passthepitonspete's Logbook (27 ascents)

We climbed this route over 11 nights in October, and believe me, the hauling spanked our asses! We made it - with whisky and wine to spare, we just happened to be out of water...... Sheesh.<br><br>

Full trip report and photos coming - stay tuned, eh?

I soloed this route over eight days in September, 2003. Trip report and photos coming as soon as I make it home from Yosemite. <b><i>IF</b></i> I make it home......

<br><br>It was my <b>eighth solo</b> of El Cap, and I spent my 199th night on the Big Stone.

This was my <b>seventh solo of El Cap</b> by my <b>twenty-third route.</b> I'll write up a trip report shortly and put it in the Aid Climbing Forum, but I'll link it from here.

Tom and I spent thirteen nights on the wall, and had a superb time! He'll tell you more about it for now - I've got limited email access from Yosemite. Watch for another photo essay if and when I ever get home.

You'll love this one! You can click here for <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=Show&PhotoID=5017"><b>Pete and Tom's Scorched Earth Photo Essay!</b></a><br>

I'm going to string together some photos from spike, karlbaba and myself into a little photo essay, so please stay tuned.

I soloed this route over eight days. Detailed trip report to follow when I get some time to write it!

I'll write this up when I get a bit of time. It was my eighteenth ascent of El Cap.

<br><br><b><u>UPDATED JUNE 2003 WITH CURRENT HANDLINE AND FIXED ROPE BETA</B></U><br><br>If there is any single routefinding suggestion I can make to help get you down the East Ledges as easily as you can, it is to <b><font size=+1>"stay right whenever possible".</b></font> This will often require you walking <b>perilously close</b> to the edge of the cliff which is never a pleasant thing to do with a hundred-plus pound pig threatening to topple you over with every step! Whatever you do, don't head left into the <b>killer manzanita tunnels</b> or you will be cursing the day you were born. (Even if you find the best way down you will still be cursing the pig....) The benefit of staying to the right is that you will avoid the worst sections of slippery and dirty trails, and will instead be able to follow clean-washed slabs much of the way.<br>
<br>There are a few things you will need to do before you start down. The first thing is to make sure you have a decent pair of shoes with sticky rubber soles. These days, most everyone who climbs El Cap has a pair of "approach shoes" which work well on the descent, although every now and then I see <b>pathetic wretches</b> wearing duct-taped running shoes, slip-sliding their way downhill. Watch your step every inch of the way - avoid walking on the brightly-polished bits of rock as they are very slick and will pull your feet out from under you, the result of which will be bruises to more than just your pride. It's always a really good idea to have some <b>moleskins</b> handy - a bad blister can make an already difficult descent excruciating.<br>
<br>It is <b>critical</b> to pack your pig so the thing isn't so top-heavy that it's nearly impossible to carry. This usually means you will have to put the heaviest items like your rack right on the bottom, and fill your pack with progressively lighter gear. If you don't do it that way, you'll find yourself in trouble. It is not uncommon to pick up your pig, only to immediately fall over, and be forced to repack the thing correctly.<br>

<br>Be sure to leave your harness, helmet, rappel device, gloves(!), some slings and some locking crabs on top of your pack. It is also really smart to have your ascenders with you, too. You must also grab the <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=3765&forum=19&9"><b>'docking tether'</b></a> that you were using on the wall to secure your load to the power point. This will allow you to fasten yourself and your bag into the rap station the <b>Better Way</b> by using a <b>"load release knot"</b> that can be removed under tension, meaning you won't have to struggle with unclipping a carabiner that supports both the weight of yourself and your bag! Remember, doing things the hard way is the sport of fools. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'd really better read the post linked above, unless you want to find yourself hanging off of a carabiner that you can't unclip due to all the weight attached to it.<br>

<br>Unless there are fixed ropes (these were removed in the summer of 2001) you will need <b>two ropes</b> to rappel. Although it is possible to do shorter rappels with a single 200' rope, you're just making things hugely harder for yourself than you need to. Keep out two long ropes, and follow the route laid out below.<br>

