« The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds

236 - Dope Lake

2017-01-23 | 🔗

Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds examine Dope Lake

 - "The Legend of Dope Lake" by Greg Nichols

SOURCES 

TOUR DATES

REDBUBBLE MERCH 

This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
You are listening up, who does what. Do this part? Okay, stuff? It's not funny. Okay, this is a professional operation. I'm ready, you're listening to that dial it up. This is a biweekly american history podcast each week I david then he read started from american history to my douche bag friend, Gareth reynolds who has no idea what the topic is going to be about. Isn't it great the earth? choice, but to pick them up, hey man. I think I picked it up great whenever, like you accepted what you are Yes ended strongly someone the last people coming yes, Anderson somewhat when the last but gases like men, you guys are fighting what oh I saw. Something was like what are you talking about: yeah yeah mean I'd like if we have beads in a high
It's medical land history. I dont think either one of us like like that we had stopped, but it's like added you're pretty. But that sheriff guide the router, The share of did come on now that guy is trying to clean up their town. As all you know, he was what are you talking about? Get the fuck outta here get out of this house. What fucking see you next week and I'm not going to read the day? Oh, my god, that sheriff was trying to clean up that
you want to get a good one, because it is not very gara dave. Ok, someone or something is too far, and this is not going to come- the dignity clock wings. They give me that shit up, like a bunch of religious virgins, go to mingle in dubai threat. In this regard, my friend argues thirty, first nineteen, forty eight k, John Gill ski, was born in seattle, a friend from high school, described him as an adrenaline junkie. He loved motorcycles, cars airplanes boats, anything that would go fast area like you, brow, yeah fast, is good he was a risk tiger, william six
We went along these riding motorcycles without telling his parents. Ok, that's that's for four. Sixteen all that some fuckin business stuff. You John, As a helicopter pilot, it, vietnam, ok in upon get the war. He went to work flying planes, ok, not that I see your folks as drug runner k, sudden desire gang, ok, ok, they made the smooth transition transit, The journal army pilot to fly off, ok drug out its marijuana, If I marijuana, As I said, it was a drug this. This is the same. These man. It was ends of class one. It's like a serious, backed by the way class the great strain out, and that is the price of anything. They can run the vase of government. If you want to try,
d. You demanded an anarchist cookbook, try to screw to screw about real good strain purple. So, on December eight nineteen, seventy six guilty was in las vegas between drug runs. Ok,. too much time on his hands. He'd get caught up in his thoughts called his wife pam hate from hotel. She just said surgery on her feet. from the hotel, and he told her he thought someone was trying to kill him. Ok here, aren't I can't get there my feet. I know come help you, but again I just had a wobbly time. Having my hand, my foot surgery, you no money the walk on my hands to a buzz, so he found a damaged oil feeding on the left engine of his plane. And he did not believe it was a normal wear and tear ok. So he, expect some shenanigans, yeah he's.
I was wrong here. That is why I would trust a pilot on that. One yeah, I would say: ok, you know he's on edge right. now the d a had been after john for years now he was like some kind of phantom in their surveillance reports. They thought they I have him one minute when they would see his plane from their planes and then he would just vanish and be gone and they couldn't figure out where he went to the white whale. He is the white whale did I mention he weighs four hundred and eighty pounds. Oh my god. No, he doesn't okay, He's look go down. What do you think it is, though, those potato chips up. We have too much weight John, it might be, All right. Gentlemen. Average about it. You know rivals. We gotta there's wakes up job. What what are you talkin about other pilot who After he hung up, he mailed pam a package that a six year old daughter.
Inside was a gift for her that night he went to a stake house any bumped into an old army buddy. I have like that's what happens in vegas, yet They stay together, drinkin late in the evening during an expensive scotch talking about their old war days. They had flown together. Ok back in the day had a flu close fuel I was once chair and talking about a couple of close calls and John had a good time, but it was still disturbed by he had found earlier right next morning. John is flying partner, Jeff Nelson went to mccarran airport and got into their twin engine howard. Five hundred now he was up getting here. And all night yeah. This sounds like he partied till late in the evening and then and then went and gotten into an airplane. This is what's at the But what you are I this thing now thing, though let's do this or does the thing that's bad thing that pilots do I now there's a lot of drinking they'll pay pal. I saw I am pro pilot. Ok, I don't think so.
but he's taken this stand. Ok, that's you know why you're totally this year caused. Thank you in the sense washington movie, that's all you need it documentary. I think that's what may as well be a documentary. That's busy in my mind what all pilots are? That's bingo. So, given the plane, carried fifteen hundred gowns of aviation fuel for long halls could go very, very high speeds. They took often they headed for mexico crossed the border and landed on an airstrip in baja, California kay, that evening when it was dark, a crew loaded, his plane with six thousand pounds of mexican red hair marijuana, while That is the seventies resistance to some good part to get him out there, and it's all about saddam here, six thousand patsy, six thousand about it more than I have ever purchased at once. Well, they once at once, if it were cumulative cube.
