Notes » DreamInVertical

May 152013

I couldn’t really believe it. On only the second trip of the season I had climbed half of the route clean. Sure I hadn’t lead all of those pitches yet, but I knew that I could. Getting over the mental barrier is the most important part of doing a First Ascent or First Free Ascent.

After the first day on this project I almost gave up. The 5th pitch was going to be too hard, too leaning, and not fun. I’m usually not one to give up so I simply delayed hiking up to the route the following day and enjoyed good company and bacon for breakfast. I got up to Liberty Cap by noon and mini-traxioned up the first three pitches. I’ve found that roped self-belay is a great way to work on routes and allows you climb partner-free. I managed to send each of the first three pitches, cleaning out dirt and moss as I went up. My “dirty direct” variation would be climbable, but I wondered if it would ever really be clean. At least the route was less dirty the higher you went and soon I was on Scarface proper.

Looking up at the first pitch.

I kept going up my fixed lines through the “crumbling empire” which had the worst rock on the route. Cool moves still existed and the vertical climbing was a nice relief after the endless laybacking on the bottom of the route. I made it to the pitch four belay, having climbed without falls and looked upon the leaning tips crack. I wasn’t even sure how to get established in the crack, but made progress by standing on the piton I had hammered in the previous day.

I saw a line of crimps on the face and figured the the climbing should be possible. A bolt would be needed so I pulled through and worked on the tips crack. A crazy idea had dawned on me the night before and I was excited to try out some magic beta. I laybacked up the offset crack for a few moves and then slotted a thin finger lock. From here I was able to mantel the offset crack and start laybacking it, walking on the two inch rail. This took me 20 feet higher and set me up for the crux off finger section. I was shocked that I was doing so well, having fallen only a few times so far on a pitch I knew to be 5.12. When the corner switched back around, I struggled with the nearly footless moves. The edge of the crack was sharp, which helped with the pseudo campusing and lead me to an awkward rest at a wide pod. I hung many more times in this upper section, desperately trying to work out where to put my feet. After I reached the anchor, I knew the pitch would go! I had found the perfect project and I had to keep trying.

The crux finger crack full of bushes.

Depending on how many consecutive weekends I could spend in the valley I would leave and strip my fixed lines, trying to keep my impact as low as possible. February and March are great months to spend in Yosemite and it was nice to enjoy the solitude.

After my first foray I came back with Steve, Jonathan and Casey on different weekends to push the high point further. I kept going ground up, but used fixed ropes to help mitigate the fact that I only had weekends to work with. By the end of March I had red-pointed the second through the seven pitches and had aided up the eighth pitch, which would be another 5.12 pitch. It was an incredible feeling to lead the crux tips crack on my first lead attempt. Lots of try hard effort went into the send and I almost fell off at the very end, pumped to the max.

The second half of March was booked but it was very exciting to have so much of the route figured out. I took time off, to go climb in Utah, and planned on finishing the route up in April when I returned.

Adding a bolt on P10 of Scarface.

Some final prep work still needed to be done to protect a few sections where pitons had be used for pro. I was in constant contact with Josh, on of the FAists, about any changes I wanted to make to the route. I wanted it to go free, but didn’t want to drastically alter the route. Even though it had been over 7 year since the first ascent, the route had not been repeated. I got everything in order the best I could and planned for a final weekend of work. The following weekend I would put in the last bolts and then go for the first free ascent. Look for a trip report soon!

Route Overview:

For the most part the climbing on Scarface is straightforward and strenuous. After a slab and cerebral opening pitch you have to climb about 70 meters of right facing dihedral. The crack is all sorts of sizes and angles and you are occasionally just laybacking a rounded edge.

Topo for the lower pitches of Scarface

The crux 5th pitch is a laser cut leaning finger crack that goes through all sizes from tips to rattly fingers and then back down. I replaced a 1/4″ rivet on the bottom of the pitch with a new 3/8″ bolt, and added on bolt up and to the left of the crack, due to hollow rock on the right. This also should not change the aid route at all. The rightwards lean requires a good amount of power and trickery to capitalize on the infrequent rests. There is a nice 5.10 offwidth on the sixth pitch with better rock on the second half of the pitch. One new bolt was added on this pitch, early on, to protect moves getting past a few loose blocks. The aid line follows a parallel crack in this section, so this bolt doesn’t change the original route.

On the seventh pitch I bolted a new variation to the left of the original bolt latter. 5.10 slab climbing past four new bolts leads back to the original bolt later and the rest of the pitch. I removed the last “bolt” from original ladder, a 1/4″ rivet, and put in a new bomber 3/8″ bolt. The first three bolts, on the free climbing variation, are closely spaced but there is mandatory 5.10 climbing to reach the forth bolt and to regain the final bolt on aid line. Aid climbers can stick with the original rivet ladder, or climb the new variation at 5.10 C0 or 5.8 C2 with some hooking between bolts.

The eight pitch is 5.12 with killer fingers and off fingers laybacking for about 75 feet before a boulder problem when the crack pinches out. Originally you would have placed peckers & tomahawks in the corner but I added two bolts to protect the free climbing. This was approved by the first ascentionists and allows the whole route to go clean on aid which is a plus! This section still might be one of the aid cruxes since you will need to do some hooking or trickery to get from the second bolt back to bomber gear in the corner.

The next pitch, the ninth, is pretty low angle and there are very few holds, which makes it challenging. One bolt was added on this pitch, above a fixed rurp. The climbing is very technical with fun stemming and slab climbing. Aiding this pitch requires lots of thin cams, nuts and maybe some cam hooks. The following pitch, the 10th, has the final bolt of the route which was added where the first ascentionist used more beaks for pro. The climbing is mellow but cams and nuts would not protect this section. The final two pitches are lower angle and follow discontinuous cracks to the summit. I followed a slightly different line than the first ascentionists in the last three pitches, but there is much overlap.

