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vegastradguy
Apr 26, 2005, 11:00 PM
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
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Looming over Red Rock Canyon is the mighty Mount Wilson, the tallest peak on the escarpment, topping out at an elevation of just over 7000’- 3000’ above the arid desert floor below. Unlike the other major formations in the escarpment, which house routes on their north and south sides, this peak houses all of the serious business right on the towering east face. Every route on this face is a testament to the skill and fortitude of the first ascent party- even those lines which are heavily bolted such as Inti Wantana and Dogma- rock quality is constantly suspect and although the face looks featureless from afar, like many large walls, it is covered in ledges, false cracks, and other devious features that make route finding a very real issue on subsequent ascents, let alone on a first ascent.
Larry has been on Wilson before- twice successfully via Lady Wilson’s Cleavage and Sentimental Journey, and once unsuccessfully on the Aeolian Wall. I, on the other hand, have been delicately avoiding this face for some time now, waiting for the right time to turn my attention to it- preparing carefully, knowing that if I attempted it before I was ready, the results could be disastrous. I also have been putting off climbing Mount Wilson for another reason- I wanted my first ascent of the peak to be via a certain route- one that is the longest in Red Rocks and considered a test piece for the area. However, my reason for wanting this particular route was more for aesthetic reasons than anything else- it is simply the most obvious and direct line up the tallest peak in the escarpment- and as an added bonus, all but 8’ of it goes free at a tolerable grade.
Finally, in April of 2005, the time had come- it was finally our time to turn to Mount Wilson and tackle the massive arête that streaks up the left side of the Aeolian Wall for 18 pitches and see what we were really made of. It was time for Resolution Arête.
Testing our Resolve….
It really sounds silly, but I really did consider our run up Epinephrine a practice run for Resolution Arête. Larry and I had been climbing well since we met, ticking off big routes in good time and I was fairly confident in our ability to do Resolution in good time as well, but I wanted to be sure. Epinephrine provided a good opportunity to do a really big route with a fairly tame approach and descent and really see what our climbing pace was like. It turned out to be much faster than I thought and we blazed up the route in seven hours. So, going into Resolution, I was pretty confident that we would top out with daylight to spare and, if all went well, would be back to the car by dusk. This was the plan anyway…and admittedly, we came close, we really did.
Approaching Resolution Arête is an adventure all by itself, especially in the dark. The trail to the base of the gully is fairly tame, with only a few route-finding issues (although, if you haven’t done the approach, it’s wise to scout it before you do it in the dark). The start of the route, however, is guarded by 800’ of 4th class scrambling up a gully filled with brush and loose rock. Once you get to the top of the gully, you make a left and shoot across a ledge to a large pine tree that marks the start of the route- well, sort of. This would turn out to be the first surprise of the day.
We dropped packs and roped up, taking our time as there wasn’t enough light to see by and there was no reason to start this route in the dark, mostly because the first pitch is famous for its scary run-out traverse. As light approached, the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering at mach speed, and I admit here that I was more nervous than I had ever been before a climb. Even though I knew we would probably make it, this is still an 18 pitch Grade V free route- serious business no matter what way you cut it. Of course, at this point, there was nothing to do but climb the damn thing, and so…
I headed down what I thought was the chimney start to make the traverse, but then it turned out to be a path down to the real start and my first real look at the chimney. The reports you read are true- if you fall, you are hosed; the chimney is about four feet wide at the top and as it drops down, it tapers off to less than a foot. The other thing that makes this pitch interesting is the need to also run the first 20’ or so out once you reach the crack to keep the rope drag down and to make the traverse sane for the second. I carefully stepped out onto the right wall, found some holds, and traversed on the fairly easy face over to the crack, which turned out to be a hand crack, despite my fears of it being wide at the start. I cruised up, placed some pro, then I began the real work on the pitch.
Here’s where things sort of got interesting. When reading about Resolution on the web and hearing about it from other folks who had done the route, it’s widely touted as the sort of route where things are hard for a few feet, then it eases off and you cruise the rest of the pitch. This was simply not the case for us. The pitches do ease off somewhat, but on a 5.9+ pitch for example, the upper part (with a few exceptions) is still solid 5.8, definitely not cruiser ground for your average aspiring 5.10 climber.
