Bolted Anchors, Fixed Anchors, and the Sandia Mountains

Disestablishmentarianism:

–noun

1.

a person who favors the separation of church and state, esp. the withdrawal of special rights, status, and support granted an established church by a state; an advocate of disestablishing a state church.

–adjective

2.

of, pertaining to, or favoring the disestablishment of a state church.

 

I grew up using saddle wedges, T-tons, and hexes for protecting rock climbs when the hardest climbing was "5.10". My converse high tops left a lot to be desired on the slick granite slabs. At 13 years-old, I no formal climbing instruction, just a good friend's expertise. I learned from a friend who learned from a friend (a.k.a. school of hard knocks). It was an outsider's sport for those who didn't give a crap about themselves, but cared deeply for the romantic idea of freedom of the hills, or in my case, the mountains. Now, as a Certified Rock Climbing Guide, I realize an appreciation of all sides of the contentious issue of fixed anchors.

Yes, climbing has a lot of parallels with the above definition since many people get into climbing as a function of the feeling of freedom that can be had when climbing on some of the world greatest peaks, cliff faces, or other enchanting destinations. Climbers, like it or not, are a "user group." Land managers see all people who use the land as a "user group" and feel that anyone who passes on their lands must be a "managed user group."

It makes sense, to a point, but what if that user group doesn't want to be managed? What if the only way that the climbing user group is banded together is merely by the holds that we all share to surmount a peak, crank through a crux on a technical rock face, or simply the path that gets us to and from a climb?

The answer might look like the border of the USA and Mexico. Illegal aliens are, for the most part, a disbanded group and, well, illegal. If they get caught, they are booted out of these lands and banished. If they become a problem, they get prosecuted.

Currently, in New Mexico, some climbers got busted for using a power drill in a wilderness area. Unfortunately, the land manager is using this as a platform to springboard off of to make a statement about fixed anchors. The fact is, that these people power drilling has nothing to do with fixed anchors, but the land manager doesn't care. Why?

People who have diligently gone out with hand drills, a perfectly legal way to place a fixed anchor, not to mention the suffering of having to hand drill a bolt hole, are being persecuted. Why? Because there exists a FIXED ANCHOR. The interesting part is that the land manager may not necessarily care what style the anchor was placed in. It's just the fact that the bolt or fixed anchor is there and so a bias exists because of personal ideals of what the Wilderness Act means. Whether you hung it out 100' past your last piece on a ground-up new lead, and you are hanging on the sketchiest sky hook, have taken repeated falls, and sent the most gnarly line in the Wilderness, or if you rap bolted the line, they don't care. You still left an anchor.

There are those who would prefer to not see anyone climbing on any rock face anywhere. In fact, they wind up suing the land managers for "not protecting the wilderness," so their case is heard and their agenda met because there is little to defend climbing/climbers.

The thought that use of a hand drill significantly reduces bolt placement over a power drill may not be accurate. In fact, I have placed 17 bolts in a day with a hand drill. It's not fun, but the bolts will go in, its just a matter of time. Unfortunately, my hand drilled holes are not as true and not as deep as if I had placed the bolt by power drill. That means the bolt isn't as strong. So I guess if it pops out on you, then you will be having a true wilderness experience !

What's really funny, is that 99.9999999% of all the bolts placed are not visible to not only other user groups, but also to other climbers. You have to know what you're looking for to see a bolt unless it hasn't been camouflaged appropriately. My guess is that most hikers who go up the La Luz Trail (over 1,000,000 people served) cannot see a bolt on the face of a rock, but that would be a good research study. Another good study would be to see what impact bolts have on the environment. My guess, is that it may be beneficial to the environment since people aren't slinging oaks together, walking on the grasses on a ledge, or going near a nest. So, as much as I enjoy crack climbing, the best rock and best rock climbing, is generally on faces otherwise unprotectable without bolts. The climbing is not only better, but safer with cleaner falls.

Are the Sandias sick ?
I would argue that the Sandia Mountains are indeed ill. Over the last five years (since 2005) we have witnessed a massive bark beetle infestation as well as other tree killing infestations (Pino Canyon) that have caused widespread death of trees not only in the foothills, but also on the cliff faces. This in turn leads to other micro-clime degradation of shrubs and grasses. All of these natural organic organisms had root systems. Now that the micro environment is withering away, there is created a potential space where the root system was. That potential space is then filled with relatively more water each year that undergoes freeze-thaw throughout the winters, therefore widening the cracks between rocks as the ice expands and contracts. Water then seeps more and more freely through the potential spaces, and an aggressive erosive pattern ensues. Subsequently, I believe that this is what is leading to fascia exfoliation, a snazzy term for "rotting rock escarpment." Said blocks may be more able than ever to follow me down in the case of a fall, but more likely, unwary people near cliff edges are more prone to dislodge one of the blocks thereby losing their footing and falling off the cliff.

