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gymnastc
Nov 14, 2005, 8:30 AM
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http://www.8711.org/.../images/img_0425.jpg
Hello Yosemite!
3 days were simply not enough. Sure, it may be enough time to visit all of the huge cliffs that every tourist gawks at. It may be enough time to snap a thousand photos of the rocks, animals, trees, and the morning dew that lingers in the meadows. It may even be enough time to get on some of the most classic and world renowned climbs that have ever been. However, 3 days is much too short a time to be able to process all of the sights, the memories, the feelings that one gets when he stands, not only as a climber, but also as a humble person, in the presence of the monoliths that dominate the valley. Yosemite Valley gives you the shivers, not because you are standing in the cold shadow of El Capitan, but because of the beauty, awe, and inspiration that it provides.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=64478
The beauty of Yosemite
Royal Arches was calling to me, from across the entire continent. The 15 pitch 5 star climb that traverses its way back and forth to the top of the Royal Arches would indeed be a serious endeavor. With the exception of an adventure on the slabs of Whitehorse in North Conway, Royal Arches would, in fact, be my biggest climb to date, as it would also have been for my partner Kevin. Kevin moved out, across the country, to California a few months back, and as soon as he said, “Dude, you’re coming out to visit me, and we’re going to Yosemite,” I was already booking my plane tickets. I met Kevin in the summer of 2004, when I was a neophyte at this climbing game. Little did he or I both know that in a year and a half, he would be talking me into taking a transcontinental flight to climb at one of the most spectacular destinations in the world! As my plane flew over the valley, the captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker, “Ladies and gentlemen, on the right hand side of the aircraft you can see El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite Valley.” Unfortunately, I was sitting on the left side of the plane, and missed what I can only image was a sight to make any human being feel small.
On November 10 2005, Kevin and I awoke before the sun, loaded my, what was then, new rental car, and I drove the 3 hours from San Jose to Yosemite National Park. We entered the gates, and as soon as the valley came into view, I was afraid that I was going to crash the car, for my eyes were being pulled, as though by the shear force of gravity, towards the beauty that laid ahead. We drove down and around, and once The Captain, as proud and motionless as it stands guarding the valley, welcomed us, it struck me: I was actually in Yosemite Valley.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/p1010798.jpg
El Cap - strong, yet graceful
We stopped, and I ran into the meadow. There I was, staring at him, he staring at me. It would be a battle of power, who would be stronger? That battle would not come today. I was not nearly prepared, but perhaps in the future, perhaps some day, that battle will be played out. For now, I was still a visitor in his realm and I was not ready to challenge him. I had smaller conquests to win, namely Royal Arches.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/p1010762.jpg
Royal Arches and North Dome
Kevin and I drove over to spy out the route on Royal Arches, to make sure that we knew we could do it. I stood there and gazed up, and all that was running through my mind was the excitement of climbing that wall in the upcoming days. Kevin and I first had to test ourselves, to see if it were even possible for us to climb the 15 pitches it took to make it to the top. Royal Arches would wait for tomorrow, and with that, we were off to Munginella.
Munginella, a 3 pitch 5.6, would be our test. If we could do this, then we would tackle Royal Arches the following morning. We arrived at the base of Munginella at around 11:30 in the morning, to find another party just ahead of us. We decided to wait and in the warm valley sun, we watched…and watched some more, until finally at around 1:00, it was our turn. Kevin racked up, and up he went on our very first valley climb. As I belayed him, I looked around, and in the center of my sight stood the unmistakable Half Dome. Apparently I was not the only one to be drawn to Half Dome, for clouds soon surrounded it, and its head was soon shrouded in the mist. Little did Kevin or I know that it was a foreshadowing of things to come.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/img_0431.jpg
Kevin and I at the base of our first valley climb!
http://www.8711.org/.../images/img_0434.jpg
The view of Half Dome from Munginella
Kevin set up his belay between the first and second pitches of Munginella, so that we could save time and do the climb in 2 pitches, rather than 3. I started on up, the whole time looking to my right as Half Dome was trying to watch me through the clouds. I made it up to Kevin, and soon enough I was off to finish up Munginella. After climbing in a style that I am not used to and a few interesting moves later, I arrived at the top and began to bring Kevin up. As he was climbing, I heard a loud boom and the sky must have felt the same as my disheartened soul, for it began to cry. Once Kevin met up with me, there was no time to shake hands and congratulate each other, because we had to rush back down, and flee to the car. Our climbing day was already over; rain tends to do that.
