Hero or Zero?

[Lambone]

THAT MEANS THAT I THINK THAT THE PLACEMENTS ON C3 ARE OFTEN BODY WEIGHT ONLY. WHY WOULD YOU BOUNCE TEST THEM? OFTEN THEY JUST RIP WITHOUT STRESSING YOUR INTESTINES ENOUGH TO CAUSE YOU TO PASS GAS PAST YOUR PYLORIC VALVE. WHO GIVES A HOOT WHICH ONE FAILS WHEN YOU GIVE IT A BOUNCE TEST? I CARE WHICH ONE GETS ME TO WHERE I'M GOING WITHOUT SUBJECTING MYSELF TO A FALL ONTO A STATIONARY OBJECT OR INTO A CORNER OR OVER A ROPE CUTTING SHARP EDGE. SPACE IS OKAY.

 

You don't bounce test C3 gear... you must be tough. I'm not talikng about SPACE, I know the differance. I'm talking about big ledges and death spikes. Like the one that poor bastard fell onto this summer. His partner lowered him down 7 pitches off the route. I didn't have a partner to do that for me, neither did ricardo....so we used pins to protect the pitch. That is what I'm talking about here.

 

GREAT, NOW SPRAY LIKE YOU TEACH!!!!!

 

I'll spray whaterver the hell I want thankyou very much.

 

DON'T YOU THINK YOUR APPROACH WAS A GOOD ONE? WHY NOT ADVOCATE IT?

 

I do.

 

THE REALLY STRONG GUYS AND GIRLS ARE GOING TO FIGURE OUT NAILING WITHOUT READING THIS STUFF. LONGS' BOOK AND HELP FROM A FRIEND WILL DO THE TRICK. FOLKS READING THIS STUFF SHOULD BE OUT CLEAN CLIMBING UNTIL THEY GET SAFELY SHUT DOWN ON SOMETHING TOUGHER THAN ZODIAC.

 

huh?

 

AND I THINK RICARDOS POOR STYLE NAILING WAS OFFSET BY HIS VISION, AND MENTAL AND PHYSICAL STRENGTH TO MAKE HIM NEITHER A HERO NOR A ZERO, BUT INSTEAD ABOUT AVERAGE FOR HIS LEVEL OF GUMPTION. HE PROBABLY FUCKED UP IN HIS EUPHORIC STUPOR REGARDING THE GEAR TROPHIES. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 

I don't understand that statement, sorry. I don't think he fucked up anything, I think he did what he had to, he was smart...and I feel the same way about myself. Did you read his TR?

 

YOU THINK RISKING A WHIP INTO SPACE IS MORE SERIOUS, STUPID OR NAIVE THAN HIGHBALL BOULDERING OR SOLOING 5TH CLASS MOUNTAIN ROUTES?

 

I am talking about apples, you are talking about oranges. Lets talk about that 5th class solo on a mountain route. Just because someone soloed it, does that mean I shouldn't use a rope to match his style? I am not going to compare bouldering with big wall climbing, that is rediculous.

 

IT TAKES A LOT LONGER. Bullshit

 

YOU THINK YOU DIDN'T LEARN PROPERLY? BULL.

 

Yes, I learned to use pitons 2000ft up the Shield. Did I do it properly, no. I was scared and overdrove many of the pins. I'm saying this is the wrong way to do it.

 

SO KNOWING WHAT IS A KEY PLACEMENT FOR PERSONNEL PROTECTION DOESN'T FACTOR INTO YOUR PHILOSOPHY?

 

What? It is exactly what I am talking about. If this pin is going to keep me off that ledge should my HB Brassy blow higher above, give me the hammer.

 

I THINK YOU HAVE TO SEPARATE "POINTS OF PROTECTION"

 

Pitons that have more holding power to keep you from decking on a ledge.

 

HMMM....CAN YOU DRAW A PARALLEL BETWEEN ENCOURAGING FOLKS TO STRIVE FOR SUPERHUMAN HARD FREE CLIMBING GOALS AND ENCOURAGING NORMAL PEOPLE TO STRIVE FOR REALLY HARD CLEAN AND RELATIVELY SAFE AID CLIMBING GOALS./OBJECTIVES?????

 

Yes, but people set their own goals. And I'm not telling anyone what to do. I'm just telling you my philosophy.

