Shiprock... a Closing Adventure
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WOW:O) |
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I have mixed feelings regarding this. I've been climbing & rappelling for more than a decade with indigenous youth. Chances are, their climbing experience is limited to the time spent in these outdoor programs. Still, they benefit from it and will always cherish trips to the Cochise Stronghold & Jurassic Park. |
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Yeego & Quentin & Alex: |
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There was a simple rule to climbing Ship Rock in the "Early days"; Do Not Die HERE. |
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Yeego Yi'naa wrote:I have mixed feelings regarding this. I've been climbing & rappelling for more than a decade with indigenous youth. Chances are, their climbing experience is limited to the time spent in these outdoor programs. They benefit from it. There are few places to take them climbing & rappelling on Dine'tah. What little we have access to is always inquired about, first. Although, there are plenty of potential climbs, not everyone should have access. Would churches let you climb their steeples and walls? Just because you believe in Santa Clause doesn't mean you know what is sacred. I saw destruction in a recent video, though disguise as cleaning, of a spire being climbed on Dine'tah with the climbers happily tossing down loose rocks. Rocks that have been there for eons. I know it is a big challenge for a lot of people to understand and accept what the Dine' people consider sacred, but that's ok, you don't need to understand. Just try and accept. Not all Navajos have the same concept of what is sacred, even. I hope one day, there will be more places to access for climbing & rappelling on Dine'tah. But, I don't think it should be open to all. The world has enough routes for you to climb and tread. The culture of living your life like a car commercial is overrated; you shouldn't go anywhere and everywhere. Some places just don't want you. Just so.Yeego... I love your statement!!! It makes me wanna take a smoke break, so I can ponder a sweet reply. BRB :o) OK,,, I'm back :o| There are so many things I wish I could state... but Time is also a factor in our busy world. To be brief; I have been climbing since 1970. Early on in my introduction to climbing, I was also introduced to the festivals of the surrounding reservations throughout New Mexico; I watched the dances, I went house to house and was well fed with great food,,, but more importantly,,, I was treated as an honored guest. We were treated as if we were family. I will never lose my Love of the American Indian. I was barely 17 yr-s old at the time and I am now 61. I have survived climbing all across North America,,, and I pray that no one has to die to "boost their ego". Your post reflects my own heart ; but that's gonna be a much longer story!!!!!!! " doG asked Noah,,, "How long can you tread water? " " |
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Creator,,, I thank you. We seem to have come to a point of Peace. |
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cool thread (mostly other than the non-sensical ranting) super interesting to read about Shiprock and other desert towers on the Rez. Jason Haas wrote a good piece for Rock and Ice a while back too. |
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Luke Mehall wrote:cool thread (mostly other than the non-sensical ranting) super interesting to read about Shiprock and other desert towers on the Rez. Jason Haas wrote a good piece for Rock and Ice a while back too. Totem Pole looks incredible, nice photo! I'd love to publish some of these photos, and even a story for The Zine. Holler at me if you're interested. (it pays) luke@climbingzine.com climbingzine.comHey Luke... Thank you for your post :o) Hopefully, we've all calmed down a little bit, and I can go to bed now. Please listen for my wolves to howl... it means we are all good :o) |
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Luke... I just looked at the site you gave us; would you like to buy my rope from 1972 ? |
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I had always had Shiprock on my list, but never pursued it because of the closure. Then in 2004 Cameron Burns published "Postcards From the Trailer Park" (which is a great read). In one of the chapters he described finding the leaseholder for the land that the formation was on and asking permission. |
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Hey Gary - Luke publishes one of the better climbing zines I've seen in a long time ... & I've seen a lot of them come & go ... I think he's just suggesting Quentin et al. submit something for it ... sounds like a plan to me! |
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Yeego Yi'naa wrote:I have mixed feelings regarding this. I've been climbing & rappelling for more than a decade with indigenous youth. Chances are, their climbing experience is limited to the time spent in these outdoor programs. They benefit from it. There are few places to take them climbing & rappelling on Dine'tah. What little we have access to is always inquired about, first. Although, there are plenty of potential climbs, not everyone should have access. Would churches let you climb their steeples and walls? Just because you believe in Santa Clause doesn't mean you know what is sacred. I saw destruction in a recent video, though disguise as cleaning, of a spire being climbed on Dine'tah with the climbers happily tossing down loose rocks. Rocks that have been there for eons. I know it is a big challenge for a lot of people to understand and accept what the Dine' people consider sacred, but that's ok, you don't need to understand. Just try and accept. Not all Navajos have the same concept of what is sacred, even. I hope one day, there will be more places to access for climbing & rappelling on Dine'tah. But, I don't think it should be open to all. The world has enough routes for you to climb and tread. The culture of living your life like a car commercial is overrated; you shouldn't go anywhere and everywhere. Some places just don't want you. Just so.We need more voices like yours. Thank you for this perspective. |
