For a group of thrill-seeking University students, LSU’s victory over Auburn was only a minor adrenaline rush.
The thrill of the weekend for three of these students was a 2 a.m. climb up what they said was a 1,200-foot radio tower.
This climbing group has no name and is not an officially recognized student organization. But a lack of official titles and recognition do not keep group members on the ground.
“Pink,” “Pickford” and “Wooderson,” who climbed the tower, wanted to be identified only by their nicknames. Most of the group’s climbs take place on private property, so they must trespass to get to the sky-scraping structures.
“It’s definitely a rush,” said Pink, the group’s leader. “I have a small fear of heights, but I think that’s why it’s a rush.”
Each of the group’s members took a climbing nickname from the movie that inspired their activities – “Dazed and Confused.”
“Dazed and Confused” portrays the lives of a group of friends at the end of their high school careers in 1976. Several characters in the movie climb a “moon tower,” which is similar to the electrical and radio towers this group has climbed.
Pink said they think of the movie each time they climb.
“It’s always a part of it,” he said.
There are not only men in the group.
One of the women identified herself as “Cynthia, the ugly red-headed girl” from the movie.
But Cynthia did make the climb Saturday.
“Not this one,” she said. “It’s too much.”
The group does not use ropes or other types of harnesses during climbs.
Wooderson is the group’s self-identified “voice of reason” because he thinks about safety. He likened himself to the caped crusader of the Batman and Robin duo.
“Robin’s gung ho, but Batman’s like, ‘Chill,'” he said. “I want to talk about it.”
At 12:41 a.m. as the group was preparing to leave for the tower, Wooderson’s concerns started weighing in.
“Do you realize how tall this thing is?” he asked as a word of precaution.
But Pink’s leadership took precedence over Wooderson’s concern. Pink started up his pick-up truck and the rest of the group piled into the bed.
Pink parked his truck among trees to camouflage it from any passersby at 1:22 a.m.
As the three men started walking toward the tower, nervousness seemed to hit each of them nearly simultaneously.
“I’m going to take a leak,” Pink said.
Pickford and Wooderson both answered nature’s call about 30 seconds later.
“If we don’t go now, we’ll need to go once we’re up there,” Wooderson said.
As they reached the base of the tower, the group members started to psych themselves up for the climb.
“Let’s say a prayer,” Wooderson said.
Pink again assumed a leadership role as he tried to calm any fears Pickford and Wooderson might have had.
“If you don’t want to go, now’s the time to speak up,” Pink said. “No one’s going to think any less of anybody.”
The group started the ascent at 2 a.m. The climbers were back on the ground by 4 a.m., but they had not reached the top of the tower.
Pink said he thought they had made it to about 400 feet.
“I felt very defeated,” he said. “We were limited by our physical capabilities.”
Pink said he thinks they could have climbed higher, but he became concerned about their safety.
“Our muscles were fatiguing,” he said. “We could’ve gone higher, but it would have endangered our climb down.”
Pink said he and the other members of the group nearly got caught by police as they climbed a water tower and again when they attempted to climb the Interstate 10 Mississippi River Bridge.
“After the water tower, a cop drove into the parking lot we were in,” he said. “When we tried to climb the Mississippi River Bridge, I had to climb inside a beam and hide for half an hour.”
Pink said a police officer shined a flashlight near the niche he was hiding in, but the officer did not see him.
LSUPD Cpl. Don Kelly said tower climbers could face misdemeanor charges if they are caught.
“If anybody goes onto another’s property without permission, they’re trespassing,” he said.
Kelly said trespassing is punishable by six months in jail or a $500 fine.
But the group has not given up. Pink said they will attempt to climb the tower and other structures in the future because of the unique excitement climbing offers.
“It’s a place where most people don’t go,” he said. “Just the knowledge that you’re higher than anyone in Baton Rouge is a really cool experience.”