I bet you wish you were clipped into a bolt now. I know some of my friends who I have dragged out of the Sandias over the years on rescue missions would have agreed, posthumously, of course.

Yes, climbs that have usually been more solid are undergoing this process. I'm not arguing that all climbs should be bolted. Rather, I believe that climbing is still in the evolutionary process and needs to be regarded as such. Society is different than it was 30 , 20, or even 10 years ago. Most of the young people climbing (especially hard climbers) do not understand the nuances of traditional climbing or merely do not wish to use that method. My guess is that there are far more gym rats and sport climbers than there are hard core traditionalists.

Every winter for the past 4 years I have competed in the UIAA International World Mixed Rock and Ice Competition circuit throughout Europe. I witnessed "the best ice climbers in the world" competing on a fabricated stage with no real ice or ice that they had to protect. In fact, most of the best competitors had never even climbed a real waterfall ice pitch before. They were just good at performing circus tricks...and they were really good at it. Should we protect them from the world? No, but we need to be thinking proactively for the future of climbing as a sport.

In a discussion I had with a good friend recently, the analogy was made: "these guys getting caught power drilling was like someone speeding and getting caught. They should pay their debt to society and move on. Closing down a highway because someone gets caught speeding is ludicrous. I don't think the land managers will close the highway, but I think they are going to only allow tricycles and Big Wheels, which could effectively hobble climbing." Perhaps they won't chop the routes that presently exist, but they may not allow new roads to be built or maintained...also ludicrous...or just outright ban climbing altogether (Crystal Cave, NM).

So, you ask what my solution is? Well, forming a Department of Transportation for our crags may be an answer, but then again, its hard to herd cats. Really, the land managers should understand that climbers do a good job at taking care of climbing. We make it safe, enjoyable, and we are good stewards of the great places we love to visit and climb. I think that they should worry about climbers when there's too many. When is that ? When there's lines to get on a climb and when people have to get an "alpine start" to do a trade route like Mountain Momma, Aviary Ort, or the Southwest Ridge of the Needle in the Sandias, which there is no line starting anytime soon.

I really hate these signs, but it's the "right time".

I don't mean to sound cynical, or maybe I do, but I am a proponent that climbing should be left as a frontier for exploration for those who wish to pursue it in whatever form they see fit. Sometimes just pondering about a first ascent, watching it on t.v. per say, isn't as good as actually doing it. This is part of the human experience that should not be taken away from the people, fixed anchor or not. Maybe it wasn't sporty to sail to America in a clipper ship since a row boat would have been more of a challenge.

Some people say "smoke 'em if you got 'em" and others are more conservative. Options are...well...varied. I've done my share of fixed anchor placement, and replacement. I know, anecdotally, that since more fixed anchors have been placed in this wilderness, that there is far less morbidity and mortality in my backyard than before. Since I get to be one of the search and rescue "janitors" of the Sandias, I know this to be true. It remains interesting to me that people are willing to climb a route and clip the bolts, but somehow their ethic drives them to have to speak out against bolts. Am I missing something here? I'll listen to the anti-bolting gripe when they stop clipping, when the bodies stop hitting the ground, and when when climbing has enough inherent risk without being too risky but high on the fun factor. There needs to be a good balance.

 Maybe there should be a way to pay someone to manage climbing (i.e., establish new routes, make suspect routes safer, be the interface between the climbing community and the land manager) and use climbing as a reason to visit the Sandias. Is this the separation of church and state, or is the the joining? What page are you on?

Rescue in the Sandias

 

Rescue on the Shield, Rainbow Dancer, 5.11 R Sandia Mountains, NM.

When working as a PA in the CCU/ICU, and there were few patients in-house (in the hospital), I used to say "wow, it's slow." The nurses would then "psssst" me, or say "oh great, now you blew it," meaning I somehow jinxed the "calm" and soon the floor would be overloaded. I never witnessed bad luck coming to fruition immediately, but it eventually happens. We can only hold our breath for so long. Such is the case with rescue work. This summer is starting to remind me of the 1996 season in the Sandias when there were 11 total fallen climbers where rescues were called and only 4 survived.

I've been on rescues on nearly every rock face in the Sandias, and have pondered where a worst nightmare case scenario might be. I still have those locked up under my hat because I don't want to "jinx" anyone. But this week one of those events came to fruition. A 26 year old female fell while lead climbing on the second pitch of Rainbow Dancer on the Shield, the Sandia's most formidable face that stands more than 1000 feet tall, rivaling some of the biggest faces in United States. She had climbed up and apparently pulled on a piece of rock that broke from the wall. It is unknown exactly how far she fell, but she hit the ledge below and became an instant critical trauma patient.

