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vegastradguy
Mar 15, 2005, 7:08 AM
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To give a little background on this climb, I should give you some information about my motivations to climb Epinephrine as well as a little information on my partner- Scary Larry DeAngelo.
In September of 2002, on a hot afternoon, I trudged into Black Velvet Canyon for the first time, following my mentor at the time. We were going to do my first multipitch route- Froglands. It was so incredibly hot, and I was still so wet behind the ears that I had neglected to bring proper foot attire, so I was wearing some old timberland boots I had stuffed in my car with no socks- my pack was stuffed full of my partners gear, and I thought we’d never finish the approach (it turned out to be the longest half an hour hike I ever made!). The climb itself was moderate, in the shade, and a lot of fun. Coming up to the summit, I awaited that rush of accomplishment I thought I would receive for topping out on such a huge climb. I topped out, felt the rush, then turned west and my heart plummeted. There, looming above us ominously was the Black Velvet Wall, home of some of the best routes in Red Rocks, soaring over 2000’ into the sky. It was so big, that you could barely see the top and you could not see the bottom from the summit. I knew then, with almost absolute certainty that I would never be able to climb that peak. Soon after, I learned of the most famous (and fearsome) route on the wall- Epinephrine. In a lot of ways, I’ve been training my whole career for this climb…mostly because I wasn’t entirely sure I was capable of doing it.
Flash forward two years and I’m climbing strong. I’m beginning to onsight 5.10 trad pretty consistently and I’ve acquired a new climbing partner- Larry DeAngelo. Larry is a veteran climber, and in a lot of ways, a really old school trad climber. Aside from Larry’s massive knowledge of the area and his membership among the old timers of Red Rocks (he is good friends with Joe Herbst, the Uriostes, among others), he is also the author of one of the best climbing history books I’ve ever read, A Red Rock Odyssey (co-authored with Bill Thiry, another partner of mine), as well as writing the History sections for the Red Rocks Supertopo. Yet, what most stands out about Larry is his choice of climbing equipment and his chosen belay method. You see, Larry still wears swami belt. He climbs using wires, dolt nuts, and titons in addition to cams. He ties in with an overhand knot. Finally, Larry still owns his very first (and still only) belay device- his hip. This, as you can imagine, makes a lot of folks nervous, but I’ve come to accept it for two reasons: 1) hip belays provide a nice soft catch, especially on leader falls and 2) Larry hasn’t had enough practice with an ATC to not short-rope me when I’m on lead. Truthfully, though, I like the hip belay, and frankly, its sort of fun to watch other climbers cringe when they find out I lead with Larry’s hip as my belay.
Larry, of course, has done Epinephrine, along with Refried Brains and the Velvet Wall: Original Route (Epinephrine is actually a variation of this route). So, on the day before Halloween in 2004, Larry and I climbed Dream of Wild Turkeys to the summit of the Black Velvet Wall. This was a great climb- picture perfect face climbing for 12 pitches to Turkeyland Ledge and then about 1000’ of 4th class to the summit of the wall via some interesting route finding. Although I had topped on the Velvet Wall, I still felt like I had something I had to do- Epinephrine was still waiting for me. This was really a strange thing, too, since Turkeys is a technically tougher climb, and certainly more sustained at the grade. Yet, I still felt that fear deep inside of me- that fear that I was not capable of doing the biggest route on this wall. DoWT, although it goes to the summit, the technical climbing actually ends about two pitches below Epi’s, and the route itself starts a little higher as well. It is also not a direct line to the summit- it meanders a bit here and there. Epinephrine, on the other hand, goes more or less straight up for (if you link it correctly) nine 200’ rope lengths plus about three pitches worth of 4th class to top out on.