So he said he was flying for an american drug. syndicate known as a motor magic? Ok, sure it's cool named yeah drugs, yeah, it's great their washington based right to washington. And so this is premium very potent we'd kay the wheat was tightly packed in Forty pounds, burlap bales, some of the bells were marked free hole for vehicle billions spent the battle thrown where we have looked at all the rights and they say baines. So I work is smells her very gear. None of you guys, you guys get spread by a skunk, is up them. It's awful donkeys gunk baines. What does the well, though, that look villages it'll be like. So this as being just says, beans looks like some We then there but says bay.
it's all right, gentlemen did shall have a good eggs, so they took up before dawn on december, ninth and cross back into europe's airspace, where they flew just off the coast of California Halfway through the nerves like whenever It's locked up abroad, I u ice, Feel the anxiety of the human like it at its it's hard showed a watch sometimes specific, as you know, they're getting caught but the anxiety level of, human mind when you are break the law always zero. Extensive, always fuckin freaked out now always freaked out, but this guy wasn't this guy like ice in his veins. I think, as he was in non ok sure he does not myspace. I guess that's the thing he's like the he iceman from a couple thought can actually like the ice. right so, halfway to state turned off his running lights.
And turn very sharply inland and flew so low that it dropped off the radar okay right, so it's below, like that's real low right yeah. That sounds like a pretty pleasant, read stuff like that, flew across california central valley and was fear and about a mountain range and miss so eight, so he he is flying low with no lights on right at night, yet it near mountains, What's for so, he has to go. There's there's a minor mountain range. And then you get into the valley and then you hit the you, the sierras, which are serious, my right, I think they should be called the sea areas mountains there. Well, that's what I have to be always. I have a petition online for yeah. No, it's it's a terrible name, so they stopped calling it that bright, that they are thinking about, calling them doug right. But I love it yeah, it's just easier. Yeah. The dogs do so he's flying up the mountains.
Right very close to the ground, and then they crossed over into yosemite national park. and they did not make it to their destination- so hope you enjoy. That story, I'm not sure atlanta. Is this an episodic one. So PAM had a dream that night, the John's body was hanging upside down in the global whoa whoa whoa buddy was in the harness, wait. ok. Well as our dream that he is bodies. Hanging upside down in the cockpit was plain which is not like, crashed plain sure, and that is hanging in the harness alive. Okay, so like this, she sees upside down and apply. If you ve seen the first episode of lost right. I think it's like that situation, yeah fine in a tree but It about that shows. The title was actually about the wrap up of the show and how the audience
Well, I just got mad at you. Oh yeah, when he did not check in that night. Pam went so she gives us. morning dossier and tell them everything about the dream about the po everything she doesn't jeez put the feelers out first before you blow the man up. Well, he would have if he got if he, if He got there she'd if you disappeared, a plain you're down, but you go he's given you, it was just talking about living this fantasy of transporting beans, We always said the beans, the being I always said the beans means a lot to me. He says I'm the beam ma. Am I making being planned, the being man I get the beans are they need to go? Who gets the pains they need to go the bearded man, man so anyway, the man's missing at least give em like the buffer. No, it wasn't beans at all. It was. We
You tell us the truth, lady, who was being case he's that free all on break free, four has fear for what they see, as does that was terrible whilst others yeah and so PAM Pam thought that she just felt like he was still alive and she just wanted them to look for him, even if they were going to catch him and write them in jail for it. a long while yeah. So there's a lot of ay less. tour and then said absolutely nothing to her and told her leave oh. She charter plain and went to search for John herself. Ok, they flew low over his route and landed at every airstrip. That was on the way and at the airstrips she would go and talk to the shadiest character she could find,
whoa she's like what cause like the because it's a drug thing, so she's gonna, have to just to like she's, finds the creepiest guy, but isn't that isn't that a tactic if like he landed and you dont know areas yeah, but she doesn't know she's dead. she's undergoing a premonition kind or raised no. She knows that he flew this route, so she they, maybe maybe she argues. Her dream- is that he stopped and something happened and you can you cannot let the character know why you approached sir, you look. How do proceedings? pretty sure, yeah. Sorry, actually this gentleman over here is exerting shady northern. How do we get out? I thought I saw cocaine and heroin. I've killed four people, this man has blood on him and an apron. I am sorry I have to put up barriers. Can I hope, you'll be butchered human stay has echoing my husband. Is he would
oh sorry, I'm going to have to put a bit in this. This gentleman over here is super shame. What are you talking about? This guy was dead in his head and is smoking a cigarette through his nose while eating spaghetti. Sir My husband is missing. Have you seen him tell me, have you seen him? Ok, come on guys, veal, arap. We gotta move, I mean those some years and to do so. No one remember seeing him at all right now, and certainly will you put it, but he also like nobody's going to have seemingly oils and the rout leisure, and I got me- I'm ok, I get it. I get so a lot of on seeking teens and people merrily twenties worked at the famous, I our hawaii hotel in yosemite a lot of what People teenager looting of hers, young people, twenties, share, join
