Thursday, December 14, 2006

Bouldering

Bouldering is a great adventure. I was sportclimbing 5.10 and did not have the power to send 5.11 crux moves. Realizing that I needed more power, I spent one winter in 1998, bouldering at Rainbow Rocks in SOCAL with a crew of highly motivated climbers. This experience of climbing without ropes gave me more confidence and incresed my climbing power. That next year, I began to send 5.11 sportroutes in such places as Frustration Creek, Mt. Williamson, and New Jack City. In early 2000 I moved to the Southeast U.S. and began bouldering in such places as Horse Pens, AL and Rock Town, GA. The sandstone bouldering in the Southeast is awesome.

Climbing tip: You can trade power for endurance, but you cannot trade endurance for power

Skydiving


I skydived for 10 years making over 450 sport parachute jumps between 1975 and 1982. Being in the military allowed me to jump out of helicopters such as the CH-53, CH-46, CH-47, and UH-1. I was on the Quantico Parachute Team in Quantico, VA, the Commodores Parachute Team in Pensacola, FL and the Interservice Parachute team at El Toro, CA.
In December of 1979 as a member of the Commodores Parachute Team, we invited the Navy Leap Frogs West, East, and Quantico Parachute Teams to participate in a record military freefall at the Blue Angles Airshow in Pensacola, FL. We used the Blue Angels C-130 "Fat Albert" as a jump aircraft and made all record attempts from 15,000 feet. The team successfully put together a 28 Man freefall formation during the Sunday Blue Angels Airshow in front of 60,000+ people in attendance. This was a military world record at the time. I hold a USPA D-7315 expert parachute license.

First Ascents



New Jack City is a Southern California sport climbing Mecca in the fall, winter and spring.

I have spent many a winter weekend in the late 1990's camping, climbing and putting up sport routes in this location located between Barstow and Lucerne Valley, CA.

Some of the routes I bolted and did first ascents on are:

Beyond the Crucified 5.9, Halle Bopp Tango 5.9 located uphill from Crucified Wall

Dead Man Walking 5.10a, and Step Right Up 5.8, at Ravens Roost

A 5.7 and Roadside Warrior 5.9 on the backside of the Roadside Rock

and the Sunshine routes, 5.10c, 5.8, 5.7 on the Sunshine Face

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Big Walls


This is the 2nd Pitch of Zodiac on Yosemite's El Capitan. From the belay you lead out under a large roof and then move upward about 20 feet to a sloped ledge that is 4th class. The transition from aid to free climbing was tricky for me here, and I popped a hook and took a 30 foot whipper! It was a clean fall, but by the time it was over, I was below my belayer. Quite a surprise for both of us. I jummared back up the rope and finished the A2 pitch.

Mountaineering

I have done some "peak bagging". A spring ascent of the East Butress route, 8 pitches 5.8, on Mt. Whitney provided some alpine trad adventure. A blizzard blowing from the West was the cause for an evening spent in the rockhouse, out of the wind, but on the summit in -5 degrees F. I know for that evening, my climbing partner Matt and I were the highest persons in the continental U.S. A space blanket stowed in your helmet liner can be a life saver! Crampons and ice axe are extra gear and weight to be carried, but are certainly necessary on alpine ascents during the spring and winter in the Sierras. In cold weather, and with no stove, your body heat is all that you have to melt snow for drinking water. After a shivering cold evening, the next day dawned bright and clear. A spectacular hike and descent included a long glisade which brought us back to our base camp at Iceberg Lake.

Climbing

Climbing of all types is a great adventure. I started out climbing trad at Joshua Tree and Tahquitz/Suicide Rock in SOCAL, did BigWalls such as SpaceShot in Zion; learned to ice climb, bouldered and sport climbed. The adjacent image is a sport route, Delusions 5.11d at Frustration Creek in Forest Falls, CA. I lived and climbed in the Southeast for a couple of years in 2000 and 2001. The sandstone in the Southern Appalachian Mountains is amazing. I spent one month in El Portrero Chico, Nuevo Leon Mexico in February 2003. I stayed at Homero's campground and found all, including the locals, to be friendly. The limestone sportroutes are spectacular in the portrero. I have done some bouldering and sport climbing in Bishop, CA. Great camping and climbing!

Marine Aviator

I attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Florida and as a part of the training, landed jets on aircraft carriers. Graduation was in November of 1979. I flew the A-4M Sky Hawk in a Replacement Air Group (RAG) VMAT-102 in Yuma, AZ after training in Pensacola. My favorite ordnance load was 500 pound Snake-Eye bombs and napalm termed "Snake and Nape".

After graduation from the RAG, I flew the A-4M Sky Hawk in VMA-311 out of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, California. We were the Tom Cat Squadron.
Although I did not fly in combat, we trained for Air to Ground and Air to Air missions using live ordnance such as 500 pound bombs, napalm, sidewinder missiles, and 2.75” high explosive (HE) and white phosphorous (Willie Pete) rockets. Even peacetime training can be hazardous when performing duties such as this in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Each pilot had a special call sign which was used in radio communication instead of their name. My call sign was Speedy. The Federal Aeronautics Association (FAA) speed limit below 10,000 feet is 250 knots. I got the call sign in flight school for exceeding this speed limit on a flight when I was late for a field carrier landing practice (My airspeed was about 350 knots down the beach). The picture above is of me in my A-4M at El Toro MCAS.
Serving my country as a pilot was a great privilege, and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to share some of my experiences with you.