Upper Pitches Topo

Pitch by Pitch Beta:

Pitch 1 – 5.11a – 90 feet – 2 bolts

Full rack to #3 camalot

From the ground climb up a series of dirty ledges until you can get established on a good foot rail. Step left to a right leaning crack, get in some gear, and stem up until the crack starts to pinch out. Make a move left with your hands on a dike feature to get to the base of a thin crack. Layback up the thin crack, passing a bolt to get established in the slabby corner. Continue laybacking past occasional pods for gear. A few hard moves getting to, and working past another bolt lead to an exciting stemming sequence and an belay at a tree on the left.

This pitch is often dirty and can be wet in the early spring. Having a nut tool to clean out the crack is a plus. The stances are pretty good, so you could still climb this even if it is a little dirty.

Pitch 2 – 5.10c/d – 175 feet

Full rack

From the belay work up the varied corner to a wide section of crack. Layback up until progress becomes very difficult, a finger sized piece goes in here. Techy moves will allow you to move right to a finger lock or wide edge that seem just out of reach. Once established on this edge you will need to go another body length before getting any more gear. It is possible to sling a big horn on the left in the middle of this runout. Good holds on the left wall, and some more laybacking, allow passage through this run-out. Keep on laybacking past a slopey section and mantel up onto a dirty ledge. There is a pink rope here for rappelling, but you should keep climbing. Fight through the tree to the best corner so far.

This rock on this second corner has good friction and you get nice finger sized slots at the start. The corner crack has some interesting geometry, which makes placing gear harder, and it helps to have many finger sized pieces. The corner gets steeper as you go higher until a short chimney section that can be avoided by stepping right. A few face moves lead to another hand sized crack. Jam and layback with feet on the right passing some sweet knobs. In a continuing trend, the layback turns slopey and harder moves lead to a good stance right below a tree.

Belay at the tree with a green rappel sling.

Pitch 3 – 5.10d – 85 feet

Full rack minus all the green alien and smaller pieces

This is the cleanest of the first three pitches. Start off with a few tricky layback moves or stem up using the large dead tree as a foot hold. Crisp finger locks lead you out right to yet another section of slopey layback (hopefully you’ve got it dialed by now). Punch it until the edge of the crack gets better and figure out how to get your self standing on the chalkstone. A couple more tricky moves, with some stemming get you to a grove of trees. Sling something for pro and keep going. Do some easy (5.7/5.8) but unprotected face climbing on the wall to the right of the trees to get established on a big sunny ledge. Belay at two bolts.

Pitch 4 – 5.10b R – 110 feet

Full rack with including a small cam for the start.

The climbing is never particularly run out, but there are occasional places where there is loose rock and one spot with bad fall potential, thus the R rating. The climbing on the “R” section is not much harder than 5.8/5.9, just be careful with rock quality.

Start just to the right of the bolted belay with thin gear and a few mantels. Some tricky stemming gets you established on a wide ledge. Go right and up through some chossy rock to get established in a awesome left leaning hand crack. When the crack ends avoid the ledge covered in loose rock by stepping to the right. Some thin gear protects tricky moves to get into another hand crack. Fun crack and face moves get you up an over a series of ledges to a two bolt belay on a nice 3′ x 5′ ledge.

Pitch 5 – 5.12 – 110 feet – 3 bolts

My rack: 2 Red C3, 2 Green Alien, 3 Yellow Alien, 2 Grey Alien, 1 Red Alien, 2 #.5 camalot, Single Green C3, #1. camalot More thin gear if aiding (000 and 00 C3 useful).

The first of many stellar pitches. From the belay you can either face climb straight up past two bolts or use the ide crack out left. In both cases be careful to avoid the precarious stacked blocks above the wide crack. Traverse across the grainy rail until you reach a no-hands stance. Thin fingers gear (green alien/Red C3) goes in the crack to your left to protect the next hard section. Face climb/layback up an semi-expando flake, 5.11, up until you get established at a good stance on a small ledge to the left of the flake. Clip a bolt and check out the tricky traverse to the leaning tips and finger crack.

Bust out a short crimpy boulder problem, 5.11+, and make a few hard moves up the crack to get established on a huge foot rail. Recovery is key since the next ten feet are tips! Red C3/Blue Metolius seem to fit best since green aliens are too big. The crack is quite off-set so heel hooks and tricky foot work are possible. Once you pass the small bush, the crack changes corners again and gets steeper. It quickly goes to rattly fingers (.5 camalots) and the feet disappear. Luckily the crack is pretty sharp and you can get opposition with your thumb. Fight you way up the leaning crack until a hand jam pod, where you can catch a rest.

The crack thins back down to fingers, but by now you should be quite pumped and wishing a good foot would magically appear. After a few moves your prayer is answered in the way of a thin hand jam and the notion that you have almost done it. Grr your way up a few more fingerlocks and until you can reach a hand crack that takes you the rest of the way to the anchor. Belay at two bolts on a small ledge.

Pitch 6 – 5.10c/d – 165 feet – 1 bolt.

Full Rack with two each #3, #4 camalots (Very confident leaders can get away with a single #3 and #4)

Start off with enjoyable thin hands off the belay until you must switch to the left crack. The higher you go in the right crack, the longer of a reach you must make. A few steep moves lead to another thin hands to hands crack in grainy rock. Climb up until you are below some scary stacked blocks and clip a bolt on the left. Carefully mantel over the blocks, which seem pretty solid, and you will be greeted with a splitter wide crack. Fist jam up clean granite making sure to bump along your #4 camalot. Eventually you can get your right foot in the leaning crack and the difficulty eases and I leave the #4 behind. Continue up the wide crack, past a short slab. Another #4 camalot can go in here or you can run it out until you can place a finger sized piece in a thin crack on the left. Dual cracks lead up with plentiful gear options until you pass another wide section of crack. Laybacking seems to be the best option here and eventually the crack thins to nothing. Make a hero reach from the last finger lock to a perfect jug. A few easy moves leads to a two bolt anchor on a reasonable ledge.