I've waiters lived in twelve by twelve heated canvas tense with other lower level. Part employees, the aid cheaply at the cafeteria save their money when on a ban. Here's the off season, january ron lichens another worker hit it out. So it's time to take a little it's january and they're shutting down the park share cause of snow. It snows there right so they're plan was to meet up with two other friends on a trail and snowshoe out into the seventy back country. Ok, it was like rules. I might have colliding never made just now might just between different story: matured gearshift, it's a pivot. If so, it's pretty much a guarantee that you're just going to be fucking alone out there. That's that's what it's like in january right it's so not the fucking alone alone, right right and fucking rip, my snowfall, then that's called masturbating okay, unless you're with a like a buddy, keep up with the story
the snowfall in nineteen, seventy seven had been light due to a drought, so there wasn't as much snow as normal rats, there's a light amount of snow sure they drove up and parked the car at the point where the snowpack plows had stopped. Things now from the roads put on their snowshoes and set up guy, they made a straight path up the mountain side and we're about eight miles along when they found themselves. Looking down upon a lower, more said, pass lake, it was six acre lake up in the mountain round saw something that didn't look right k. It looked like a bridge between two tree, so he walked over to it and when he was underneath, he realized who is looking at an airplane wing. Hydraulic oil was still dripping down out of the way
and there was no other debris or any other sign of wreckage in sight. Just the way how how how far after the this is a month later, okay, wow, okay, so it's getting dark, so they set up a camp and then the next morning there are two friends who are supposed to meet them, who followed their little snow tracks up that came up in moments. Camp and those guys run acid way way way way way way way way way. Will it feeds? to do that, as did just showed up to meet them, they're, going to see a plane crash. While they there's a wing occasionally signals this. It is not a greater things: Israel, not great new, not great. When you re worth a man so wait, wait, wait the rest of the world it's probably right near here, Chad settle down man. We the snow man we gotta eat all this snow, yeah
I didn't even think about that, but those two dudes say talk about two different pages. Those two dudes are like: hey man, I'm worried about I'm fucking freaking out two guys. It's going to be fine, now they're talking about a weird pic property crash, the plane, Do dude really goes all the way to the top, so there so those guys climbed a higher elevation and ron went back down to the radio station. He had backed amazon, ok, not on ass. They couldn't equity. The guys that run acid, hey, we gotta, go talk to authorities and we'll make the fire, so he got the to the ranger station in the afternoon, the rangers and There were call also the rangers, listen historian. They called the Yosemite search and rescue whose head was tom, set nigger shirt right. So not only there.
The tamas, a kind of new kind of park, ranger that came about at this time. Oh really they're, like a mix of rock climbing back country, camping, scuba, diving and then like serious law enforcement, so they're kind of like an action figure, yeah kind of like an action figure they're a little more fucking. You know exploring the time they are called the danger rangers. Oh nice, They were trained in everything, from reconnaissance and of undercover work to corners duties awesome. Yet no, it's has that not a tv show we get so fucking cop shows what about the guy climbs up. El capitan in a race also held at this habit, Michel about protestors, but a show about people hating, the government or people there's, so many cops like there's a sub for you for this cop show there's a million cut, but I sort of prefer this one where it was just like future caps and
It's like the tasers, oh no, the number of cops yeah the guy comes in. He goes. I know he catches the guy with my tiny, weird robot yeah and I was like that's awesome. It's not futuristic and authoritarian and terrifying at all. Yeah, like the attitude of like. Let's celebrate these, like amazing innovations to hurt us, it's like that's, that's playing well and all this isn't my feet. It is when they do different doktor shows one time they just did doctors, but at night night night. Doctors shit also ways lives in the dark, while there's lights on and stuff. While we're talking crazy things that around at night, dollars, then the hairy conduct junior show it's a daytime. talk show that labour, but on at midnight, like their sons off europe, does not work
It's not going well, but it's been happening for awhile. Now they made it and he was exorbitant zone in the daytime right harry. We were going to cancel it, but we put it on at midnight. Your ratings are great, but still dude morning stuff, it's fucking crazy. Alright, so the danger rangers right. So in yosemite there, the law right there, a little off the law. Ok TIM called the air force rescue coordination centre and ass. If anyone had reported a missing plain, he gave the number that wrong, had seen on the wing and written down, and that number made everyone go bucks, a boy There's that terms suddenly for federal agencies, we're trying to get access to the crash, the national transportation safety board, the a federal aviation administration, the d and the customs we're all in on it cost.
