Lorraine hunting fall, Colorado style (camera) |
Rocky Mtn High, 9/29/04 Crested Butte). Jeannie, George, Lorrie (birthday girl) and John (honorary sim) 
Old friends in black and white; John's camera |
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COLORADO MICRO-RENDEZVOUS late SEPT 2004
Lorraine hunting fall, Colorado style (camera)
Rocky Mtn High, 9/29/04 Crested Butte).
Jeannie, George, Lorrie (birthday girl) and John (honorary sim)
Old friends in black and white; John's camera
CALIFORNIA NANO-RENDEZVOUS SEPT 2004
RENDEZVOUS 2004 British Columbia!
August 19-23
Lake Kootenay, near Argenta8/28/2004 Pending: Intimate, first hand reports of excellent nano [thank you, Paul] reunion in BC!
Yes, FL reincarnated to lead G.A.S.S.E.S. [Golden Age Simian Senior Exploration Society]! (tho the August following was limited to co-webster jth)
Would you believe ascending snow capped peaks, gourmet crepes, hot springs and island girls, plying pristine waters, huge huckleberries...? No? How about soggy clouds, logging havoc, aromatic latrines, stone soup pancakes, speed of light peel snatching c'monks...? Depends on your view! A most excellent time was had by all! Highlight: Curt's hand carried, historic issues of Canadian Alpine Journals, detailing numerous Wagner expeditions. Plus rare, originals of FL documents proposing, and official correspondence accepting, names for beaucoups unnamed Canadian peaks!!! (Hope to post some of those historic articles, photos and docs on this site!) PS Dick and George(?)--Curt's still using the gallon water jug left with him at the Flat Tops!
Meanwhile, evidence of recent good times below.
Lake Lillian rendezvous, Invemere
South seas of BC!
White Swan Provincial Park
Jth spent half a day determined to stay dry. Where were the engineers when truly needed?
Some things don't change!
Most excellent kitchen
Mountains of logging slash loomed eerily the rainy night we arrived.
CALIFORNIA MICRO REUNION
May/June 2003
HEMPHILL-WILSON-BRICKETT intersection
Sunday June 1, 2003
Mission San Juan Bautista, California
digital by PB
The moment Mark Wilson said he needed someone to climb Fremont Peak in the Wind Rivers with, I recalled the rumblings--Where's the 14er!--September 2002. Simultaneously recalled Wind River mosquitos and lorna dunes soaked in coleman fuel! Wind Rivers--now there's an idea! Immediately volunteered everyone--i.e. Curt, Terry, John, Lorrie, Cindy, Garry, George and Dick et al for the adventure!
The following weekend Paul Brickett and I searched the web and found Fremont Peak, and the campground Mark mentioned in Bridger-Teton National Forest, 20some miles from Pinedale, Wyoming.
Then I emailed folks to warn 'em.The first response was underwhelmingly enthusiastic... but read on for a worthy tale.
Fri 06/20/2003 01:37 AM
From: George Fredericks To: J Hemphill RE: san jose>>in the micro, micro reunion, mark wilson expressed a need find a partner
>>to climb fremont in the wind rivers.It ain’t me. I get tired doing my usual two mile walk in the park.
Did I ever tell you the story about Al Lawrence climbing Gannett Peak in the Wind Rivers? It was some time back in the late 70’s.
He climbed it solo from the west side coming up from the Wind River Indian Reservation. When he got to the top, he found a guy resting on a boulder. Al gave him a few minutes to perceive he was there. Then being deprived of
human contact all day, Al decided to wake him by speaking loudly and then poking him in the leg with his foot. When this did not work, Al made further examinations and discovered that the guy was dead.Evidently the dead guy had come up the day before and decided to take a nap on top of the mountain. Perhaps the rarified air prolonged his nap and the temperature went down leaving him for Al to find the next day. So Al went down the mountain and got some rescuers to come up and retrieve the body.
They proceeded to put the body in a bag and drop it off a thousand foot precipice expecting a rope would hold. When the body reached the end of the rope, it proceeded another several thousand feet below the end of the rope
and landed on a glacier.Al was outraged at their incompetence.
Then later, the guy’s sister sends Al a letter wanting to know about the heroism of her brother. Evidently Al had made the news. Al did not think her brother was a hero. I can’t remember what Al wrote back to the sister but it
was not good.We need to find Al and get a better story on this.
