This week, “rock” stars from throughout the west converged at Hetch Hetchy. The occasion was not another Woodstock or Coachella, but rather the opportunity to climb granite monoliths at Hetch Hetchy and record the event for posterity.
Yosemite Valley is known as the climbing Mecca of the world, but few venture to scale the similar walls at nearby Hetch Hetchy. The logistics of climbing at Hetch Hetchy are more challenging due to the existence of the reservoir, as well as limited gate hours and a prohibition on camping – things Restore Hetch Hetchy is committed to changing. So, as part of our outreach, we asked some well known climbers to scale Hetch Hetchy Dome and a crackerjack crew to film the event.
The film, due for completion in July, will be a joint production of Burkard Studio and Q Media. Chris Burkard and Q Martin reached out to Lucho Rivera, an experienced climber from San Francisco who has explored many of Hetch Hetchy’s walls and to Timmy O’Neill, who has climbed in Yosemite for 30 years but had never been to Hetch Hetchy.
Restore Hetch Hetchy representatives (staff, board and volunteers) saw the group off early Tuesday morning and welcomed them back Thursday afternoon. The timing was good, as the rain and hail on Friday would have presented problems.
We are excited for the film and will soon share some still pictures from the adventure on Hetch Hetchy Dome.
Shown below, after a good night’s sleep in a real bed, Lucho Rivera with Mecia Sarafina, and Timmy O’Neill (left) with Sound Man / Rigger Nelson Klein, Director James “Q” Martin and Cinematographer Mikey Shaefer.