The roof went by okay (this is the point on the climb that you’re really glad you brought a #4 camalot), and as I approached belay, I thought I heard voices down in the gully. I thought to myself- no way, they’re climbing Inti Wantana (a neighboring route, supposedly of very high quality). I mean, what are the odds? Resolution Arête probably sees 15-25 ascents a year- most of them on Saturdays! Here we were on a Friday morning...not possible. As I approached the belay ledge, sure enough, our partners for the day, a pair of guides by the name of Paul and Brett showed up at the base! Well, on a route like this, its not exactly a bad thing to have another party around, just in case- although some may argue the commitment level may be slightly lower, but you won’t hear any complaining from me.
Soon enough Larry’s starting up the first pitch and Paul and Brett are racking up for the climb. I’m belaying, enjoying the sunrise, taking up rope when I hear some scuffling and grunting from Larry and out of nowhere, the rope snaps tight- our first fall of the day! My first thought is it’s that damn pack. We chose the second wears a pack option, so the leader wouldn’t have to deal with excess weight (which turned out to be a good option for us later in the day), but this also served the second up with a bear of a pack- a gallon of water, shoes, food, jackets, headlamps, etc. It turned out I was right- Larry was struggling with the pack in the awkward corner and tried to drop the pack onto his swami and popped while attempting the maneuver. He recovered nicely, though, and arrived at belay soon after that. I checked to make sure he was okay, handed him the rack, and sent him on his way.
His pitch went fairly smoothly, it was nice and short and landed him the first of thirteen spacious belay ledges we would encounter over the course of the climb. The rest of the ledges, except one, were adequate. I followed quickly and then headed up the next pitch which involved delicate stemming over iffy pro- and exciting 15’ to be sure. From there, our 60m rope let me head up the chimney above and belay at another nice ledge- where I used our #4 camalot yet again! After Larry joined me and headed up his next pitch, I had my first encounter with our friends- Paul had just enjoyed the stemming pitch and thought it was spicy as well. While he was bringing up Brett, Larry was working out the first route finding issue on the route. The pitch is an interesting one. It goes up a corner to the base of a slab. From here, you’re meant to go up and right, aiming for a stance above (which you cannot see). The tricky bit is there is absolutely no pro on the pitch above the corner. So Larry heads up and after a couple of scary moments, finds some easier ground and eventually the belay. I follow, but at the slab, I look up at where Larry went and then looked at the rope heading way off right, and thought- no way. It was at this point I noticed a few footholds trending off right which looked promising. So I began traversing to my right and after about thirty feet or so, I was directly below Larry, which was good, and I also had my fingers in a perfect finger crack that went straight up to Larry, which was even better! I’m pretty sure the way I went was about 5.6R, which was nicer than 5.8R and it also gives you solid pro much quicker.
After this belay, we scampered up and right and dropped into the notch behind the buttress to head over to the arête itself. It’s here that you get both your first glimpse of the real meat of the route as well as the remains of a previous parties escape path- two old double lines string the length of the notch and serve as path markers for climbers these days. While Paul and Brett were working out the slabs below, we started up the next pitch, which turned out to be one of my favorites of the route. Pleasant crack and face climbing just left of a big corner lead up and eventually right to huge looking roof. Once up there, the roof does indeed go at .10a (thankfully!) and puts you about 100’ below the aid crux of the route- the big roof. I brought Larry up and before he pulled the roof, dropped a 4’ sling for him to clip the pack to- no reason to pull a roof with a bunch of weight on your back, especially when the giant belay ledge is literally two feet above the roof. He pulled through nicely and we quickly decided that because of his swami belt and lack of a belay seat, I would lead the next pitch, giving me the only hanging belay on the route- this would also give him the aid roof, leaving me with the ‘free’ crux above.
