Jungle Beat

Post by **ynot** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:59 pm

The bottom of Jungle Beat? Has a roof over it don't it? You got sidetracked by all the sport and ran out of daylight. Jungle beat should be saved for a pretty day anyway. It's like Foxfire and big Country that way.

Post by **L Day** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 2:06 pm

When the Seiberts and I did "things that go bump" I was sporting cutting edge footware (EBs) but Tom and Ellen were still climbing in big ol' monster hiking boots. You know the kind, full grain leather, steel shank, massive Vibram soles, full welt. Man, Tom could sure climb hard in those things, and of course we had no cams, just hexes and stoppers.

Post by **Danny** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 2:14 pm

Man that would be pretty crazy climbing that with boots and nuts. Getting past that steep dihedral near the start with boots would be really hard. And slabbyness and the wide part at the top.

Post by **L Day** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 3:02 pm

I'm pretty sure we did it in two pitches. I can't remember why we started so late in the day, but I lead the first pitch, digging dirt out of the little dihedral for holds and placements as we went. It seemed like most of the dirt landed in my huge 'fro and slowly sifted down to my scalp, always hated that. Anyway, Tom lead the slabby pitch in his big assed clunky hiking boots,.. in the dark.

The whole thing kind of scared the crap out of Ellen, who came up with the name.

Post by **Danny** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 3:35 pm

That's good to know. I climbed it in the dark also. I always try to run pitches together for the challenge but I think I had the worst rope drag on this then any other route. At the top I was clawing through branches and dirt barely gaining an inch with each heave. Felt like I was hauling an elephant family.

Post by **Danny** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 3:36 pm

Did you guys have headlamps back then or what? Funny about the fro.

Post by **L Day** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:01 pm

We all had carbide headlamps, for caving that is. I didn't know anybody who had a headlamp that was actually suitable for climbing, so we had way too many adventures in the absolute fucking dark. Man, when it's overcast and moonless in the Gorge it's one dark place after sunset. Out of sheer stupidity I suppose, I hardly ever had a working flashlight with me. There were these little piece-of-crap Mallorys that were popular with backpackers, but they were pretty unreliable. Today's headlamps are worlds better than anything that existed even just a few years back. I remember how many times Chouinard Equipment tried before they could make a headlamp that worked at all.

Post by **Danny** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:21 pm

that's officially old school.

Post by **Andrew** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:39 pm

Nice stories Day.

Post by **anticlmber** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 5:14 pm

Danny wrote:ynot, yes I got your nut dude.

hehehe.... sucks being eleven years old.