 

YOUR ONTO THAT JOKE, BUT THEN YOU JUST IMPLIED IT'S A SHAME THAT PORTER'S ROUTE IS GONE. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE NEXT LINE WOULD YA. HELP DRAW THE LINE IN THE SAND BETWEEN WHAT IS OKAY AND WHAT IS LAME.

 

Fine, what is lame is when people nail pins into cracks that can safely go clean. Cracks that risk bad fall potential regardless of what fancy clean gear you have should be protected with a pin.

 

I THINK YOU OUGHT TO GET BACK A LITTLE CLOSER TO WILL.

 

Will hammerd his own piton in probably the same place that I did. So I think we are pretty close. He bitched t ricardo for nailing more pins than he did, and I think that is just stupid. Will and I are friends, and have discussed this in private.

 

SO AM I....EXCEPT THAT YOU ARE ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO IT WHEN YOU KNOW IT ISN'T NECESARY.

 

No, I am not. I am saying that if pins are necesary to prevent injury or the potential of having your ass rescued off the cliff. It is not worth putting your life in dange, or the lives of resuers in danger of a little granite dust and a broken ego.

 

My spray point/question was really simple. Is IT better SPRAY style to adovocate clean climbing and to encourage folks to LEAVE the freaking hammer back home?

 

DEPENDS WHAT ROUTE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. THE NOSE, THE WEST FACE OF LEANING TOWER. THAN YES, ZODIAC...I DON'T THINK SO. I THINK LEAVING THE HAMMER BEHIND IS FOOLISH. KNOWING WHEN IT APPROPRIOTE TO USE IT IS IMPORTANT PART. SOME DO, SOME DON'T, I BELIEVE THAT I DO.

 

Okay, I really do think your are a puss for bringing a hammer on your solo climb of Zodiac too. GREAT

 

Especially with all of your experience.

EXPERIENCE IS WHAT TAUGHT ME TO BRING IT.

 

Step up! FUCK OFF, I'LL CLIMB HOW I LIKE.

 

If I were Socretes....

 

I CALLED YOU SOCRATES BECAUSE HE HAD THAT ANNOYING TENDENCY TO TURN EVERY STATEMENT INTO A QUESTION.

 

I guess i need to find and read the glacier peak story...does that explain your conversion to a born again nailer?

 

NO, I SOLOED EL CAP AND REALIZED THAT SOMEONE HAD CLEANED ALL THE FIXED GEAR THAT I WOULD NEED TO MAKE A CLEAN ASCENT OF THE NAILING ROUTE CALLED ZODIAC.

 

IT'S BEEN FUN, BUT I AM SICK OF BEATING THE DEAD HORSE, AND I'M SURE OTHERS ARE TOO.

[Lambone]

Here is a little story I just wrote to Will, about why I carry a hamer on wall climbs with a C3+F rating...

 

...It is too bad Zodiac gets labeled the easiest Captain route even though it has 8 C3 pitches. Tangerine Trip is much easier with only 3 or 4, but it is a scarier route because it is steep right off the deck. Zodiac is pretty much doomed to be beaten and clogged up by gumbies for years to come. I felt pretty fortunate to have it all to myself this July, it was sweet. Were thoxse fixed beaks still up on pitch 8? Did you lead that one? Those were pretty scary...

 

I say the Trip is pretty easy, but...I did the hardest aid I've done yet on it. On Pitch 4 there is a section of fixed mank that was non existant, only blown deadheads...like an idiot I backcleaned up to that section because I was linking 3 and 4, had henoius drag, and was running out of biners and slings.

 

Well...I got up to the start of the real fixed section, which when I did it before had like 5 or 6 pieces (rurps, mank heads, and a bad bolt). All of them were gone except the first piece. So there I was, a thirty foot run out, hanging off a 2mil piece of tat chord laced through a rusty old rurp. Staring up at nothing but blankness...a few broken heads, rurps with no sling, a chopped bolt...nothing. I spent about 30 minutes top stepping cutting broken tat out of a rurp eye with my swiss, and trying to thread a thin wire through a rurp eye. No go, it wouldn't get the fuck in there. I was starting to pucker....and it was getting dark.

 

So I called for the pins, only problem was we left the tag line (and the cheater stick ) on the ground, so all we had was the haul rope. Since I was allready past the 100ft mark, my bro had to untie and tie the slack of the led line to the haul. I could barely pull up the pins and hammer...I was worked. Finaly I got them, somehow the rope reached. Three bottomed peckers later and I hit the bomber bolt, I lowered to back clean the peckers and plucked each one out with my fingers.