I began up what I now call the spookiest pitch on the route. This is a stout pitch with bad pro leading up to a scary looking roof. It also wanders quite a bit, making rope drag an issue. The worst part, I think, was having to make the crux move over bad pro, looking up at a perfect slot for a cam that’s just out of reach! I managed to muddle through without testing pro I’m not sure would have held, slammed the cam and worked up to belay, which was sort of half hanging, half standing on a little ledge. Larry followed quick enough, handed me the pack and headed up to do some aid climbing.
Here I should stop again and thank Larry for 1) being incredibly resilient and 2) having decades of climbing behind him. It’s this sort of thing that makes him a joy to climb with. With only 4 slings as ladders and no daisies, Larry cruised up the roof without weighting the rope once. He turned the corner and finished off the pitch relatively quickly. I followed along with my daisy, weighting every piece- I suck at aid, but I managed to not lose too much time. As I pulled the lip, I noticed that the green camalot at the lip looked like it might be fixed because of the rope drag. I hung off the piece above and worked on it for a minute or two and managed to rescue it. I had to repeat this again on the piece above as well. I would have been bummed if we had fixed gear, but my philosophy is- if keeping you safe and alive means fixing a piece, then so be it- our lives are worth far more than $60. I then continued up the pitch, which turned out to be the hardest one of the route for me- very tricky and devious- especially after being a little tired from all that aid climbing (yeah, all 8’ of it!).
Finally, here it was- the pitch I fretted all day over- the 5.10 crux of the route. It turned out to be an excellent chunk of rock, however. Clean rock, excellent moves, and great pro- just the kind of pitch we all love. I started up, checked the crux, placed bomber pro and began the sequence. The crux turned out to be a couple of neat moves that were probably 5.10, but for some odd reason didn’t give me as much trouble as they probably should have. However, as I was exiting the pitch (on much easier ground), I stepped on what I thought was a good hold that actually turned out to be a football sized rock that was not attached to anything else! “ROCK!!!!!” I screamed down as I hung from two decent hand holds. Larry dodged it and Paul and Brett had thankfully arrived at the belay under the roof and the death block screamed down the route without killing or maiming anyone. On the bright side, there’s a nice foot jam there now.
The ledge at the top of this pitch has the only bolt on the climb and when you arrive and it also reveals the rest of the climb, which until now had remained hidden from sight on the left side of the arête proper. I set anchor and put Larry on belay. He did the pitch without falling and later told me that he ‘dyno’d the move’- which, if you’ve ever climbed with Larry you know is a rare occasion indeed!
We took a moment to refill our carry bottles, down a Gu, and check the time- noon. We were right on schedule! I gazed up above toward the summit and the wicked hand traverse was clearly in sight as was the chimney above it. I smiled at Larry and asked him how he was feeling. When Larry and I did Epi, we were both having an ‘on’ day- we both felt good and we romped up that climb with ease. Today, though, I seemed to be ‘on’ and Larry seemed to be running a little less than that- he had given me all the crux pitches so far, and told me honestly that the 5.9+ traverse had my name written all over it. I didn’t object, so I grabbed some gear and headed up the next pitch, which would set us up for me to lead the traverse above.
The pitch above the crux pitches is weird- it’s this left leaning ramp with a crack on the right side in a corner. It’s really awkward and has a bulge/roof move that is sort of freaky because you’re not sure how good the rock is where your feet have to go. I managed to pull through it, but then Larry came up behind me and it seemed to stop him cold. The key foot hold is this shelf thing that just looks like it shouldn’t hold body weight but turns out to be solid. Larry, being the ever cautious Red Rock climber, didn’t want to use the hold and the move spit him off when he tried to do it another way. After a brief swinging session to get him back on the ramp, he tried again and made it this time. He quickly gave me the pack and shot up the next pitch in about five minutes- I thought to myself ‘Good, he’s getting his wind back!’ cleared the belay just as our friends were arriving. I scampered up the relatively easy pitch to arrive at the base of the traverse.
There’s a picture out on the web at Eric and Lucie’s page of Eric leading this pitch and it doesn’t look that steep. In reality, it’s slightly overhanging and probably the most sustained and physical section of the route. It also happens to be pitch 13- so you’re not exactly fresh when you get to it.