sent a is that because of what his that's? Not because of what his wife's that's because they they already knew about him, the its, but it is specifically correlated to have its that yeah. They know this plane. They know that he's right, ok, so their excited to get the way Okay, customs sent a vietnam era, Huey to bring agents and rangers to the site, so they fly up there and the debris trail of John's plane was three quarters of a mile and ended right at lower merced said past lake: okay, not great nope. The lake was I covered in ice and a bit of snow, the plane was missing or one wing and most of it's tail, while the main body was in the lake. She'll still fly, she'll be alright she'll play now
would just get her out of there and hose her off or whatever to get her airborne. And then then she then she'll be fine. You get her up. You just go ahead and hit the engine right off. So when the plane crashed, the lake was not frozen right, because this is this. The winter started late that year, you're, ok, but in the months since they did. frozen over and the plane was now entombed in ice. Ok, there are set. Faux burlap sacks along the shoreline, some are ripped open and pot? Was spilling out these beans taste weird holy shit? These are some free, always my friend. Well, do these beans are making me rethink everything your seventies office of law enforcement was in charge of the investigation. Customs agents worked with them. During the bales of weed and piling near the huey landing cite some of the bail The frozen in the ice they use chainsaws to cut the map out they were heavy and the the belles broke apart. They also
cut a whole for a dive team to go into the lake cooper quote. The water was murky because of the aviation and hydraulic fluids. Visibility was pretty minimal when the poor He went into the water. All these bits and pieces of aluminum broke off and they floated to the surface. They got frozen in a place. So now you had a couple of feet of metal hanging down, because the ice is a couple feet thick and then you had the stuff on the bottom as well. on. Diver said it was darker than the inside of a cow. Now was that's, who seek that's a guy who's. Dont quote him very specifically, might has a feeling about darkness, from the time is dad, but I want to give a really weird statement for it to overseeing what's happening with this. Guy had something bad happened to him on a farm bill. This look, He is confessing to having his head in cows. Ass or just some cut open
Town crammed them in there was. I took out when you get when you start you ledgers spillage, I, like your halloween costume boy, yeah you're, going to win today idea. So now, anytime, something happens like that targets. A cow have time to stop doing that. Stop saying the cows that god is his target to do dude. What is account do do do do. Sniping went near waiting here. It smells of. How am I can death? so the driver, the divers went down and they found more bales of wheat and pull it out, and then a commercial diver was brought in from fresno because the these guys can get at the bodies the rangers they brought in. The most expert diver round of the sky and but he's there was unable to get through the wreckage and get to the cockpit. So on an jeff were left their overall. They found close to two
thousand pounds of marijuana and fluid means there's a lot out there. Yet there are still further parents every now and then some goods like would what's goin on I know somebody who is on a boat once and found tremendous amount of marijuana florida. Yet the s floor So when I made my uncle was a drug dealer, he moved to florida and waste go swimming on the beach and those little nights. Light sticks crack and in the late yeah it was all over the fucking beach, because the drug dealers would drop their their drugs and then a guy would go out in a little boat and get it, and they would see it by the little they drop. A glow. Stick well, so so that they took all the way they took. The two thousand pound We may put it in yosemite's jail I'd go anywhere we'd. We ve got you
or should I say, free waited till. You may judge anderson packed into a cell on the second floor and closed and they closed down one side of the jail quote. They came in like giant ice cube with all that vegetable, material and green leafy substance frozen over over time. The bells are too far and became running just like. If you take a package of spanish out of them, these are well. Is this the same cow guy? My whole lives weird, give have rabies its pie, like I'm in your head and a rabbit, so the sole started to fill up with leaky we'd run off. Ok and the drain got claude. Ok, so the floor at the savages filling up with them.