 

I figure I was looking at at least a 60 footer. I don't think I could have down climbed, because I had topped stepped on bad gear and backcleaned to get where I was. Without those peckers I was fucked.

 

Anyway, that is why I think it is smart to bring a back up plan. gimhlick is full of shit.

 

[Dave_Schuldt]

Wow, this is still going strong. I just skimed the latest posts and got a good laugh.

[johnny_destiny]

Hambone, you are a master of oral masturbation. Geez, get over yourself. You have been going on about this thread for so long I believe you are morphing into it.

[Lambone]

sweet, at least I'm a master at something...

 

so that must mean that you like to watch guys masturbate...right?

[johnny_destiny]

Lambone said:

sweet, at least I'm a master at something...

 

so that must mean that you like to watch guys masturbate...right?

 

WEAK, BUT THEN WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM A GUY THAT TELLS A GROUP OF ICE CLIMBERS IN LILLOET WHAT A GRAND JOB THEY ARE DOING AND THEN WHEN THEY ARE OUT OF HEARING DISTANCE RANTS ON THEM AND THEIR LACK OF ABILITY. YEP, HAMBONE YOU ARE ONE GREAT GUY. JUST A CHARMER...LIKE A SNAKE.

[EWolfe]

 

This is why I love this website.

[allthumbs]

Lampoon, give it a rest already you boring bastard.

[Lambone]

johnny_destiny said:

BUT THEN WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM A GUY THAT TELLS A GROUP OF ICE CLIMBERS IN LILLOET WHAT A GRAND JOB

 

When the hell did I ever say that. I thanked you for giving me a run on one of your fucking top ropes that you had strung all over Marble.

 

Gro a sack and buy some ice screws instead of stealing them from others...

[Dru]

maybe you could have taken a picture posing in your gorts while being lowered off too

[cracked]

Dru said:

maybe you could have taken a picture posing in your gorts while being lowered off too

I think I'm going to revive my gorts for this winter! Shouldn't my title by "gortboy" by now?

[Peter_Puget]

 

I say hero!

[Necronomicon]

Peter_Puget said:

 

 

"PING PING PING PING PING PING PING"

[lummox]

i like to go solo. you know: when i get the urge. but i had to learn to use my left hand so i could keep clicking the mouse with my right.

[RobBob]

lummox, you ever gonna quit flirting with women and ask one of em out? Before your palms grow over?

[lummox]

RobBob said:

lummox, you ever gonna quit flirting with women and ask one of em out? Before your palms grow over?

i AM dating. that is why i need to unload the gun. havent you ever seen 'something about mary'? you cant go out with baby batter on your brain.

[Cairns]

lummox said:

RobBob said:

lummox, you ever gonna quit flirting with women and ask one of em out? Before your palms grow over?

i AM dating. that is why i need to unload the gun. havent you ever seen 'something about mary'? you cant go out with baby batter on your brain.

 

 

Too bad the animosity has died. Thanks for bringing this thread back up, though, or I would have missed it. It is always fun to have a look into the dark ethical nightmare of aid climbing. I'm glad that gekkoe tape was not invented before the events that started this off.

[lummox]

Cairns said:

Too bad the animosity has died. Thanks for bringing this thread back up, though, or I would have missed it. It is always fun to have a look into the dark ethical nightmare of aid climbing. I'm glad that gekkoe tape was not invented before the events that started this off.

i dont get too worked up over nailing trade routes in the valley. there is a long tradition of doing that ya know.

[rbw1966]

rec.climbing:

 

Just when you thought this saga had ended:

 

Biting off more than you can chew!

----------------------------------

 

Ricardo's Solo of Zodiac, Sept 2003.

 

 

The plan was to solo the West Face of Leaning Tower, a short aid route that

overhangs the whole time, making for an easy haul. The aid on WFLT is C2 and

is thought to be a perfect first wall. I was stoked. But in my mind, it

seemed like it was still practice, since the real goal was El Capitan. I

considered the routes that might be within my reach on El Cap, only two

stood out Lurking Fear, and Zodiac. Lurking fear did not seem like a good

choice due to its slabby finish, Zodiac seemed perfect, except I had no

portaledge.

 

The defining moment came a week before my vacation, when I bought a single

portaledge on Ebay for $200 (w/fly!). I contacted Pete Zabrok

(passthepitonspete), whom I had arranged to pick up at the airport in Fresno

in exchange for him giving me technical support getting ready to climb my

first big wall, and asked him if I was nuts for considering Zodiac.

