Fresh Habanero - A Yokum TR

[Terminal_Gravity]

Twice in the last 15 months I have had the very good fortune to find myself on a climb that altered my mental reality, changed my perceptions, expanded and focused my awareness and blew fresh intensity into the inner fire of my desire to become a better climber. The first was a failed solo attempt of the southface of Mt. Robson and the second was last Saturday morning on the Yokum Ridge of Mt. Hood with Texplorer.

 

I think loose rock is to climbing what hot sauce is to food. The sauce itself adds flavor, but the real reason we dump on the good stuff is for the heat, the fire, even the pain. It wakes us up, focuses our attention and makes us sit up straight, pay attention and feel more alive. The Yokum was pretty spicy!

 

We left the parking lot at a quarter past ten Friday night. The moon was bright above a cloudless sky and the wind was taking a siesta. If any thing the temperature was on the balmy side, just barely below freezing. We kept a steady but easy pace to Illumination saddle. The biggest challenge was to keep from sweating too much, but as we got higher and the night turned into morning the temperature dropped faster than we expected and the snow became nicely crunchy. We cruised across the Reid, easily avoiding the crevasses. The visibility was spectacular. As it turned out, we headed up to reach the ridge proper a bit early on steeper and rockier terrain than was necessary. It provided a good warm up to what was about to come.

 

I have never climbed with Texplorer before. I’m sure at the back of both of our minds was the question of how well the other would perform when the intensity was ratcheted up a few notches. We worked surprisingly well together, fast, smooth and in our own space; each distantly aware of the increasing exposure, and the increasingly loose rock. There was virtually no ice and the rock was only loosely bonded with dustings of snow. I was getting in the groove, feeling the mountain and getting in touch with the looseness of the route. So was Tex. There was no way to avoid creating a rain of detritus from falling. Every step and hand hold had to be evaluated. Several times a foot hold would blow with out warning. But we both got in the zone and simul-soloed cautiously and quickly never relying on any single hold of question. About 2:00am we passed the crotch below the first gendarme where most climbers escape right and traverse below and than regain the ridge. Without much discussion we headed up the direct line. About 30 feet below the near vertical step I found a little alcove and we dug the ropes out of our packs for the first time and I set anchor.

 

We didn’t really know what to expect when we left the car. Our rack was varied but anemic. It consisted of 3 screws, 2 pickets, 1 snarg, 1 specter, 5 pins and 4 Camalots ( 0.5-2). Of those we only used the pins & cams. As it turned out, a rock rack would have been appropriate and our ice tools were used more for excavation than for upward movement.

 

Tex took the first lead and started up. Just before the step he protected the belay with a good cam. To that point, the rocks he kicked off were trivial and went to either side of the ridge. I was concentrating on keeping the twin 70m’s from developing a tangle fuck. As he continued, I could only imagine what he was dealing with amid the almost constant chatter of stonefall. Another cam in and half way up the step I heard a curdling “OH SHIT”. The first split second I didn’t know if the large mass falling was him or rock. I tightened my belay hand and ducked into the ridge, trying to be small. A pony keg exploded 15 feet from me and defying reason followed the ridge line. A cantaloupe simultaneously hit the rock against which I was pressed and my helmet and an apple thunked my shoulder blade. Amazingly the rock missed the rope completely and didn’t sweep Tex from his stance. A piece barely nicked one of the anchor slings, but really no harm was dealt. Tex continued on. The only comment of the challenge I knew he must be struggling with was a calm “ This may be beyond me.”. Later, a freely falling watermelon missed me (and the puddled rope) by less than two feet sending a high speed lime into my other shoulder. 120 feet with only four pieces of value Tex finished what, I think, was a brilliant lead. He had placed gear evenly and with forethought. A lesser climber would have burnt though the cams way too early. He found a little crotch in the rock and drove in a couple of pins. I followed as quickly as I could appreciating the fact that he lead that pitch. I backed up his anchor with a precious cam, shuffled gear and continued up. I managed to get a very solid, thank god #2 cam in about 10 feet up to protect the belay. Up didn’t look good. The character of the rock changed. It went from relatively large pieces of hard rock to small poorly stacked chunks of soft conglomerate. 15 feet higher I managed to lasso a pile of stone with a double length sling. Knowing that I would get absolutely nothing more in the near future I paused to focus. The ridge was about 2 1/2 feet wide, slightly overhanging at first on the left edge and near vertical on the right for hundreds of feet in both directions. Spicy indeed! I scrabbled on. I found that if I peeled the first layer of the left lip back I could find purchase with my left hand. The choss had about one half of an inch of snow on it. Enough to cover any real view of what was beneath but way to little to provide purchase. Sometimes I could get the ax in my right hand to stick in the mud between the soft rocks but usually I just clawed with my gloves, kicked with crampons and hugged the ridge and moved up. The angle decreased but so did my security.

 

Just below the top I stopped to take a situation assessment. I absolutely could not trust any hold. My feet were blowing more often than they were sticking, The left lip had gotten soft. Once I had held on by only my tool, stuck two teeth into mud and the friction of the ridge on my belly as first one foot than the other blew and the rock in my left lifted from the ridge. I was maybe 50 feet above that slung pile and any fall would have involved serious injury at best. It may even have ripped Tex from his anchor. I poked my head as high as possible and could not see anything better on the top. I could not imagine getting over and setting a rappel sling that would hold and there was no way that it could be made safe for Tex to follow. I dug around in the mud looking for something; anything that might work. It was too hard and rocky to cut a grove but way too soft for a pin. I was at the line beyond which there was no return and I doubted there was a solution higher.