We didn’t get a chance to do Epi last fall mostly because we had a slew of big projects to get out of the way and I was sort of waiting until spring for it- I wanted a nice day to do the climb as well as time to get stronger. Over the winter, when it was not raining, we managed a few FA’s, a few FRA’s, as well as Hot Fudge Thursday in a snow storm, and an old Joe Herbst climb called Deep Space. Soon after, though, the winter storms rolled in and all but holed us up until spring. The rains left a little while ago, and after they had dried off, we were back out on the rock, establishing our finest FA yet- A Song and a Prayer, a beautiful 5.10a that runs up the prow just left of Jubilant Song (credit for the line goes to Larry!). After this we were feeling great and I asked Larry if he’d be interested in joining me on Epinephrine the next weekend. He said of course, it was a great climb and he’d love to do it again. Of course, along with my fear, we both had a specific reason for doing Epi- it was going to serve as a benchmark for the really big route of the season- Resolution Arete. Epi is shorter, but still big enough to serve as a barometer for our speed on a big route like Resolution. A good time would mean Resolution could probably be done in a push, a bad time would either mean more training or a bivy! So, we planned it out that on March 11th, 2005 at 5:30am, we would start up Epinephrine.
It’s 4:30am and Larry and I are racing up the 160 toward the Black Velvet turnoff, both excited about the coming day- it’s promising to be a good one. Las Vegas is at the end of a weeklong heat wave- the high today is expected to be in the low 80’s, making for a pleasant day in the shade on Epi. I turn off the 160 and start down the dirt road. As we come around the first hill we see the headlights in the distance. Damn. It’s going to be a race and they’ve got at least five minutes on us, maybe more. We hit the parking lot to find three cars- two parties getting ready, the third already on the trail. I quickly put my harness on and Larry grabs the pack with the rope and we’re on the trail, ahead of the two in the parking lot, but behind the first.
We’re moving quickly through the darkness- Larry and I both know the way and we’re counting on the party ahead of us (who are from Oregon) to make at least one mistake en route, allowing us to have some hope of at least catching them at the base and perhaps reach a deal to allow us to go first or find out if they’re fast enough that it won’t be a problem. Luck is with us as we approach the 4th class step to the base- we caught them! Up the rock and to the base- they overshot it! They’re going for the 4th class ramps to skip the first pitch. Larry flakes at the base while I put my shoes on. The good news is, the race has focused me, making me forget about my (admittedly unfounded) apprehensions about my ability to climb this route.
5:45am: I tie in and am off quickly up the first pitch, planning on linking the first two. I hit the alternate start in between the two guys in front of us and continue up the pitch- they made a fatal error and I’m able to jockey us into the front. They can’t see the first bolt of the pitch, and since I’m on the rock, tied in and in a better position- I see the bolt first and head up the rest of the pitch. I’m soon off belay and Larry is following quickly behind me. We changeover quickly and Larry scampers up and out of sight up the first easy chimney. Soon enough, the leader from the party below is arriving at my belay. I make some space for him and we chat amiably while Larry finishes his lead. The leader seems quick, but I can’t tell about the other guy, so it’s too soon to tell whether my passing them was a good thing or will come back to haunt us. No time to worry about that now, Larry’s off belay and I’m headed up to the base of the first chimney pitch.
Like many famous climbs, Epinephrine must be seen to be believed. You can see the line of the route from the canyon, but you cannot see the famous chimneys until you actually either north of the route on the ground or you are actually climbing it- and so I got my first look as I arrived at belay. A 600’ tower leaning against a seemingly vertical wall with about 3’-4’ of space in between them that is filled by a nice flake that serves as the source of the protection needed to keep the chimneys from being insane. I rack up and decide to at least link the first two pitches of chimney into one.
The first pitch isn’t so bad right away, but the business begins soon enough. It’s not particularly difficult from a technique standpoint…I’ve been on more technical 5.7’s than this thing. However, it’s grueling and tortuously slow work. There’s no real way to move quickly in them. It’s too wide and too slick to hurry- so I just put my head down and cranked through. The linkup provides and interesting moment. The flake on the 2nd pitch starts to nose out into the chimney, creating a sort of ‘roof’ to negotiate around. This gives the impression that once you clear the nose; you’re on easy ground until belay. No such luck, folks…I arrived at the belay above sweating and called off belay as soon as I could catch my breath. By this time, the other party had caught us, but I wasn’t worried- this thing was bound to slow them down as well. Larry made decent time up the chimneys- it was his third trip up them, so he knew what he was getting into. However, the linkup tired him as it did me and we quickly agreed to let me lead the next pitch since I had had a chance to rest up. We re-flaked the rope and I was off post-haste. After a short bit of chimney work, the next pitch actually goes to an off-width section followed by a strange lie-back maneuver to your choice of routes. If you want to link the next two, you step left into the chimney again and head to the top of the tower. If you want to separate the pitches, you step right into a beautiful finger and hand crack. I’ll leave it to you to pick which one I chose.