Why did you leave juicy outrageous so down there below that sell the yosemite firemen had an office, and after a few days a boy the fire chief stormed upstairs. I yelling that they had to do something about the part. It was now dripping onto his dispatchers desk, combined. So the rangers moved dozens of we'd bells from the second story into a walk in freezer in a nearby warehouse over the land where why are they actually like? This is so I did I think back. Then they dont have like beer Didn't they just doesn't there a way to eliminate? Can they just throw it on a fire or set on fire? I think you need it for evidence what your your fluid year after we submit the smoothie know what they need the pot for, but all right I get ya, but it sounds like it's a pretty complicated process.
And they're not gonna, do not set up to deal with the other, not handling it. Well, so up well they're not said to deal with a year, but weeds dripping on it. ass though not the I understand, look- was a bad idea to put the way. That's a thank you over the lake, the federal agents his search, the area for an entire week. They determined a winter operation to get the fuselage. And bodies out was not going to work. Ok, in a huge storm was on it's way, so they pulled out. They figure. The crash site would stay until spring when the area began to thaw, and then they could come back and cake. Meanwhile, payment not heard anything from the dna and finally, after weeks an agent called her and told her the news. She then call their lawyer, Jeffrey stein, born PAM asked jeffrey to find out for sure what had happened and if John was definitely dead, suggests we had a deal. Seventy gotta hotel room near the park
And started hanging around in bars and restaurants nearby listening to people's conversations, which did she find the shadiest, dude and eavesdrop or get his contact info. He's eavesdropping on a d, a pilot, and he the fuselage was still in lake under eyes, with bodies and weed and well quite the conversation over here right, yeah. Well, some of it. He heard somebody piece together. Still, I mean the ruling that the d a pilot is worked out, we're after three days he learned enough and he headed back, but as usual after that was he like. Just go into that same guys, conversation where I think that you know these guys usually hang out in a bar whenever bartley they the same bars right. There was an old serial killer in santa cruz.
who was killing people and then he would just go to the cop, are cut bar and listen and talk to the cops anyhow them and find out all about the case in which murdering that's pretty breakin better at their oh he, after three days he takes off, but as he's living, is our camp fire burning with about a dozen people around it? At a campground, so he started and handed over with a plant Jeffrey walked up and enjoy and pass it around and start good start toward the campfire story. Okay, campfire story about a plane, full of pot that had crashed He would later say he had a quote romantic notion that someone should smoke that beautiful we'd, those guys we're trying to bring back from mexico, here he went. Sorry, he went to a fucking group. Kids were smoking pot right and he told them about the play.
Crash and where it was, and then he left right with the about the weed yeah. So his ok right. So his plan is this: just like a billion dollars of our legs, but I gotta get me. That's pretty, which adds a pretty good plan, and it worked well rumours of the past. Plain spread across this eminent soon many other cemeteries characters. you're planning at a ball run with cannabis, cannabis rob there were about twenty can't climb, living in what was called camp for over the winter. A group named the stone masters were the kings. They were the legends of big wall, climbing guys like John fuck up this. Now you don't need to tell me the names. I know all the ledge of the job, and I have my mouth rushmore obvious its controversial when you're like members, climbers, brood, well, amazing climate, they were considered the best one, I in the world, many of the core group of the stone masters started their own version of climbing
call free solving, which meant climate with no ropes who spent years in a sense on walls like EL capitan and a half and four years climbers lived in camp for both illegally and for free at the time the stone masses arrived at camp for the park rangers are trying to push the climbers out of the valley, so the climbers made their way deeper into the valley and started camping out in bear caves in places that were out of bounds. So I'm out there a bad ass their people live on the french here right, yeah and probably use a little money. You Well, look when you sharing our home with a bear mighty by linear wrong. You know, what's I haven't been sleeping great. I think it's that there's bears where I'm sleeping where'd you get that area there. I am I'm up so occasionally
Here's what asked ass these guys for help with very difficult search and rescue operations, but for most part there on the opposite Dad's magazines wrote about these guys versus sense in their campground like seventeen year old, chuck, strader we're just green kids who had just arrived. In yosemite a few weeks earlier straighter had left it. Staters traders judge, I don't Oh trainer, left high school right when he passed the high school currency test. Well here in in the states you can you want to get at a high school very early. You can take a test to get up early right, so this kid did that he went straight to yosemite with the goal of climbing EL capitan, but to do that he needed gear and gear is expensive, and if there is we'd upon the mountain that meant there was much. up on the mountain. Could that sound more like one of those old countries, eyes sway
eat up all the math mad? Then there's merde up: there quote: everyone was going up every one. Naturally, a couple of stone masters were the first guys to get to the crash site, there's, something great about stone masters seeking weed out it's outstanding fake. There were doubly dislike double on tundra, virgin, beautiful with air conditioning and Much of the area, the stone masters jogged up the dangerous trail with huge backpacks and came down unloading, huge amounts of pot. They made this trip over and over and over again young chuck do here's. Parents were visiting him, but he told them he was gone for a climb up. To rail. I climbed to with due friends you gotta ride up into the back country and the roads were had opened early due to a lack of snow quote, I add a sleeping bag and a jacket I was wearing tennis shoes well, he'll be he'll, be fine. This is up unprepared.