We drove around and set up our tent in Camp 4. Yes, I, the kid that had only been climbing for a year and a half, was in Camp 4, the place where some of the world’s greatest climbing legends have stayed. Being able to say that I lodged in Camp 4 only added to the essence of Yosemite. We set up our tent as the rain poured down on us, and then we realized that this unexpected storm changed the whole playing field. What would happen to Royal Arches?
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Trouble brewing on Royal Arches - North Dome surrounded by clouds
We rushed over to Royal Arches in the car, as the rain began to cease, to see if the wall would be glistening with water. Kevin noticed white streaks that were running down the rocks’ side and asked me if they were there before. I did not know, but simply hoped that they were just that, white streaks on the rock. I took out my camera with its 12x zoom and to my horror, I saw the truth; those white streaks were moving. The realization that there were waterfalls running down Royal Arches hit us hard. That was the climb that we had come here to do. I knew that even before I left for California that we would do Royal Arches. Even if Kevin had not wanted to, I would have hauled him up that climb. Situations like that I can control, but I have no power over the weather. Royal Arches was no longer possible. We went back to Camp 4, and I was quite depressed as I fell asleep to the sound of water droplets falling onto the tent.
But things sometimes have a funny way of working out. We woke up the next morning and poked out heads out to see not grey clouds, but blue skies with fog falling on the rocks. Quickly, we drove around to view the valley still asleep, comfortable in its blanket of mist. The sun warmed the valley and off we headed the Manure Pile Buttress.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/img_0450.jpg
Mist veils the valley
We walked to the base of the classic 6 pitches of the 5.7, After Six. I led the first pitch of 5.7 which had some pretty spicy moves. Being a New England climber, I am not used to jamming my hands and feet into cracks. It felt insecure to me, and I was scared, but as I always try to do, I didn’t let the fear control me, and I anchored at the top of the pitch. After a few more pitches of beautiful climbing, we finally arrived at the last pitch. This sixth and final pitch was to be Kevin’s. In place of Half Dome watching over us the previous day on Munginella, we had the glare of the Sentinel behind us.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=64475
Kevin on the last pitch of After Six
After we both topped out, it was time to shake Kevin’s hand. We had done it, a big climb in the valley. It was my longest climb to date, and I stared into the valley as my heart raced around. Wow.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=64477
Wow is right. A view of the valley from the top
The descent was quite steep, and not being a hiker, it put more fear in me than the actual climb up! With 6 great pitches under our belts, we decided to play it safe and be satisfied with the climbing we had done for the day. Unlike the day before, we had a beautiful sunset in front of us, no rain or clouds. I watched as Half Dome changed its hue from the grey color of its granite, to a golden red blaze reflecting in the water, until it finally fell under the shadows of dusk. The moon began to rise in a magnificent purple sky, and we made out way back to our camp. Kevin and I both fell asleep with the talk of a future trip, in which Royal Arches and a bunch of other classic climbs would be done.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/p1010843.jpg
View of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=64480
Dusk falls on Half Dome
We awoke in the morning with the sights of our breaths in front of our faces. It was a chilly morning with frost covering the valley. We decided that we would climb The Grack as our swansong for this trip to Yosemite.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=64479
Frost hits the valley, providing a beautiful setting
We climbed up through cracks inhabiting the slabs of Glacier Point Apron, out of the darkness and cold and into the sun’s warming rays. Kevin took pitch 2 and went through a beautiful splitter crack. Unfortunately, we did not have enough of the right sized gear to keep moving up the splitter, so Kevin had to set up the anchor prematurely. I took the third pitch to the top of the climb, and feared that I would run out of rope on the unprotectable face section of the top.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/img_0513.jpg
