Days gone by ........
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Then - There was adventure on every outing. There was a risk. Gear was a swami , a rope,some stoppers,hexes and a few ovals. RRs and EBs were the footwear . If you were a climber you were part of a very small crowd. When harnesses came around - now THAT was a leap forward! It was certainly a different game. |
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Just today I was cleaning out my garage, and came across boxes of stuff I had to get out my dad's garage after he passed. Aside from a stack of mid-80's Climbing and R&I's, I also found a box of slides. Looking through those, it was my old slide show. Remember the era when everyone had slide shows ready to go, even if it was just for a few buddies over some beers? |
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This is too good to let the flood gates open unabated!But I'll post this one that just surfaced out of the blue in a stack of slides that I had done at Costco. We can make this the thread of all time ! I give you Erickson! |
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I don't know Kevin, I don't miss those days that much. I camped in eldo in 1976 after hitchhiking there from Minnesota. We spent a month there then hitched to the Tetons and eventually the Sawtooths. I was there "back in the day". |
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I'm not old school, but it seems a lot has changed even since the 90's- I can certainly appreciate your post. |
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Kevin McLaughlin wrote: Maybe I am just revisiting some memories before I get senile . Any old schoolers out there going back in time right now??Funny-we had a Fiftieth Birthday Bash yesterday for myself and two buddies,friends since middle school. Some pretty rad folks were there;people who've done the Eiger,P.O....first ascents in Eldo,(back when that really meant something). When I was young, I wasn't really susceptible to a lot of nostalgia. Now I choke up easily,thinking about past,good times;opportunities missed;mostly the friends who are gone.I definitely can relate to your sentiment;but I remain more determined than ever to go down swinging. |
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I'm of two minds. For one thing, I'm a lot older than all the other posters so far, having started climbing eighteen years earlier than someone who rightly considered his 1976 ascents to be BITD. I've seen all the major equipment revolutions, starting with the transition from soft to hard iron! |
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Well said, Rich. |
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Back in 70's, we would hike in to Notchtop in RMNP and set up our bivy or basecamp at backcountry campsite. Climb the next day, and hike out the third. Those were the days of easy backcountry access. Now people hike in to the Petit Grepon in the AM, climb it and hike back out at dusk. Quite a difference for sure. |
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Kids nowadays refuse to believe me when I tell them we used to climb without harnesses or belay devices. |
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I just remember spandex, shitloads of spandex...... |
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rgold wrote:The worst feature of the modern climbing scene is crowding. I hate it. I can't get used to it. I try as best I can to avoid it by going to more remote lesser-known locations and climbing when I can during the week, but even so it is pretty unavoidable.rgold, If you like secluded climbing come out to the Organs in New Mexico. Last weekend was 70's and sunny, and did not see another group on Sugarloaf all weekend. Sandias are almost as secluded. |
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Hank Caylor wrote:I just remember spandex, shitloads of spandex...... edit-my Mom was way into McGuyver so she frosted my tips?+1 And nothing has changed BTW, so long as you avoid shelf road, the gym, rei, and a select few other pits Edited to add: I mean the adventure hasn't changed. The spandex has changed. |
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Bill Matlin wrote: rgold, If you like secluded climbing come out to the Organs in New Mexico. Last weekend was 70's and sunny, and did not see another group on Sugarloaf all weekend. Sandias are almost as secluded.Just be prepared for looong approaches. |
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Ed Wright wrote: Just be prepared for looong approaches.Long if you stay on the trails. Epic - like in one of those old John Wayne Wild West movies, where the cowboy is found crawling through the desert looking for a water hole - if you miss the trail and try to bushwhack to the base of a feature like we did. |
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Speaking of an era, I still have @ 100 R&I's and Climbing's from '87 to @ '94 for anyone who wants to come get them (free). |
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I think much of it could be a change of your perception as you age. I remember being a bright-eyed teenager in the early 90s (yeah, I'm "young", I know) reading climbing mags and thinking how badass everyone was. I was naive and humble, so everyone and every climb apeared "rad" to me. Now that I'm older, and some of those dudes in the mags are younger, I view it with a more critical eye, and I have a different perspective of what "hard" is. |
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Bill Matlin wrote: rgold, If you like secluded climbing come out to the Organs in New Mexico. Last weekend was 70's and sunny, and did not see another group on Sugarloaf all weekend. Sandias are almost as secluded.Agreed, we were out in the Organs last October/November and in 5 days saw 2 other people total. Gorgeous weather every day. As for the bushwacking, last month I was still finding cactus spines in my shoes. I wouldn't document my injuries (gross looking), but hubby was brave enough to let me take this shot: Needless to say, we stuck to paths after this. No shortcuts. Just cuts. |
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Ah, nostalgia; it's not what it used to be. |
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This post is reminiscent of many many threads at Supertopo. I started climbing in the late 1970s and have fond memories of that era as well. However there were aspects of that era that were not so great. I wrote about this feeling in Alpinist last year. |
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Great post! I was thinking of starting a similar post a week ago when an old friend sent me some photos... These were taken at Monument Mountain near Great Barrington MA in '73. Anyone remember these cliffs? Climbing not allowed currently I understand... |