 

By the time I managed to down climb, first light was tingeing the sky. Tex patiently pulled in rope while he froze at his perch. About half way back to the slung pile I got in a body weight pin and was able to let him slip into his parka. We re-arranged the anchor as Helens, Adams, Rainier and Jefferson brightened in the distance. Low clouds swirled, water like, down in the valleys. The beauty and peace didn’t quite match the feeling in my gut, the self doubts, the questions of failure and what ifs. Three rappels later (the last of which was 71 meters), directly off the right side and we were on the snow slope above the Reid and heading back to the car. We met Shredmaximus and his partner Drew coming down from the saddle and on their way up the Leuthold, craving ice.

 

Tex and I climbed very well together and have already found a bond, a friendship that comes from a shared struggle. We had fun and pushed and succeeded in many ways. I look forward to climbing with him again. The only casualty was my helmet, which upon close inspection has a hairline crack half way through it. We didn’t even have to leave any cams on the mountain!

 

Of course I am plagued by thoughts of “did I puss out?”, “would a climber harder than me just have stood up and walked to the top?” or “if I had just had more of the right gear and wove the two ropes to each side of the ridge would it have been safer”. I’ll try it again someday and see what happens.

 

 

[ 11-25-2002, 01:21 PM: Message edited by: Terminal Gravity ]

[Terminal_Gravity]

Oh Yeah, There are 3 pins, 4 slings and 3 carabiners up there. If you want to go get'em, you can have 'em.

[allthumbs]

I'll pass, but thanks for the generous offer.

[Terminal_Gravity]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Muffy The Wanker Sprayer:

RIVITING!!! thanks TG! What a great experience to read about

 

sk

---

Thank Muffy...you made my day!

[sk]

[Terminal_Gravity]

quote:

---

Originally posted by shredmaximus:

Yep it was MtHigh up on Leuthold. I was over at Beacon with B-rock and Funguy wondering what shenanigans were taking place high above.

 

Congrats on a great trip and great TR!

 

---

Oops! Sorry Shread, Sorry Mountain High. I guess after 3 pints & 2 bourbons at the pdx Pub club I got things a bit confused. cheers

[Winter]

So where's the TR MtHigh?

[sketchfest]

Yeah! what kind of condition was Leutholds in? Good ice...ANY ice?

[iain]

I won't speak for him but since I waste far more time on this site than he does he said it rocked.

[Dru]

I like TG's new User Title.

[rbw1966]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Terminal Gravity:

Oh Yeah, There are 3 pins, 4 slings and 3 carabiners up there. If you want to go get'em, you can have 'em.

---

Add the two pickets I left up there last winter when we bailed from the same spot and you've got yourself a nice rack.

 

Good job TG!

 

As soon as it freezes up I'm heading back up there.

[ryland_moore]

Excellent TR. You've got more ballz than I do. I've looked at the thing in rime ice conditions and thought to myself, "Maybe". I've looked at it with no snow and thought, "No fucking way!" (for me at least. Glad you all made it down safe. Excellent TR and you live to climb it another day. Congrats. Good luck on round 2.

[wayne]

I hate it when there is high Fruit-fall hazard!At least they are softer than rocks, I only know 2 people that where crazy enough to climb that thing in dry conditions and I wasnt one of them. Though there is a good dry route on Castle Crags Direct that almost is a classic IV-5.7.Good job on coming back alive!

[texplorer]

Not since my first naive days as a beginning climber have I intentionally put myself in as much danger. I cannot add to the Free-beer-giving Lord of Spray's eloquent account of our attempt at this noble and harrowing route. Thanks for the experience TG. The Yokum was even more awe inspiring and impressive than I had anticipated. Exposure, position, and the classic choss we all know and love affirm that it will haunt me until I return to pluck this gem from the heavens.

Carpe Diem

[Winter]

Great TR Steve. Sounds like you made a wise choice and will be back when it is in better shape.

 

Shred - How was Leuthold's? I was staring at it yesterday wondering if it was in shape.

[sk]

RIVITING!!! thanks TG! What a great experience to read about

 

sk

[iain]

I think that was MtnHigh over by Leut's. Best wait for high wind, precip, and some cold temps for the ridge it seems. No reason to play w/ rock on that thing.

[Terminal_Gravity]

No, Thank YOU, Texplorer for thr experience. ( Not meaning to sound like George Carlin)

 

Tex, I suspect that we acctually picked one of the worst times to attempt the route. Clearly, Full rime would be best but even if it had been on a warm day in August we could have more easily assessed the rock and been able to climb with out those pesky gloves. The little dusting of snow only made things slippery and hard to judge without adding any security. Live & learn!

 

Carpe Diem (later)

 

[ 11-26-2002, 08:45 AM: Message edited by: Terminal Gravity ]

[EddieE]

That was one of the best TR's I've read here. Thanks.

[bolt_clipper]

Shades of Twight...too bad nobody died.

[thelawgoddess]

spectacular!

[SEF]

Congrats on a fine report on a fine effort and for getting back down without incident.

[Terminal_Gravity]

Dru, Looks like I lost my esteemed user title. Whaa!