<br><b><u>June, 2003 update:</b></u> There have been fixed handlines added leading to the beginning of the rappels, and the middle rappel point as described below has a single fixed rope on each of the three rappels. The bottom rappel has two ropes - use the newer one, as the older one has a knot in it!<br>

<br>As previously mentioned, Dr. Piton <b>highly recommends</b> you do <b>NOT</b> attempt the East Ledges Descent in the dark unless you are already familiar with it, and you have fairly light loads. There are definitely some dangerous spots where you really don't want to blow it! Best to get a fresh start in the morning. Of course, "Pass the Pitons" Pete simply doesn't <b><i>"do"</i></b> mornings, preferring to brew up an extra pot of coffee whenever possible. The <b>objective</b> in descending the East Ledges is merely to make it to the <b>pizza deck</b> in Curry Village before it closes, so there are no extra points awarded for going quicker. A side benefit of starting in late rather than early morning is that you won't be walking directly into the sun, and the winds caused by the day's convective heating will be whipping up to keep you cool. The hottest time of day to be on the slabs above the rappels is around 10:00 a.m.<br>
<br>Starting in the area of The Nose, work your way down following the most obvious path, which in many places isn't really all that obvious. During the first part of the descent, at least as far as Zodiac, you don't have to walk right at the edge of the cliff. When you come to some pine trees close to the edge, you are at the top of Zenyatta and Lost in America. This is the recognized "drop zone" for "air express packages" which land over two hundred feet out from the wall. Below this is a short section where you walk though some bushes and step down into a little slot between two boulders, then you're back on the open slab heading down and left to Zodiac. A long way off to the left here there are horrendous manzanita tunnels that you sure don't want to get stuck in.<br>
<br>You know you've reached Zodiac when you arrive at a sidewalk-width flattish area running at ninety degrees to the cliff face. The bolts are right there at the edge, and you can (carefully!) lean over for a <b>spectacularly vertiginous view</b> of the Southeast Face. If you've run short of food and water, you might get lucky and find some here, left over by benevolent climbers who obviously know a lot more about hauling, packing and comfort than <b>you!</b><br>
<br>Less than two hundred feet below Zodiac, there is a fork in the trail. It is best to go right here and walk directly to the edge - not only will you get a superb vista from a <b>cliffside belvedere</b> (the best view of the whole journey and about the only good part of the descent!) but you will avoid a nasty little body-length climbdown directly above the streambed. Leave your camera out, but just be careful in this section - there is one short "no falls zone". But take heart - it's not nearly as nasty as it might at first appear.<br>
<br>A minute or two below the belvedere you will enter the <b>streambed of Horsetail Falls.</b> This is the last viable campsite en route, so if you are splitting your descent into two days, you should either stay here or back at Zodiac. The benefit of crossing the streambed in the springtime is that you can have a swim - there are a couple pools, and the water is usually warmed after flowing over sun-baked slabs. Don't camp here, though, if you think it might rain - you could wake up to find yourself surfing towards a very deep abyss!<br>
<br>There are two ways out of the streambed, an "upper" way and a "lower" way. Both are marked by cairns, but I prefer the lower as it is less manzanita-y. You'll find it very close to the edge of the cliff (again!) down near a big ol' burned log. There's a short climbup, then follow the trail <b>right</b> along the edge. It's not too bad here, though in places you will be walking only four or five feet from the edge. But the trail is good so no worries. There are impenetrable bushes to your left.<br>

<br>So to repeat, at the streambed I recommend you walk <b>all the way to the edge,</b> and turn left to follow the path that travels briefly a mere four or five feet from the edge. I much prefer this to the other path.<br>