Final pitch of The Grack
As I moved higher and higher, Kevin called up to tell me how much rope I had left. When the crack dwindled into nothing, I called down to Kevin. I had about 15 feet of unprotectable friction climbing ahead of me, but the question was, did I have 15 feet left of climbing rope? He thought that I could make it, so I cautiously turned my eyes to the face ahead of me. Slowly, I placed one foot out, pressing into the granite with my sole. My body weight shifted onto the foot as I moved out onto the face. I began to pray that neither foot blew, or down I would go. My heart was pounding as my legs started to shake at the worst possible time. “Stay calm. Just breathe” I kept telling myself as I slowly crept across the face. I let the thought of not having enough rope to get through this section enter my head, but quickly dismissed it. I had to have enough rope; there would be no other possibility. Silently and carefully, I made my way up until at last I spied a set of chain anchors. Never had I been so overjoyed at seeing those gleaming chains as I was on that day. I started towards the anchors, then I heard, “That’s it,” and I was out of rope. Luckily, due to the stretch of the dynamic rope, I was able to reach the chains and anchor myself in using runners. Kevin was right. That was it. It was the end of another great climb. Kevin arrived up at the anchors and like the day before, we exchanged congratulations. We rapped down, and all I could do was grin.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/img_0525.jpg
Relieved after rapping down from The Grack
That was it for my climbing in Yosemite. We packed the car and were on our way out of the valley with a twinkle in our eyes. I looked back in my mirror, and as the great monuments faded from my view, I bid a sad farewell to Yosemite. All I can think about is what a fantastic 3 days I had in the valley, though 3 days was not enough. It was enough, however, to have my first climbing partner become an even better friend. I close my eyes and imagine what kind of adventures we’ll have there in the future. Perhaps I may not return for a very long while, but hopefully my next visit will be quite soon. I still have unfinished business there, for not only is Royal Arches still calling my name, but now countless others are as well.
http://www.8711.org/.../images/p1010764.jpg
I'll be back for you!
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scottquig
Nov 14, 2005, 10:23 AM
Post #2 of 26
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Registered: Feb 10, 2005
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Great pictures. It's very cool that you get to experience something like that after only a year and 1/2 of climbing.
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overlord
Nov 14, 2005, 12:58 PM
Post #3 of 26
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Registered: Mar 25, 2002
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nice TR. ang get a longer rope :wink:
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uasunflower
Nov 14, 2005, 1:19 PM
Post #4 of 26
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Registered: Aug 11, 2003
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good job! and love the pics...is Kevin the elron from Mass?
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cracklover
Nov 14, 2005, 2:26 PM
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Registered: Nov 14, 2002
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Sweet TR, chris! Sounds awesome! Super photos!
GO
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ao
Nov 14, 2005, 2:55 PM
Post #6 of 26
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Registered: Aug 31, 2005
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Your story brings back a lot of memories of my trip to Yosemite- felt the same way about the Valley and was on the same climbs.
Keep up the good work! Sweet pics, BTW.
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microbarn
Nov 14, 2005, 3:40 PM
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Registered: May 12, 2004
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Those are some awesome pictures!
Thanks for the great TR also.
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nurocks
Nov 14, 2005, 4:16 PM
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Registered: Jul 19, 2003
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I remember when you were climbing at QQ...
Congrats on the accomplishment.