Pitch 7 – 5.10d – 90 feet – 6 bolts

Bring the nuts, Purple and Green C3, and doubles of Green Alien to #1. Single #2,#3,#4 camalots.

Start climbing up the wide crack until you can see a line of three bolts with black hangers. The original line continues further up the wide crack before cutting left on a ladder with mix of rivets and 1/4 inch bolts. The free line joins the aid ladder at the last bolt (which was upgraded to 3/8″).

Climb a series of small ledges angling up and to the left past the three bolts. A combination of mantels and trickery will get you to the highest foot rail. Make a long reach to clip a bolt (the 4th) and get established on the slab. The holds get progressively better and you work back to the right to another bolt (which is the end of the aid ladder). From here follow the bottom of a flake to the left via underclings. Gear in a crack to the right can protect a hard reach to thin seams/crimps on the face. The flake you are climbing gets steeper and eventually a series of good fingerlocks leads to a two bolt belay at an ok stance.

Pitch 8 – 5.12 – 90 feet – 2 bolts

Triples of fingers sized gear are essential for this pitch. Make sure to bring a single #.75, #2 and #3 camalot.

Steep fingerlocks off the belay lead to a tricky bulge and a good stance. Continue layabacking up the stellar corner passing an occasional wider section. Make sure to milk the rests before the crack runs out and there is a bolt. Make a hard move to good hold on the face, or do some ninza stemming. Clip a second bolt, move the good hold and reach to the left for some more face holds. Once you get your feet situated you can reach left to a flake system which will take you back into the main corner. When the corner crack pinches out make use of the thin finger crack on the left and execute a final tricky sequence. Move carefully past a loose tooth and traverse right to a nice sloping ledge with two bolts.

Lizzy mini-traxions the balancey 9th pitch

Pitch 9 – 5.11a – 70 feet – 1 bolt

Bring the nuts and all the small cams. Nothing bigger than a .75 camalot is needed.

From the belay work up the thin corner until you can clip a bolt on the left wall. Balance/slab climb with difficulty, until you can make use of a thin crack on the left wall. Follow this as it becomes a finger crack and then pinches out. A few tricky moves are requires until the crack becomes usable again. Keep stemming up the golden rock until you can move left to ledgy terrain. Belay on a sloping ledge with two bolts.

Pitch 10 – 5.10a/b – 120 feet – 1 bolt

Full Rack

From the belay climb the dirty wide hands crack until you get to a lose block. Step left and climb up to the obvious left leaning roof. Climb this, extending all your pieces, and pull around past a small stump. Layback and jam up an easy crack until you can reach a dirty ledge. Reach high for a small flake and make a committing move on to the face. Follow the seam to an obvious wide pod, which takes a #3 camalot. Continue up the seam at 5.10, nuts useful, until you reach a ledge covered in manzanita. Continue straight up various low angle cracks and aim for a shiny bolt. Climb on the right side of the bolt via fun easy stemming up to a good rail. A few more easy moves lead to a ledge.

Belay to the right of a tree with red bark on a ledge with hand sized gear in a flake. This is about 20′ above the bolt and below a chimney like feature.

Pitch 11 – 5.10a/b – 100 feet

Full Rack

Climb up past a few loose rocks until you can step left towards a “chimney”. From the ledge, next to the short chimney, you can see a thin flake on the right . Follow this, which becomes a fun hand crack until the flake pinches out. Step left to an obvious crack in a corner. Climb this crack until it too runs out past a tricky section of laybacking. Face climb up, past occasional cracks towards a clump of manzanita bushes. Climb past these on the right side, on a series of rails and edges until you can reach a large tree on the right. This pitch is pretty wandering so make sure to extend your gear!

Belay at the tree.

Pitch 12 – 5.10a – 200+ feet

Full Rack

From the belay trend left along a nice low angle crack system. After about 40 feet the crack pitches out and you will need to step left to a hidden flake, follow this up passing a short roof and head towards some small trees. Follow the past of least resistance as you head towards the summit. It seems best to follow the left leaning gulley/crack system towards a fairly large trees. This pitch is low angle and has some moss. Tread carefully.

Belay at a nice tree, that may or may not have tons of ants…

There is still about 200-300 feet of easy scrambling to the summit. Its best to un-rope at the big tree and work your way up the manzanita and slabs.

Scarface – Full Photo Topo

Klonopin interact with 5-htp

Run With Us: Zion Traverse

Notes 7 Responses »

May 092013

One of my big goals for this year is to run 50 miles. I had been planning on doing this at a race (and I am doing the Squamish 50 in August), but as it turns out, I’ll be confronting the distance before then. This weekend, in fact.

I’m still pretty new to this whole ultra thing. It was not very long ago that I had never run farther than 18 miles and was just starting to consider the idea of running farther, particularly to enable me to do the more spectacular Sierra loops (many are 40+ miles) as runs (rather than backpacks. I am not good at carrying a heavy backpack.)

In fact, it was around Thanksgiving 2011, when I was in Bishop with Luke – he climbed, and I studied for my upcoming Quals exam in the Looney Bean every day. Evenings around the campfire, my burnt-out brain escaped to dreaming up future adventures. The one on my mind then was the Evolution Loop, which I had first discovered in September when SK and I ran an out-and-back to Bishop Pass. The full 56-mile loop was way longer than anything I had ever done and I wasn’t really sure it was a good idea, or whether I should even be thinking about it, but I couldn’t help myself, I was drawn to it.