<br>Carry on down following the edge, and then the bushes will go away and it will change to a more wide-open area. You'll wander leftwards away from the cliff, and then come upon a big giant sequoia, not that tall but with a thick moss-covered trunk. Head down the path next to it, and through the open slab this way following the trail where possible. You may be tempted to head left, but don't. <b>Stay right all the way down,</b> at one point traversing down and right making one rather slippery step just beneath a sort of bouldery outcrop.<br>

<br>When you can see a few hundred feet below you that the slab is about to end, look for a traverse line heading left along a semi-flat section back towards the trees and a cliff-face that has now appeared on your left. I can't effectively describe where - just use your "mountain sense". In the springtime when the slab is seeping, you will have to avoid the wet bits when you get close to the cliff-face.<br>
<br>You should now find yourself back in the trees heading downhill - you will be right up against the base of a cliff on the left, and quite a long way from the scary edge. You'll know you're on route when you have to <b>squeeze</b> between a couple trees and the wall - somebody has <b>finally</b> taken a saw to those branches I've been fighting for the last fifteen years! If your pig is tall, it will catch on the upper branch. You'll be rubbing right up against the wall on your left, with those few ornery trees on your right, for perhaps a hundred and fifty feet. br>
<br>Immediately after the "tree squeeze" there is about a twenty-foot climbdown, which at the time of writing (June, 2003) had a decent hunk of fixed rope to use as a handline. As you face downwards, you can either go down the slot on top of the tree branches, or else go around the little arete to the right ("climbers' left"). This is the one point on the East Ledges descent where I routinely have to take my pig off if there is no handline - I can't negotiate that climbdown safely with the pack on, unless it's extremely lightweight. You can easily pass the packs from one person to the next down here - there is no exposure and nowhere anything can come to grief.<br>
<br>Continue following the trail through the trees keeping the cliff on your left. There is only one way to go and you can't get lost. You will come out of the trees at the top of a very long slab that is narrow at the top and widens below. Up to your left you will see a very high cliff with wild white dykes on the black wall. (Remember - given the choice between <b>"dykes on bikes"</b> and <b>"chicks with dicks",</b> Dr. Piton highly recommends you always take the former. Should you ever even <b>CONSIDER</b> the latter, you will never share a portaledge with <b>me,</b> mate!)<br>
<br>At first when you come down out of the trees and onto this slab, you will end up towards the right side. I like to head left as soon as reasonably possible and head towards the base of the dykes wall. At this point I prefer to walk left over huge smooth boulders towards the base of the dykes wall - it's a bit longer, but less exposed than the direct route heading more or less down and a bit right. You'll have to walk over more boulders and past some wood washed down by rains, but always keep looking right to find the way back across the slab towards the cliff face. You are aiming for the <b>top of the deep gully in the middle</b> - don't go any lower on the main slab than you have to before you start to move back across. You are looking for the line of weakness across the slab where there's a spot that's night quite as steep as the rest. This is another <b>"no falls zone"</b> - you don't want to blow it here or you and your pig will tumble a long way down the slab and off the five-hundred-foot-high cliff at the bottom(!) Try not to think about this - just watch your step here. You're in the right area if you make a little three-foot downclimb next to a <b>two-foot-high pine tree,</b> then climb slightly up the slab maybe five or ten feet to follow a traverse line across the top of the slab towards the gully drainage.<br>

<br>At this point, in June 2003 there were some really nice handlines that you could follow downwards. On your right, and nowhere near the handlines, is the tree with the twenty-foot-long ratty rappel slings extending over the cliff [annotated by "A" on Chris Mac's Supertopo]. <b>DON'T</b> use this - continue down the fixed ropes. The fixed ropes take you down the gully, but beware - there is plenty of loose rock here. Don't knock any on your partner!<br>


<br>This is the first bifurcation of paths - you would go straight down the gully if the fixed ropes are in place ("C" on Chris Mac's topo). The fixed ropes were used by Scott Burke while he was working on free climbing The Nose, but the ropes were removed sometime during the summer of 2001. Since the ropes were installed by Scott, it seems unlikely to me that they'll soon be replaced.<br>