A couple of minutes later I’m sitting on a cozy ledge belaying Larry up. The leader of the party below was just arriving at belay as Larry left. Soon Larry joins me and racks up for his chimney pitch- which is the psychological crux of the climb. He’s off, and after trying to remember the traverse into the chimney, he’s in and making good time up the pitch, making the leadout between the bolts look easy. As I watch Larry disappear overhead, exiting the chimneys, I look down to see the other party’s second struggling on the last 30’ of the first chimney pitch. He has to take a hang, and I’m feeling good- they’re not going to catch us. Larry calls off belay, I say good luck to them, and am off to the top of the Black Tower.
I should pause and give Larry a big credit for leading that pitch. The run-outs are big- 40’ in one place. Although the climbing is secure and easier than below, it’s unnerving to know that, although two bolts protect you, a fall would be disastrous. There are, however, actual holds on this pitch. This pitch goes a bit quicker, and soon I am at belay, complimenting Larry on his lead and we take a quick break to refill water bottles and have a snack. We definitely have time- we’re sitting on the tower in the sun! Epi only gets sun in the early morning- the Black Tower loses sun at about 10am…we’re way ahead of schedule and I’m excited! We’re definitely in good shape and the climbing only gets easier!
The next two pitches are mostly uneventful- easy climbing up to the base of the Elephant’s Trunk and then up to the top of it and the base of the famous dihedral which characterizes the upper half of the route. The next pitch is mine, a 180’ long 5.9 face pitch- another linkup for us. I head up and immediately realize why this route is such a classic. The climbing is superb- mostly pleasant face climbing with a couple of tricky moves. Protection is good, although I did not have enough slings, so I had to cannibalize the rack a bit to get to belay. The stance is okay- a little cubby-hole that I sit in while I belay Larry up. I look down to see the party below just arriving at the top of the tower. We’re now three pitches ahead of them and they are not gaining at all. Larry arrives and is halfway up the next pitch before the party below begins the next chunk of climbing.
Larry’s pitch is almost better than mine- the climbing is easier, but fun with good movement and great protection. I arrive to find him snickering about his belay anchor equalization techniques- he’s using a weird trick, but it’s fine (sometimes I worry about Larry when he tells me his anchor is interesting- I’ve come up to find him using a piece of knotted webbing, ballnutz, and other questionable gear to form his anchor). I gather the gear and continue up; passing the so-called 5.9 roof with ease (it’s more like 5.8, to be honest, really not bad at all). I arrive at the big ledge and build the first natural anchor of the climb and bring Larry up. The last pitch is above us- 5.6 to the ramp. Larry dispatches it quickly and I follow, arriving a few minutes later. All that’s left is the ramp!
We un-rope and head up the ramp. The ramp is easy, with only a couple of spots you want to be careful on…but those who aren’t used to the kind of air this climb gives you may want to stay roped up. We arrive at the tree and I check my watch- 12:45pm. Seven hours for the route. Unbelievable- and here I thought we might run into time trouble! We dawdle at the tree in the shade for a while- eating beef jerky and peanut M&M’s while I shed my harness and the rack- stuffing it in Larry’s large pack. Soon enough we stand up, I offer to take the pack, but Larry wants the comfy shoulder pads instead of the rope. Fine with me, I tie the rope on my back and we head toward the true summit and the descent, taking our time and enjoying the day.