We happened to be sharing the Thanksgiving week with our friends Ben and Konstantin. I think Ben was the first person I’d talked to about the Evolution run who hadn’t just brushed it off as a totally crazy and unreasonable idea. In fact, he was psyched about it too. That was really all I needed for the seed to take root and the next summer saw me suffer through my first ultra and the shortened (but not much easier) version of the Evolution Loop. But we never had a chance to talk about it more, or finish plotting getting together a bunch of people to run the full version because Ben died in a climbing accident in Peru last summer.

The Zion Traverse follow the yellow route across the whole park.

I didn’t really know Ben well, but he continues to be an inspiration to me. Ultra-running (particularly outside of races) has been really transformative experience for me over the past year and a half, and I’m only just starting to scratch the surface of what I am capable of. When Luke told me that a bunch of friends of Ben were planning to converge on Zion in May to run the Zion Traverse (among other activities), I knew I could not say no.

The Zion Traverse is a ~50 mile point-to-point route running diagonally across Zion NP, linking the East Rim Trail to the West Rim Trail to a few other trails, ending at Lee’s Pass in the park’s NW corner. It includes running down into and then back out of Zion Canyon. It is incredibly scenic. This is the kind of adventure run I live for and, although I may not be optimally prepared (I took the first 2 months of the year off running to heal a nagging knee issue), sometimes the best experiences happen when success is not 100% certain, when you are able to see what you are truly capable of.

The transformative joy of running. Here, at the summit of Haleakala on Maui.

That was a very long introduction to get to the point of saying: Julie and I will be running the Zion Traverse this Saturday (May 11), starting at ~5am Mountain Time. As with Evolution, we’ll be carrying my inReach satellite messenger, which will send tracking points every 10 minutes to my personal tracking site: https://share.delorme.com/ElizabethStefurak

So if you want to follow along our progress, check it out on Saturday! I may do a couple test points on Friday to make sure everything is working.

Semenax amazon

Extended Excitement in Utah

Notes 6 Responses »

Apr 182013

For the first time in almost five years I took an extended vacation! I escaped to Utah and Nevada for the three weeks following my birthday and went climbing for a total of 18 days! Four of these days were “half rest days”, a non-functional idea of sleeping in, but still going climbing. I also managed four full rest days and one long run on the East Rim Trail in Zion.

The majority of my time was spent at Indian Creek with a few days in Zion, climbing longer routes. Between my weeks in Utah, I spent two days in Las Vegas and climbed Drifting, one of the best routes I have done in Red Rocks.

Rapping down the last pitch of Drifting

A big theme of this trip was giving back. It was great to show friends around on their first trip to Indian Creek and clean old webbing off a number of anchors. I have long wondered about a good way to contribute back to the climbing community and I get a lot of satisfaction from replacing old bolts, cutting off faded webbing and generally making anchors safer.

A clean anchor!

Over the three week trip my various partners and I replaced and updated hardware on over a dozen routes, including four multipitches. A good percentage of the hardware was supplied by the ASCA for fixing up routes, with additional chain and quick-links coming from the “Stefurak Gear Fund”.

Before

After!

The ugliest anchors of the trip were found on Shune’s Buttress in Zion. On the seven pitches there is a full garbage bag worth of old slings and cordage of various age. We we only had time and hardware to clean up the first four pitches, but I plan to go back and do some more maintenance on the route when I return to Zion in May.

Steve leads the offwidth on Shune’s Buttress

I think Shune’s Buttress is a high quality climb, with excellent cracks, and barely any bad rock. The anchors should be up to par, and I got in touch with the first ascentionist about relocating some aging belays and replacing some of the bolts on the route. There is no reason a classic, such as Shune’s, should have 1/4″ hardware, ratty slings and spinner bolts.

Old cord and webbing removed from Shune’s Buttress!

I’ll be writing blogs about Zion, Red Rocks and Indian Creek in the coming months to recap some of the highlights of my trip.

- Luke

Also a round of thanks to John Wilder and Sam Lightner for providing me with ASCA hardware and getting me up to speed with the best bolting practices for sandstone (versus the more familiar Yosemite Granite).

Viagra kaufen

Thank you, endorphins

Notes No Responses »

Apr 022013

It was Monday and I was already having a rough week. I was mentally exhausted from a long (but successful) week of collecting data down at Caltech, but my body was grumpy from a long week of collecting data and the 12 hour roundtrip solo drive. It’s the beginning of a new quarter, there are a lot of things on my plate, and Luke, who usually helps me calm down and chill out, is in the midst of a 3-week climbing trip in Utah and Nevada.

It was time for a run.

My competitive nature can sometimes get the best of me when I climb, but when I go run it can help me channel my frustration. I’ve tried other social sites that allow you to track your running, but Strava is the best and most fun by far. Sometimes when you know that a certain segment of trail in your regular routine has a Strava leaderboard, it gives you the little push you need to run just a little bit faster. This particular day, it was one of my favorite descents at Rancho, the 0.6 mile Lower Wildcat trail. I had been in the top 10 on the leaderboard before and I thought I could improve. And I had a lot of frustration to exorcise.

I guess I was right because I ran practically a full minute/mile faster than my previous best and set a new women’s CR on that Strava segment. It was like each footstep and each exhale were pushing the toxins out of my mind and body. By the time I got back to the car, I was like a new person.

Generating some endorphins on the Long Ridge Trail in March

It’s pretty amazing how endorphins can turn your whole day around. It’s like a chemical reaction where stress and anxiety are transformed, with the help of a little sweat and a few miles, into a feeling of fulfillment and well-being.