George
RECENT-ish S.O.S. NEWS
Date: July 27, 2004
Subject: Tentative
From: John CAll,
I'd love to be there, both for the friends as well as for the location. Unfortunately, the timing is too short and I'm already committed to
other things during that period. I hope you all have a great time and a memorable reunion. Please keep me in mind for the next time, and I'd
love to hear the outcome of this one. John
Date: July 27, 2004
Subject: TentativeHi Jeannie,
Congrats on the great location. Chuck and I have gone to a spa for years located 500 yards from the Ainsworth hot springs and hiked in the
region. Gorgeous places.
Unfortunately, we have committed to a trip to hike in Montana at the same time. Please, please, lets do this next year, earlier notice.Love, Cynthia
Date: July 26, 2004
Subject:
From: Curt WagnerI'm hoping to get ahold of my BC friend in the West Kootenay valley later today to check on some old spots for our group camping. But let me give you a possible nearby rendezvous spot that would be alot easier to find for everyone: Davis Creek Provincial Park (BC) north of Kaslo and adjacent to the little 'village' of Lardeau. This park has the lowest camping fee I could find: $10 CAN = $7.50 US per party per night (I think it may be possible to have two vehicles per site). Camping is first-come, first-served. But if my old camping area is still in existence and free, we can then move to that camping area after we all meet initially. (That area had no drinking water so we would have to haul in whatever we would need--sort of like your 'boondocking' site in Colorado 2 years ago).
At this point I think we should set Thursday, August 19 PM as the date for the initial rendezvous at Davis Creek Provincial Park. Perhaps it will just be you and us [ed--jeannie] initially, with others hopefully joining on Aug. 21/22.
Davis Creek PP is just north of Cody Caves PP and the town of Ainsworth Hot Springs--both of which might be attractive spots to visit and enjoy (1-hour tours of the caves are offered). We will also be close to a number of 7000'-8500' elevation-gain rock/snow climbs (bring your ice-axe if you're serious!) and possibly even a first ascent (or at least a challenging mixed new route...). Or you can veg out on the shores of beautiful Kootenay Lake (70 miles long by 2 or 3 miles wide, nestled in a narrow valley with peaks rising up from 6000'-7000' from the shores... If that's not enough, there are many old mining sites and towns and ghost towns to explore. There is a rich history of gold & silver mining over 100 years ago, and the old Kootenay Lake sternwheeler docked in Kaslo is used as its historical museum recounting the days when Kaslo was a big city of miners etc (now it's a very upbeat artist's enclave & summer tourists). I think you'll find the area a delightful Shangri-La not to be missed...!!!
I hope this brief description has whetted your appetite! Shalom, CurtDate: July 26, 2004
Subject: Closing Dates... GASSERS
From: Peter Z
Hi All,
Great to hear from lots of dear friends. The meeting I have in Banff starts on the 18th and ends about noon on the 20th, I think. Would love to come, don't want to guarantee it yet but will be in touch from the fierce Brazilian winterlands. Last time I was there in August, their winter, it was usually 20-30 deg C (or 68-86 deg F) for those who have forgot their HS Physics. OK for now, have to get up 4 AM tomorrow for the flight.
Regards, Peter
Date: July 23, 2004
Subject: Danger: Simian Sighting
From: Eric Aldrich - NEW SIGHTINGGood Grief,
Just when I'd thought that John Ashcroft had made our world safe again, the Alert Status has been bumped to Banana Peel Yellow with the discovery of sinister new Simian 'cells'!
I can't believe that there are still so many ("the Few, the Embarrassed, . . ") Simians ( there are no ex-Simians; it might be a viral thing, or maybe a prion like chronic wasting disease?) out there who can still remember anything from a millennium ago, when climbers and such folks were rightly considered to be esoteric, eccentric types and not Rad, Extreme games Dudes.
I myself have pretty much been just hanging around the Front Range since riding my bike out in '72.
I worked for Holubar, then Gary Neptune see link http://www.neptunemountaineering.com/team/alumni.html then resoled climbing boots and shoes with Scott Johnston. We folded just before the climbing boom, but I did again spent some time inhaling glue and rubber dust at Rock N' Resole for grins, just a few years ago.