Her friend rappelled her from the ledge to the ground, then made a brief attempt of carrying her out, but only made it a few meters before realizing that it would not be possible, nor ideal to continue. He then ran for help. He eventually found someone far below on the Piedra Lisa Trail and asked them for a first aid kit and to call for 911 for help. The climbers had neither a first aid kit nor a phone. We actually got none of the information above, we only knew that there was a fallen climber with a broken leg on the Shield. The the BCFD and NMSP Incident Commanders had sparse information and could only guess as how to respond, but sent crews out with the hope of success of finding her and begin to effect a rescue. People watched like "Eiger Birds" through spotting scopes, but seeing someone on the Shield from Albuquerque is next to impossible.

Only some of the ground team of rescuers were able to reach her since the way to the base of the Shield is difficult terrain. She was actually more critical than what was thought and the clock was ticking for her. Radio communications from Justin Spain came through my headset in the Blackhawk helicopter that she was unstable and had poor lung sounds. We flew around the cliff faces waiting for the final packaging and preparation to have the patient hoisted up.  The hoist mandated that the pilot hover close to the face of the Shield and with the tail rotor nearing the trees on the steep ramp at the base.

 Preparing for hoist up against the Shield

The New Mexico National Guard has several premiere flight teams and medics. Today, they helped civilian rescuers help others. I've been fortunate to have worked with them on many missions like this one over the past 30 years while doing rescue work. Long story short, their medic administered pain medicine to her and was hoisted back up with the patient. She was wrapped up in multiple splints and secured into a litter.

I won't go into the details of the patient's injuries, but we had to perform life-saving measures by decompressing her lungs with large bore catheters and administering 2 units of blood in conjunction with her IV fluid once she was loaded into the Blackhawk. Myself and Drew Harroll, MD attended her into the ambulance and then into the trauma room at UNMH where we passed off care to a 20 person trauma team quietly awaiting our arrival.

Although I've run 1000's of trauma calls, I find that my heart is being able to provide care to mountaineers where few others can. Most mountaineers don't help others. They don't have time for it in their personal pursuits.

The very fast hoist and transfer to Johnson Field at UNM. The Blackhawk flew in at about 200 m.p.h. and lost nearly 3500' in elevation to get this patient to the trauma room.

On another note, I've been publicly accused of putting in too many bolts in the Sandias on the web site Mountain Project. Perhaps my style or ethic rubs some people the wrong way. I've scraped up enough people to know that bolts save lives. I now publicly challenge those who condemn me to come out and take my place and rescue their friends, family, and climbing partners. The same holds for anyone who prefers to slander rather than resolve issues. In Albuquerque, the rescue community is bonded together with a focus rather than scattered.

I hope that this climber will be able to recover. I know from my experience that had we not been able to get to her that she would have died within a couple more hours at best. This is the most critical trauma patient that I have brought out of the wilderness that has survived...but she's not out of the woods yet.

I love to climb and ski and I love medicine. Bad things happen, no doubt. But mitigating risk is part of the game. Preparing for a consequence is also part of that game. Everyone is involved, whether you like it or not. I'm happy to be a part of Strike Rescue as well as Albuquerque Mountain Rescue and to offer my abilities to those who need it when things go wrong.

Jemez Mountains Las Conchas Fire 2011

Usually I write about good and exciting things. Today I have to write about something intense. The Jemez Mountains are on fire. I grew up in the Jemez and spend a great deal of time there not only rock climbing but hunting, backpacking, and enjoying the amazing place that the Anasazi roamed. I went to summer camps there, and grew into the person that I am today. This wonderful time lapse video shows only day 1 of the fire that is the biggest fire in the history of the Jemez Mountains on record. Los Alamos National Laboratory, the town of Cochiti, and many other places are under mandatory evacuation.

The winds of change are upon us...all of us. I see the futile efforts of the C-130 bombers that carry so much slurry that they can barely gain elevation to get over my house on their way to the fire, watched the flames rip across the sky scape of the Jemez last night as the reports said only "1000 acres burned", but it was 49,000 acres ( burning 2,000 acres an hour), and think of the places that I've been that were lush with green and filled with elk are lost to a flame and a darkness. All of the Los Alamos crags, Cochiti Mesa(one of the first bolted sport climbing areas in the USA), and many other climbing areas both old and new, are now compromised.

Most of the best climbing are bolted sport routes that have been established by many people. The bolts themselves are likely suspect after a fire such as this can ruin the temper of the metal. To what degree is unknown. The photos of green pastures and climbing in a pristine area such as the Jemez are gone for now.