A couple hours later we arrive at the saddle between Black Velvet and Whiskey Peak and look for our friends only to find them still on the first dihedral pitch. They still have that pitch plus three more to go before the ramp. There’s another party about a pitch below them. They’re cutting it close- they definitely will be in the dark when they arrive back at their car. We wish them luck and continue our descent back to the car.
4:08pm- I have dropped Larry at home, less than 12 hours after picking him up. I’m elated. We not only did it, but we did it quickly and efficiently and never really felt rushed. We’re not superheroes, but we are efficient and good at what we do. The best part is, with a time like that on Epi, Resolution Arete in a day becomes a distinct possibility- a bivi is unlikely if we can maintain our pace.
Two and a half years ago, I would have never believed I could climb Epinephrine at all this soon, let alone in such an efficient manner. My heart swelled with happiness- I had done what I had not thought possible, years before I imagined myself doing it. What a great climb! The weather was picture perfect, the climbing was amazing, and best of all, I was able to climb with the best partner I’ve ever had the pleasure of climbing with- Larry DeAngelo. His love of the mountains and enthusiasm for the climbing make him an amazing partner and I can’t wait to do Resolution Arête with him!
Climb Info:
We did the route in 11 pitches, although it could easily be done in 9- but we were not rushed and I’m not sure how much time would really be saved.
We took a standard rack with a few doubles in the smallish range- if I do it again, a single set of cams and stoppers plus about 16 slings instead of 12 due to linking pitches up.
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sbwyliedog
Mar 15, 2005, 7:40 AM
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Cool TR.
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pk
Mar 15, 2005, 7:46 AM
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Epi is a long climb I know Vegastradguy was grearign this climb towords Resolution on whitney. After this cruise up Epi they shouldn't have a problem getting up Whitney car to car in a day.
Nice climb Jon I enjoyed the TR.
P.K.
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vegastradguy
Mar 15, 2005, 7:48 AM
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Resolution is actually on Mt. Wilson, for those interested. I'm a long way off from doing anything in the Sierras...
thanks for reading the report!
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pk
Mar 15, 2005, 7:49 AM
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Brain is off after a long trip back today, pay no attention to my previous post!
P.K.
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climbinginchico
Mar 15, 2005, 7:57 AM
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Awesome read, and congrats on such a cool-sounding climb!
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vegastradguy
Mar 16, 2005, 4:06 AM
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hey thanks! :)
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dfoerstel
Mar 16, 2005, 4:48 AM
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John, nice Tr........................Hmmmmmmmm someday.
Dave
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jimdavis
Mar 16, 2005, 4:54 AM
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You didn't run into a some what large group from Maine, did you? A few of my buddies were out there for the past 2 weeks. I know they did Epi last year, not sure what they were on this year. They had a couple of the guys who helped establish RR's with them last week...wish I could remember their names.
Cheers,
Jim
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kcrag
Mar 16, 2005, 5:48 AM
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Just learned about epinephrine in my nutrition class yesterday.
I read the TR because it's definitely on my list. Nice report. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
Oh, and I hope you don't mind if I steal your phrase 'cannabalize the rack'. Laughed out loud at that one!
Congrats on the successful climb. Now you gotta check out the Black Canyon here in Colorado.
-kelly.
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vegastradguy
Mar 16, 2005, 6:02 AM
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um, i didnt see any folks from maine, but there were alot of folks out there when we did the route....perfect blue skies and 80 degrees out made for the perfect day of climbing!
black canyon-- definitely on the list. if i end up in Boulder for grad school, i'll definitely be checking that place out!
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dennyg
Mar 16, 2005, 1:24 PM
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Yah
Tanks
This may come in handy...Been going back and forth about this climb with by bud, I'm meeting out there the end of the month.
This will be my first time in RR...so... not this time... next for sure!
God I love that commitment.
Thanks again
Me
80s ha
Hot down where we're going
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dennyg
Mar 16, 2005, 1:25 PM
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Yah
Tanks
This may come in handy...Been going back and forth about this climb with by bud, I'm meeting out there the end of the month.
This will be my first time in RR...so... not this time... next for sure!