Jason
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epic_ed
Nov 14, 2005, 4:29 PM
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Registered: Jun 17, 2002
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Great photos! Three days, three years...three life times -- it's never enough time in Yosemite. It is magical. You will return, but it won't be soon enough, and your heart will forever ache when you have to leave. You'll spend hours online looking at photos of climbs to come, and you'll plot incessantly about how to milk another couple of vacation days out of your next trip. You may even check into employment in the Valley, and try desperately to find a way to somehow make a living there so you never have to leave.
Been there. Many of us have. It's a joy and longing to be in Yosemite that can never really be described adequately in words. Welcome to the club.
Ed
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chanceboarder
Nov 14, 2005, 5:15 PM
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awesome pics. glad you had such a great time out here. and yeah get a longer rope :lol:
great TR, thanks for sharing.
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ambler
Nov 14, 2005, 5:37 PM
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Registered: Jul 27, 2002
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Beautiful photos and a happy first-trip TR. Well done, Chris.
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core
Nov 14, 2005, 6:00 PM
Post #12 of 26
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Registered: Jul 29, 2003
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Congrats Chris! Great story and pics! So... are you ready to pull some plastic this week!?!?! :lol:
UA...yeah that's elron.
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harmonydoc
Nov 14, 2005, 6:16 PM
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Absolutely gorgeous ... sigh ... wish I was there right now instead of sitting in my office.
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ambler
Nov 14, 2005, 6:28 PM
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In reply to: The realization that there were waterfalls running down Royal Arches hit us hard. That was the climb that we had come here to do. I knew that even before I left for California that we would do Royal Arches. Even if Kevin had not wanted to, I would have hauled him up that climb. Situations like that I can control, but I have no power over the weather. Royal Arches was no longer possible. We went back to Camp 4, and I was quite depressed as I fell asleep to the sound of water droplets falling onto the tent.
The cool thing is, classics wait. Except for Whaleback Crack and Mt. St. Helens, which didn't wait for me.
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elron
Nov 14, 2005, 7:00 PM
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Registered: Sep 20, 2003
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Great TR Chris! As great as they came out, the pictures hardly do justice to the sights we got to see. I'm sitting here in the cubicle now, trying to justify this job. Tough to do after spending three great days in the valley :)
I'll add my two cents to the TR...
First, Chris did a great job. For only climbing a year and a half, he is a great climber. Not just in physical ability (hell, he *was* a gymnast), but also in mental ability. Good gear placements, good anchors, good judgement. I'd be happy to have Chris haul my out-of-shape butt up any climb in the Valley :) Oh yeah, and he is one great chauffer, even if he was sans minivan this trip ;)
The Valley is really beautiful this time of year. Far fewer people, great colors, and just a real sense of it being a "good place". There are only a few places in the world that have given me that feeling, and Yosemite Valley is one of them. A $50 National Park pass seems to be such a small price to pay to spend time there.
On a personal note, it was really great to be back on the rock. Since I moved out here to Cali in August I've only climbed a few times. And I've only done multipitch twice, at Tollhouse rock (near Kings's Canyon) and Schoolhouse Rock at Donner Summit. I was a little nervous about a weekend in the Valley, to say the least. After a miserable night at the climbing gym on Tuesday, I was doubting even more. But it only took one pitch on the sharp end to bring me back. Sure, I still could stand to drop a few pounds, get strong again, and remember some more technique, but just being out there on lead was a great start!
We climbed a total of 11 pitches, with Chris taking 6 and me taking 5. Those 5 pitches of 5.6 are more than the number of 5.6 pitches I've done total at the Gunks. If I had to make a quick guess, I'd say I've led roughly 100 Gunks pitches in the past few years. I don't know why, but Gunks leading just does something to my head. Not to say that the Yosemite grades are necessarily any easier, but they don't inspire the same fear that Gunks grades do. Strange.
So, where to go from here? Well, back to the Valley for starters ;) I'm definitely going to try to get there a few more times before coming home to Boston for Christmas. I've realized that there is a lot of climbing to be done there that doesn't require 5.10 ability or a portaledge. I'm looking forward to spending some time at the smaller crags, working on crack technique. And then, there is the "June Trip". More details on this to come. I just hope Cory and Chris are ready... I know I will be!! ;)
Chris, I promise not to get on Royal Arches until you come back in June. Though by then, I think we may need to link it with North Dome :)
Kevin
P.S. Yes, Julia, it is me :) I hope things are going well in Europe!
