Half Way Up

Day 5 - August 20th, 1997.

We woke early, and saw the weather was clear and bright, with hardly  a cloud in the sky. "Looks like the day to do it", we rushed over to the base and were ready to start climbing by around 9 am.  After a "hard man" photo of me decked out in all our high tech climbing gear I began to lead the first pitch. 

Pitch #1, #2 and #3:

 I realized very quickly that I was carrying a lot of gear, and that it was VERY heavy.  All told, I was trying to lead this pitch with about 30 to 35 lb. hanging on me.  I got about 80 feet off the ground, got off route, and took a 20 foot whipper as I tried to down-climb back to the route, pulling Grant way off the ground.  Calmly Grant said "got you" as he was wrenched off his feet, he's so cool.  I was shaken.  It wasn't a terribly difficult climb, but I was not being cool.  I was intimidated, excited, tense, I was feeling our isolation, and the magnitude of our climb,  and all these things together compromised my climbing.  I told Grant to lower me, and I suggested that he should lead the first pitch, since it would be a couple of minutes until I recollected my frayed sense of confidence.  I mean it is 5.9! and I was freaking!  how the hell could I expect to make it up 20 something pitches.

Our plan, was to aid climb the first three pitches since they are typically wet.  But Grant led the first pitch free, and then lead the second and third pitch on aid.  It took us a painful wet 4 hours to get through those first three pitches. I jugged up behind Grant, and Grant hauled our gear.

Pitch #4, #5, #6 and #7:

Above the first three pitches the climbing eased off a lot.  The next four pitches are rated at 5.7, and despite a bit of a slow start for me on pitch #4, Grant and I lead confidently and comfortably.  The rock was relatively solid, and it felt great to have my hands on the rock, the protection was really good, and the sun was shining.  And already, at pitch #4 the views and the exposure were breathtaking.  We made good time, going at about 1 pitch an hour, slow but we were hauling a bag through a chimney and it was god awful hauling.

Pitch #8:

I lead over an easy section of grassy ledges and up to a corner below the bivy ledge.  When I realized that I was just below the ledge, I was SO happy!  strength anew flooded into my arms, and I led the layback 5.9 with about as much style and grace as a hippo ballet dancer, but considering how tired I was, I felt like a hero as I pulled myself over the last move, and up onto this ritzy bivy ledge that could easily sleep may be 6 people in a pinch.

We awoke to a beautiful clear dawning sky. Those bells were right. We had a quick breakfast and packed our sleeping bags and clothing for the climb into packs. Everything else was already at the base of the route so our procrastination options were pretty well exhausted and we had no choice but to scuttle off through the grassy meadow in the growing light.

We got to the base of the climb in short order since we knew the route from yesterdays gear run and our packs were very light. By now the sky was big and blue and we were feeling pretty good about things. We looked at the first three pitches and decided that the first one would go free but the next two would certainly need aid. The face was generally dry but the corner and the cracks were either damp or still dripping.

This being the case and me being the only one with any aid climbing experience we decided that Mark should lead off and then I would aid the next two. We lashed on our shoes and slung the gear and jugging equipment and water bottles and wall hauler and … By the time it was all ready we were each festooned with about 30 lbs of gear.  Hmm this should make leading interesting.

Mark headed off up the flakes in good style, with the occasional comment about them being damp but progressing well. Then he took a line that I didn’t think was too promising, but hey, he’s the one on the rock and things often look different from the comfort of the ground. 
...Apparently not!  since the frequency of disparaging comments was increasing and Mark decided to come back down a bit to try a different line. Fine by me, I don’t think I could hang on for very long on ground as steep as he is on at the moment... Apparently he cant either because all of a sudden he’s flying and the rope is singing  VERY UNCOOL; then  I’m grabbing and locking off and now I’m flying too! Everything comes to a stop and we look at each other and wait for our hearts to settle. I had grabbed at the load side of the rope as well (gut reaction) and had burned the skin on several fingers. Not good since I was already rather light on for finger skin from clambering up that fresh tallus slope. Still, No blubbing! I’ll just have to deal with it   - my own stupid fault anyway. We decide that it might be better if I lead while Mark gets his head back together. I totally  understand since I absolutely HATE falling myself. Its probably one of the main reasons I don’t often climb harder than 10a.

Anyway I lead up on a line that seems to work for me and yep those cracks are mighty wet. I haul the bag up to the first belay and Mark comes up too. Then its time to aid. I haven’t done this stuff for about 3 years but the line is only A1. The next two pitches go very slowly while I get my aid thing together. I forgot what aiding was like!

S L O W! 
I finally make it around the 10a roof at the top of the 3^rd pitch and set up the station on good bolts. Its now 11am and we are way behind schedule. Mark is good to go and heads off up the 4^th without a hitch and now we are into the chimney. The rock is good and solid, with bolted belays and heaps good pro. The climbing is easy and only a bit grubby in places. Normally we would probably symal-climb this sort of stuff but we have the pig to haul. And Oh Boy is it a PIG!  The “water heater” gets stuck at every opportunity and we are really working hard to go as fast as we can.

Hey  Mark  - Remind me not to haul in a chimney again!

Onward and upward. The light is fading now but we are very close to the bivy ledge. Mark leads off on what I hope is the final pitch and it seems to take forever but finally I hear a distant “safe”  (long pitch) and up I go, chasing and encouraging the pig past the many obstructions. I am greeted at the lip of the ledge by a blood stained hand reaching down out of the dusk to help me up onto the platform.  Safe for the night  -  but that was the easy day. The hard stuff is tomorrow!

The bivy ledge:

There we were, completely exhausted, sore, hands raw and bleeding, toes aching, but nonetheless absolutely totally exhilarated.  The views from the ledge were spectacular, and as we ate our high fat, high energy lightweight and tasteless food (actually Grant had a big can of Puritan Beef Stew, hardly lightweight but it definitely looked tasteless), we took in the scenery, the stars, the sheer cliffs, the valley floor now 1200 feet below us, the streams shining silver in the moonlight.  They say a night on the ledge is a spiritual experience, and I totally agree.  Above our heads, the second half of the climb stretched over us, so steep and sheer, it looked like it might fall on us.  But we would deal with that part of the wall tomorrow, all we wanted to do now was stare around in wonder, eat, drink and sleep.

The night was clear and cold and the wind was light. I slept several good chunks. I’m a fitful sleeper at the best of times and normally in a location like this I would not get any sleep. However I was totally exhausted from the days efforts and sleep was easy. I woke and the sky was getting light  Already? I’m still way too tired! On closer inspection the light is in the wrong place OK so its the moon  - No the moon has set. Ooooo Ahhh Aurora. Not the bright colours that people like to bandy about in their stories but very cool non the less. Curtains of mostly white light across one horizon and waves of light coming and going above that. There was a tint of green to it and the show went on for a fair while. I told Mark but he just sort of grunted and stayed under his bag. It kept me interested for some time but I just fell asleep again in the end. Some time later I awoke to the real dawn and the new days challenges.

Boy was it cold. The Americans had said that the frost level was dropping down to just above the bivy ledge and it certainly felt like it this morning. We shoved energy bars into our heads and got our gear organized. The sleeping bags were stuffed into the haul bag and it was left on the ledge behind a boulder so that the wind couldn’t dislodge it. Just as an after thought I lay it down and moved it away from the rock wall - in case it rained.