Quest for Mud (Special Edition)

[Brad Young]

I saw no rubies, just rubble. I need to hear how Brad got up and down that thing without crashing!

I checked my journal. I'd thought I did those near Thanksgiving of 1996 (because I recall hiking up there with Vicki and Katie and Katie was in the kiddie pack). It was actually November 23, 1997 (so Katie would have been just two years old). I have no memory of those routes.

[Brad Young]

I have no memory of those routes.

And actually, I do recall a few things. Being surprised at how easy the approach was (from above). Carriage bolts for anchors on one (?) of the Teeth (no hangers if I recall - I later saw similar aid bolts on The Shaft). I remember doing the Teeth first and saving the 5.7 for last. Free soloing that with a backpacked rope on my back wasn't too bad, but committing to the rappel on whatever the anchor was at the top of that really frightened me (but I didn't have much choice at that point).

I also recall the film canister I found (I think on one of the Teeth). The notes were so fragile that they started cracking when I tried to unroll them. Rather than put them back, I brought them home and photo-copied them. I may have those copies around somewhere, but I'm not sure where.

[JC w KC redux]

I didn't expect to get any insight into the area but thanks for looking.
It looks like it is my choss to bear.
Noal will like the tat that is on the West Tooth - looks like the same thing he found at Knifeblade.
I still need to go back there too.

[NOAL]

Hemp Noose.  Can you post up a photo of that thing?  It's super cool.

[JC w KC redux]

Hemp Noose.  Can you post up a photo of that thing?  It's super cool.

[NOAL]

Would you rappell off of that even when it was new? 

[clink]

 Suitable as a gift at a coming out party for your skeleton.

 Bone Voyage.

[Brad Young]

Reminds me a an actual noose randomly hanging from a tree up on the third tier of Chipmunk Flat's Third Buttress. It's the weirdest thing; it made the hair on the back of my neck stand out.

[clink]

 It may catch on as a defendant's tie in death penalty cases, to play on jury sympathy.

[Brad Young]

Damn you J.C., you plant a bug and I end up wasting an entire evening. I found them!! They were in the attic in a huge box marked "Pinnacles Guidebook, notes and redundant stuff."

Here are photocopies of the notes I made just after I climbed the Rubble Wall routes (I sent my originals to David Rubine, author of the then most current Pinnacles guidebook):

[Brad Young]

[Brad Young]

And J.C., look at the fourth page where I crossed out "loose pillar" and wrote "shoulder." Why did I do that (who the hell knows)? Maybe I should have left it as it was?

Notice too that I renamed the teeth (in the '07 book) from Rubine's guide into "directional" names that were consistent with what the first ascent party used.

[clink]

 What was your drug of choice? It is truly a miracle that you have thus far survived 1,000 Pinns routes.

 

[mynameismud]

almost all those routes were kind of scary.  I towed a rope but did not really have a chance to use it much.  good views though

[Brad Young]

 What was your drug of choice? It is truly a miracle that you have thus far survived 1,000 Pinns routes.

 

And don't forget the ultimate irony of my climbing career: The only time I got well and truly creamed was while climbing on Yosemite Valley granite.

[Brad Young]

almost all those routes were kind of scary.  I towed a rope but did not really have a chance to use it much.  good views though

I didn't know you'd done those. When? Back in the olden days when you routinely soloed lots of Pinns routes? (It's hard to believe that you were even crazier back in the day than you are now.)

J.C. has a stubborn streak (well NOOOOO sh#t). I suspect we'll be hearing about new (as in replacement) bolts and anchors and maybe even new routes up there in the near future....

[clink]

I didn't know you'd done those. When? Back in the olden days when you routinely soloed lots of Pinns routes? (It's hard to believe that you were even crazier back in the day than you are now.)

 Soon after his asylum escape.  Who knows what other history you share

[JC w KC redux]

And J.C., look at the fourth page where I crossed out "loose pillar" and wrote "shoulder." Why did I do that (who the hell knows)? Maybe I should have left it as it was?

Notice too that I renamed the teeth (in the '07 book) from Rubine's guide into "directional" names that were consistent with what the first ascent party used.

It is definitely a loose pillar and not a shoulder. Standing on top of it to commit to the face with no pro looks terrifying.
Maybe it looks worse than it is - yeah right.

The note about Incisor confirms that you go to the end of the slot and then around and on to the east face/blunt arete - exactly as I suspected.

The notes about the bolts on the West Tooth lead me to believe that there are two and the bolt I can see with the tat is the anchor, even though it is not quite on the top - it is pretty darn close. That would also make sense based on the way the true top looks. The lead bolt probably can't be seen until you are closer and actually in the notch.
I don't think you would have said halfway up in reference to that bolt with the tat.

Thanks for digging that stuff out and taking the time to post it. Really cool to see the history. 

[Brad Young]

 Soon after his asylum escape.  Who knows what other history you share
 

Man, you're in rare form tonight.

I can just see you drinking chocolate milk and making Martha wonder what the hell it is you keep chuckling about at the computer.

[mynameismud]

I didn't know you'd done those. When? Back in the olden days when you routinely soloed lots of Pinns routes? (It's hard to believe that you were even crazier back in the day than you are now.)

J.C. has a stubborn streak (well NOOOOO sh#t). I suspect we'll be hearing about new (as in replacement) bolts and anchors and maybe even new routes up there in the near future....

Yeah, I went up there a couple of time solo with the 9.  I seem to remember one pinnacle was close to the plateau rock slab area.  I really wanted to try and jump across but just could not quite get up the courage.