God I love that commitment.
Thanks again
Me
80s ha
Hot down where we're going
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j_ung
Mar 16, 2005, 2:49 PM
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Nice John! I especially liked the Scary larry opening. Really drew me in!
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tenesmus
Mar 16, 2005, 2:54 PM
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In reply to: We’re moving quickly through the darkness- Larry and I both know the way and we’re counting on the party ahead of us (who are from Oregon) to make at least one mistake en route, allowing us to have some hope of at least catching them at the base and perhaps reach a deal to allow us to go first or find out if they’re fast enough that it won’t be a problem. Luck is with us as we approach the 4th class step to the base- we caught them! Up the rock and to the base- they overshot it! They’re going for the 4th class ramps to skip the first pitch. Larry flakes at the base while I put my shoes on. The good news is, the race has focused me, making me forget about my (admittedly unfounded) apprehensions about my ability to climb this route. 5:45am: I tie in and am off quickly up the first pitch, planning on linking the first two. I hit the alternate start in between the two guys in front of us and continue up the pitch- they made a fatal error and I’m able to jockey us into the front. They can’t see the first bolt of the pitch, and since I’m on the rock, tied in and in a better position- I see the bolt first and head up the rest of the pitch. I’m soon off belay and Larry is following quickly behind me. We changeover quickly and Larry scampers up and out of sight up the first easy chimney. Soon enough, the leader from the party below is arriving at my belay. I make some space for him and we chat amiably while Larry finishes his lead. The leader seems quick, but I can’t tell about the other guy, so it’s too soon to tell whether my passing them was a good thing or will come back to haunt us. No time to worry about that now, Larry’s off belay and I’m headed up to the base of the first chimney pitch.
You were totally stressed about whether or not you'd beat them to the punch. No doubt it would have sucked to be behind them, but how could you know what they'd climb like. Another thing is they came from out of town just to do a climb you could do any free day you want. That's the breaks I guess.
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tammarak
Mar 16, 2005, 2:55 PM
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Thanks for sharing. I did Epi in December 04 - my second gradeIV. It was amazing - I was just at he point where I'd been onsighting 5.10 and I was irresistablly drawn to the Epi's serious reputation. It's really much tamer than the reputation suggests. However engaging runouts on easier climbing make it not everyone's cup-of -tea. Can't wait to get back to Red Rocks this fall - I think I'll be ready for the Resolution Arete!
Climbing with Larry must have made it more adventurous,
- way to go!
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vegastradguy
Mar 16, 2005, 3:12 PM
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In reply to: Its a fact of life, but I don't like how competetitive it is on some climbs. That's just the way it is in popular areas, but it adds a funky element to everything. I felt that way when I first climbed in Black Velvet Canyon and it kind of brought out the asshole in me. (I hope the amount of this quality in me is not very self-evident) Thing is, I'll be back there for more because that place is a rarity. You were totally stressed about whether or not you'd beat them to the punch. No doubt it would have sucked to be behind them, but how could you know what they'd climb like. Another thing is they came from out of town just to do a climb you could do any free day you want. That's the breaks I guess.
I agree with just about everything you said. Black Velvet is one of those places that the climbing is so good and the routes are so big that races are common- I don't think anyone likes it, but such is life. We were lucky- they must have made a mistake on the path. I think if they hadnt, we would have probably passed them at the top of the tower anyway, but there it is, i guess.
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wanderinfree
Mar 16, 2005, 4:23 PM
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Great TR. My partner and I have been looking at Epi, but the overwhelming chimney elements makes this one a bit of a mental block. Congrats on overcoming your nemesis and having a great time doing it.