What are you waiting for, go out and give yourself the gift of endorphins! (and join Strava, it’s really awesome)

Why We Run…

Notes 1 Response »

Mar 282013

I find it hard to pinpoint why exactly I participate in my chosen sports. I think that everyone has a different reason to get out and put in some miles. There are many different aspects of running that motivate me and they vary from week to week.

Enjoying an early season run in Yosemite

This can make it hard when I to explain to my dedicated climber friends why I spend all this time out running. I miss climbing days and can end up much more tired than if I had just stayed home.

One of the things I seek, both in running and in climbing, is the state of flow. Most are familiar with the runner’s high, but even beyond that is the feeling of running fast without working hard. The 5-star runs can be the most gratifying when I know that miles I have run are paying off in pure enjoyment.

Some days I want to feel the burning in my chest as I try to keep up the pace. Other times I just want to be out on a pretty trail enjoying nature and a sunny day.

I also run to get away, from the stress of everyday life, from a sport like climbing where there can be serious consequences, and sometimes from myself. In this way running is my meditation, it helps me re-center and reduces the chaos in my life.

I do not run for any single one of these reasons. It is the whole experience, the hard runs and the joyous ones. All of them compel me to get outside and put in the miles.

I think this video shows the importance of running as an escape. Some times we need to to find peace (and silence) from the noises of the urban jungle.

Silence from Duct Tape then Beer on Vimeo.

Enjoy,

Luke

The Liberty Cap Project

Notes No Responses »

Mar 232013

The months of 2013 have blurred together and the routine of daily life has been flying by. It has been a crazy year so far and I can barely believe it is already my birthday.

Every year I take a look at my big list of walls and routes I want to check out in Yosemite. Liberty Cap had been on my mind and the south-facing aspect, ideal for a winter project, pushed it to the top of the list. I was able to get in touch with Josh Mucci, who had done a number of first ascents on Liberty Cap, and figured out a good first objective. When my efforts on Liberty Cap are all finished up, I will write another post with more photos and some specific beta.

One of the best parts of this project so far has been the out-pouring of support. Friends have been helping hump loads, clean dirt, drill bolts and figure out beta. Many different partners on different days have helped push the free route up over the half way point. Each of the first seven pitches have been climbed cleanly and I have redpointed six of those pitches. Some unknowns still remain and it has been interesting climbing ground-up.

Trying to free climb an aid line is an interesting challenge that is full of surprises and excitement. I have really enjoyed figured out each pitch and taking steps towards a much bigger goal. All the little victories have made the whole process much more manageable. Both Josh and Steve have been helping out with beta and are psyched to see action on one of their routes, since many of their Liberty Cap aid lines are unrepeated. It has been a great project so far and while it’s still unfinished I wanted to share some photos.

Enjoy!

Luke mini-traxioning the first pitch.

Steve laybacking up the killer second pitch. Great rock quality with an extra helping of dirt.

Steve figures out the crux section on the third pitch.

Checking out the crux finger crack.

Past the cruxy face traverse on Pitch 5.

Enjoying sunny weather on the P6 offwidth.

Casey lower down pitch 6

Casey is always psyched!

Thanks for all the help and support!

- Luke

Mental Training and Running Up Steep Mountains

Notes No Responses »

Mar 182013

As Luke mentioned, we recently had the opportunity to take Arno Ilgner’s Falling and Commitment Clinic. I learned a lot of skills that I was able to start directly applying to my climbing, but I’ve actually found that some things are also just as useful for running.

One of my main goals for this year is to run 50 miles and, after getting shut out of TRT 50 when it sold out in a couple hours, I found Squamish 50 and claimed a spot. So I’ll be running an insane, technical, scenic, and difficult course on August 10th. It includes ~12k ft of elevation gain, but, crucially for me, is not at elevation. I climb hills a lot better when I can breath. But it did mean I needed to resume running again after taking 2.5 months off to rest a nagging knee issue.

My first run back was predictably exhausting, especially considering it was an 8.6 mile, 1900 ft elevation gain trail run along Skyline and in Castle Rock State Park. Fortunately, that was enough to get over the initial post-running-break crappy-ness. The next weekend, we had the Falling and Commitment Clinic. One thing that really stood out to me was the skill of evaluating what your mind is telling you (“OMG so far above the bolt, we’re gonna die” or “OMG legs so tired, stop running!”) because the mind is “comfort-seeking”. It’s telling you those things to get you out of a stressful situation, not to help you achieve your goal. Sometimes you do need to listen: in climbing, you could be in a dangerous “no-fall” zone and need to consider down-climbing if you’re not 100%, while in running, conserving energy for later miles could be a legitimate concern. This is why it’s important to consciously and rationally evaluate a situation before you enter into it. Decide, before you enter the crux or start running up the hill, whether it is reasonable to take that fall in the crux, or run the whole hill without walking. IN the middle of the action, your mind will probably start telling you to take or slow down, but if you’ve already decided what an acceptable risk or effort is, you can ignore those thoughts and keep pushing.

This skill came in very useful for me the following weekend when I set out to run up the Snow Creek Trail in Yosemite. This is (by far) the steepest trail up out of the Valley (which I know by experience, having run up or down the Pohono, 4-Mile, JMT, and Yosemite Falls trails, some numerous times), which is probably why I hadn’t been on it so far. But the trail’s aspect and location makes it the best winter running option – it was sunny, warm, and snow-free (for the first mile, at least). After running the mellow trail along the base of Tenaya Canyon and through the Ahwiyah Point rock slide, the Snow Creek Trail was jarringly steep. The incredible view across the canyon of Half Dome and the snow-plastered Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest provided lots of excuses for stopping. Higher up, the trail was covered in slush and then snow; after I passed the one group of hikers in front of me I was making fresh tracks. Even just power-hiking was exhausting and my brain was trying to get me to take another break, or just turn around now, did I really need to go to the top of the hill?