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Who was the first woman to... ??? |
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Topp Plaque
Bernie Topp was a young airman who was stationed at Ft Bliss in El Paso. He became a Southwestern Mountaineer in the late 50's and did a number of climbs in the Organs. He was killed of course in the Black Bowl in 1957. In 1958, Harry Davis, Ron Hahn, Dick Ingraham and others placed the plaque on Shiprock. They also named Topp Hut in the Organs for Bernie. The hut was originally built in the 1930's (I believe) as housing for the miners in the area. They were after fluorspar in the mines above the hut. The Hut is the standard starting point for all of Rabbit Ears Canyon, as well as the Low and High Horns. I actually met some of the Mexican miners that were working the mine in November of 1967... and they (I think 6 of them) were living in the hut. The mine itself was a shaft that went hundreds of feet down at a very steep angle. We had immediate respect for those guys, to have the nerve to go into that spooky shaft. One time, after a climb on Citadel, the miners invited us in. They had a pot of pinto beans, and something that was red and meaty that was the best thing I have ever tasted, to this day. Friendly fellows! Of course, the ideal approach was to start at the Mine... right at the top, where the trail starts. The road from the hut up to the mine is one of the great adventures in life. I actually made it in my '56 ford one day, and once in Dick ingraham's Carryall. Most times, we walked it though. Topp Hut Rabbit Ears Massif above Topp Hut Sadly, it appears that the roof of the hut is gone. Back in the late 60's, I spent a stormy night in the hut, warm and dry. Those days are gone also. I spent that night out of the weather... No wonder I long to remember the early days, and Topp Hut so much. The concrete floor was no bother at all... |
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Sorry Lee, I did Shiprock in September 1959 with Dave Hammack. I think it took about two or three hours. I think he did it previously with Axel Nelson and one other of the 1940-1950 Sierra Club greats. The heat got to our third member and he decided to stay at the overhangs (the rappel down after Black Couloir - or whatever it is called) since he could stay in the shade and had enough water. Dave us 86 now and still does the La Luz Trail several times each week. His son Davito is a superb climber (whom I have only met when he was about 2 in 1960 or thereabouts and he has grandkids climbing. |
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I took a drive up to Shiprock last weekend. It was both sad and exhilerating for me. Nothing has changed. The mountain is still imposing and formidable after all these years. Is there anyone that would like to meet me there sometime? I would like to go up and get a rubbing from the plaque to the memory of Bernie Topp. I would buy the beer. Lee Davis |
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Lee Davis wrote:I took a drive up to Shiprock last weekend. It was both sad and exhilerating for me. Nothing has changed. The mountain is still imposing and formidable after all these years. Is there anyone that would like to meet me there sometime? I would like to go up and get a rubbing from the plaque to the memory of Bernie Topp. I would buy the beer. Lee DavisDah!!! I've been trying to reply to your post here for the past half hr,,, but too many people distracting me right now,,, trying to tell me what to do; they don't get it that it's NEW YRs EVE!!! No TOWing my truck across town to a repair station that is CLOSED!!! Otherwise,,, I'd be happy to have you buy me a beer :o) |
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Sadly, Royal Robbins died yesterday. Made me recall my conversation with Pat Ament about Shiprock. He has great memories of doing the peak in 1964 with Royal and Liz Robbins, when he was 17. |
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Just saw your post about Royal Nubbins. Thank you for letting us know... |
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I climbed Shiprock in 1971, with Bill Hendry, Steve Schum and George Rinker. I think it was the last legal climb before the Navajos officially closed the mountain to climbers. We climbed with sleeping bags and left them in the caves above the Honeycomb gully to go on to the summit. At the time, it appeared (from Los Alamos Mountaineer notes) there were 2 aid pitches and we planned the extra time to work on those. In fact, we did free the horn pitch. It was awkward and very strenuous, but mercifully short. We were disappointed that the key flake on the flake pitch had been broken off by some previous party. The caves are very shallow, we slept tied in with legs hanging over the lip. During our drive to the base in a backwheel drive sedan, we had bottomed out and lost the muffler. In the middle of the night in the caves, we were awakened by the sound of a car missing a muffler driving across the desert floor. Our car was parked on the other side of the mountain, so we couldn't tell whether is was our vehicle possibly stolen and we feared the worst. Guess there are a lot of cars without mufflers on those roads, our car was still where we left it. For me, the scariest part of the climb was the final rappel in the basalt gully. The fixed piton was just wedged behind some heavy rocks, rather than driven into some respectable crack. |