Terminal_Gravity Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Yesterday, sometime before 4AM. I traded dreams for consciousness as a rogue gust filled my mummy hole with spindrift. After coughing out the offender, I lay for a moment, remembering why I was there. I have been plagued with un-attained goals, injuries, lack of motivation, poor focus and questions of fairness to my family for the last 6 months. I have been eyeing this little plum, the north face of something called Dug's Peak in the Wallowas (probably un-climbed) for almost 3 years. It has dramatic and serpentine narrow snow chutes and flutings that may ( or may have not) connected to the summit cornices between deep granite ribs. It is obviously a complete death route if the conditions were not perfect. I knew that I would never be able to climb it after sunrise or take the time to struggle with gear. The gods smiled and every thing came together Monday with a cold now or never finality. I actually managed to overcome the emotional hump and get into position and build a snow shelf below a large alluvial fan of winters fallings Monday evening. I spread the mummy hole, sat up and looked east. The sky was a paler shade of black. Time to move. As is so often the case, however, I lay back down. Do I really want this enough, is it over my head, when the exposure is extreme will I focus & move or start to sketch? A first ascent on an unknown wall is a tasty carrot from a distance but when the reality crashes into my face will I choke on it? The bag was warm & cozy, the temptation to sleep more and hike out later was almost overwhelming. Thirst knocked. Luckily, I had stuffed my water bottle not into my bag, but into my boot/pillow the night before. The tricks to motivation worked like this. Want water, open mummy hole, un-wrap shell from boots, might as well put it on, drink water, don’t want spindrift in boots (they’re not covered by the shell anymore), might as well put them on. Then the race was on to pack and move before I started freezing up. Before I really knew what was happening I was working my way up the detritus slope to the start of the wall. Nothing had come down during the night and the wall was peacefully quite. The conditions were so perfect that as I approached the steep, I considered my lack of fitness more than the struggles ahead. The angle changed from 40 to 65 in an eye blink. I worked in up in a steep zig-zag around rock ribs and across knife edged snow flutings. As the sky lightened, I lost track of exactly where I was on the face. I climbed in crazy connected hallways of rock and snow slide chutes. I could only see up and down. Even though the angle, as yet, hadn’t gotten above 70 degrees (averaging 55) the exposure was much more dramatic as I worked past vertical steps of rock . Three fourths of the way up the flutings widened below a wall and it looked like I was going to cliff out. Focus and movement evaporated as desperate fears attacked. No way I wanted to down climb, maybe I could traverse off. I worked up and left a bit to improve my vantage and a little 2 1/2 foot wide chimney choked with snow & ice appeared. Sixty feet and a couple of near vertical sections later it connected to the upper snow field. Just below the summit cornice, I stamped a hole in a bulge and turned to watch the sun peek over the Seven Devils range in Idaho. The cornice turned with the help of a little ramp. 2500 feet down to the car via a snow filled low angle gully, a quick drive home. 7:05 and my freshly bathed wife met me at the door with a spare cup of coffee in her hand wearing a ...smile. Life is good. I was at work by 8:00. AI3, M0, 80 degrees, 600 feet. Maybe not much for some of you hard (persons) but it was a very good Tuesday morning for my soul. Cheers - steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 to the Beer GOD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Awesome job, sir. It is really hard to motivate people for the dawn patrol, let alone doing it solo. Excellent post. Congratulations on your ascent. that's what life is about, finding your happiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Very nice, as always take notes, Scot'teryx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminal_Gravity Posted May 21, 2003 Author Share Posted May 21, 2003 Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExtremoMtDude Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 dude, love the wallowas! sounds intenese! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trundle Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 That TR just made me go in the bosses' office and give my notice. Seriously. Been mulling it over for a while.... this place is not good for the soul. I need to go climbing Thanks for the relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminal_Gravity Posted May 21, 2003 Author Share Posted May 21, 2003 Trundle said: That TR just made me go in the bosses' office and give my notice. Seriously. Been mulling it over for a while.... this place is not good for the soul. I need to go climbing Thanks for the relief. Wow, glad to have helped provide the push. How did the notice go? "live small, climb large" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisT Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Terminal_Gravity said: I have been plagued with un-attained goals, injuries, lack of motivation, poor focus and questions of fairness to my family for the last 6 months. Well written! That line pretty much sums up my life at the moment. Congrats on feeding your soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lummox Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdietsch Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Well done and just as well written. With your literary style and grace you could be on to something there buddy. Good luck and safe travels this coming weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Dammit TG--that wasn't that line you had planned for this weekend was it? I'm gonna shit in your boots when I get out there if it was. The rat needs to be fed. Bad. You know the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminal_Gravity Posted May 21, 2003 Author Share Posted May 21, 2003 rbw1966 said: Dammit TG--that wasn't that line you had planned for this weekend was it? I'm gonna shit in your boots when I get out there if it was. The rat needs to be fed. Bad. You know the story. Relax, Rob. That was the one that I was talking about 2 weeks ago. It didn't come into condition back then anyway. The one for this weekend is still waiting...and a partner & rope are not optional! (unless, of course, Peter Croft is in town) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 (edited) Sweet! Sounds like every man's fantasy! On the grade you forgot how many times you had to take a fresh dip. There should be some acknowledgement of that, God forbid one should run outa nicotine on a climb of that nature. Edited May 21, 2003 by Bronco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trundle Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Leaving the grind is not so bad.. the boss doesn't even seem to care... that's just another reason to go. I want something that will pay the bills but not eat me up inside... Got to remember... the job is not real life... it's just so we can eat and go enjoy real life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminal_Gravity Posted May 22, 2003 Author Share Posted May 22, 2003 Bronco said: Sweet! Sounds like every man's fantasy! On the grade you forgot how many times you had to take a fresh dip. There should be some acknowledgement of that, God forbid one should run outa nicotine on a climb of that nature. AI3, M0, 80°, 600 feet, 1 dip first ascensionists note - Even though this route is too short to rate 2 dips, I used a fresh dip of Bourbon flavored Cope, prior to entering the upper chimney as a premptive measure to control the pucker factor. I realize that some may question my ethics of reducing the difficulty of a climb by such artificial means and I would like to hereby apologize to any followers that would prefer to climb in a cleaner style. - TG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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