Devils Lake Climbing Quotes

Perhaps we need some levity.
Relate one of the best quotes heard at the Devils Lake Crags. (or lot)

A long time ago I used to be a Taylors Falls local who made weekend trips to The Lake.
I remember that a big part of climbing in these tourist (crouton)infested areas was dealing with naive questions from the hoi polloi.
Whenever we were asked if we were rappelling, we would reply, "No, you're rappelling, we're appealing"
This rather obnoxious response would generally disperse the tourons.

The very best sandbags were to be had at Devils Tower. You would always encounter tourons on the trail after the climb. They would invariably ask, "Did you make it to the top?"
We would tell them, Yes, it was great. It's hollow like a tree stump and filled with water, so we went for a swim. You didn't know that there's a lake up top?

There are two that I hate (usually from some poorly supervised child): "What's this?" accompanied by a poke at my anchor system as I am about to rap down; and, "Here, I'll help you!" and then some kid grabs my rope.

Hey Scott,
Simple solution to that one.
Toss the kid off and then the parents.
Darwinism at its finest.

Back in the day, we used to get the tourons to leave by making them believe that we were satans minions.
i.e: One time at the crag, we could hear a family down below.
We could hear that they had spotted our ropes and were headed up the trail to check us out.
In our lowest, loudest gutteral voices, three of us chanted in unison, "join us, we are legion, we are satan"
Of course, we were not satanists, but our chant had the desired effect. The tourons turned about and headed back down for their safety.
Obnoxious, tasteless, but effective.

I can recall the most infuriating thing I've heard at DL:

"But I really want to throw a rock!"

Said by a pleading adolescent to his Mom's suggestion that he not throw a rock off the top near Devils Doorway. He didn't think he'd hit anyone...

God Is Great!!

handtruck wrote:God Is Great!!

When I gave out awards with the UW -Hoofers Club in the later 70's we had a best quote award:

I remember 2 (or 3):

At a winter climb of a 5.8 (in January). After a fall the climber said: "I'm too strong for this climb."

A female member once said: "I'm a finely tuned athlete not a packhorse". A few months later her boyfriend added: "I'm a packhorse not a finely tuned athlete." The gear was heavy back then.

Two good ones:

"I worked it...I worked it...I worked it and THEN I FLASHED IT!!!!!"

"Yeah I was on Rubberman. Didn't Get it, but I didn't think it was Hard!"

"Get out of the car slowly and place your hands on the hood"

"It is not 'that' busy on the weekends"

From when I was young...

You mean I carry it up then I can drink some?

"You guys are lucky, I never see any breasts here"

"PS, We ate the crane"
"LSD Every day 1979"

"Chinless Tiff has a bionic uterus" - Tommy D

"watch out for the corn-back rattler!" -Gonzo after taking a dump
"Your voice has changed, but your breath stayed the same" -Gonzo after someone farted

"Holy Sh*t! Thats brighter than I thought it would be...run!" overheard on a rain day(double fuk-nez)in the club lot, after a gallon of white gas was dumped to spell out "DLFA" and lit up, creating 10 foot flames

Paul Jones wrote:"Chinless Tiff has a bionic uterus" - Tommy D

"Now your sitt'n in the fabled catbird seat"

Could be heard by any climber apon successfully reaching a jug after pulling the cux of any DL route if Gonzo was in close vicinity....

I was climbing a variation on top rope of the very first moves of "Cheap Thrills" avoiding the crux and moving left to the ledge that sits at the bottom of the top half of "Chiaroscuro" and then climbing the top half of that route...... Just before making the top I hear from over my shoulder Scott say, "We call that Sheep Thrills".

"New Sandstone is only 'semi-closed'. If it were really closed there would be big signs and armed guards...."