<br><b>Update June, 2003:</b> I am not sure of their current status, but they are visibly in place. I didn't use them, preferring to use the middle set of fixed ropes, to which the handlines lead. The middle set of rappels is better because it starts higher, and finishes lower. I see no benefit to using these far east rappels.<br>

<br>If you were to go this way, which I don't recommend, then you would go straight down the middle of the gully drainage across smooth water-scoured granite aiming for a <b>big pine tree</b> right in the middle. The fixed ropes used to be rigged to this tree and went down this slab to the base of the slab. You will have to rap with the pack on your back in this section since it's not very steep. Be extremely careful at the bottom of the slab - one time as I rapped down and reached the anchors, I lost my balance and ended up pendulum-falling to climbers' left with that huge monster pig on my back. There is a little <b>emergency bivi cave</b> on this ledge. From the huge anchor bolts I could see fixed ropes heading down to a rebelay, and then a final rappel where you had to fight your way through the trees at the very end. I don't know how far it is from anchor to anchor - it could indeed be more than two hundred feet. So I wouldn't recommend rappeling this on a double rope pull-down unless you're more certain than me.<br>
<br>At any rate, as of June 2003 you don't have to go this way. Instead, you continue following the fixed handlines from the very top of the gully drainage, bypassing the tree with the twenty-foot long rappel slings hanging over the edge ["A" on McTopo], and descend the handline until you come to a spot where you and your pig will climb down between tree branches. On your right, you will see a scary traverse just beneath a two-body-length-high chimney, which is the way you would have to descend were the handlines not in place.<br>

<br>After climbing down between the tree branches, you reach <b>"B" on McTopo.</b> The fixed rope goes down from here. There is a chain anchor, and you can look down a low-angle face about a hundred feet to a ledge with a huge tree. Stay to climbers' left of this tree as you rappel past.<br>

<br>In June, 2003 the fixed ropes went about another hundred feet beyond this tree to a rap station on a ledge. So two sixty-metre raps will get you here from the top if the ropes aren't fixed. Or you can use the rap station immediately <b>below</b> the big tree - stay to climbers' left as you rappel past the big tree. I'm guessing this station is only about fifty feet lower than the big tree. From here it's 60 metres to the next station.<br>

<br>But before you take off, it's time to rig your pig for rappelling.<br>

<br><b>Traditional Big Wall Technology,</b> which Dr. Piton aficionados know really means, <b>the stupid way,</b> would have you connect your rappel device to your harness, attach the haul bag to that same carabiner so the bag hangs directly beneath the rappel device, and you would descend this way, fighting the pig the whole way!<br>

<br>Dr. Piton is, to this day, <b>continually amazed</b> at the number of supposedly experienced climbers who do not know the <b>Better Way</b> to rappel with a heavy pig! Not only is this awkward and difficult, but it <b>poses serious risk to your future family life!</b> There is indeed a <b>Better Way.</b><br>
<br>The easiest, safest and hence most correct way to rappel with an enormous load is to <b>"Ride The Pig".</b> This means that you attach the <b>PIG</b> to the rappel device, then attach yourself to the pig, <b>NOT</b> the other way around (see <b>"Traditional Big Wall Technology"</b>). While this method is initially <b>counter-intuitive,</b> what ends up happening is that <b>you</b> control the pig, and <b>not</b> vice versa.<br>
<br>Once you have your two ropes set up to rappel, you must <b>rig yourself and the pig for rappeling.</b> Before reading any further, please familiarize yourself with <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=4008&forum=19&5"><b>the Better Way to rappel with a very heavy load.</b></a> This post is <b>fundamental</b> to your wall climbing experience! Note that even the mainstream publication <b>Climbing Magazine</b> published within the past year <b>misinformation</b> on how to do this! Learn from someone who actually <b>knows</b> how to do it - <b>me!</b> - and not the <b>Big Wall Theorists</b> at Climbing mag!<br>

