The Nugget Climbing Podcast EP 69: Ron Kauk — Hollywood Stories, Camp 4 in the 70s, and Connecting with Mother Nature
Ron Kauk is a legendary Yosemite climber. He recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his many accomplishments, within and beyond climbing. We talked about life in Camp 4 in the 70s, climbing ‘Astroman’ with John Bachar, influential music and books, stories from a brief career in Hollywood, doing the FA of ‘Magic Line’, his non-profit Sacred Rok, daily practices, connecting with Mother Nature, and much more.
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Show Notes:
http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/ron-kauk
Nuggets:
4:17 – Out of the blue, and reflecting on a life of climbing
8:19 – Sylvester Stallone, Wolfgang Gulich, and a brief career in Hollywood
18:48 – Doubling for Tom Cruise, and working on films in Yosemite
20:14 – “We would do anything to make $1000.”
23:24 – Ron’s first wilderness trip at age 14, and early rock climbing
28:43 – Rattlesnake Ridge
32:33 – Climbing ‘The Nutcracker'
35:17 – Catching rides to Yosemite, and Dale Bards bakery van
38:07 – ‘Outer Limits’ with Bridwell
39:28 – Ron’s first summer in Yosemite, and “all I needed to do was get there.”
42:55 – A day in the life in Camp 4, and climbing The Nose in a day
48:23 – Jimmy Hendrix
52:40 – ‘Midnight Lightning’
57:41 – Playful training, and 100 fingertip pull-ups
1:00:13 – Catching waves, and freeing ‘Astroman’ with John Bachar
1:07:53 – Carlos Casteneda, ‘Tales of Power’, and ’Separate Reality’
1:13:47 – The end of the 70s, ‘To Bolt’, and ‘Magic Line’
1:18:27 – “I am that waterfall.”
1:20:19 – Mother nature, nurture, and becoming better caretakers
1:21:47 – Sacred Rok, and the universe as our university
1:26:15 – Sponsorship and performing
1:29:34 – Ron’s vision for what climbing could be
1:35:44 – Taking time in nature, and getting back to the basics
1:39:45 – Barefoot standing
1:49:12 – Slowing down
1:54:11 – Words from Alan Watts (the climber)
2:03:30 – Questions from Alan
2:12:12 – The photograph
2:15:56 – “We really are all connected.”
2:19:21 – Follow-Up teaser, and show notes