denalidevo Posted October 17, 2009 Posted October 17, 2009 Trip: Yosemite Valley - Wrap-up: two weeks in The Valley Date: 10/11/2009 Trip Report: Sep 27 through Oct 11: my fifth annual Fall trip to The Valley. Good times as usual, including my first ever big wall. The sum of it: Munginella - II, 5.6 (led p2) Church Bowl Lieback - I, 5.8 (led) Revival - I, 5.10a (TR) The Grack, Center - II, 5.6 (led p1,3) The Grack, Left - II, 5.7 (led p2) Sloth Wall - I, 5.7 (followed) Just for Starters - I, 5.10a (led) Anti Ego Grack - I, 5.7 (led) Turkey Pie - I, 5.7 (TR) Nurdle - I, 5.8 (led) Sherrie's Crack - I, 5.10c (TR) Royal Arches - III, 5.7 A0 (led p1; simuled p2-4; led p5, 6; simuled p7; led p9, 11, 12, 15) **3rd ascent and still fun The Goblet, Center - I, 5.6 (led) The Goblet, Right - I, 5.8/9 (TR) Goodrich Pinnacle - II+, 5.9R (led p3-7) Knob Job - I, 5.10b (led p2, 5.8) Sherrie's Crack - I, 5.10c (TR) Babble On - I, 5.10a off-width (followed) Suds - I, 5.9 (led) Boneheads - I, 5.10b (led - sport route) Crest Jewel - III, 5.10a (led p1, 2, 4, 6, 8) Highway Star - I, 5.10a/b (TR) Southern Man - V, C2 5.9 (led p3 free 5.8; led p7 C1 5.7) Copper Penny - I, 5.10a off-width (followed) Five and Dime - I, 5.10d (followed) Pictorial highlights: The Grack, Glacier Point Apron Sloth Wall, Knob Hill A0 pendulum, Royal Arches Pitch 14, Royal Arches Pitch 3, Crest Jewel Pitch 7, Crest Jewel Half Dome panorama from North Dome Crest Jewel summit shot Washington Column Pitch 4, Southern Man Chillin' on Dinner Ledge, Washington Column Sunset on El Cap from Washington Column Jugging on day two of Southern Man Pitch 6, Southern Man Climber on South Face of Washington Column Jugging pitch 6, Southern Man Leading pitch 7, Southern Man Final rap off Washington Column Our progress on Southern Man - we climbed 7 of the 10 pitches Seth leading Copper Penny The perils of off-width crack climbing View 'em all: Yosemite 2009 photos Gear Notes: Placed my first #6 Camalot, bought some offset nuts too... Approach Notes: Absolutely NO deadly manzanita bushwhacks and unplanned bivies! Quote
mountainmatt Posted October 17, 2009 Posted October 17, 2009 Awesome man That is one nice set of lines to get on. Anything from the list that stands out as a must do? I really wanted to get on Crest Jewel earlier this year, but it didn't end up happening. How did you descend from the top of north dome? Quote
denalidevo Posted October 18, 2009 Author Posted October 18, 2009 Crest Jewel is very nice, particularly if you're a slab aficionado. We chose to drive to the Porcupine Creek trailhead from The Valley (~1:15) and do the 5 mile approach on easy trail, skirting down alongside North Dome to the base of CJ. Meant a simple hike back to the car from the top of ND after the climb instead of descending North Dome Gully to The Valley. Goodrich Pinnacle was another, I'd tried it twice before and had been weathered off both attempts. Some of the trickiest slab route-finding I've ever done. Worth checking out route beta on supertopo.com beforehand... Pat and Jack's Pinnacle is a great crag - some great trad climbs (Sherrie's Crack, Nurdle, Knob Job) and even one of the best sport climbs I've ever lead (Boneheads). Church Bowl Lieback is classic and another (unlisted) Church Bowl must-do would be Bishop's Terrace - 200 feet of some of the best 5.8 crack on the planet. Quote
stevetimetravlr Posted October 18, 2009 Posted October 18, 2009 dude, that is getting it done and then some. Way to rack up some mileage. Quote
ryanhuetter Posted October 18, 2009 Posted October 18, 2009 Great picture from Crest Jewel of the Ahwiyah point rockfall. Also props on leading of Copper Penny. That doesn't get done too much. My first trip to the valley several years ago I walked up to it to lead it, with a single 4" Camalot as my big piece. That was a lesson in humility! Quote
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