Some of you made visits early on (and you know who you are, Paul, Cheryl, John, Mark, . . ); Jeannie H. was already here, and moved on; then inevitably everyone drifted off into other ventures and so the scatterlings of Simiandom have found new places and adventures to attend to.
I've attached some recent photos of climbing Castleton Tower near Moab, 3 years ago, and bicycling shots with my wife of 20 years (!). I work for her at her veterinary clinic here in Boulder. I seem to spend more time climbing plastic indoors, but at least we no longer have to worry about getting chased off buildings on campus.Some misc. Simian errata:
Circa June 1974, another Simian, Rich Reeder, and I climbed the Nose on El Cap. The year after, Rich began grad school in Berkeley, and that October, after climbing the Northwest face of Half Dome by myself, I hitchhiked to Berkeley to hang out with him. We were walking across campus when a passerby did a double-take and backed up to stare -- it was Paul Huizinga, who was working at the library then. We had some beers and talked about "the good old days". Some things come full circle, and I smile to see the latest issue of Rock and Ice magazine has an article about Aleister Crowley -- patron saint of all Simians, and one of Paul's favorite characters, along with the Coors- imbibing Chogyam Trungpa, who later founded the now venerable Naropa Institute.
In Yosemite that fall I bumped into Bill Beltz, a Simian who'd moved to L.A. No idea what he's doing now.
John Wrigley made a few visits here over the years, and he kept in touch with Bob Mayer, a late-70's Simian who still lives in Boulder.
Craig Sutter has visited and done a little climbing recently, and is about to retire to a place in Urbana.
Frank Knight has visited out here in recent years, since his brother lives and works here, and though retired and having medical problems, Frank seems to look exactly the same as he did 30 years ago!
Rick Wheeler and friends showed up on one of the spring 'Gunks trips around 1971; he later moved to Bishop, California, and co-owned the Wheeler-Wilson Repairs there for many years.
John Morrone, another late-70's Simian, lives in Steamboat Springs, works for the BLM, and finds time to ski and bicycle more than anyone I know.
I don't think the Simian's Chris Menges is the one whose name appears in film credits;
BUT, the early edition Devil's Lake Guidebook co-author IS the very same Errol Morris, of documentary film fame.
The Devils Lake legend Jim Erikson also looks pretty much the same, and regularly climbs 5.12 routes at the Boulder indoor gym at the age of 55. Some things never change!Simian trivia -- a junior high kid in Urbana spent some time hanging out with the Simians and the Grotto club, in the mid-1970's, later moving to Boulder. Neal Kaptain did a lot of rock climbing but eventually focused on bouldering; he became disgusted with the level of writing in the climbing magazines of the day, and in the mid-1980's, on a shoestring budget, he started Rock and Ice magazine. Unfortunately, he could not afford to keep it going, and sold it to a more affluent friend, George Bracksieck . George could spend the money to go full-color, but that may have been the demise of Neal's literary concept, instead shifting towards the flash and frenzyed style that is typified today.
Around 1977, Joe Strutt apparently killed himself at the top of a favorite climb in New England. The friend who found him later moved to Champaign-Urbana and hooked up with that era's group of Simians, without realizing that Joe had any connections there.That's about 30 years of stuff; I'll just attach some photos, send it off to the addresses I got off the Simian site, and someday I promise I'll scan old vintage shots in to add to the website.
Take care,
Eric Aldrich
"the Bat" ^!!^
Date: July 22, 2004
Subject: Closing in
From: Curt WagnerHi Jeannie,
It was so good to hear from Peter, wasn't it? His being in Banff on August 19-20 looks like a perfect fit with your August 14-17 Edmonton dates and our best arrival dates of around August 18 or 19. So why don't we just go ahead and tentatively set the 2004 SOS/GASSERS RENDEZVOUS DATE for THURSDAY, AUGUST 19 +/- 1 ?!? Then perhaps Peter (and others?) could join us on the weekend of August 21/22 for the main 'Banana Bash'...
I'm still working on the BEST LOCATION for the RENDEZVOUS, and will let you know after I've talked with my old BC friends. SHALOM! CurtP.S. Recall that GASSERS is the new 'geriatric division' of the infamous SOS of ages past: Golden Age Simian Senior Exploration and/or Relaxation Society (activity option mandated by increasing ages of old Simians...)!
Feel free to forward this message on to others not on this short list...
Date: Friday July 16, 2994