 

Pete responded: "How badly do you want the summit, vs. How badly do you want

to learn (aid). You will learn MUCH MORE STUFF on Zodiac because its longer,

harder, and you have me to teach you... Just how bad ass are you? How badly

do you want it??"

 

I did not understand how right he was, and I did not know how badly I wanted

that summit. I would find out though.

 

I must admit that the idea of soloing El Capitan for my first big wall was

partially inspired by Ammon McNeely's resume, my rationalization was that

you only get one shot to go big for your first big wall, and I might as well

take it, worst thing that could happen would be that I would bail. Later I

would realize that the worst thing that could happen would be that I would

get myself killed.

 

Picked up Pete at the airport, and spent a whole day getting his gear and

groceries. While we were doing this, someone stole $1000 worth of gear from

my stash at manure pile buttress, dark clouds began to circle in my mind,

and I began to get demoralized. Finally being in the valley and looking up

at zodiac had also struck fear into my heart, and I had not gotten a good

night of sleep since I arrived.

 

We spent Tuesday hauling bags up for Pete, his plan was to solo Gulf Stream.

Finally under the weight of a loaded haulbag and walking around the base of

El Cap, my mind raced about what I was getting myself into. I changed my

mind about what to climb several times on the first hike up the base.

 

On Wednesday me and Pete carried all my climbing gear up to Zodiac, it was

about 1 pm when we got there, there was fixed ropes from P2 to the ground,

and a team of two from Mexico was gearing up to ascend the lines. Pete told

me to not do any more carries, and just begin climbing and fix as high as I

could. It took a long time to get racked up, and I have no idea when I began

climbing. The first move was easy, a hook up to a bolt, I fixed my lead line

to the first bolt with a figure eight, and then clove hitched the next two

bolts, they would serve as my anchor if I took a fall up higher, nothing

that I had climbed previously had prepared me for zodiac, it was steeper and

more strenuous that what I had practiced before, I was already scared.

 

After the inital bolts you make a move left onto a slot and then climb a

crack that ascends 100 feet before it meets a roof. Getting a piece onto the

slot was proving problematic, the route was steep, and I was not

comfortable. Finally I managed to get a hybrid alien to stay, the next move

was a cam hook in a pin scar, as I weighed the cam hook the hybrid popped

out and I was then fully on the cam hook. Only 20 feet off the deck and I

was already soiling my pants. The rest of the crack went without much

trouble, though I was climbing slowly, it was hard to get regular aliens to

stick in the pin scars so I would either hook, or use hybrid aliens, and

back clean when possible. Finally I reached the roof, which comes after

making a grappling hook move, I placed a hybrid on the roof (C3 move!), and

stepped up, the alien waited until I'd removed the hook before failing. The

ride lasted less than a second and I was now about 12 feet below my last

piece, a .4 microcamalot behind a flake. My mind was on fire, and my hands

were shaking. Only 100 feet into this climb and I had already taken a fall.

I regained the hook placement and decided to use my newly acquired cheat

stick to bypass the alien move, and gained the belay. A quick check of the

time revealed 6:30 pm. I raced back to the car to get my headlamp and made

one more carry up to the base, setup my ledge on the 2nd bolt and slept

comfortably. I was on the wall!

 