I resolved to make sure that Larry would be protected from a fall on this pitch- overhanging face climbing is not Larry’s forte on a good day, let alone a less than good day- especially when there’s a fair distance of it (about 20’ or so in this case). I started up the pitch and placed a couple of pieces to protect the initial moves, then I poked my head around the corner to my left and slotted a nut for the first move in the crux section and began the rest of the pitch in earnest. The moves aren’t all that difficult, and the hands and feet are decent, the wall is just really steep through here and you have to more or less just be able to hold on. I managed to place a piece every couple of feet for Larry until it eased off, then pro got a little further apart before I disappeared into the chimney. I set belay deep in the chimney, then I set my tie in so that I could sit at the mouth of the chimney and watch Larry through the pitch.
Now, as previously noted in my Epinephrine trip report, Scary Larry doesn’t wear a harness, he uses a swami instead. On this pitch, though, this posed a particular problem. Due to its overhanging nature, if Larry fell, he might have some trouble getting back on the rock. One of the big problems with a swami is that suffocation is an issue if you cannot un-weight the thing after a fall. Luckily, Larry is a creative fellow, and at my urging, he fashioned a pair of leg loops out of some slings and readied himself for the crux pitch of the route.
At this point, the climb is definitely starting to wear on both of us, probably a little more for Larry, so I expected this pitch to give him a little trouble, especially considering how strenuous I found it to be. He worked through the first part of the pitch without any pause. Soon enough, though, he began the crux section. At first he looked okay, but as the footholds thinned out and the horizontal crack disappeared, forcing face hold movement, his arms gave out on him and he popped. Luckily, I protected heavily so his fall was short and he was able to get back on quickly. A couple more falls and some tenacity brought him up to the chimney. Like a real trooper, though, he snagged a handful of gear from me and shot up the chimney like a man possessed and disappeared onto the easy terrain above. After he got out of sight, I took some photos of Paul leading the traverse, then packed up and slithered up the thankfully easy chimney to the belay above.
Above us awaits the last of the climbing, or at least if feels like the last, it’s actually 4 more pitches plus the catwalk- but after fourteen pitches, four pitches felt like nothing. I grabbed some pro from Larry and head across a small gap to a rib of rock that’s sitting up against the main wall. After looking in the gully between this rib and the main wall, I decided that the new variation was going to be quicker and easier, so I headed up that. The one little 5.9 move that this pitch has just sucks- it’s way too hard for such easy terrain. I managed to free it, but Larry A0’d it as heel hooking did not appeal to him- luckily there’s two bomber cams right there that allow for this and he dispensed the move and the rest of the pitch in short order.
From here, Larry snagged one cam from me and headed across a small ledge to the base of the off width- which is another specialty of his, and headed up it. His progress was a bit slow and I became slightly worried, but soon enough he was at belay. I followed suit, struggling quite a bit with the weight of the pack dangling below me, but after a couple of tough moves, I wormed my way up and out of it and headed across the Catwalk now knowing why that pitch took longer than I thought it should- it was much harder than it looked!
On this climb, as we have learned, nothing comes for free. Even the Catwalk- which is literally class 1 until the very end- then it requires either a jump across a gap or a tricky 5th class move. Just what you need after 16 pitches…
At last, only another 80m and we’re home free. The correct route from the Catwalk is found just after the jump to your right and up a gully. There’s a wide crack in the left corner- this is the correct route. This is supposedly 5.8, but it’s not nearly as hard as the 5.8 off width just below it. Larry again went smoothly up this pitch and soon I was on belay. I arrived, grabbed a bit of gear and headed up the final technical pitch of the route. The last pitch was loose, admittedly, but not completely insane- just had to be careful. After about a half rope, I clipped to the ponderosa and called off belay.
It took another half an hour and some interesting 5th class terrain to get to the summit where all four of us regrouped, packed up, took some pictures, ate some peanut M&Ms (or, as Larry likes to call them- ‘Energy Capsules’). We all would have liked to stayed longer, but a 5:20pm summit time meant two and half hours of daylight left- barely enough time to get out of the worst of the descent- so down we went. Time was even more of a factor due to the cloud cover- obscuring one of our ‘insurance policies’ for the climb- the almost full moon.