rick climbing the sky was like he was in high school and he's like metal and climb mountains, and then he just went with fucking ten issue genes and shirt was like. Rather we do this even leave the house, at a jacket and felt like the worst. This guy's going to sleep on a mountain and now he's going to fucking, go up into the snow with tennis shoes on I guess the snow melting ice, all they didn't bring any food because they were going to get in and out fast, you mean the burghers burger. What hamburgers in and out yet the kitten in and out fast. You got the wrong. It's not fast food. It's good food fast! We're done talk! Thank you! As they got close to the lake. They saw thrown away sleeping bags and old clothes along the shore, because people would toss their belongings to make room for more we'd in their backpack. While there were tools, people, people to get get the ice, sticks and poles.
pieces of wreckage and an axe. There were a lot of holes, cut and ice straighter and his friends made a campfire, then went out onto the lake and started hacking away. The ice was about three feet thick when they finally broke through. Oh, my god, straighter gras straighter got some fuel line. The rangers had left behind and bent it into an l shape, and then he stuck his arm into the frigid water. He could smell the stench of fuel in the lake. and he felt around until he felt something solid, but very heavy there, and so using that, like he hoped it around the world oh my god! Oh it's ok and they pulled they thousand me about here.
I thought it was going to be like yeah. Sorry, it's not my name. That name it is the who the snail on bob spongebob you've made that real, clear, it's his pet dog. Can we snail? Look I gotta. I gotta hurt out the other day. They went to get a new show like five minutes. I'm gonna go they so vague. They get the fuel lying around the wet, burlap sack and then, and then they are I'll have to pull it gives it so heavy and I got a big score. It slides up under the ice. A marijuana leaf was stencilled on the side of the bag. What what? What? What that's insane get their veins says, wade s way. It will be a year. You make that pretty easy. It's half we'd have been right
but right beans on the weird just stick to it. So it was wrapped with layers of plastic but still wet with the fuel soaked water. The three. What good is that going to be well, the three dudes right straighter and his two friends they divided up evenly the amount they were each taking would be a felony. If there were caught K quote, we were pretty scared. We get the hell out of their. We just carried it out, wet another was walking in. How is your hike? Well, there's a lot of greed view having to your bank back, that's just the thing I've been having spent it sure yeah, there's love. I got it smells like skanky fuel spin and put its its that's what it is a lot of. What is this? Is this marijuana? No, it's spinach! Ok, let's finish up there. He loves salads health, not so, as there were the obligation to leave another group blocked in and one of them
but the people that came in had a big breaker bar that he'd stolen. So you know breaker bars now like it's just like a big rod, kind of thing. Ok and they watched as the guys dab, the ice over and over again trying to trying to break through, and when he finally did the breaker are just slip out of his hands and disappeared into lay out man which just left a very small useless hole. That's not a story that guy tells us grandkids. I like that like down and as they I got, the guide switch to the action was hacking away. K will have made it just be amazing if the axe drop down gad damage as can't catch a break as they hide wet, we'd water drift down the back of their dearest when night came, inserted the cold and icicles farmed on the backpacks. They had all the way down to the campground, straighter stashed the pot and then went to visit his parents hey mom
by April yosemite was flooded with we'd. It was being called airplane, we'd or crash, but of a fool crash. But if we have an election crashed buds landslide as it was laced with traces of aviation fuel. It's sometimes sparked and crackled. When smoked. Oh, my god, what don't? So this is going to this good just going to surprising but smoking. It was very hard yeah. I bet dude, there's smoking fuel fuel, smoking fuel pot, philip. What is really gets you, so let us not go down, You get so strader knew that to sell it at this point, cause there's so much weed in the park to solve. They had to take it out of the park and sell it to someone, because the park is flooded,
yeah, but I'm going to sell fuel we'd fewer, so he borrows of either be a bug, of course, and they load the trunk with pop up in a bug. The trunk is in the front, yet the trunk fill that and then they put the rest in the back, see. There's nor us put in a bug. I know, but I mean that's: that's flawed planning and they headed for Why wear one of them new dealer, but they just got past the yosemite border when they got a flat? I drove slowly to a gas station where an attendant came up to him No, no, no! No! No! No good! Sir! They said he literally walked up and jumped backwards when he smelt the car ugh jeez, oh my gosh, so they finally got to l after midnight and waited for the dealer who was supposed to me but a certain time, and he never came that's very unlike we
