“Remember when sex was safe and climbing was dangerous ?” — Chuck Pratt.
Monday, Oct 20th – email from nephew Mat pops up:
“Do you guys have plans for thursday/friday possibly the weekend? seems like i might have some unpaid days off work. leaning twards some last min outdoor activity.”
Well, no, we’re free. Long story short, we negotiate a trip to Yosemite for “some rock climbing” – little knowing it would turn into the biggest rock climbing outing of our lives.
Wednesday – truck packed, guidebooks and gear, Mat shows up late in the evening ready to go. Throw his gear in the truck and take off. Twenty miles down the road, stop to get him some food, and I discover I’ve left my wallet at home in all the excitement. Decide to forge on without driver’s license and park pass. Camped overnight, late, on forest service road just outside the west gate of YNP.
Thursday – slept in a little, drive into Yosemite Valley, get a campsite with the tourists for the night. Head for Glacier Point Apron and spend some time practicing friction on slabs on The Goblet.
Aside: Mat knows what he’s doing – helping us acquire/sharpen some skills we’ll need. The whole trip he kept introducing us to new types of climbing and different formations.
Off to The Grack, Left where I lead the first pitch. Pretty easy, I actually hunted for some spice. Mat led the second pitch where we got to practice crack climbing a little. Good prep for what’s coming.
After some refreshment in the parking lot, we headed for camp. Yosemite Valley camping – it would be sad if people thought this is what camping is about. RV’s cheek by jowl, lots of noise and smoke. Then there are the bears. OK, so everywhere you turn, there are warnings about leaving food where bears can see or smell it. When you sign into the campground, there’s a whole spiel – but some just don’t get it. Late in the night, there’s a lot of yelling and noisemaking – “Get out of here, bear!” – some nincompoop has left food out despite the 10,000 warnings. Then to round the night out, someone apparently set off the fire alarm in their RV. Mat was sleeping outside on the ground and had a front row seat for all this. I guess we all got SOME sleep.
Friday – Early, we headed for Manure Pile Buttress. Per the guidebook:
“With its short approach and 600 feet of clean, high-quality rock, the extremely popular Manure Pile Buttress is anything but a heap of shit.”
So true. We geared up and started up After Six. Mat leads pitches 1, 3 and 5; I lead pitches 2, 4 and 6. Pitch one turns out to be pretty challenging – Carol and I are glad to be on topropes.
Aside – just as Mat started up Pitch One, we hear this crashing sound – a bear has torn a big branch off a tree near us and then starts ambling toward the parking lot. No doubt to check for visible food in cars. Ours was the only one in the parking lot when we left, so this thought does not cheer me, even though we are “Bear Aware” and have the signed document to prove it. I left this document in the truck window so the bears would know not to bother. It must have worked.
…The rest of the climbing is easier; our main issue is other parties ahead and behind us. As we are a group of three using single rope technique, and it’s our first time on this climb, we’re slower than some of the other groups. In any case, we all top out, the views of Yosemite Valley are outstanding, and it’s been a great climb. A real confidence builder.
After we descend, I’m bagged and head back to the truck for a nap. Mat and Carol stick around and climb After Seven for extra credit. Carol says “It’s not as hard as it looks” – maybe I’ll try it next time.
Back at the truck, we pop the top and make dinner in the parking lot. Big debate about how to spend the next two days. After two day’s excellent climbing, I’m feeling confident and inspired and propose that we all take a shot at Cathedral Peak.
Bob M., Carol and I had tried Cathedral Peak a year ago last June, but I think we (Carol and I) were a little premature, not having enough time to develop climbing skills. Also, there’s the whole alpine climbing (above 10,000 feet) aspect.
Anyway, my proposal is accepted and we head for Tioga Pass to camp for the night.
Saturday – a “rest day”. It’s butt-cold so we sleep in and then spend time making like lizards seeking the sun in the parking lot. On the Manure Pile, we had encountered a Yosemite climbing guide bringing two people up using two ropes to climb simultaneously. She told us how it was done, and since Carol and I both had ATC Guides, we were all set gearwise. We set up a system and practiced a little in the parking lot. Good enough, we sort and pack gear, food, water.
