Humphreys close up for Mike

[Ed Cesnalis]

@Mike Koerner

 

[Ed Cesnalis]

Closer

 

 

[Mike Koerner]

Thanks Ed. Your photos are wonderful.

You should take your show on the road. Spend a few weeks flying out of Driggs, Idaho (a real friendly airport with auto fuel within a 100 yards of the gate) to take photos of the Tetons and Moran. Then up to Lebanon, Oregon (91 octane alcohol-free self-serve) for photos of Hood and the Cascades. Then to Gunnison, Colorado (auto fuel within 0.2 miles) for photos of the San Juans, Sangre De Cristos and central Colorado peaks. You could be famous... at least among climbers.

Mike Koerner

[Ed Cesnalis]

On 9/1/2018 at 10:55 PM, Mike Koerner said:

Thanks Ed. Your photos are wonderful.

You should take your show on the road. Spend a few weeks flying out of Driggs, Idaho (a real friendly airport with auto fuel within a 100 yards of the gate) to take photos of the Tetons and Moran. Then up to Lebanon, Oregon (91 octane alcohol-free self-serve) for photos of Hood and the Cascades. Then to Gunnison, Colorado (auto fuel within 0.2 miles) for photos of the San Juans, Sangre De Cristos and central Colorado peaks. You could be famous... at least among climbers.

Mike Koerner

I see more freedom in my future and I like those Ideas.  I already go to Oregon and have only recently been looking at shots I want to try.

Here's a wider Labor Day View 

[EFB]

Ed Cesnalis:  I really enjoy looking at your photos.  Thank you for posting them!  I am amazed, impressed, and appreciative.

I hope, someday, to take a photo 10% as awesome as the ones you post. 

Happy Labor Day to all.  

[Ed Cesnalis]

MO CLOSE

 

[Ed Cesnalis]

That close in the lee of a 13,986' summit should be done with some forethought in a light sport.

[Ed Cesnalis]

 

[Runtoeat]

Super shots.  Do climbers venture here?  If so, I would imagine that these photos would be highly useful to them for planning routes?

[Ed Cesnalis]

35 minutes ago, Runtoeat said:

Super shots.  Do climbers venture here?  If so, I would imagine that these photos would be highly useful to them for planning routes?

Current conditions as well as 'beta' for routes

[Mike Koerner]

What's amazing in these photos is the way they bring out differences in color. I don't remember seeing the pattern in the rock shown in the last photo when I was there.

The second to the last photo would be very helpful in route selection. The last photo… not so much. You need a closer view.

The last photo is the back side of Humphreys. I first saw this, and attempted to scale it, during a week-long, solo backpacking loop. I quickly recognized that it was a technical climb and gave up. It's heartening to realize, 50 years later, that I wasn't completely stupid.

That was late summer. I came back on Thanksgiving with a huge group of family and friends (14?). It was foolhardy. The average competence level was exceedingly low. We didn't make it far.

I came back again a couple months later to attempt a winter ascent with a proper climbing party. We sleep in the middle of a frozen lake just off to the right (south) of this photo. (I have not done that again. The ice creaks and groins all night, keeping you awake.) Our summit attempt the next morning, up the middle of the face in the last photo, did not go well. There were a lot of pitches. We were going too slow. Then our lead climber dropped a glove. There was no way to recover it, and no way to continue without it. (Ever since then he has tied his gloves to a cord running up his sleeves and over his shoulders.)

I came back again the next summer and successfully soloed the peak via the southwest ridge (on the left in the second to last photo). Most of the route was class 3 scrambling. Only the summit block was class 4 or low 5. The summit block is the highest knob on the right side of the peak in that second to last photo (It’s on the left in the photo of the back side). It looks like a tiny step in the photo, but it’s actually a bit tricky getting up. I developed a solo rope system, on the spot, which worked well for me on a number of subsequent climbs, including class 5.7 peaks.

I made two subsequent attempts on southwest ridge with my climbing friends, the last of which was also successful.

Mike Koerner

[Runtoeat]

Mike, I'm impressed.  Should have realized there were climbers among the fliers on this forum.  Beside your flying stories, you must have some good climbing stories to tell.  My only experience "hiking among rocks" was to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for an overnite in my tent in Bright Angel campground about 12 years ago.  It was beautiful country for this flat-lander from Michigan.  

[Mike Koerner]

Very nice Dick.

Canyons are the reverse of mountain climbing. It's the trip back that's most memorable on the Bright Angel trail.

[Runtoeat]

I was in my late '50's and let a bunch of 30 year old fellow engineers talk me into going with them.  I was running at the time and in good shape.  Backpack with tent was 30 lbs.  Won't forget looking up the mile high walls, wondering if I'd be able to get back to my car.  Lucky it was in December.  Can't imagine going this vertical distance scaling rock walls!