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ropes left on Sharkstooth approach

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

Anyone go up there recently?

Dougald MacDonald · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2002 · Points: 842

Those ropes were still there on the Sharkstooth descent late on August 24. We briefly debated bringing them down but concluded we were too lazy.

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

Yeah, that's a pretty good hike out to carry an extra 18 lbs of someone else's gear....

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

That's why for your efforts it becomes your gear.

Andrew G · · Pittsburgh, PA · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 404

I was on the Sharkstooth on 8/17 and saw these as well (just after you go through the constriction in the Gash). Wish I had been strong enough to do the climb in a day instead of bivying so I hadn't already been too weighted down...

Parker H · · Indianapolis · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 0

How were the conditions on the approach when you were up there Andrew, any snow still?

Eli Helmuth · · Ciales, PR · Joined Aug 2001 · Points: 3,441

All gear found in a National Park is the property of the National Park if and until the owner retrieves it. The appropriate thing to do is bring down this "trash" and give it to the park rangers for their lost and found.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425
Eli Helmuth wrote:All gear found in a National Park is the property of the National Park if and until the owner retrieves it. The appropriate thing to do is bring down this "trash" and give it to the park rangers for their lost and found.
Amazing what you find up there. I found the fly for one of those massive north face, 8 man dome big mountain tents and all the broken poles on the boulder field trail. I had just enough room in my pack to get it down.
Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203
Eli Helmuth wrote:All gear found in a National Park is the property of the National Park if and until the owner retrieves it. The appropriate thing to do is bring down this "trash" and give it to the park rangers for their lost and found.
Not quite, any item found is property of the owners until otherwise declared, typically by state statute. Most states have a law that requires the finder of lost property to turn it over to the proper authorities, if the property is not claimed within a predetermined time frame the finder can claim it. If unclaimed by the owner or finder the authorities can dispose of it as they see fit.

There was a long thread about this subject earlier this summer ...
Dougald MacDonald · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2002 · Points: 842
Thomas T. wrote:How were the conditions on the approach when you were up there Andrew, any snow still?
No signfiicant snow on the approach/descent.
Eli Helmuth · · Ciales, PR · Joined Aug 2001 · Points: 3,441

It's federal property where these ropes were abandoned so state statutes don't apply. Federal laws and NPS regulations include possession of marijuana and rangers around the country have arrested users while on Federal Property. Beer only in campgrounds- FYI.

cragmantoo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 175

Anyone know if the ropes are still there and who might have left them?
Seems weird that someone left ropes behind.....

Tom Mulcahy · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2013 · Points: 0

They were still there as of Labor Day weekend. I had the same thought, I didn't want to take someone's ropes.

cragmantoo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 175

Sounds like they have been there well over a month. Don't know how long they can sit there without starting to deteroirate

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425
cragman2 wrote:Sounds like they have been there well over a month. Don't know how long they can sit there without starting to deteroirate
I'm sure they'll last longer than rap tat, but I wouldn't want to use them.
Eli Helmuth · · Ciales, PR · Joined Aug 2001 · Points: 3,441

If you carry them down and drop them off with the park, they will be put in lost and found and the owners can potentially pick them up.

smellygregman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 170

Sorry for the very late reply to this, but I might have some insight.
I climbed Sharkstooth from that side on Aug 14th. There were two young guys from Austin, TX that did the approach with us, and started the first pitch just behind us. It was their first alpine climb, and seemed a little out of their element (one leader, QDs instead of slings), but had good attitudes. My partner and I hung out on the summit for a few, then got a stuck rope on the final rap that took some time to retrieve. Once we hiked back to the base, we could see the leader had just set up a belay on maybe the second to last pitch, and yelled to him to take heed of the weather that was moving in rapidly, and to give some beta on the rap stations. Before we got halfway through the Gash, the sky opened up and dumped on us, with lightning striking the valley walls. I was extremely worried for their safety (we were sheltered and waiting it out in a boulder cave). I checked news reports for a couple of days after, but didn't hear anything and assumed they managed to get off ok. The approach had worked them pretty badly, so they may have just been eager to get the hell out of there and sacrificed the gear to speed the hike out. I'm guessing that even ditching that gear, they were probably looking at close to a 24hr push. I hope the best for them, I'm sure that they have some good stories to tell in any case, and probably aren't sweating the lost gear.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

Thanks for the information. I can try to find out from my Austin friends if that's their ropes.

Did anyone end up taking them down yet, or are they still up there?

Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
smellygregman wrote:Before we got halfway through the Gash, the sky opened up and dumped on us, with lightening striking the valley walls. I was extremely worried for their safety (we were sheltered and waiting it out in a boulder cave).
Just a side note: boulder caves, overhang shelters, etc. can become a spark gap during an electrical storm, frying everything in the gap. Crack systems can conduct lethal current as well.
smellygregman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 170

That's a good reminder for the shelter. Ours was for the rain, rather than lightning. With the huge number of spires around the valley and our low position, we would have had to be very unlucky indeed for the lightning to be an issue (not the case for the guys high on the lightning rod that is the Sharkstooth, however)

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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