Trip Report
Reticent Wall. A Trip Report.
Tuesday August 26, 2014 6:44am
For your reading and viewing pleasure.

Reticent TR.

  Trip Report Views: 5,645
Mark Hudon
About the Author
Mark Hudon is a climber from Hood River, OR.

Comments
Jay Hack

Trad climber
Detroit, Michigan
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:04am PT
Awesome Report and Great Job!!! I loved this line: Our mantra that we would yell back and forth to each other was "make your best placement, bounce the sh#t out of it, get on it, forget about it and repeat".
lars johansen

Trad climber
West Marin, CA
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:05am PT
Wonderful, as always. Thanks.
lars
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:09am PT
Another great TR.....thanks!
whitemeat

Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:09am PT
Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

Great stuff! cant wait to read the whole thing!

Good work up there mark!
crankster

Trad climber
No. Tahoe
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:09am PT
Very nice. You two are real hard men, keeping us old guys inspired.
clinker

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:42am PT
Reticent is rated DFU and A4+ and regardless of what you may have heard, Max and I are fully human and want to continue living. Both of us feel that "dying doing something you love" is a dumb idea. Dying doing what you love is still dying and you would no longer be able to do something you love, no longer be able to do anything you love, as a matter of fact. Still though, we've always thought that if a climb has been done, that we could also do it (we thought that more so in the past than now, but we were young then). We made plans, set a date and bought more beaks.

One of many great paragraphs. Nice TR
kaholatingtong

Trad climber
The fake McCoy from nevernever land.
  Aug 26, 2014 - 08:13am PT
dude.
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
  Aug 26, 2014 - 08:31am PT
Thank you Mark for a great morning read, or any time of the day read! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Susan
stevep

Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
  Aug 26, 2014 - 09:11am PT
Big thumbs up Mark!
Not only sounds like a great adventure, but we can tell how much effort you made in putting together a good TR for us.
Mr. Rogers

climber
The Land of Make-Believe
  Aug 26, 2014 - 09:28am PT
Awesome. Thanks for posting.
batguano

climber
  Aug 26, 2014 - 09:51am PT
Well written. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.
Da-Veed

Big Wall climber
Bigfork
  Aug 26, 2014 - 10:20am PT
Great TR. Thanks for writing that up, your trip reports just keep getting better!
j-tree

Big Wall climber
Typewriters and Ledges
  Aug 26, 2014 - 10:30am PT
whitemeat
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo, CA

Great stuff! cant wait to read the whole thing!

The youth will never be satisfied
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Aug 26, 2014 - 10:41am PT
I hope those guys know and appreciate that yesterday and today and tomorrow are THE day for them. Everyone is out there creating THEIR day. You just have to realize it.

Great words from a great TR. Thank you, Mark.

John
Camster (Rhymes with Hamster)

Social climber
CO
  Aug 26, 2014 - 10:47am PT
So, Mark, how many trips have you done up the Captain now?
Mark Hudon

Trad climber
On the road.
Author's Reply  Aug 26, 2014 - 11:01am PT
Thanks for all your kind comments.

21 different routes. 12 since the spring of 2010.
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
  Aug 26, 2014 - 11:36am PT
Sounds like you guys had a blast! The route seems pretty popular these days.

When we climbed it back in 98, I backed off that second-last pitch after five hours when I fell after a head swage failed. Good thing, as I probably would have died had I kept going. Fortunately my partner Chris stepped up to the plate and finished it the next day, after only a further eight hours of climbing.

Nice storytelling Mark - thanks. See you next month.
ryankelly

climber
Bhumi
  Aug 26, 2014 - 01:48pm PT
awesome
climbski2

Mountain climber
The Ocean
  Aug 26, 2014 - 02:03pm PT
Sweet! What can you say? Another great TR!

Thanks Mark for stopping by again.. Missed ya around these parts.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Aug 26, 2014 - 02:34pm PT
Brilliant! That is why we do it, and why we keep doing it all these years later
Today is the only day that matters and BITD relates only to someone else's day. Today, for us, is our day and it's the only day worth living for.
Brandon-

climber
The Granite State.
  Aug 26, 2014 - 02:46pm PT
Great write-up, Mark. You take the six P's seriously, and it pays off. Proud.
Rankin

Social climber
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  Aug 26, 2014 - 03:37pm PT
Good to the last drop as usual Mark. TFPU!
Kalimon

Social climber
Ridgway, CO
  Aug 26, 2014 - 05:03pm PT
Awesome effort as usual! Great to hear from you via ST Mark . . . don't be a stranger.
BrassNuts

Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
  Aug 26, 2014 - 05:11pm PT
Eggzellent! Thanks for the TR.
Gagner

climber
Boulder
  Aug 26, 2014 - 07:51pm PT
Bitchin…great, well written TR Mark. See you soon, eh!!

Paul
Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
  Aug 26, 2014 - 08:25pm PT
Awesome Mark!!!
It doesn't matter to us what we did "back in the day". Today is the only day that matters and BITD relates only to someone else's day. Today, for us, is our day and it's the only day worth living for.
We all have our days in the sun and it's so cool to see the two of you after so many years still having that sunshine on you, congratulations Mark and Max on an accomplishment made even better by an enduring partnership.