For me, I almost wonder if I should go back once the fires are done. For me, it's like knowing that an old friend is dying a slow and agonizing death. Going back once the fire is over will be like going to see my friend's torched body in a casket, yet waiting for their offspring to grow up to take their place and be green once again.

Yes, I'm sad. I know that the mountains should have burned a long time ago. We think we have control of the forest somehow. We do not. I grew up believing that Smoky the Bear concept was good. Now, I'm not sure. The United States Forest Service has been very good about not having forest fires. Maybe we need to accept the fact in the USA that death is a part of life, or maybe we need to accept that we can do a better job. That the cycle is a circle, and that from death there is life.

Our society has evolved since the early and mid 1900's. Out thought process on how we "manage" natural resources should also evolve.

Over the last 5 years I have lost many personal friends in the climbing world, mostly to avalanches. Certainly, if I were in another line of work, and not only in guiding, that I would find that friends would die from other causes.

The fires are necessary and will purge the foliage and the decay. I will be off on another journey in my homeland to find other places to make good memories and "new friends" while reflecting upon the loss of this one.

So lift your glass and toast: here's to enjoying the moments that make our lives extraordinary! I'll miss the Jemez in what is was, and through the smoke and carnage, will learn to appreciate the dawning of a new era.

Home updated and redesigned.

For the past 11 months my house has been more like a tent. The roof leaked, the windows separated from the frames when the wind would blow, and the yards were not so functional to say the least. Then, I had the discussion with Chrissie and we decided to pull the trigger on the refinance. We wound up paying less for our mortgage that we did prior to the redesign and remodel. The key to all this new change was my father, Jim Beverly.

I grew up watching my father starting out in landscape design. He worked for some small construction companies during the sprawl of suburbia as an architect. He gained recognition and started out on his own building some of the best award winning houses in New Mexico. His signature designs stem from an appreciation of the ancient Anasazi. Their incredible buildings found specifically at Chaco, are an immense complex of pueblos strewn over many miles in the remote New Mexican high desert landscape. The walls of places like Pueblo Bonito have cardinally aligned walls. Some pueblos are solar pueblos and some are lunar. Pueblo walls are aligned with other pueblos in other canyons with large buttes in between them.

If you don't know anything about Chaco Canyon, WATCH THIS VIDEO.

Obviously, a culture that was in existence for nearly 1600 years has something to teach us. My father has picked up on many of those nuances and uses what he has leaned in the design of the houses he designs. He can visualize how the potential house will integrate with the environment the house will be placed in to reap the largest benefit of the local aesthetics, a kind of Southwestern Feng Shui of sorts is the best way I can explain it. He then takes all of that and considers the practicality of the people who will live there and develops extraordinary functionality.

Jim Beverly has been awarded top prizes in the Parade of Homes. He lives in his own master pieces. I have been fortunate enough to help him with menial tasks along the way like cleaning up the construction site, wetting down the uncured stucco, and running odd chores here and there.

Now, I am even more fortunate. Jim Beverly is helping to update my home. A new roof that works and will last for at least 30 years is now up and protecting the home. New awesome windows are installed all around and new stucco. He's not a fan of Stoe, but it's great since the guy doing the work is also talented and has worked with my father for over 20 years. We built an additional storage unit and have revamped both front and back yards. the grading is now set so that the water will drain off the lot and not into the garage. A new Drolet wood burning stove is now the main source of heat. Jim put in a patio wall with an incredible design that allows for a large patio that provides protection from the elements and privacy from the street and city park. We've increased lighting with solar tubes in the garage and the bathroom. We've replaced the garage doors that were falling apart with new insulated doors.

The city gave us a discount on the windows, and placing xeric landscaping. The windows, the new roof and the stucco have made the casita tight and weather proof. The heating costs have gone down more than $200 per month. It will be nice to live in a place that is palatial for a guy like me. The training wall has also been worked into the mix.

Yes, I'm bragging on my dad, but don't take my word for it. Check out the before and after picture(s). I'm psyched. In these times of economic hardship, I'm happy to say that I'll be paying less for more. I'm happy that we'll be making less of a carbon footprint in regards to using natural gas and electric for heating and cooling. I've put a lot of work into this project as well and I'll admit that its been stressful at times, but I can't wait to reap the benefits once its done.

Jim Beverly Designs is a great custom homes design company. He'll be working on some friend's houses in the near future, but can design a new home for you if you're in the market.

I'm happy that this portion of my life if coming to a close. Owning a house can indeed be a black hole of money, labor, and an emotional sink hole. However, it's a nice place to rest weary bones from long trips to wherever around the world. It's also the office, so it's nice to make a warm cup of coffee, have a gin martini by the backyard fire pit, or get in a good climbing sesh on the backyard wall. For now, the major renovations are over and it's time to get back to business.