Climbing bOOty

By Hurley Long-Lower
Sweet, sweet climbing booty. Never will you get a piece as sweet as a piece of climbing booty. Easily won booty has its rewards but the best booty must be earned to be fully appreciated. Listed from least to most satisfying, the categories of found climbing gear are as follows:

• #4 Brain-fart booty - This is the type most often found in Minnesota. Stray nuts are left by the hundreds at Taylors Falls for the sole reason that some climbers don’t
  pay attention. This can happen to anyone but essentially it’s a rookie mistake.
• #3 Fumble Booty - Climbing gear dropped because the climber was in too much trouble to care or concentrate. Often good Fumble Booty is elusive because it can
  only be dropped a short distance to still be useful. Some would argue that this type of booty is superior to stuck gear because the climber demonstrated superior
  control when compared to the mysterious climber who dropped the piece.
• #2 Stuck Booty - Climbing gear that couldn’t be taken out. Gear extraction skills are a refined art prized by serious climbers who do serious climbs. Quite often,
  these extraction skills may even surpass the serious climbing skills. Some people will spend hours of precious climbing time chipping away at a worn-out tri-cam for
  the satisfaction of a well-won piece of booty.
  And finally. . .
• #1 Bail Booty - By far the most satisfying. Some unknown climber got to a point where he decided he’d had enough. Bail booty can get extravagant. Three-point
  anchors. Locking biners. Cordelette. Cams. Bail booty is the El Dorado of booty.

Pat Mackin, VE Guide Director, once found an entire rack of gear complete with alpine draws in the 3rd class gully on the top of the second pitch of Spire 4. That, my friends, was Glorious Bail Booty.

Hey Mel, That rack was yours , yes?