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mattm
Mar 16, 2005, 4:27 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: We’re moving quickly through the darkness- Larry and I both know the way and we’re counting on the party ahead of us (who are from Oregon) to make at least one mistake en route, allowing us to have some hope of at least catching them at the base and perhaps reach a deal to allow us to go first or find out if they’re fast enough that it won’t be a problem. Luck is with us as we approach the 4th class step to the base- we caught them! Up the rock and to the base- they overshot it! They’re going for the 4th class ramps to skip the first pitch. Larry flakes at the base while I put my shoes on. The good news is, the race has focused me, making me forget about my (admittedly unfounded) apprehensions about my ability to climb this route. 5:45am: I tie in and am off quickly up the first pitch, planning on linking the first two. I hit the alternate start in between the two guys in front of us and continue up the pitch- they made a fatal error and I’m able to jockey us into the front. They can’t see the first bolt of the pitch, and since I’m on the rock, tied in and in a better position- I see the bolt first and head up the rest of the pitch. I’m soon off belay and Larry is following quickly behind me. We changeover quickly and Larry scampers up and out of sight up the first easy chimney. Soon enough, the leader from the party below is arriving at my belay. I make some space for him and we chat amiably while Larry finishes his lead. The leader seems quick, but I can’t tell about the other guy, so it’s too soon to tell whether my passing them was a good thing or will come back to haunt us. No time to worry about that now, Larry’s off belay and I’m headed up to the base of the first chimney pitch. Its a fact of life, but I don't like how competetitive it is on some climbs. That's just the way it is in popular areas, but it adds a funky element to everything. I felt that way when I first climbed in Black Velvet Canyon and it kind of brought out the asshole in me. (I hope the amount of this quality in me is not very self-evident) Thing is, I'll be back there for more because that place is a rarity. You were totally stressed about whether or not you'd beat them to the punch. No doubt it would have sucked to be behind them, but how could you know what they'd climb like. Another thing is they came from out of town just to do a climb you could do any free day you want. That's the breaks I guess.
I've found that on almost all of the big moderate climbs (Epi, Royal Arches, Grand Wall etc) most parties are in slightly over their heads and as such will be slow - I'm pretty realistic about my long route abilities and as such had an experience like vegas - we CRUISED Epi no problem. I can and do move fast. If a party catches me they're solid and I'll let 'em pass. The problem arises when the slower party doesn't recognize they're holding people up and just camps on the route. Yeah Yeah, first there first on the route but I think this is within reason. If a party is going to take 14 hrs and I'm going to do it in 8 - they should enjoy the scenery for a bit and then continue on - They don't have to mind you, but it's a common courtesy. Exception to this is when rock fall concerns are high...
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trad_it
Mar 16, 2005, 5:56 PM
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Registered: Feb 17, 2005
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Good TR!
BTW, I was part of that "third group cutting it short". You guessed right, the headlamps came out halfway down the trail between the ridge and frogland.
Our times:
Started climbing at 6:30;
Top of tower at noon;
Top of the climb (big pine tree) at 5:00.
Add a half hour to pack and figure out that you HAVE to go to the top of the mountain to get to the start of the trail means that it was already getting darker before we got started on the decent.
Overall, great climb!
Things learned:
- LED lamps barely generate enough light to find cairns that are 30 feet apart. Luckily we had one of the combo halogen/led headlamps
- Be fast or start early. Coming down in the dark really really sucks.
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vegastradguy
Mar 16, 2005, 7:51 PM
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trad_it! nice job making it to the top by dark, though...we were admittedly a little concerned about both of the other parties when we saw that you guys were still pretty low on the wall when we hit the saddle on Whiskey Peak...glad to hear you made it okay!
i've heard that descent sucks in the dark, especially if you havent done it before and arent exactly clear on how it works.
again, congrats!
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reno
Mar 16, 2005, 7:59 PM
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Absolutely stellar TR.
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uasunflower
Mar 16, 2005, 8:18 PM
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thx, additional inspiration for my trip! I actually got Larry's contact info through another friend, funny he's also your partner! Our passes might cross in LV!
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cracklover
Mar 16, 2005, 8:21 PM
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Registered: Nov 14, 2002
Posts: 10162
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Nice TR, thanks!
GO
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vegastradguy
Mar 16, 2005, 8:29 PM
Post #25 of 36
(9416 views)
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
Posts: 5919
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thanks for all the kind words, everyone- glad to see you all enjoyed the TR! :D
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