Looking though the Ahwiyah Pt rock slide

But my mental training kicked in. I was totally prepared to keep going for longer. I had lots of food, plenty of water (and the option to refill even if I ran out), extra layers, including a rain jacket. I wasn’t hurting myself by continuing my march up the hill. So I told my brain, “whatever, you’re just seeking comfort” and kept hiking. And I didn’t die. Imagine that.

This last weekend, the hills while trail running closer to home just seemed so mild in comparison. This is another aspect of mental training. Just as you can get accustomed to falling and be more comfortable taking falls, especially smaller ones, I think you can get more accustomed to the “suffering” usually associated with running up hills. Once you’ve survived 1300 ft of elevation gain in a mile (>20% grade), most “normal” hills don’t seem that bad. I think this will end up being central to my mental strategy in preparing for those 12,000ft of elevation gain at Squamish 50: running hills longer and/or steeper, so that once I get there I can remind myself: “this isn’t so bad, remember that other ridiculous hill? If I made it up that, surely it won’t kill me to make it up this one.”

Snowy Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest

From my ultra experiences so far, a big piece of the mental game is the ability to observe your mind from a detached perspective, in a very similar way to how Arno talks about the mind while climbing. You observe that your mind is full of grumpy thoughts and realize you need to eat more food, rather than letting the transient mood affect your decision-making. You observe aches and pains in your body and evaluate whether they are actual injuries or just the regular effects of the miles. You set bite-sized goals for your mind to dwell on so it doesn’t get overwhelmed with the endeavor you’ve taken on.

So there you’ve got it. Mental training, it’s not just for rock climbing.

Fresh tracks are somewhat less exciting on a run that on skis.

Searching for direction in Yosemite

Notes, Trip Reports No Responses »

Feb 282013

One goal from 2012 was to spend the glorious Rocktober in Yosemite. So when Fall came around I refused to do anything else and managed to get four weekends in a row of time in the Valley. Yet with all this time I lacked a direction for my season. 2011 was focused on climbing Astro-Man and that singular goal allowed me to focus my energy and climb an amazing route. In 2012 it seemed that I was just shopping around. I was unwilling to commit to any new single pitch projects, saving them for potential onsights, and unsure my fitness was adequate to start putting any serious effort into the Phoenix.

Ron Kauk on Hotline, Elephant Rock via Patagonia.com

Luckily there is an overwhelming number of routes on my “to-do” list and I spent the end of 2012 checking out new places and climbs. The middle of September was my first time back in the Valley when Gordon, a friend from college, visited for a weekend. Despite some warm temps we made the death march up the cathedrals gulley and climbed the Higher Cathedral Spire via the Regular Route. This route was the first of many to offer killer views of Yosemite from slightly more off the beaten path.

I have spent a good number of days, at the Cookie Cliff, staring across at Elephant Rock. It was time to stop waiting to check out Hotline and Fatal Mistake (the white splitter to the right of the climber in the photo above). Fatal Mistake was first up and the most common method is to climb Pink Dream, which is around the corner, and rappel in. I assumed that Pink Dream would be just another forgettable climb but it had super quality cracks!! The two pitches have a variety of jamming and the second pitch is a tricky off-width, sandbagged at 5.10a. I really enjoyed the Pink Dream and Fatal Mistake was excellent as well. Between the two climbs you will do over 100 feet of #3 camalots, so you better be dialed on that size!

Leading the second Pitch OW on Pink Dream

For Hotline I partnered up with Jonathan Guy and we swapped leads up yet another splitter route. The cracks on Elephant rock offer high quality jamming and Hotline demands proficiency at off-fingers and thin hands. I was yet again impressed by the route and even though the cruxes spit me off, I will be back for another attempt.

Later in the season during a warm November weekend I managed to climb Hardd and Crack A-Go-Go at the ever popular Cookie Cliff to nearly finish off the cliff’s 5.11 trad routes. It has been fun to get to know the Cookie Cliff and climb many of it’s fabulous routes. There are cracks of all sizes and I also got to try a hidden treasure called Vendetta. This overlooked climb has a phenomenal second pitch which is mostly 5″ hand and fist stacking. The off-width aficionado in our group, Sonia, lead this climb and I happily followed it. I’ll be back to lead this and the most famous off-width at the Cookie, Twilight Zone, in 2013!

Looking up at the crazy chimney pitch on the Gold Wall

The grand finale for the 2012 Fall season was a trip up the first seven pitches of Silent Line on the Gold Wall. This towering route is in the Ribbon Falls amphitheater and grants a spectacular perspective on Yosemite. Steve and I climbed this route in December and were rewarded with t-shirt weather on the south facing wall. The first two pitches are slow with a bolt ladder and some awkward wide free climbing or aiding. The rest of the route follows fun wide hands crack with an exciting tunnel through chimney pitch. The route goes into the sun early and bakes on the typical California day, making it perfect for “winter” ascents.

Looking out from the window of the chimney crawl.

Hopfully everyone had a great fall. It was great to climb a wide variety of routes and I learned that it helps to set specific goals to help me find direction for the climbing season.

- Luke

Goals for 2013

Notes 2 Responses »

Feb 152013

It seems that every other year I end up writing down some specific goals. Sometimes it helps even if I can’t do everything on the list. From bolts, to running and climbing here are my goals for 2013!

Update bolts and hardware on at least 8 routes.

ASCA Bolt Photo

Climb in the Whitney region.

Climb at Calaveras dome.

Spend more time projecting in Yosemite.