Charlie D.
madbolter1

Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
  Aug 26, 2014 - 08:34pm PT
"Let's go roooock cliiiiiimbing"

Awesome! Well, I think anyway.

Just remember, however, that many on this forum would claim that you have yet to do rock climbing. After all, that aid climbing business is really "cheating," the "death of the impossible," and really "not the best style." Hanging around in slings. Meh!

Maybe someday you too can grow up to become a real rock climber.

ROFL!
Kalimon

Social climber
Ridgway, CO
  Aug 26, 2014 - 08:41pm PT
Rivets.
Brian

climber
California
  Aug 26, 2014 - 09:28pm PT
Great TR as always Mark. Great storytelling. Congrats to you and Max for sending that rig.

Question: isn't it "wino" tower?

And I bet Silvia is in the running for the lightest person to climb the Reticent!
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
  Aug 26, 2014 - 09:31pm PT
Thanks for the read Mark!

micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
  Aug 26, 2014 - 09:55pm PT
Top shelf stuff right there Hudon. Your kind of storytelling is what my high school lit teacher would call "working man's" writing. The very best kind. The kind that has the ability to draw in the everyman and make him feel like he is right up there in his top steps with you. Thanks for taking us along on another excellent adventure.

Scott
deuce4

climber
Hobart, Australia
  Aug 27, 2014 - 01:04am PT
Fantastic story, Mark. Can I quote you on bigwalls.net? Some real gems in this one.
mareko

Trad climber
San Francisco
  Aug 27, 2014 - 06:06am PT
Mark,

You're TR are so inspirational. Thank you
Mark Hudon

Trad climber
On the road.
Author's Reply  Aug 27, 2014 - 07:12am PT
Harding named it Wine Tower on the first ascent. Somehow it got changed to Wino. I felt Wino was derogatory so I used the original.
Double D

climber
  Aug 27, 2014 - 08:42am PT
Awesome write up Mark and good job on sending one of El Cap's finest!
Gunkie

Trad climber
Valles Marineris
  Aug 27, 2014 - 10:29am PT
Very nice!
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Aug 28, 2014 - 05:01pm PT
Riveting!!!!
Plaidman

Trad climber
West Slope of Powell Butte, Portland, Oregon, USA
  Aug 28, 2014 - 09:42pm PT
Mark

Excellent as always. Sure was a fun entertaining read!
Thx!

Plaid
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
  Aug 29, 2014 - 08:38am PT
Cool! Bump for burliness.

Did you use any of that gear I sent you?

You understand that you are going to have to do the Sea Of Dreams next.
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
  Aug 29, 2014 - 10:05am PT
Incredible report, thank you for sharing such an amazing story and photos. You guys kick ass!
Mark Hudon

Trad climber
On the road.
Author's Reply  Aug 29, 2014 - 10:19am PT
Base104,

Oh hell yeah, pins, biners, heads... have used that stuff on every route I've done in the last 5 years!
RP3

Big Wall climber
Newbury Park
  Aug 30, 2014 - 09:20am PT
That was a really enjoyable read. Thanks as always.
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
  Aug 30, 2014 - 09:57am PT
Fantastic trip report. I am just starting to read "Psychovertical" so the timing is just right for me.

OK, hum, 121 pounds. That's kind of amazing also.
Thanks again for the TR.
Chief

climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
  Aug 30, 2014 - 10:15am PT
Mark and Max,

Great trip report.
I've said it before and will say it again.
Thank you both for continuing to inspire.
Reminds me I'm way overdue for a vertical camping trip on The Big Stone by the Road.

Respect,

PB
Andrew Barnes

Ice climber
Albany, NY
  Aug 30, 2014 - 11:34pm PT
Congratulations. Great trip report, inspirational.
All those 200 foot pitches, (maybe 70 meter ropes for this?), all that sustained climbing.
I started reading and couldn't stop till the last word. You are both my heroes, for a lot of reasons - mental, physical, careful prep, ethics, and just having a great time on El Cap.
steveA

Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
  Aug 31, 2014 - 04:40am PT
Mark,

Thanks for the great TR!

May you and Max keep at it till your in your 80's.
go-B

climber
  Aug 31, 2014 - 07:24am PT
Fantastic write up Mark, TFPU here on Supertopo instead of Climbing or Rock and Ice, lucky us!
yellow mzungu

Trad climber
berkeley, ca
  Sep 2, 2014 - 10:58am PT
bad ass!
GZ

Trad climber
Pasadena, CA
  Sep 2, 2014 - 12:58pm PT
Another wonderful TR MH.

Thanks for taking the chair time to write up your inspiring adventures.

I'm 46, and really need to get off my ass. Haven't been on El Cap since 93'.

You da'man!

GZ
Studly

Trad climber
WA
  Sep 2, 2014 - 01:14pm PT
Another excellent adventure, thank you for that amazing journey.
Andy Fielding

Trad climber
UK
  Sep 2, 2014 - 01:55pm PT
Today, for us, is our day and it's the only day worth living for.

Great words. Thanks for sharing your TR Mark.
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