Quotes From The Mountains, Series 2

Thank you, Jolene Cox, for the book "The Quotable Climber".  It's a fun read and a great resource to kick off Series 2:

"To have a great adventure, and survive, requires good judgement.  Good judgement comes from experience.  Experience, of course, is the result of poor judgement."
~Dr. Geoff Tabin, the fourth person to successfully climb The Seven Summits, and who has pioneered routes on all seven continents, including a first ascent of the East Face of Mt. Everest.



Jane Diefenbach, describing her climbing experiences with Keith Garlinghouse:

After two summers of being out together for a week at a time in the Colorado 14ers, Keith and I have talked about pretty much everything.  I really thought Keith was new age, but now it seems that he’s becoming a pragmatist.  Keith! I thought I knew ye.

Keith Garlinghouse in 2008:  "Why am I here? (thinking, thinking, thinking) To live."

Keith Garlinghouse in 2009:  "Why am I here? (little thought) To raise some kids."




Bryon Snapp reminded me of a classic we heard on Mt. Jefferson in 2007.  As our team gathered together at the base of the summit pinnacle, a team of two popped their heads over the North Ridge.  They had just finished Jefferson Park Glacier, one of the toughest routes up the mountain.  When they were asked by someone on our team what advice they had for the route they just climbed, one of them responded:

"Hey, if you don't like your hand hold, put it back."
~Unknown Jefferson Summitter



Linda Bedard swears this is true (of course, I vehemently deny it.):

"That anchor should hold as long as nobody pulls on it!"
~Yours Truly, calling back to the team while leading The Terrible Traverse on North Sister



"To the rest of the world, I'm a tough guy.  To Amy, I'm just a chump who needs an adjustment."
~Jess Palacios, Chemeketan Leader, describing himself in his blog



Sage advice from one of our more beloved Chemeketan Climb Leaders:

"Never rappel anything you can downclimb," and "The most important step is the one you're on."
~Ellen Gradison, Climbing Role Model



During The Mazamas Advanced Rock Class, Jess was working a route when a rock he grabbed broke loose, spilling dust down between his legs, covering his shoes.  Suddenly, a soft voice behind him exclaimed,

"Ooooo!  It pooped!"
~Ellen Gradison, Climbing Role Model???

Ellen being Ellen

While climbing a difficult rock route:
Jess:  "I know it's run out but it's easy up here."
Vince:  "Ok, we'll put that on your tombstone."



"I can't say much for you, but that Glo is one sexy golfer!"
~Jane Diefenbach, Ex-Climbing Friend, after viewing pictures on my blog




Earlier this year on Mt Washington, we were climbing up one of the gullies and a chunk of volcanic crud came screaming towards this team member's  head. "Rock!" we yelled as we all ran for cover. All we heard back was:

"Paper, scissors.... dang! Now I gotta carry the rope."
~Bryon Snapp,  Climbing Nut

Bryon being Bryon

 "See that loose chockstone there? Grab it, it's bomber."
~Jess' climbing buddy, George, as he coaches Jess up his first 5.11 trad lead

 

My climbing partner and I were on Prusik Peak in The Enchantments.  Things were going well, as we made quick work of the easy lower pitches.  Upon reaching the base of the crux - a super exposed, 5.7 friction slab - it seemed as though we were standing around for an inordinate amount of time.  I asked my partner (and leader) what he was waiting for and he responded:

"Just give me a minute, just a minute.  I'm waiting for my butt to stop puckering!"
~Matt Vancampen, Chemeketan Climb Leader

Until next time....

Quotes From The Mountains, Series 1

Arguably the best philosophical mountain climbing quote of all time:

"Getting to the top is optional, but getting down is mandatory."
~Ed Viesturs, Famous Mountaineer



After a long, hot, 15+ hour day of climbing that included a lengthy discussion on the dangers of drinking unfiltered water in the backcountry, these precious words emerged just as the author plunged his whole head into a slow-moving creek:

"I don't care of if there's a marmot upstream pissing on a dead deer carcass, I'm getting a drink!"
~Keith Hill, Chemeketan Climb Leader



We had just reached the summit of Mt Washington early in our climbing careers, when Gloria, Rick B. and I were faced with a ropeless descent back to the final rappel horn. As we stared down the 30', low-5th class wall just below the summit (widely considered the crux of the climb), our voices quivered as we asked our fearless leader if he really expected us to downclimb, given that a fall would send us bouncing 1,500' into the rocks below:

"Hey, you gotta learn sometime."
~Herb Fecker, Chemeketan Climb Leader



During an Advanced Snow & Ice field session with the Mazamas, we were instructed on the importance of keeping our knots neat and orderly. This was communicated in two ways:

"A not neat knot need knot be knotted." and "You need not knot a not neat knot." ~Wim Aarts, Mazama Climb Leader



One of our famous friends had just finished the Tatoosh Traverse near Mt Rainier. On the way home, the climb team stopped at the Morton Market, one of the few places you can get Dick's Beer, a microbrew brewed in Centralia, Wa. Tired and haggared from the climb and with a thirst for the ages, our dear friend pounded a Dick's Danger Stout and declared (in his Arnold Swartzenegger sounding voice):

"That's the best Dick (beer) I ever had!"
~Nameless Turk, Climber Extraordinaire



During our 18 mile approach to Mt Olympus, one of our team members was having trouble with his insides, causing him to make numerous off-trail pit stops. Ultimately, his T.P. supply was exhausted. When we reached the summit pinnacle, the conditions were such that reaching the top required a 5.6-ish "power move" over a lightly protected, overhung boulder. As I waited for him on the summit, I heard a HUGE grunt, followed by a sad groan and this gem:

"Remember that extra blue bag I asked you for? Never mind.... it's too late!"
~Keith Hill, Chemeketan Climb Leader, in the early years



Most people try to go as light as possible on multi-day climbs, especially when it comes to food. So when one climb team member pulled out an elaborate meal on the summit of Mt Baker, we all had a good chuckle at his expense. Never one to mince words, he exclaimed:

"It's a gourmet Thai roll with ginger-lime dipping sauce, DAMMIT!" ~Bill Saur, Chemeketan Climb Leader




Garry S. & Mike M. help Bill with his summit feast. What, no fried wonton?