Thursday I awoke to thundering sound of BASE jumpers, what a sight! I

cleaned P1 without much hassle except for having to clean the large expanse

after the hook move that I cheat sticked. I restacked my ropes into the two

bags I had brought, one was a nice large BD bag that fit the new 11mm Yates

lead rope nicely, the other was a beat up book bag that Pete let me borrow,

ugh!, what a pain, next time I'm buying a nice large bag to fit my haul

line. I was afraid that the rest of the roof would prove to be as bad as the

move that had spit me off the day before, but it turned out to be a pleasant

roof traverse, all C1 placements, the roof then led to some hangerless bolts

over the roof to a ramp that then led to the belay. I gained belay without

much problems, but I could tell that I was rather slow. A team of 2 had made

it to the base and had began to rack up. I lowered back down to P1, and made

a mistake, by lowering too far, I had lowered myself about 50 feet too far

below the roof, and now I would have to ascend the free hanging rope to get

back to the belay at P1. This proved painful and slow since I don't really

know how to ascend a fixed line with 2 jugs. Its not rocket science, but I'd

never done it before. As I started cleaning P2 I finally decided that I had

enough, I was too scared, and way over my head, and asked the party of two

starting up if they wanted to team up and climb as 3. They agreed and I said

I would complete fixing to 3 by myself, and we'd go from there. Now I was

happy again. No longer would I face this climb alone! While leading P3 Pete

and Joe (joebuzz) arrived at the base, Joe volunteered to climb zodiac with

me. We agreed and the Swedes (whom I had asked to climb with earlier) agreed

that they would rather climb as a party of 2. So it was set. Joe left with

Pete and would return the next day with his gear. P3 is a bolt ladder that

goes on for a long time, there are some hook moves in the middle of the

ladder to some heads, but nothing too strenuous. I was trying to make better

time, so I used the cheat stick again to get past some of the head moves. I

lowered back down to ground, leaving ropes fixed up to P3. There was now a

party of 2 at P4, and two sets of ropes fixed to 3. I made another trip down

to the car to carry 4 gallons of water up.

 

Friday I awoke very tired, and was glad that I did not have to start

climbing right away. Went down to Gulf Stream to check out what Pete was up

to. Waited and waited, it was a hot day. I was laying on the boulders at the

base of Zodiac looking at the part of two from Mexico trying to retreat from

P5, it took them most of the day to rap 5 pitches with their two bags, what

a nightmare. I was more scared now than ever before, it was past noon and no

sign of Joe, it seemed like I might have to climb alone after all. I then

met Eric Sloan who gave me a few words of encouragement, and let me know

that everyone is scared. That made me feel a bit better. Joe finally showed

up around 4 pm, and gave me the bad news, he could not climb with me. I was

demoralized, I was scared, I did not want to blast off and commit myself to

this climb, it seemed too steep, too long, and I was sure that if something

went wrong, that I would die. I went down to tell Pete that I was done, and

would be taking my gear back down tonight. he was not surprised, he said

that over 60% of the parties on zodiac bail, so I was not alone. Hanging out

with Pete was Matt who was soloing Mescalito, and Dave (elcapbum), who was

soloing South Seas, I felt like a traitor. I was hanging out with a bunch of

soloists, every one of them putting their life on the line, and I had just

quit!

 

Dave began telling me that I had already done the hard part by getting my

gear up to the base, and climbing the first 3 pitches. He then went on to

tell me that since I had climbed the first pitch clean that I would have no

problem with the rest of the climb. (I didn't tell him that I had used a

cheat stick). Finally he said, "20 days from now, you'll be sitting in your

office, and you'll wish you were here doing this climb.." That settled it

for me, I had to give this climb a fair shot, I needed to do this climb, or

I would be haunted by the fact that I had given up before trying. Dave

suggested I get at least 9 gallons of water up to the base and food for 8

days, he figured this way I could climb 2 pitches a day. I had 13 pitches to

go, so I figured he was right. I made another carry of water that night.

 

On Saturday morning I had a large breakfast at the lodge cafeteria, picked

up more water and food, and set off to meet my fate. Pete had built for me a

frog ascending system the day before, and a 2:1 hauling ratchet. I packed

the bag, and was set to go. There were now 2 parties above me. The owners of

the other set of fixed ropes had returned and bivied at P3, the party of

Swedes was above them at P4. It was slow going at first, but I finally

reached P3 and discovered my first prize, the party above me had left behind

several carabiners and a locking biner. I began to haul. First I tried to

body haul, no go. I hooked up the 2:1 and it moved. It was a long process,

but I could see that I was making progress, I pretended that I was at the

gym, and I would count repetitions as I brought the bags up. Finally the bag

reached the station, and I let out a victory howl! it felt great. I was able

to lead up to P4 and setup my first bivy on the wall. While I was choosing

my dinner I learned another lesson "Everything that is not clipped in, is

gone." -- I managed to drop my a box of soup from trader Joe's.