Dave Schultz on The Stigma

Hidetaka Suzuki on The Phoenix. Photo by Bob Gains

Climb at least one of the following:

West Face of El Capitan
Pegasus on Quarter Dome
The Crucifix on Higher Cathedral Rock
The South Face of Mount Watkins
Any route on Liberty Cap

Liberty Cap route list: (1) Passport to the Sky, V 5.11d A1 (2) Scarface, V 5.8 A3 (3) West Buttress, V 5.10 A3 (4) The Patriot Act, V 5.9 A3+ (5) Southwest Face, V 5.8 C3 (6) Direct Southwest Face, VI 5.10 A3+ (7) Turkey Shoot, V 5.9 A3 Route lines and info courtesy Josh Mucci & Joe Hornof

Run 1000 miles over the year.

Complete a marathon or ultra (mountain runs count).

Gain over 100,000 feet of elevation. (Climbs not included)

Increase leg speed and run a “fast” road half-marathon.

What are your goals for 2013?

- Luke

Long Hard Free Routes of the West

Notes 4 Responses »

Feb 092013

Out of all the types of climbing, nothing gets me quite as excited as multipitching. I think it brings out the best in me and I enjoy climbing all day. Over the years I’ve climbed a number of amazing and sometimes world class routes. Some I’ve onsighted, others I went back for the send, and even more I just sampled. In the way that some people project routes and boulder problems, I’ve ended up projecting multipitches.

Free climbing up to Sous Le Toit on the Salathe Wall, El Capitan

The basis for this post is to do a bit of comparison. One of my goals with Dream in Vertical is to get people psyched about climbing so they go out and experience fun routes. Perhaps an iota of information will be the final straw in the making of an amazing experience

Difficulty Rankings

Trying to characterize the difficulty of a route is a funny thing. Different climbing areas require specific techniques and types of fitness. Doing 5.11 at sea level is not the same as the same moves at 10,000 feet. The 5.10a offwidth on the Rostrum (in Yosemite) is harder for some than the 5.11c crux finger crack on the same route. All of these elements make “difficulty” a hard thing to gauge.

I find that long routes break into two different categories. Many routes have a good amount of more moderate climbing with a stand out crux pitch or two. The other half of routes tend to be more sustained with continuous difficulty but less super hard pitches. In either case, the time taken on the route can be a good indicator of how the route climbs. Occasionally the grade of the all the pitches does not seem to properly correlate to the time taken. A good example of this is a comparison of the Steck-Salathe and the East Buttress of El Capitan. Both routes feature a crux pitch of 5.10b with a similar amount of 5.8 and 5.9 with over ten total pitches. Most people, myself included, take much longer on the Steck-Salathe. The style of climbing (e.g. offwidths & chimneys, which are slow), the duration of approach and descent, and the ability to link pitches result in big variations in how long it takes to climb these two routes. The Steck-Salathe is less traveled so route-finding is slower and the strenuous wide cracks take more time for the leader. With some linking on the East Buttress, you can vastly reduce number of pitches, compared to the SuperTopo. There is also more face climbing on the East Buttress ,which is almost always faster than chimneying or off-size jamming.

Will leads the crux finger crack on the North Face of the Rostrum

I think it helps to break the “difficulty” of a multipitch route into the four categories listed below. These terms do not fully describe the climbing experience, but offer my two cents about the what is involved when climbing the routes listed at the end of the blog.

Ratings – # of “hard” pitches

To send the route you will always need to be able to climb the grade of the hardest pitch. If there is only one difficult pitch on a route, like Cloud Tower, it can make sense to try the whole route even if you expect to fall or have to french free that one pitch. This allows you to come back later for the send with a better understanding of the route. Having to fire back to back 5.12 crux pitches, like on Moonlight Buttress, is a more serious undertaking and surely bumps up the “difficulty” of the route.

Logistics – Approach and Descent, Location, Altitude

As a climber progresses to longer route,s it becomes even more important to move quickly on all of the non-climbing sections of the day. Many people end up bailing from routes since they didn’t have enough time to get to the top. Getting lost on the approach puts a crunch on climbing time, which could be better spent resting between hard pitches. Where you sleep, how long you have slept, how long you took to approach, and the altitude can all effect your performance. I guarantee that 5.11 will feel much harder than normal at 10,000 feet if you slept the previous night at sea level.

Style – O/W & Overhangs, Slabs, Cracks

Most climbers develop skills in only a few areas and on one or two specific types of rock. Traveling will require you to climb on a new type of rock and do types of moves that are unfamiliar. Even people who frequently climb on granite may not be comfortable on the slick off-widths of Yosemite. Grades are always relative and just because you can climb an overhanging 5.11 doesn’t mean you can climb the 5.11 slabs on the free-blast. Style matters!

Duration – Length and linkability

It’s pretty straightforward that longer routes take more time and consume more energy. It is very important to climb efficiently and not waste time or energy on easier pitches. A good way to spend less time is to link pitches which avoids belay changeovers. You also tend to place less gear when you have longer to climb which also speeds things up. It is important to know both how long a route is in feet in as well as the minimum number of pitches it can be climbed in.

Route Breakdown:

First Off I’ll try to put things in order based on overall difficulty. This considers the Ratings, Logistics, Style and Duration as defined above. These opinions are based on my experiences and my general set of skills.