After we entered the wash, we said goodbye to Paul and Brett as they motored out of sight, leaving Larry and I to finish the descent on our own, which was fitting, I think, to end the day as we started it. I was glad to have them along on the climb, though- some folks to chat with as well as a nice backup should anything go wrong. They were also kind enough to hang far enough back from us to let both parties feel no pressure on the route- which was a great thing for all of us and made for a great day.
It was a long descent, endless route finding and boulder hopping. One of the biggest issues was that First Creek is currently running on overdrive, forcing us out of the wash when we should have been in it and creating some interesting moments along the way. Darkness caught up with us at the fork in the canyon and the headlamps came out, but soon afterwords we found the exit trail and cruised up and out of the wash at Slippery Peak, and followed the main trail back toward the road- the climb was finally in the bag.
My thoughts on the so-called non- sustained nature of the climb are somewhat mixed. I believe that many folks who get on this route are strong climbers- solid at 5.10 and 5.11 for the most part, which would make 5.8 territory pretty cruiser for the majority of these folks. Larry and I are a notch or two down from this level - we both lead in the low .10’s without falling too much, but I wouldn’t call myself a solid 5.10 climber- I’ve only been touching .10’s with consistency for a few months, and they’re low .10s at that. Larry and I are both solid 5.9 climbers, though. This made the climbing on the route fairly sustained for us as most of it, even though it did tend to ease off after the cruxes, was still at a respectable grade. There were exceptions, of course- but for us, the climb was sustained and very serious- which was actually a good thing, I think, because it felt that much more rewarding to finish it- I would have felt a little let down if it had been too easy!
The other thing about this climb that you hear many folks talk about is all the loose rock on it. Well, the truth of the matter is that there was only the last pitch had really questionable rock on it. The rest of the climb was fairly solid with spots of rock that may be questionable but was avoidable. The trick was mostly to climb softly and be able to spot where the loose rock was and to more or less avoid it. I think that as locals, we had a huge advantage on this aspect- considering we spend a lot of time on less than stellar rock and for us, loose rock is really easy to spot and usually easy to avoid. The route lost almost no rock to our passing- in fact the only rock it lost was the big one I knocked off on the crux pitch- which I still feel horrible about- I’m really glad no one was hurt.
It’s highly likely that by this time next year, I’ll be a Colorado resident, and, because of that, this season has meant a lot to me as a Red Rock climber. I learned to climb here, and I learned what rock climbing means to me here, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life in this place and I’ll take that experience with me wherever I go in the future. When I first started climbing, I never thought that by my third year of climbing I would be able to accomplish climbs like Epinephrine and Resolution Arête- but through tenacity and hard work, I’ve exceeded my wildest expectations- and it’s this that really makes climbing something special for me. I don’t know where I’ll end up in the future, but I do know that what I’ve learned here will be invaluable wherever that is and I also know that even though I’ve had a great three years here, my climbing career is just beginning and I can’t wait to find out what will happen next!
Climb info:
This climb is a long one, and linking pitches isn’t easy due to the wandering nature of the route. We were able to do the route in 16 pitches plus 700’ of 3rd and 4th class (gully not included).
Rack:
Cams: 2 each from Green Alien to Blue Camalot, 1 each #4 Camalot (C4)
Nuts: 1.5 sets of HB offsets
Slings: Lots
Rope: 1 60m
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pylonhead
Apr 26, 2005, 11:37 PM
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Registered: Jan 9, 2004
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Inspiring. One day I'll be doing this.
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pk
Apr 26, 2005, 11:45 PM
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Registered: Dec 13, 2003
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Excellent read John! Great adventure. This one is right up there with your Epi TR. Nicely Done.
P.K.
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vegastradguy
Apr 26, 2005, 11:48 PM
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
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you're too kind! but i'm glad you enjoyed reading it because i sure had a blast climbing it!
i would have inserted some photos, but the TR is long enough as it is...i'll try to get around to uploading some photos sometime soon, though....
