Bellefonte Quarry (Rock Climbing Part 1)

Back in the "early days" we used to visit a place called "Bellefonte Quarry" located just outside the town of 'Bellefonte', near State College, Pennsylvania. Totally hideous-looking "hole-in-the-ground", but home to some of the best thin crack and steep, thin face climbing around - still remains a personal favorite - although, haven't been there since the early '90's. It's since been long closed by the landowner and off-limits to visitors for what-ever reasons. The place also boasts an excellent swimming hole which resulted from the mine being flooded after striking an artesian spring-head during mining operations - it's said to be around sixty feet deep - always clear blue water. We've also been told that some mining machinery was abandoned at the bottom of the mine as the flood waters rose and the mining company beat a hasty retreat - this apparently reported from scuba divers who also frequented the quarry - not reporting it as fact. The "pond" also attracted many students from nearby 'Penn State College', many of whom  occasionally swam "sans bathing suit" - the top of the wall was an excellent vantage point for viewing - unfortunately, more often than not is was some "hairy-ass guy"...

... anyway - the rock is a hard, stratified, Dolomite-type Limestone that is steeply folded at probably 80+ degrees. Irregular shearing of the rock face has resulted in some "flaking" between strata breaks, producing some awesome crack systems from top to bottom. There are also a few stress cracks, two of which have arguably (not from me, however) produced a pair of the best crack climbs on the east coast - "El Crackitan" - a long alternating finger and hand crack, and "Kolmans a Faggot" (Gasp!) - mostly finger locks.... both sport very thin feet ta' boot - Brilliant!!...

... here's a shot walkin' into the far end of the quarry, along the 'main wall', with the pond below... there's a 'Beginners Wall' further out... there's also an adjacent 'Death Star Quarry' which boasts some very difficult stuff - good luck finding it - was very overgrown back then - we got turned around returning from it late one evening - to avoid being "lost in the dark" (with no lights - who would expect to get lost in this place?), we wound up crawling (literally) for a few hundred feet on hands and knees through a "jungle" of thick shrubs 'till we finally "escaped" and made our way back to "camp"... (Goodman photo)...

... here's a shot of the main wall from the opposite end - there's a person (red shorts) photo center for scale - I had a ton of good photos from this place but wound up losing a whole "box" of stuff - all negatives and prints - during a "move" long ago - everything here is scanned from what "prints" remained (identified Goodman photos were "swiped" from him)... didn't go through and "retouch" scratches, etc... who cares...

... Rob on 'El Crackitan'...

... 'El Crackitan' close up - what a great climb...

... Rob and 'Kolmans Crack'... even better... (Goodman photo)...

... "ditto"... (Goodman photo)...

... "ditto" again... (Goodman Photo)...

... "ditto" - nearing the top... those aren't power lines to the left and below - are scratches in the old print (Goodman photo)...

... think that this may be 'Dismal World Left'... may be wrong... (Goodman photo)...

... this is 'Dismal World Right'...

..."ditto" - higher up...

... check out this "dihedral"! - 'Left Hand Eliminator' - one of the "old" Seneca Rocks guidebooks therein rates the classic 'Seneca' route, 'Triple S' (also an "inside corner"), as "probably the finest single pitch of ("moderate" - my edit) climbing on the east coast"... now I gotta' argue... (Goodman photo)...

... descending the main wall...

... ya' could practically (four wheel) drive to the top of the wall - great campsite... if ya' ran into four other climbers the entire weekend, the place was "packed"...

... cooling off in the "pond" - some good high dives off the wall - which reminds me - around 6pm Sunday night here - the sun has suddenly re-appeared since who remembers when - been raining around here relentlessly for probably six weeks straight with more to come... have a few hours of daylight left to head out to the river...

Fallen Sparrow

Have three, hollow, 'light gauge steel' columns that support the front porch roof of the 'homestead'. One day a while back I arrive home and am headin' in the front porch gate, totin' a 30-pack of PBR's. "What's all that annoying 'scratchin' and scrapin' I'm hearing?"  - Man!! - close inspection finds that a (small) bird has somehow found it's way into the interior of the middle column, and is apparently 'trapped'. I investigate - whoever installed these things (not me) left a small gap at the top - apparently big enough for a small bird to enter - and a "death trap". Man - this sucks - but nothin' I can do - "trials of life" I figure - as I've agonizingly come to accept as fate to our beloved wildlife over "lo these many years".....

... this is now starting to blow - into day three - and this poor "creach'ter" ain't givin' up - and I can no longer put up with his suffering - what to do? - I can insert a water hose through the top and quickly end it - easy for me - he deserves better - gotta' get 'em out of there. I got a high-lift jack - with some wood blocking I may be able to raise the roof and post a few inches - I give it a try - no good - several notches on the jack and the whole roof is creakin' and crackin' and threatening to detach - and I gotta' go at least another four inches....

