A PLEA TO ALL CLIMBERS

For finding humor in the suggestion that all climbers should carry head nets all the time? I'm not sure.

I am not making light of his incident, as it sounded terrible, but it was an odd suggestion, no?

Mike Lane wrote:Perhaps the AZ/NM community should start some sort of a database here flagging locations of hives when they are discovered. Red flag these warnings on the wall page right up front, also again on the route page. Make them highly visible. I know it's more work for the local admin., but hey...

This, however, is a good suggestion.

Spread of killer bees up until 2003, from wikipedia.

Climate change will make it worse, no doubt.

Ben Brotelho wrote:For finding humor in the suggestion that all climbers should carry head nets all the time? I'm not sure. I am not making light of his incident, as it sounded terrible, but it was an odd suggestion, no?

Not an odd suggestion. What is the one piece of gear common to all bee keepers? All I suggest is the small, think the size of your tampax, head net. Mine is made by sea to summit, available at REI for about $9. The kind common to backpackers and fishermen.

Robbie Mackley wrote: Not an odd suggestion. What is the one piece of gear common to all bee keepers? All I suggest is the small, think the size of your tampax, head net. Mine is made by sea to summit, available at REI for about $9. The kind common to backpackers and fishermen.

Would you wear it while climbing as a preventative measure or would you whip it out and don it when an emergency strikes?

Robbie Mackley wrote:http://mountainproject.com/images/96/83/106869683_large_343e3f.jpg This is me after 1500+ stings. It's nothing to fuck around with or joke about. Thank you for your time.

Dear Jeebus...
I hope you mean 150 times and not 10 times more. Regardless, I'd be dead. Bee stings give me major swelling and usually only one is needed for my tongue to get large enough that breathing becomes difficult (the throat swelling doesn't help). I've always relied on the fact that I'm much more likely to run into wasps or hornets when climbing and while really painful, their stings don't lead to edema. There are tons of "urban" bees in SLC with every other hippie having a hive in their yard but you're never far from an epi-pen in town. Adding to the rack might become necessary though...

I had a bee buzzing me at the belay the other day. It seemed like a big deal at the time. Good to see there are bigger drama queens than I.

Glad to see a full recovery and that you are doing well. Sharing awareness is a terrific task to take upon yourself and the internet is a wonderful tool to do so, but you must realize that this... still... is... the... internet.

I carry it clipped to my harness. Believe me keeping them out of your nose mouth eyes and ears is crucial. Especially if you need to assist partners etc.
on a side note on my last trip to Jtree I encountered bee colonies on 5 of 5 days in the park. My last trip to Prescott it was 2 of 2. Not that un common in the south west.

Colonel Mustard wrote:I had a bee buzzing me at the belay the other day. It seemed like a big deal at the time. Good to see there are bigger drama queens than I.

Which one...this one
mountainproject.com/images/…

or this one
mountainproject.com/v/rip-s…

Is someone's death or hospitalization what you'd consider a "drama queen" or am I misinterpreting you? Sounds like Robbie is just trying to help others from the same fate. You can take or leave his advice, but I might be a little gun-shy if that had happened to me too.

we have killer bees out in Joshua tree as of two years ago, bees are no joke, as a kid my dad had 3 hives at the house, I do not think a bug net over you head would help much the stings on the rest of you body will still send you into Anaphylaxis shock.

Those of us in southern Arizona who knew Steve are having a hard time finding the humor in anything right now. Robbie's suggestion is not an outlandish one, particularly given the fact that Steve's fate could have been his. I think all Robbie wants is to help keep anyone else from dying needlessly. Thank you, Robbie.

You'd be hard pressed to find a climbing area in our neck of the woods that doesn't have bees. The very features that make rock climbable/protectable also make great places for bees to live. It's almost impossible not to know, if you're climbing on a route that's near a hive; thousands of bees can be heard from quite a distance. Unfortunately though, avoiding the hive doesn't guarantee your safety. Even accidentally crushing a bee as you set your pack down or bumping one as you reach for a hold can cause an attack.

These are not your ordinary honey bees. Those of you with no knowledge of or experience with our Africanized bees perhaps can't understand why we're taking this so seriously. Please give us a break.

Sorry to say it was infact 1500. Not 150. It was also almost 3 years ago. Thank you all for the well wishes though. A search of mt Lemmon bee attack will lead to a thread containing my story for anyone interested.

csproul wrote:Is someone's death or hospitalization what you'd consider a "drama queen" or am I misinterpreting you?

Yes.

My climbing partner and his son ran into them at Cochise over spring break. This is a serious problem in the SW.

Joe De Luca wrote:we have killer bees out in Joshua tree as of two years ago, bees are no joke, as a kid my dad had 3 hives at the house, I do not think a bug net over you head would help much the stings on the rest of you body will still send you into Anaphylaxis shock.

I'm offering advice based on my experience of being attacked. Take it or leave it. At least I offered.

There ya go Robbie:

Some of y'all need to get clear on the real world/ internet playground distinction and show a bit of respect.

csproul thanks for posting those links. Without more context I think it is easy for people to misunderstand the intent of the OP's message.

I am upset to hear of anyone's (let alone a brother climber's) attack and I wish you a rapid recovery and my sincerest condolences to the Johnson's. I realize that this is a very relevant, important, and emotionally sensitive topic in the Southwest and within that educated context your suggestion I think is absolutely worth consideration among your community.

I also think that MountainProject is an online community of international climbers who participate in all disciplines of climbing at many different levels. This includes the spectrum of people who climb entirely indoors, to those who climb exclusively in the alpine. Without more explanation to educate the community as a whole who may not be familiar with the incidents you have in mind, and calling upon what I think is too large of an audience posting anything in the General Climbing forum addressing "all climbers" I am not particularly surprised by some of the responses the thread is receiving (some I agree are in pretty piss poor taste). Again I think the root of these responses is the disconnect with the topic that you are rightly emotional about and it's practical relevance to many other's climbing situations. As someone in the thread alluded, one who climbs solely ice or indoors, while they fit into the "all climbers" audience, simply will not find value in this suggestion. To achieve the most appropriate impact, maybe editing your post, the forum it is in, or at least the thread title to a more concise audience will benefit the intent of your message best. It is indeed an important one - for the right people.

Thanks for keeping an open mind and again, a speedy recovery to you.

Safe climbing-
Dan

Robbie Mackley wrote:Sorry to say it was infact 1500. Not 150. It was also almost 3 years ago. Thank you all for the well wishes though. A search of mt Lemmon bee attack will lead to a thread containing my story for anyone interested.

That's nuts ... good for you staying cool in a desperate situation and getting your buddies down safely, glad your kid still has a father. A lot of climbers, including the jackASS trolls on this thread, would have gone into panic mode.

Thanks Brigette, Rob, and anyone else requesting a little respect in this thread.