<br>First attach a <B>locking crab</b> to the top suspension straps of the haulbag. Onto this first locking carabiner you will attach the <b>load release knot cord,</b> also known as the <b>Docking Tether,</b> that you used for docking the load to the power point while you were on the wall. This is nothing more than a fifteen-foot-long hunk of 7mm cord doubled and with a figure 8 on a bight tied in the middle. Make sure you <b>fully understand</b> what the heck I'm talking about or <b>you may end up dead!</b> Secure the bag to the rappel anchor with the load release knot cord using a load release knot as described in the post above. Knowing how to do this is imperatively <b>FUNDAMENTAL</b> to big wall climbing, and you shouldn't go anywhere near a wall until you have internalized this system.<br>

<br><br><a href="/images/photos/assets///-"><b><font size=+2>Bob Shaftoe's Excellent Diagram</b></a></font><br><br>

<br>Next, you pass your descending device through the two rappel ropes and clip it to a <b>separate locking crab.</b> You then attach this crab-and-rappel-device to the top of first locker. You have effectively <b>put the pig on rappel!</b> (Note that the pig is still docked to the rappel anchors)<br>
<br>Next you must <b>attach yourself to the pig.</b> Remember, the <b>pig</b> is rappeling, and you are <b>riding the pig!</b> You need to <b>clip yourself into the first locking carabiner</b> that is attached to the straps of the haulbag and has the load release knot cord hanging off of it. This way <b>you</b> are hanging from the pig at all times. You <b>DON'T</b> want that pig hanging from you, that's for sure! The important thing here is to <b>attach yourself as closely as possible,</b> certainly no more than a foot and most probably around three to six inches. It's best to use your adjustable daisy cinched up tight. You need to be this close to the bag in order to control both it and the rappel device.<br>
<br>When rappeling with <b>REALLY FAT SOWS,</b> it may be necessary to use a second rappel device in series with the first. Put it <b>BELOW</b> the primary rappel device so you can better control it. A munter will work, but it's better to rig up something that won't twist the rope, like a good old-fashioned carabiner brake-bar setup, or more likely merely a wrap around a carabiner. This secondary device will not have that much weight on it - the weight of you and the pig is on the primary (upper) device. Therefore this second device need not support that much force or bend the rope all that sharply. You can rig it sticht-plate like through the LARGE hole in a figure of 8, if you like, just enough to give you a bit of extra braking.<br>

<br>Note: In my experience, it is quite possible to <b>ride a hundred-pound pig</b> with nothing more than a regular <b>ATC</b> on a double rope. As the pig approaches <b>one hundred and fifty pounds,</b> you will have to add the secondary device beneath.<br>
<br>It's now time to enjoy the <b>only fun part</b> of the whole East Ledges Descent - <b>Riding The Pig!</b> If you've never rappeled like this before, you will be absolutely <b>amazed</b> at how simple and painless it is! No struggle to unclip a carabiner, you just untie the knot in the load release knot cord and away you go. You grip the pig between your legs and rappel down - it's so incredibly easy you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't learn this years earlier. Put on your helmet and <b>take off squealing!</b><br>

<br>Now that you know the <b>Better Way</b> of doing things, you can safely and easily handle loads that weigh even more than you do. No longer will you be subject to the <b>vagaries of Traditional Big Wall Technology</b> (see above).<br>
<br> So starting at the top from the first rappel anchor, rappel from here being careful to stay to climbers' left - you don't want to swing out right into the void. You want to go to <b>climbers' left of the big tree</b> staying on the uphill side. Marvel at how well you can control the pig - bet you never thought it could be this easy, eh?<br>
<br>Perhaps <b>fifty feet below the big tree</b> on the edge of a ledge is the next rap station from more huge ring bolts I think. In June, 2003 the fixed ropes continued past here to a similar station a bit lower. Regardless of which station you use, pull your pig up beside the bolts, tie your load release knot through the bolts, let your pig (with yourself attached) hang from the bolts, and take the pig off rappel. Pray that your ropes don't hang up in the big tree above you when you pull them. Hope you had the good sense to join them together with a <b>Euro Death Knot</b> - the overhand version and <b>not</b> the figure-8 version.<br>