... another brilliant idea! - I drill a 1/4 inch hole in the column and attempt to saw cut an opening in the  bottom using a hand-held electric saber saw - no good, either - the blade is at least three inches long - if I don't "slice and dice" the poor guy, the noise will definitely end him...

... hey - punchin' the drill hole is a start - I continue a single high and wide hole pattern, about an 'eighth inch apart - then grab a cold chisel and "tap out" the separations - quickly get a "door"...

... peel back the metal and peer in - a small Sparrow - "heavin' and huffin" like no tomorrow, first daylight in at least three days - gotta' be heaven....

.... he ain't budgin' - I reach in and give him a tap on the rear - ZOOM! - out he flies - 'bout takes off my ear! - he's gone...

...  for a rest of the season I got this small Sparrow hangin' out - can't get rid of him - will fly right down and set five feet away with no fear - even went as far as to build a nest in the "dilapidated" roll-up porch blind which I eventually scrapped - he'd set there in his nest even at night - three feet away as I'd set on the front porch swing...

... there he is - bad shot - but was pressed for time... just opened the "escape hatch", and he's ready to book...

... the column to the left was his "tomb" - he came back and built this nest...that's him in there...

... this just gotta' help out when eventually "on the carpet"....

The Bouldering Contest (Bouldering Part 3)

Around summer of '86, buddy Rob Goodman and I, after spending considerable time at the excellent 'Bellefonte Quarry' near State College, PA (more later), had decided to visit some climbing spots in Central PA that we had been hearing about, hoping for similar experience. At the time, 'bouldering' was going through it's initial phase of prominence - they even had recently started a major competition outside Phoenix, Arizona devoted directly to the "sport" - drawing the "best of the west" (meaning 'world' back then) to compete....

... stopped in Fred Gunthers's Monroeville, PA 'Exkursion' store to pick up some "stuff" about a week prior to departing - I'm checkin' out the 'bulletin board' - there were no Personal Computers > Internet > email > Facebook > and on > and on >.... back then ya' primarily had telephone or tell-a-friend - how'd people manage? - Hey! - what's this poster tacked to the 'board'? - someone's having a 'bouldering contest' somewhere in SCPA! - and the weekend of our "trip" - I grab a copy and later shove it in Rob's face - "We're goin!" was the reply (that I expected)...

... we arrive at the "site" (these days a popular bouldering "destination") the day of the "competition" - we're the only "visitors" of all the "contestants" - us and about eight "local" guys (in climbing parlance - "they got everything wired")...

... can't remember exactly, but I think that I dropped out after about the third "problem" - I got probably thirty pounds of solid muscle on the biggest guy in the competition - and have yet to get two feet solidly planted off the ground - had the "heavyweight division" wrapped up (Ha) - anyway - Rob's beginning to "put on a show"...

... about ten climbs or so, and Rob's "on-sighted" all the "problems" scheduled for the contest (unbeknownst to us as I was told by one of the local guys who "scratched" early on as well - was a 'stonemason' by trade - as was I at one point in time - damn good climber with a "vice-grip" - so we immediately "hit it off")....

... in typical fashion, Rob's pissed everyone off - he's cruisin' all their "stuff" - then verbally "downgrading" most of the difficulty "ratings" as well... they're perplexed as hell... "we can't let this guy waltz in here and win"..... so we continue...

... moved on to another problem or two - both had only seen one or two ascents - many tries by many climbers I'm told by my new "stonemason" buddy... Rob continues his onsight onslaught  - "You guys sure thats 5.11?... felt like....."... the competion "big boys" clearly pissed...we're dyin' and enjoying the show - chuckling in the background...

... last problem - only (top)rope climb of the day - and clearly a "wired sandbag" - the local, "jock hot-shot" (excellent climber and good-guy ta'boot - not demeaning any of these guys), cruises it "on sight" - Rob fumbles for two or three attempts and "relents".... wound up in "2nd Place"- with a brand new chalk bag as prize...

.... he deserved a million bucks for the entertainment alone...

... the "big boy" - 'High Rocks' boulder...? (Goodman photo)...

... or maybe this is 'High Rocks' (Goodman photo)....

... "conventional climbing" at the 'New River Gorge' - buffed - and with an impressive "ape index" ta' boot..!.... (Goodman photo)....

... this is the 'bouldering wall' at 'Bellefonte Quarry' - another "buff dude" -  Hey (OT) - see that (Timex) watch - paid $10 for it - had it for over twenty years - never lost/gained a second of time, and put maybe three batteries in it - before it finally died (minute-hand fell off - now "buried" in the "drawer of good old stuff")....

... here's the above guy workin' out on an old, home made, "Bachar Ladder" -  (30,000 beers ago) -"Campus Board" now'days, I guess...