dealers in my experience yeah, so they just grab or sleeping bags and slept where they weren't some bushes at what point does somebody go? This is not going well, I feel, like the seventies, were different. They are different. I lip. Let's sleep in that bush So when strader woke up there were children standing over him looking down because they had fallen. on the edge of a school playground, train spotting were the careful yeah like like pot. Let you the pot of ex sticking out of the fucking idea. Food smells its donkey weed and three idiots are sleeping near it, so they still it still wet. So I live there so, where fuel so honest drug deal, there's let it drop. So they spent that day. Trying to find the drug dealer and just ended up to get her a motel room scud really well. There they put the
party weed on a tired and put it under heat lamps tenor on the third day. Sweeney knock on the door. Straighter opened it with the chain on that'll that'll that'll keep up spell out. While he hits the chain he told her to leave, but when he turned around, he discovered that one of his friends was holding a gun. It turned out that that guy was awol from the army, a boy. So at this point straighter just wanted out. He didn't care about the money, but he's still stuck with these guys because he doesn't have any tash right wow, so he talked them into leaving l a and they drove to the desert where they put the weed on some rocks to dry. After it was dry, they went to the centre like you're, making jerky part after was dry. They the would perceptible barrier found someone to buy some of the parts straighter used is portion to buy
They had taken to Sacramento where he gave the rest of his part to a high school friend he just wanted to be over with, but the friend said he would sell it and given some cash, but without damage, but a great gram trip I mean greyhounds or like never, enjoyable yeah, but that one year probably like I think. As long I'm, a wave from the double You bush sleeping near the school we'd business, ok, but the other now asked I think that you are trying to get the hell out of here. You got, but the other people have more success by it. we again word of the weed bonanza in yosemite and spread all over. The state. People were coming packed in cars from oliver to find their own bale of pot. Climbers started, leaving huge tips for waiters at the yosemite park, hotel, finally
the guy who had originally found the plane run, haskins decided it was his turn. Ok quote so after work one day, I took a backpack with nothing but a suit, sleeping bag, a little food in it an ice, accents and plastic bags. We hiked up there in the middle of the night when we got there over twenty People were mining, the small leg for wheat. There are getting more inventive because the bales were becoming harder to find ugh. I'm not hoping. I say this guy's name right, vern clevenger, who is today a known, climber and photographer said quote. We heard there wasn't a lot of dope sitting on top of the lake anymore, my girlfriend's father, tat of a road crew. So we start chains, chainsaw carried it up. There we took turns sign through the ice. That's how we got a lotta marijuana from the lake says. It wasn't just part people anymore, who also had the same ideals and lifestyle right things.
a little bit tense. Clevenger said quote: I, then there are a lot of shooting people up their drug dealers, low life, types from the central valley. Some guy came when she to take our stuff and one of my friends who was a real hardest held. His saw out about three inches from the guy's neck and he was so and I'm going to fuck I'm going to fuck with you, don't come any closer, so that was the end of that. With that guy yeah yeah. I read that it like the euro- that is such a. that just shows you how we still our animals like that is such a denatured documentary moment of like trying to become the dominant one and then just getting like tasked here is a young printed.
And hey there. What do you got over there? He is, as you can see, he's taking some of the span that will take some of that to larger, more than mildly, get outta here, man and outcomes the sa the fuck. Would you man, I will fuck with you, man or the word, get outta here off. He goes into the cell, but clevenger said at that point. They had too much pot to carry out anyway, okay And the rangers star to hear rumours about what was going on tumors hearing stuff from climbers. He was friends with park, road crews, reporting. A very strange amount of high traffic. Near motto: lake trail, half the commercial it's just a hilarious just way up in the map on this mountain there's, a huge traffic jam yeah, what's going on, basically like what happened with ways like wait, what partial driver who had gone into the lake to look for the bodies way back when for the rangers.