<br>This next rap from the upper station fifty feet below the big tree is a <b>full 60m,</b> so you'd better <b>make sure your ropes are long enough</b> if there are no fixed lines. If not, you might have to choose the intermediate station to climbers' left. As always, make sure you tie a BFK (Big Fricking Knot) in the ends of your ropes. Duh. As you rappel, again stay to the left (west) to avoid getting swung out into the void.<br>

<br>Whichever intermediate station you use, you will reach the ends of your ropes as you land on a <b>large tree-covered ledge.</b> Continue rappeling down the ledge to climbers' right past a tree and locate more big rap bolts on the wall to your left facing downhill, which is climbers' right. You will be at the very very end of your ropes, and you will just barely be able to tie your load release knot cord through bolts. If your ropes are not quite long enough you will have to downclimb this section, which isn't too terrible. Say another prayer then pull your ropes if the lines aren't fixed. <br>
<br>The last rap is about a hundred and fifty feet to a big flat ledgy area where you can safely unrope for good. The path down from here is not that obvious, and involves some dicey downclimbing on chossy rock. There used to be ratty old fixed handlines here, but all had been removed as of June, 2003. Be very careful not to knock loose rock on anyone, and <b>keep your helmet on for sure!</b> It's a lot farther down to the streambed than you might hope, but just keep on keepin' on and eventually you'll reach it.<br>
<br>Cross the streambed and look for the trail on the left. It's quite narrow and slippery here, so watch your step, especially on the rocks that are covered with rock dust. I'm guessing it's still another seven hundred feet or so of descent - this trail is really nasty and dirty and will fill your shoes with dirt and gravel. I once used <b>gaiters</b> on this section which was truly the <b>Better Way!</b> This last bit never seems to end! But you'll know you've nearly got 'er licked when you wind through some tree stumps and big fallen logs. Another couple minutes and you'll hit the flat road from where it's only a two or three minute walk to the parking lot of the picnic area.<br>

<br><b><i>WHEW!</b></i><br>

<br>The more <b>crafty and enterprising individuals</b> will be able to finagle both a ride and a beer from picnickers. Appearing <b>exhausted and debilitated</b> seems to work most effectively - you shouldn't have any trouble looking that way! The importance of <b>good shmoozing skills</b> cannot be understated - and <b>nobody shmoozes better</b> than a life insurance agent.<br>

<br><a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=3002"><b>'It ain't over til you reach the parking lot...'</b></a><br>

<br>Dude? It's <b>over.</b><br><br><br>

<br><br>ZM was my <b>fourth solo of El Cap</b> and my <b>seventeenth route</b> on the <b>Big Stone.</b> And it's like pronounced <b>"zed-em",</b> eh?<br>

<br>I began fixing pitches in late August 2001, but had to take a couple days off to <b>go to court on Chongo's behalf</b> to fight his charge of <b>"abandonment of gear"</b> with respect to his <b>Sea of Dreams escapade.</b> [I would say <b><i>"escalade",</b></i> but he never got up...] The charge was thrown out - a <b>great victory for the Chongo Nation!</b><br>

<br>The route <b>surprised me</b> for a few reasons. Firstly, it was a <b>bit harder</b> than I expected, and much more sustained. I hoped for a bit more of a cruise, but instead found <b>challenging climbing</b> nearly every inch of the way. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I was <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=10460&forum=19"><b>climbing straight off the couch.</b></a> When I soloed <b>The Shortest Straw</b> the next spring, it actually seemed <b>easier</b> to me, even though it is universally regarded as a <b>harder route.</b> I think one of the reasons the <b>Straw</b> seemed easier to me than <b>Zed-Em</b> was because I had just come straight off of <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/ascent/index.php?AscentID=6729"><b>my ascent of Excalibur with Tom.</b></a><br>