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korntera
Nov 14, 2005, 7:12 PM
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I can't wait to get back, I only had one day in the valley when i went to california to climb. We were going to do royal arches but didn't have time, next year for sure, it is on my list.
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cowpoke
Nov 14, 2005, 8:23 PM
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Registered: Aug 3, 2005
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a fun read with nice pics..thanks for sharing your adventure!
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uasunflower
Nov 14, 2005, 10:34 PM
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Registered: Aug 11, 2003
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Kevin, things are going ok in europe, although this whole yosemite thing of yours got me thinking! Check out my TR for an update - just posted :) Congrats on your move - good choice!
and...what are those june plans? :P
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gymnastc
Nov 15, 2005, 3:43 AM
Post #19 of 26
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Hey, thank you all for the kind words! I can't believe that it was just a few days ago that I was placing my hands on El Cap. It is so hard to put into words all of the emotions that I had when I was in Yosemite, and it's amazing to know that anyone who has been there once had (and probably still has) the exact same feelings that I did! That seems to be the power of Yosemite.
Although we all come from different places and backgrounds, the inspiration that Yosemite gives us is something that unites us and ignites our passions even more. For those who do not know what I'm talking about, you must go there...then you'll understand.
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grovehunter
Nov 15, 2005, 5:13 AM
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Very impressive photos, I looked at a couple of them in the new photos section yesterday. I relate to the feelings about Yosemite. No matter how many times I 've been there I still find some great memory to come home with. I go through there a lot on the way to my Mom's house. Every season has the promise of something new. I highly recommend Winter in the Valley, Quiet beauty without the crowds. Don't forget the high country in the spring. Highway 120 is an awesome adventure in itself and, once again, far fewer crowds than the valley. Siesta Lake is a personal favorite of mine. If you go there it might become a favorite of yours too!!! :D
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quarrybabe
Nov 16, 2005, 5:51 AM
Post #21 of 26
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Registered: Aug 22, 2004
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Chris! Awesome TR. I loved reading about your adventures and your pictures are great as well. Very Inspiring!
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holdplease2
Nov 16, 2005, 6:12 AM
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Well, you've inspired me. I guess Ill have to drive allll the way there tomorrow. Lucky me, its only an hour away! Wooooo Hoooooo! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Did I mention that my life is perfect? Just in case I didn't... My life is purrrrrfect!
Thank you for the fantastic pics!
-Kate.
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mistymountainhop
Nov 16, 2005, 6:27 AM
Post #23 of 26
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Registered: Oct 14, 2003
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Ya know, royal arches has water running down it and to its left most of the year, it could have been all dry except for 1 pitch.
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grovehunter
Nov 16, 2005, 6:31 AM
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You're rubbing salt in their wounds kate. Maybe that's just what they need to get them back to the valley. Post more pics if you have them guys, I'm sure everyone will enjoy seeing them. Don't forget about Sequoia/Kings Canyon, there's climbing there too! Not to mention BIG Trees, and in some areas the most pristine mixed conifer forests in the world.
Peace,
Groovehunter
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elron
Nov 16, 2005, 11:55 PM
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Registered: Sep 20, 2003
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There are more pics from the trip on my website. This is the first time I've been to Yosemite in November, and I thought the colors and (unfortunate) clouds and rain made for some really great pics.
Does anyone have advice for climbing in the Valley in the winter? The SuperTopo guide says that a lot of the crags are great in the winter. Then again, I know boulderers that boulder in New England in the winter (!!!). What kind of conditions can I expect at places like Swan Slabs, Manure Pile Buttress, etc
Climbing pics
Scenery pics
Kevin
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