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maculated
Apr 27, 2005, 12:14 AM
Post #5 of 26
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Registered: Dec 23, 2001
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Scary Larry clings to the old days, eh? Man oh man. :)
Nice job, John. Enjoy Boulder. I know another girl going there next year for the same program.
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vegastradguy
Apr 27, 2005, 12:16 AM
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yeah, nothing like calling down to your partner "dude, this one's tough, you might want to put the leg loops on for it!!" :lol:
alright, doug was kind enough to approve my photos quickly, so here's some shots of the route:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=53151
Larry aiding the roof- notice the lack of leg loops- what a champ!
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=53152
Here's Larry enjoying the overhanging traverse pitch- I'm sure we would have liked this pitch alot more if it had been the second or third pitch instead of number thirteen.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=53153
Here's Paul on the traverse pitch- they cruised below us for the route proper, enjoying the entire thing as Larry and I did all the route finding for them. :D
that's all i have for now. i may feel energetic later on and upload more of the route. however, i'm not the great photographer of the team- that job falls to Larry. If i can get him to send me some shots, i'll upload those when i get them.
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climbinginchico
Apr 27, 2005, 4:06 AM
Post #7 of 26
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Registered: Mar 24, 2004
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Awesome, inspiring read. Good job!
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larryd
Apr 28, 2005, 9:17 PM
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Registered: Apr 15, 2003
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Serious route! John's matter-of-fact reporting makes it sound like it was all in a day's work. The truth is that it was his inspired leading (on several hard pitches) that kept us out of epic country. Truly an outing that stretches both endurance and adaptability. My main thought on the climb was the committing nature of the route. You just KNOW that there is no effortless retreat from this thing!
Larry
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vegastradguy
Apr 28, 2005, 9:52 PM
Post #9 of 26
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
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you're too kind, Larry- we both had to work very hard to get this one done- and, as usual, i was more than happy to belay instead of lead some of the pitches you led!
it was a great climb- and super committing....just the way we like it!
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takeme
Apr 28, 2005, 11:26 PM
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Registered: May 7, 2003
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Nice job!
In reply to: It’s highly likely that by this time next year, I’ll be a Colorado resident, and, because of that, this season has meant a lot to me as a Red Rock climber.
Where in Colorado?
Sad to be leaving Red Rocks, but you'll have some good 2000 foot long adventures awaiting you in the Black Canyon. If you like routes like Resolution you'll love that place.
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vegastradguy
Apr 28, 2005, 11:31 PM
Post #11 of 26
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
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Boulder, to be more precise. I've been accepted at CU for grad school in the fall. if my wife can get a gig there, we'll be there there in Aug sometime. i actually cant wait- so much rock to be had! although, with all that snow, i'll probably have to learn how to ski, ice climb, and eventually get some alpine climbing in too....
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sandbag
Apr 29, 2005, 12:19 AM
Post #12 of 26
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Registered: Jan 12, 2003
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DAmmit John, your TRs make me start bristling with anticipation, like when i was first starting to climb and endeavoring for the excitment adrenalin of the climbs you aspired to before you actually climbed them. I'll have to start working less and anjoy my life more... Damn you man...
;)
great TR and good luck in Boulder!
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tweek
Apr 29, 2005, 12:36 AM
Post #13 of 26
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Registered: Sep 27, 2003
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Thanks for the TR and the pics.
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takeme
Apr 29, 2005, 1:25 AM
Post #14 of 26
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Registered: May 7, 2003
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In reply to: Boulder, to be more precise. I've been accepted at CU for grad school in the fall. if my wife can get a gig there, we'll be there there in Aug sometime. i actually cant wait- so much rock to be had! although, with all that snow, i'll probably have to learn how to ski, ice climb, and eventually get some alpine climbing in too....
Actually, there's enough good weather here year round you pretty much don't need to bother with any of that nonsense...I know I don't :wink:
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pt
Apr 29, 2005, 3:30 AM
Post #15 of 26
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Registered: May 29, 2003
Posts: 400
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Nice trip report.