<br>You can click here to see <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=4163"><b>a couple photos of me jugging on fixed lines</b></a> using the <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=5295&forum=19"><b>Petzl Frog ascending system.</b></a> And you can click here to see a <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=2042"><b>photo of my flagged ledge about to blast off.</b></a><br>

<br>Secondly, there were <b>very few fixed heads,</b> and those that were fixed were pretty manky which meant that I had to clean them and replace them. I enjoy <b>placing</b> heads, but I really hate <b>cleaning</b> the little b*stards which is problematical and time consuming. I probably <b>placed 25 or 30 heads</b> and left most of them fixed - you'll recognize them as they're marked with <b>pinky-purple nail polish.</b> Tell me how long they last up there, I'd be curious to know.<br>

<br><b>3/4" sawed-offs</b> were incredibly useful, and I placed all three of them frequently. Some pitches marked <b>A3</b> like the first and the sixth were really quite <b>easy,</b> while <b>other A3's</b> like 4, 8, 11, 12, and 13 had some really <b>tricky bits.</b> They're close to being <b>Real A3,</b> and you could go a <b>long long way</b> if you blew it. I have to think there may be a couple <b>rivets missing</b> here and there.<br>

<br>Every now and then you'll find <b>chipped flakes</b> to hang your slings off of - <b>classic Jim Bridwell.</b><br>

<br>One particularly <b>"big" surprise</b> was the 3' x 4' isosceles triangle of granite a foot thick and weighing about a <b>thousand pounds</b> that parted company with the wall, along with <b>yours truly!</b> [That'll teach me the difference between <b>"expanding"</b> and <b>"loose",</b> eh?) I took a <b>25-foot fall</b> onto a spike of rock that I had slung and clipped with a <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=4663&forum=19"><b>Screamer.</b></a> This fall arrester <b>completely deployed</b> resulting in a nice soft "catch", and when I jugged back up to examine the nylon that caught me, the 24 kN sling was <b>cut almost completely through!</b> Like, good thing I had the <b>fall arrester</b> on it, eh? You can click here to see a <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=3315"><b>photo of the actual Screamer and nearly-cut sling that caught me!</b></a><br>

<br>This being my <b>fourth solo of El Cap,</b> I was of course obliged to do it in the best possible <b>"Pass the Pitons Pete" style,</b> which needless to say, is very <b>stylin'</b> indeed. On top of my usual accouterments like my <b>solar-powered shower</b> and requisite dozen <b>Olde English,</b> I scarfed <b>Chongo's kitchenette</b> from the base of the Sea. A square plastic bucket with the side cut out and the bottom modified, you can screw a primus stove through it and enjoy <b>wind-proof cooking.</b> My <b>french coffee press</b> filled with Starbuck's dark roast coffee was a delicious and indeed mandatory start to each day - I was never in much of a hurry to get climbing too quickly as I was really enjoying Tom Clancy's latest. Unfortunately <b>disaster struck</b> and I managed to break my <b>glass</b> coffee press. It has since been replaced with an <b>unbreakable</b> lexan model, and which I have covered in closed-cell foam insulation.<br>

<br>You can click here to see a photo of <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=5715"><b>Dr. Piton's Shagadelic Coffee Press</b></a> in action on a wall. Note that its action is <a href=""><b>not limited exclusively to the wall!</b></a><br>

<br><b><font color="red">Wee-Wee the Big Wall Crab</b></font> and I enjoyed a couple <b>upscale parties</b> with a delicious <b>Napa Valley cabernet,</b> a fine selection of <b>cheeses,</b> and an assortment of <b>crackers.</b> Each night after sunset you could hear the soothing strains of <b>AC-DC cranked to the max</b> on my ghetto blaster. Nearby climbers like <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/users/list.php?UserID=justsendingits"><b>Rich Copeland</b></a> and <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/users/list.php?UserID=mrhardgrit"><b>Tom Randall</b></a> would request their favourite tunes.<br>