 

On Sunday morning I began to figure out what the sequence of tasks was to

get going, gather gear, get water from bottom of bag, stuff gear in bag,

place day's water and food on top of bag. Arrange ropes, rack up, and then

start climbing. Climbing alone is a weird place, there is nobody else to

tell you to "Hurry up", or to tell you how to do something more efficiently,

so you sometimes move very slowly. The bolt ladder on P5 was easy and fun,

though I also realized that I had not brought enough loose carabiners, on

every pitch with alot of fixed gear, I would always run out. Linked pitch 5

with 6, which proved to be a great idea. I had managed to catch the team

above me by doing this, they were very nice and made room for me to setup an

anchor at P6. On this pitch I made the mistake of leaving my hammer at the

top, when I was cleaning I was unable to remove 2 pieces from the rock

because of that. I donated a 2.5 tricam, and a red ball nut. It was 4:30 by

the time I had everything hauled up to P6, and I stared up at the black

tower pitch. The black tower pitch is one of the crux pitches, and some guy

had broken his pelvis on this pitch in may. I was ready to nail on this

pitch, so I brought out all the pins. It took alot of motivation to get

going, but I began to lead the pitch at 5:30 pm. Reached the top of the

tower by 7:30 pm, when it got dark. Out came the headlamp. The seam above

the tower is tiny, so small that at times all there is for gear is some

fixed heads. I nailed right off the tower, placing a small knifeblade on a

separate flake. The flake expanded. My stomach sank. All around on El Cap I

could see headlamps of parties now at their bivies, thankful that they had

survived one more day on the captain. I felt alone, as if I was lost in a

dark forest, and there was hungry wolves all around me. I made slow

progress, through all the fixed mank, placing screamers on every small

piece. My rack began to get thin on the small pieces, both black aliens, all

my knifeblades, some micro nuts. I would test vigorously all my placements,

because I knew that I could not risk a fall onto the fixed gear, in the

darkness, everything looked like s---. Finally I reached a point where I had

no more small gear that I felt comfortable with, and tried to place a RURP,

I failed, the RURP just bent under the blows of the hammer. I then finally

made a blind #1 micronut placement, I was terrified to step onto it, but I

was also too tired to stay out climbing, it was now close to 9:00 pm. I

stepped up onto the #1 micronut, and it held. I spied the chains of the next

belay maybe 2 moves above me. The next move was also small, I fished a blue

ballnut into the seam, it pulled when tested, I tried again, and it pulled

again. I then tiptoed onto my aiders as I tried one more time, the ballnut

held this time. I was then able to step up onto it, next came a cam hook,

and finally I reached the belay. When I made it back down to my portaledge

at P6, it was 9:30 pm. I was exhausted, and ravenous, my dinner consisted of

a can of corn, and a can of pork and beans, never had food tasted so sweet,

so good, it tasted as good as having dinner at the Ahwahnee.

 

Monday I awoke with pain on my hands, every morning I would take two advils

to start the day, (and two advils to end the day also). I was high in

spirits since I felt like today I would cross the halfway point, and that I

would survive this adventure. I had a short conversation with Pete in the

morning through our radios, he was impressed that I had made it past P7, and

thought that I would send the route. A few people had taken notice of my

ascent, Eric Sloan whom I had met at the base had been keeping an eye on me

during the first 2 days, and was glad that I was making progress, though he

told Pete that I looked a bit "light", which means a bit inexperienced. I

said "well I should think so!.. I've never done this before!". Cleaning p7

was eye opening, every nut that I had placed was removed without using a nut

tool, and in most cases they just popped out of their placements before I

reached them due to the pull the rope had on them. On pitch 8 I reached a

point where a lead bolt had been chopped, out came the cheat stick. I was

now thankful to have brought it, since I did not see a way to get around the

chopped bolt. I reached the top of P8, and hauled. It was 4:30 pm. And I did

not feel like climbing through the night again. I decided to take an early

day, and just stop. Above me on p10 I could see the Huber brothers working

out the moves on the Nipple pitch, (they would later free this pitch at

5.14a I believe!) I watched them take whipper after whipper from the comfort

of my portaledge, popping jelly bellies and listening to the radio. I felt

like I was on top of the world and nothing could touch me here.

 

On Tuesday I climbed into one of the great landmarks on el cap, The Grey

Circle, at this point the route begins to overhang, and it does not let up

until you top out. P9 was hard, I nailed one pin right at the start, and

then did the rest clean, which required several cam hooks in a row, and

several head moves in a row. At one point I decided to place my own head

rather than top step a fixed head. Failed at this too, the head popped when

tested. I topstepped the fixed head and prayed. The climbing was steep,

scary, and incredible. A huge sea of granite lay all around me. I could see

the new bolts that had been placed on the free route that the Huber's were

doing, (where it deviates from the aid route), and I could see the holds

they had tick marked with chalk, it is amazing that they can climb this. The

nipple pitch was amazing, the route up to the nipple was fully fixed, with

pins and nuts, after watching the Huber's take whippers on these pieces, I

didn't even bother to test one of them. Above the nipple you can clip a

bolt, then top step the bolt and get a good orange alien. After than its

small gear and hooks. One of the cam hooks blew out on me here, and I took a

short 8 or 10 foot fall onto a black alien. I was excited that the piece had

held, since I thought it was bomber when I placed it. I bivied on top of p10

underneath the Zorro roofs.