old and told the rangers. There had been a rush on his rent look equipment by kids looking to diving us While this I mean this is the green russia. What I believe is called, I plead the call, the web, the weed russia is alive and well, and have already been so now climbers, who, just weeks for who were known to dive in dumpsters for food were buying used cars and new, climbing a calf or sudden, suddenly everyone, it can't forehead nice, climbing equipment straightaway, This money to buy his first climbing rack, which he used to climb EL capitan four times. Seventy seven, that's pretty great yeah on April thirteenth, which would become as big wednesday in the park, six armed rain there's flew into lower more said, pass on a huey helicopter and when they can't came up
right, I die by the way you didn't take too long, but when they came over the ridge they said quote, it was like seeing ants. Scattering quote the people out there, created, this infrastructure can become like a splintered town. They now like become a village it's with a saloons, yeah yeah yeah caught the people up there grid is infrastructure kind of like the viet cong put in some areas of vietnam, makeshift housing and its fire pits and all sorts of type seriously. They picked up digging equipment wherever they could. It was really caveman biology the man. The part service was embarrassed by when it occurs quote. We underestimated the entrepreneurial spirit of sir members of the community. That is how I really could you have it more diplomatic, but that we under arrest
debated summit. There is really no way Your businessman out here we didn't know. I really was insane rangers were posted along the trail. Was leaning away from the leg to catch people who were escaping. Oh, my gosh, but very clever, injure and one of his friends were the only two people who were arrested. The arrest was later nullified due to a due process violations and no one was ever convicted. Great in their their involvement in what was now known as dope lake. After that two rangers were given supplies and sent to guard the lake they lived in a for seventeen days, while they rigged trip wires to cans and kept pistols ready at all times she's. So you can't even like he can't you play it. Offers like applause that a hike. No ok, they call they caught around sick,
parties who are headed up to the lake, but they are none of these parties were from yosemite and word had leaked out all over the state about the pot, but not the bust. At this point, so for two months rangers rotated in to keep watch over dope lake people kept coming, but often not at all, prepared for the conditions and hike at high altitudes. One group got lost for a week without enough food before they finally stumbled across a trail crew. A man in mid june, the lake thawed enough for the plane to be salvaged, Jeff nelson's body just floated to the surface as they were working john whiskies body was strapped to the cockpit
just as pam saunter dream, PAM laid low for a long time, because she had cooperated with the d a she. Never I d johns body when it was found because she thought to be too traumatic. So this left her with the small weird sense of hope that he was still alive, she was. Finally showed a photo of her husbands, body from the lake salvage operation. Thirty years later and she broke down and cried she still thinks the cause of the accident was not investigated. It was called an accident by the government, but because of the strange circumstances of the wreck and john suspicions, she questions whether it was an accident, but the government told her that it wasn't right. you're right. I trust them right. Why would you ever not trust the just them in the end, because of the crash, many climbers got to push the limits of their sport. Some climbers save their pot money. John,
bashar. Maybe, who is now a famous solo climber, was said to have used cash from his hall to help fund a successful climbing your company. The first guys stumbled upon the crash wrong lichens paid for two years of college, with the pot money, so great verne clementine about his first nikon camera and is now in a claimed nature fatigue. Listen! What came out of notes, greece into the what lake re other I am pleased that tat sort of in a way tells you mentality of like that, all those they look. I'm sure some people like you know and went to the strict club or something, but do you know they? They use this to benefit I think it gives the wheat other climbers funded climbing trips to france and asia, some managed to grab enough pot that they sold it for over twenty thousand dollars in eighteen. Seventy seven.
That's crazy, fuck, that's crazy here. There's things like that, it's just insane. I can't believe it's way. It's one of the things were you think, so you think that so there are plenty if you take a tour of yosemite. Does anyone tell you that I'm sure their stories are okay? But if you it's one of series where, if you think about so you think about this We are living on the fringe of society because they're not can be businessmen and they're always going to exist, but it turns out if you give them a means and a way to to be able to afford something that then they actually become successful. So people living on the edge of criminality when, given a windfall of money, became famous photographer famous mountain climbers businessmen with gear went to college like all these different things.
So it's interesting when you give people opportunity instead of starving them, but you also maybe something good comes out. Yeah and also like there are there's a lot of successful people who have sold weed Gonna kill karen and I'm not sure about, and you think about If you get caught for having aid to distribute arrange life completely ruined jive. You can get a life sentence, yet you know in a country where it legal in some places you could still get a life sentence for having right, not a crazy amount of right real lives. anyway. What is more, the joint you screw me. Oh yeah we sell part, we sign pipelines do sell part we, so
We don't sell pot, I don't think I'm going to be when we sign was on a pot plants. Thank you resign cats year of lessons and seals. Okay, god damn it.
Transcript generated on 2022-08-12.