<br>I brought up <b>53 litres of water</b> which allowed me to enjoy <b>three 3-litre showers</b> and still have just enough left over after my <b>twelve days</b> on the wall.<br>

<br>I hauled the first couple days using a <b>3:1,</b> then switched to a <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=3876&forum=19"><b>2:1 Hauling Ratchet.</b></a><br>

<br>Towards the end I was down to <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=13086&forum=19&start=0"><b>1:1 hauling,</b></a> although I am quite certain that if I were using the <a href="http://storrick.cnchost.com/VerticalDevicesPage/Misc/HaulingPulleyPages/HaulPulley720.html"><b>Kong Block Roll</b></a> that I now use instead of the <b>much less efficient Wall Hauler</b> that I was using on <b>Zed-Em,</b> I could have <b>switched to 1:1 hauling</b> much sooner.<br>

<br>If you are unfamiliar with my <b>Better Way of 1:1 Hauling,</b> then please click the links in the paragraph above.<br>

<br>I had pre-rigged my pigs with the <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=7307&forum=19"><b>Far End Hauler,</b></a> a 2:1 hauling system that allows you to haul the bag <b><i>from</i></b> the bag. this allowed me to make <b>easy work</b> of the usually nasty summit haul. That's versatility for ya, eh? You can click here if you would like to see a <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=8346"><b>cool photo of the Far End Hauler.</b></a><br>

<br>My only <b>problem</b> with hauling occured at <b>"lift off"</b> - Chongo's "kitchenette" bucket <b>snagged</b> under a boulder, and since nobody happened to be walking below me at the time to free it for me, I had to make a <b>350' vertical round trip,</b> and spend an extra night on the ground instead of on the wall. Sheesh.<br>

<br>I reached the summit on my <b>42nd birthday, Sept 11, 2001</b> - the day the World Trade Centers collapsed[!] I'll sure never forget where I was <b>THAT</b> day - probably in the safest place in all America. You can click here to see a photo of <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=3460"><b>me and my Crab-O-Ledge high on Zenyatta</b></a> as taken by <b>Tom Randall</b> across and beneath on <b>Zodiac.</b><br>

<br>I made the carry down the next day with a very manageable load, and still had plenty of time to do a <b>backflip off the bridge</b> into the river, then hit the <b>Pizza Deck</b> and pig out!<br>

<br>You can click here to see the <a href="http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=3002"><b>now legendary photo of me in the parking lot after my solo!</b></a><br>

<br>Not counting bivis at the base while I was fixing pitches or counting summit bivis, I had spent at that time <b>136 nights</b> on the side of El Cap. At the time of writing, however [winter 2002/03] I am up to <b>170 nights on the side of the Big Stone!</b><br>

<br><br><br><b>EPILOGUE:</b><br>

<br>A couple days later I was enjoying a meal in Camp 4 prepared by the <b>lovely Zarithza,</b> a repast which she offered in exchange for the <b>solo big wall tutorial at Swan Slab</b> I had given her that day. Just after sunset, as per usual, I <b>cranked up the AC-DC on my ghetto blaster.</b><br>

<br>A minute later, the most <b>amazing thing</b> started happening!<br>

<br>First this Japanese dude walks up and says, "We were the <b>crimbers on Rost in America</b> - I recognize your music!"<br>

<br>Cool!<br>

<br>Just then, this other dude comes over and says, "Hey, I heard your tunes all the way over on <b>Mescalito...</b>"<br>

<br>Right on!<br>

<br>Moments later, this other guy comes up and says, "You must be the guy from Zenyatta! We were listening to your tunes from <b>Zodiac.</b>"<br>

<br><b>Beauty,</b> eh? <br><br>