I would, however, like to open a topic for discussion. I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but I'm just questioning the thought behind using a swami belt on such a long commiting route. The possibility of injury in a fall or the possibility of suffocation is very real with a swami. You even mention that Larry had to make leg loops at one point on the route to aid the roof. You both knew there was a roof to aid, no big surprises, why not spend 40 bucks for a harness. There really aren't any arguments against a harness that I'm aware of. I just don't get it I guess, and I would probably not commit to a big route of that type with a partner wearing a swami belt.
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vegastradguy
Apr 29, 2005, 3:50 AM
Post #16 of 26
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
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actually, look at the pic above- no leg loops during the roof-aid. the leg loops were for later on in the route on an overhanging hand traverse.
from your profile, you've been climbing long enough to remember the old school ways- well, Larry loved those days and chooses to keep their spirit alive...which is fine with me.
although, i'd be willing to say with some certainty that if the route had been alot steeper and involved much overhanging/vertical terrain with lots of hanging belays, then i imagine that a harness may appear....or, more likely, i imagine that we'd go climb something else! :D
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flamer
Apr 29, 2005, 4:18 AM
Post #17 of 26
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Registered: Oct 22, 2002
Posts: 2955
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I have also climbed with Larry in his swami belt, and plan to again in the future. Larry is a very safe and skilled climber who has been climbing for a very long time. He knows what he's doing and climbs the way he likes too...he's not putting himself or anyone else in any danger by doing this.
josh
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hibby11
Apr 29, 2005, 4:32 AM
Post #18 of 26
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Registered: Jul 8, 2004
Posts: 262
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Amazing story, thanks for sharing your experience. We can all hope some day to enjoy a climb like that, I can't even imagine the satisfaction.
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tcantor333
Apr 29, 2005, 6:48 PM
Post #19 of 26
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Registered: Jun 19, 2004
Posts: 71
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Nice job guys. glad to hear it all went well John. I can't wait for that Day in May!!! Thanks for the beta and the great TR.
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vegastradguy
Apr 29, 2005, 8:36 PM
Post #20 of 26
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
Posts: 5919
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again, thanks for all the kind words folks, it was great fun living it and writing about it.
also, if anyone wants any beta for the climb, let me know- although i will say that George Bell's topo is all you need for the climb.
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namaste
May 28, 2005, 5:28 PM
Post #21 of 26
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Registered: Nov 29, 2003
Posts: 7
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Awesome TR!!!! :D
I have been out of climbing for quite sometime and your TR gets me psyched to get back into it soon!
Seems like not enough time sometimes for all of the outdoor interests and Kiteboarding, BC Snowboarding, and Hiking have been higher priorities. We just hiked yesterday to Rainbow Peak and Rainbow Wall summits and temps were quite toasty! (classic sig read at Rainbow Peak "its 12:00 am and I stumbled upon this register and have no idea how to get back down off this mtn.... sure wish I was at home in bed.")
Also reminds me of doing Resolution Erete many years ago w/ Dan McQuade. I rode my old 75 Pranayamaha 400 Enduro up to trailhead in freezing temps, hiked to the start of route only to find OOPS!!!! (no shoes) Luckily Dan pulls through and leads the route clean in his guide tennies and I follow in shoes 2 sizes too big wearing several pairs of socks and aiding through the roof section. I was so stoked on the entire experience we had and gratefull RR has so many features, almost like it was designed for climbing! (if we could just get the rule makers to see this;)) and thanks again for bringing up some great memories also;)
Namaste'
Donnie B
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iceisnice
May 28, 2005, 9:14 PM
Post #23 of 26
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Registered: Jun 2, 2004
Posts: 874
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besides doing a nice job.....thanks for the beta! i was thinking about doing this route this fall if i can find a partner for it. from the sounds of it, it would be near my limit and a good day out. good job.
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rockrat511
May 28, 2005, 11:49 PM
Post #24 of 26
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Registered: May 5, 2004
Posts: 1109
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My lord that sounds like you had your self a good day!!!
Thanks for the TR, it was great!!! hopefully I'll get to do that route one day it sounds amazing.
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ambler
May 29, 2005, 11:34 PM
Post #25 of 26
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Registered: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 1690
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Cool TR. That's a route to be proud of. Sounds like the two of you had a great day in the canyon.
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