 

The Zorro Roofs are wild, steep, and just incredible. My spirits were high,

although my body was in alot of pain, it would take about 30 minutes each

morning to get enough mobility in my hands (past the pain). The weather had

been hot, and the cool breeze that I was expecting up high on the route,

never came. I began to worry about the water I was carrying, but figured I

would have enough water if I could save a bit today. I led up past the Zorro

roofs, and the past the devils brow. Lots of fixed gear, and scary climbing.

By now though I had grown used to it. I reached the top of P12, and did not

like the anchor setup, I backed up the belay on a crack, and decided to bivy

at 11 instead. (Under the devil's brow)

 

By Thursday I was no longer feeling scared, since I knew that I would

survive. I had passed most of the hard climbing, and would reach the only

ledge on the climb (peanut ledge), I could see the tree tops on the summit

of the nose, and it felt great to be this high up. Nothing stands out about

the pitches up to peanut ledge. I reached peanut ledge that afternoon, and

quickly racked up for the 14th pitch, which is a flake of about 4" to 4.5"

for 80 feet, an incredible cam walk, all you need is two #4 camalots, 1 set

of nuts, some quickdraws, and a few other cams. I used a 3, 2, 1 camalot,

and a few aliens, (green, yellow, orange). It was the lightest rack I'd used

yet, and I was happy. The pitch went fast, and I had finished it off in

about 1 1/2 hrs. I rapped back down to peanut ledge in the setting sun. What

a setting, I felt full of joy to be in such a spectacular place, having the

time of my life.

 

Friday was the day I had been waiting for, my topout day. I decided I would

link p15 and 16 to just be done with this climb. But El Cap does not give

anything away, and this linkup proved to be the hardest climbing of the

route. First came an unprotected traverse from the belay, to a thin seam

(black aliens). Below me was a slab. Then came another traverse, hooks moves

forever, with a few pins for pro. Finally a ramp up to a ledge where you had

to free traverse to the anchor. Free moves are terrifying on a solo climb.

From this anchor you have to do more free moves to reach a flake about 20

feet above the anchor, no pro until you reach the flake. My stomach was

doing flips when I looked down and saw the possible 40'+ fall onto the slabs

below me. I finally got some fixed pins, and placed a sawed off angle. I

duct-taped a large captain hook to the wall for pro. Then I noticed that my

65m rope might not reach the summit. I tried to keep the rope running in a

straight line to get the most out its length. I went directly for the exit

boulders, which in some maps are shown as A4, I don't know but the climbing

seemed hard, and I knew I could not blow it. Finally I placed an orange

alien underneath the exit boulder, and stepped sideways onto the final

anchor! I looked up and saw the most incredible view. Half-Dome lay square

in front of me. There was two guys humping loads from Zodiac (the party

ahead of me had left their bags at the top two days before). They

congratulated me, gave me some food. I was happy, I was peaceful, few words

can describe the feeling you get when you complete a solo, so I wont try. My

bivy at the top of el cap was magical, I stayed up late watching the sky.

 

The descent sucked, it took the whole next day, and beat me up. When I

reached the bottom though, I laid my bag down and finally let it out, tears

came out of my eyes. Something that I did not believe I could do, I had

completed. It had been impossible for me to envision completing this route,

and I had done it. And now that it was done, I just felt peaceful, Zen like,

nothing bothered me, nothing was wrong, and there was nothing to worry

about.

 

I went to the meadow and looked up at the route, no longer scared.

[Off_White]

Pssht! Does Ricardo's TR pour oil on the fire? Isn't this more or less the same thing he posted on RC.com when this was current? I confess it was too long to read on a topic I burned out on awhile ago, but it doesn't appear to flame Will, so why are you sticking your paddle into the pot of poop? Oh yeah, its February, never mind.

[rbw1966]

I'm bored.

[Mr_Phil]

Nailing on Zodiac is aid.

[kevbone]

Aid climbing is aid.

 

enuff said.