-year span.
Its gonna be good!
We've got your basic Angus Carbide. He'll figure prominently in this story.
He gets to show off a lot of our old problems at this place near Oakdale California, on the way to Yosemite. Chances are you've driven right by this place, for years, and never knew what was down there.
Well its unusual rock, meta-something or other volcanics, a slice of an old island arc, ancient crapola!
Rock can be brittle but its also surprisingly climbable, as you develop an eye and feel for it.
You have to be careful here, band landings abound.
My girls grew up climbing. I doubt seriously Kaity has the slightest memory of this day.
But we realized that day, Kaity had some special juju going, when it came to the rock.
The girl could run it out from the start. That no trivial drop for a 4-year old!
She just did these things, we didn't tell her how to climb other than 'if you don't watch your feet you CAN'T HAVE ANY PUDDING! HOW CAN YOU HAVE ANY PUDDING IF YOU DON'T WATCH YOUR FEET???!!!!"
Angus starts up the Devil's Tongue.
There he goes, well into it.
Top out! More on KF Topouts later.
I first came to this place in 1986. Been hitting it minimum once a year but lived nearby for many years and have spent, oh sheet, 75? 100 days at this place???
This has always been one of my favorite problems here.
A good little cranker.
With a reach to a pinch.
The tree on top of this rock split off the giant boulder in the foreground. We had two routes on that rock which are now face down in the dirt. Sobering. Sorta.
Friendly Rock, is what we call it. There is still a nice problem on it.
This is a classic Knights Ferry scene.
My little girl grew up here too.
one of the greatest covered bridges in the U.S. west, built by William Knight and Company, back in the gold rush.
Angus has been a great friend to ALL my kids. I love him.
And the dude has a head for must-not-fall situations.
Yours truly back in my hairy days.
Man this would be a bad one to fall from.
Gilligans Island, one of the absolute best problems at the Ferry.
Here's Little Half Dome, you can see the resemblance?
Angus always liked this formation. Its flakey and quite scary up high as a result.
Run, rabbit run, dig that hole, get the sun!
Wait for ME!!!1111
I took em ALL here, they all were introduced to rock climbing before they even knew what it meant.
The joys of fatherhood. Makes me a bit misty eyed to see these again. Its been a while since I looked at them. Had a burger and a beer last night, with the girl on the right.
Lol. Knights Ferry will do that to you.
There are lots of kid problems there too. You MUST warn them and teach them, how to see and recognize both poison oak and foxtails. Its a never ending lesson. But not one of my girls has ever had so much as the slightest P.O. rash, ever. You're welcome, girls.
On a foggy winter day the Ferry often breaks out of the mist while nearby Oakdale remains lost in the fog. It can be sublime, then.
I have no idea what's in that pocket.
I I I I I'm not your skipping stone!
The joy of getting your first skip! "I did it. Hey Papa!!!" Way to go Lexi!
Marie got in on the action too.
Gotta go home soon, though.
Let's split, kids!
After some 15 years of bouldering at this spot I finally broke down and bought a pad. After a couple of ankle breaks and a few sprains more that is, including a double break/sprain here at the Ferry one day.
The place always challenged me. It can mess with your head.
Its the friable nature of the rock, you have to pay attention to every hold lest it become airborn.
Jeez we had names for these but I am forgetting most of them. This is a nice little dyno slap for the top hold.
He missed it lol! Nice spot, Dingus!
Well his hands made the spot.
Top out on Gilligans Island.
Lots of little obscurities.
So time waits for no one but Knights Ferry is going no where, so it has nothing BUT time.
Its one of the Queen of Heart's men?
Hey wassup?
BFFL? Time will tell...
Angus, you animal!
You gotta watch her when she has a stick like this, she will RUN YOU THROUGH if you give her any sh#t. Notice Angus is hanging back!
Busted!
Crank it Kate!
You're getting sleeeeeepy...
Monster!
Giddy up!
Your typical Knights Ferry top out.
Crimping on lichens smearing on moss.
Good for the soul.
Nephews are good for bouldering too.
Go Jeremy!
Down near Easter Island
He makes the slap this time.
Angus on one of his high balls, Jeremy working the business in the background.
Some nice traverse along the Cave Wall.
Some junkie high crap too, enjoy!
Back to Little Half Dome
Angus at the base of the north east face :)
Someone stop him before he kills again!
The top outs on Lil H Dome are scary.
So of course you seduce your nephew up there!
But Master will not ask Grasshopper to do something he didn't do first.
Don't slip!
YES!
In February? When the rest of the world shivers under winter's blanket? KF comes into its own!
Blossoms
Green grass
Anchors were are always suspect
This was quite the rig atop the Cave Wall.
Here's Angus in his False EBs... top roping what he once soloed with ease.
I was glad, these holds can and do snap off without warning.
But even after 25 years we can still muster the whatever to get up some of our old standards.
Playing around on the junk.
Can't tell you how many times I've traversed that wall.
My old buddy Angus Carbide. 25 year climbing and bouldering partner.
But like I said catch KF in the spring?
This is the problem I fell from, breaking one ankle and severely spraining the other. Had to walk/crawl back to the car lol. That tree down there kept me from rolling another 50 feet into the water. I hit the tree instead.
These are some genuinely hard problems, I failed on all of them last time I tried.
Espresso gives you wings.
How about I wrap up this massiveness with some pretty pretty?
Cheers
DMT