We headed off to the Cathedral Peak trailhead and humped all the climbing gear and water up to the base of Cathedral Peak and stashed it for the next day. Mat came up with this plan – kudos, as we’d likely never have made it otherwise.
Back at camp, I observe we’re now trapped between two big RV’s. Sure enough, as it’s cold again, we spend the night listening to their furnaces cycle on and off. Also, somewhere in camp, there’s a couple knocking boots and the female is loud. It goes on and on. Geez, one Viagra at a time, dude. Mat says he wanted to cheer, but couldn’t figure out when it’s going to be over. Not much sleeping occurs.
Sunday – 5 a.m. comes all too soon. Up in the dark and cold, we finalize while Mat breaks camp. Pile in the truck and head for the trailhead. 6:06 a.m. we’re hiking with headlamps. Cold, cold, cold, and dark. The moon is a beautiful crescent in the east. Uphill all the way so we’re soon warmed up.
At the base of Cathedral Peak, we find our gear etc. undisturbed – happy days. Gear up, I lead the first pitch, it’s fun and not too hard. Set up an anchor, and start belaying Mat and Carol up simultaneously. This is actually working and a great place to try it out for the first time. One rope (“Blue”) is hard to pull through the device. My triceps still ache. All goes well.
I lead the second pitch. Not too hard, but some parts are a little difficult to protect. The good news is those parts were easier to climb and when I got to the spicy parts, pro was readily accepted.
Mat and Carol join me at the second belay. Wow, there’s a lot of stuff to do. Reflaking ropes, rerigging and transferring gear, making sure everything is well set up before Mat takes off on lead.
Lots of rinse and repeat. The climbing gets really spicy – my unfavorite part is the slab friction climbs – I’m glad of two things: First, Mat had us practicing slab friction over and over. Second, I’m on toprope. One thing I’m not glad of is that I’m carrying a large, heavy pack. This really doesn’t help. At most belay stations on up, I arrive huffing like a steam engine. We’re high and trying to move fast and the climbing is hard – that’s my excuse.
Finally, we’re all on top. Well, not all at once, as the summit block is pretty small and pretty scary. Carol and I didn’t even spend much time looking around.
Wow, the culmination of two years of effort learning to rock climb. And without Mat, we would have never made it.
Now there’s the ever-fun aspect of getting down. Downclimb from the summit block, traverse around to the left and find the “fourth class slabs” to descend. I, being unfamiliar with SuperTopo’s definition of “fourth class slabs”, remove my climbing shoes only to discover quickly this is a big mistake. The downclimb to the ridgeline between Cathedral Peak and Eichorn’s Pinnacle is pretty much the scariest part of the whole day.
At the ridgeline, Mat is determined to climb Eichorn’s Pinnacle. I’m totally bagged. Carol signs up to go with Mat. Awesome. I’ll be the team photographer.
Off they go across this totally exposed ridgeline, ultimately disappearing from my view. I messed with gear, and kind of dozed off. Yoo-hoooo! Mat has topped out and I start snapping pics. Then Carol appears. I am totally amazed. They rap off, reappear and we pack up to hike out. We have to go up and across to the escape route, and we’re now carrying everything at once, and wow, I’m glad we’re headed out.
Back at the base of Cathedral Peak, we pick up the stuff we’d left behind and enjoy the last rays of sun on the peak. Then it’s hump everything out time. By the time we got back to the truck, Mat and Carol are on headlamps and I’m practicing my night vision.
A few refreshments and we’re off headed home to San Jose. Arriving home around 1:20 a.m., we transfer Mat’s stuff to his car, say goodbyes, take showers and hit the rack about 2 a.m. A 21 hour day. Killer. I’m still not recovered.
What a great trip. Mat said, and I agree, we could pretty much hang up the climbing shoes now and call it a career. I don’t know how we’ll top this one – but I’m hanging on to my climbing shoes anyway (which need to be resoled, BTW – whoda ever thunk that).
Thanks again to Mat for thinking of us and for being such a great climbing partner – inspirational, sharing, open, and a great lead climber (and sherpa in the crunch).
More Cathedral Peak / Eichorn’s Pinnacle pictures here…
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