... nice "portrait" shot...

... well... out of stuff...

First Creek Canyon

This is pretty cool....

...was out on a "Vegas Trip" a few years back to visit 'buddy Matt'. Unfortunately (not for me, however) happened to be a "rainy season" - think it rained three days in the desert that year - I was there for two - one in Spring - one in Fall - missed the third... the Fall visit was a big storm by desert standards - doesn't take much rain to get "dry gulched"....

... was callin' for some big rains, so I was bein' a little cautious - didn't want to be remembered as some "dickhead" from "back east" who "got in over his head not knowing the land" (it can rain rain twenty miles away out there and "flash flood" with no warning - saw it happen) - however - been "swamped' many times on some local eastern rivers and creeks - have "swam" some "treacherous" water in the days....

... anyway, considering the weather, was lookin' for something easy to do. Decided to check out the 'First Creek Canyon Trail' out at 'Red Rock Canyon' - not much mentioned or published about it - easy access off Route 159 (ya' park at the trailhead)...

WOW! - what a pleasant surprise that was....

... right "off the bat", and only gets better... 'Cholla Cactus'....

... the "man upstairs" definitely lookin' over my shoulder this day... what a great hike...

... "wonderful world of color"...

... nuthin' but brilliantly colored cobbles and boulders everywhere ya' look...

..."ditto"....

... a rock garden...

..."ditto again"...

... "ditto again, again"...

... nicely colored...

... 'wild Burro turds'!! - and fresh, too - now I'm amp'd - been dying to encounter one "in the wild" for the last several trips - up to now, no luck...

... this is real - many people who viewed this photo think that rock is "painted"...

... a lucky day to be "out and about"...

... pretty cool split boulder...

... !!!!...

... still trackin' that 'Burro'...

... very low cloud cover for the desert this day - good lighting...

... some cloud covered 'Red Rock' spires...

... headin' into the 'Canyon'... bet the cloud cover is less than 1K-ft...

... what a great hike for small kids... can just picture 'em havin' fun collecting all the multi-colored small rocks and cobbles lying about... 

... another cactus....

... !!!!!...

... !!!!...

... !!!...

... !!!...

... !!!... 

...!!!...

... never encountered the burros  - not for lack of trying - being their "back yard", I'm sure that they made a real "ass" of me - probably circled right around me in the tall brush without even seeing them - glad that they are not carnivores....

... added this photo for a sense of scale of the land and level of the "brush" - that guy in the photo is probably six foot tall...

Predator (Wildlife Part 2)

Posted these photos on the website a few years back, figured I'd post 'em here again...

... "Heat Seeker"....

.... was hikin' up to a local climbing 'crag' a few years back and stumbled (literally) upon this sight - a yellow-phase 'Timber Rattlesnake' about to lunch on a freshly killed 'Chipmunk'. Was told by my neighbor (a veteran pro snake "wrangler") that the odds on encountering this sight in the wild are few and far between and near impossible to observe the snake actually consume the "critter" once disturbed - said that he had captured and collected many 'vipers' of various species for many years, and had yet to observe one "dining" on the various rodents that he would feed them. Was also told by a few people that these photos, as well as myself, are "phony" (sort of like a 'Black Panther'). Tim and Laura were there as well so enough with that debate.

Along with sight, touch and smell, some snakes have a special sense that enable them to detect minute changes in temperature in warm-blooded animals. The small "pits" located between their eyes and nostrils can detect a temperature change as small as 0.002 degrees celsius (I've read) - hence the term "pit viper". Sort of like the alien "Predator" in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie who was able to see infrared thermal radiation - no match for 'Arnold', though (particularly like the end when the "nuclear explosion" only gets Arnold a little dusty). Sure that this is useful for detecting danger to them as well - probably why ya' can never get them to strike at a wooden stick poking at them, but will go for a human hand immediately - cuts down on the cost of 'venom'....

... first sight of the 'rattler and his kill - would have probably stepped right on "him" if he wouldn't have "buzzed" us when we got too close - didn't see him at all...

... was a little hesitant to proceed considering our presence...

... but I guess they gotta "get it while it's still warm"...

... here's a good close-up...

... "down the hatch"...

... you can see the "fang-marks" in the Chipmunk's back in this photo - just below the snake's nose - look's like some seeping venom as well...

... figure that one method that the vipers use on the rodents is to sit patiently near the entrance to their 'den' and strike quickly as they emerge - probably why many times the Chipmunk's have an "emergency exit" as well (I've noticed) - see that a lot in 'Fox' dens I've encountered as well...

... took him maybe five minutes to devour his "meal"...

... "ditto"...

... gone!!...

... you can clearly see the "infrared pit sensor" in this photo..

... "Hey - one of you guys got a smoke?"...