Free-rider – 5.13-, El Capitan – Yosemite, CA
Regular NW Face – 5.12, Half Dome – Yosemite, CA
Sheer Lunacy – 5.12+ Zion, UT
Original Route – 5.12-, Rainbow Wall Red Rock, NV
Astroman – 5.11+, Washington Column – Yosemite, CA
Chouinard-Herbert – 5.11+, Sentinel Rock- Yosemite, CA
Hotline – 5.12, Elephant Rock – Yosemite, CA
Tradewinds – 5.12-, Incredible Hulk – High Sierra, CA
Free Blast – 5.11+, El Capitan – Yosemite, CA
Astro-Hulk – 5.11, Incredible Hulk – High Sierra, CA
North Face- 5.11+, Rostrum – Yosemite, CA
Positive Vibrations – 5.11-, Incredible Hulk- High Sierra, CA
Cloud Tower – 5.12- Red Rock, NV
Levitation 29 – 5.11+ Red Rock, NV

Before discussing the intricacies of each route, I’d like to go over a few more reasons that one route might be a more difficult “tick” than the others. Every climb on the initial list has at least two pitches of 5.11 or harder. Some of the routes have long approaches and are more easily climbed with a bivy at the base. This logistical complication means not only more time to complete the route but also more commitment. Retreat is also another important logistical consideration. Bailing halfway up the Chouinard-Herbert would be very complicated and costly in gear, while Astroman is often rappelled from the the base of the Harding Slot (commonly known as Astro-Boy). Even though the crux on Cloud Tower is much harder than the Rostrum, the latter route requires off-width technique, which is foreign to many climbers. Mastery of wide cracks is mandatory for many Yosemite climbs.

Challenges that add to route difficulty

Large rack / specific mandatory gear
Long Approach/Complicated descent
No easy way to bail/retreat
Weather (extended amounts of sun/shade)

Luke is psyched for the Rainbow Wall

Route-specific beta and suggestions

Free-Rider

While this route may be the easiest free route up El Capitan, it packs quite a punch. This climb requires the ability to climb 5.11 offwidths as well as chimneys of easier grades. Both crux pitches are 5.12+, but have opposite styles. The boulder problem is short with very small holds and the picture book dihedral requires endurance laybacking and technical stemming. Being able to climb the 30+ pitches while also hauling can be a challenge. Many people end up trying the route ground up and then rappelling in to work the harder pitches. A solid understanding of big wall climbing (hauling, extreme camping) and multi-day logistics is mandatory. This climbing is a pretty big step above the rest both in terms of logistics and difficulty.

Regular NW Face of Half Dome

This climb is LONG and very popular. Due to the sheer number of pitches it is tiring to climb in a day, especially when free climbing. Expect crowds to be frequent during summer weekends. The majority of the climbing (17 of 23 pitches) are 5.10c or easier which is a huge advantage. The crux pitches are around 12a and appear to be difficult. I only french freed these sections due to fatigue. An onsight or mostly free ascent will be pulled off by solid 5.12 leaders who are very efficient at easier terrain. Most parties doing the route in a day will free climb up to 5.10+ and aid the rest. Figuring out how to climb with enough food and water can be can be a challenge for both free and mixed parties. We climbed the loose 5.9 and 5.10 free variation around the Robbins Traverse. This is easy but loose and dirty three pitches. The Wilder Variation, 5.12c, has been suggested to me by friends who deem it a hard but much cleaner alternative.

Sheer Lunacy

Perhaps seen as the less loved sibling of Moonlight Buttress, this route offers a wide variety of climbing and jamming. The rock ranges from bulletproof sandstone to a veritable litter box at the end. Either option (5.12+ or 5.13) for the crux pitch requires much harder climbing than the rest of the route (mainly 5.10 and 5.11 climbing). This climb is the perfect length to do in a day and you top out very close to the Angel’s Landing trail. Most pitches are short so it is easy to haul a small bag with a 40m line. Make sure to check the weather since the route can be quite warm in the spring. I found this a good way to break into 5.12 multi-pitches, despite the super hard crux pitch.

Lizzy up high on Sheer Lunacy

Original Route on Rainbow Wall

Perhaps the most continuous/sustained route on this list, you should expect stacks of 5.11 pitches with the occasional section of 5.12. If you really want to up the ante, the Rainbow Country variation replaces the only four pitches that are 5.10 or easier and with 5.11 and 5.12. One amazing aspect of this route is the ability to climb with one rope and a very small rack. There are often bolts at the cruxes and 90% of the belays are bolted. All pitches 5.11 and above are less than 40m so you can easily haul a small bag so the second can climb more easily. This route is always in the shade so plan accordingly. This route features a large number of face moves on the highly featured sandstone of Red Rock. The lack of technical jamming or off widths makes this a great route for those more familiar with hard sport and face climbing.

Astro-Man

This Yosemite classic requires a full repertoire of jamming skills. Personally I found the Harding Slot to be the hardest pitch and the deal breaker for this route. The guidebook reads something like this: “many parties cruise to the Harding Slot only to be rejected and reduced to tears”. Solid endurance is required for the 150+ foot enduro corner and first digit power for the boulder problem. It’s very easy to rappel the route from the base of the slot with two 60m ropes. The base of the changing corners (1 bolt + gear belay) is the last place you can retreat from with out leaving gear. The Washington Column is quite tall and Astroman popular, so expect a long day. It can help to be familar with the multi-hour North Dome Gully descent if you reach the summit in the dark.

Chouinard-Herbert

For many, the Sentinel evokes a feeling of old school Yosemite climbing. This route is not well traveled so expect additional challenges with route finding. The approach and first few pitches also add a good bit of time and height to the climb. The vertical gain from parking lot to summit is greater than the face of Half-Dome so this is a full day. I was quite tired for the two upper 5.11 pitches, which made them feel harder. The climbing is also not always obvious jamming, which proves difficult when onsighting. We climbed with a backpack that we hauled on the two 5.11c pitches. It was pretty easy to throw a loop of rope down to the follower from the top of the Afro-Cuban flakes as well as the first 5.11 pitch.

Casey make quick work of the long 5.11 corner on the Chouinard-Herbert

Tradewinds

This is one of the hardest routes I’ve tried on the Hulk, with multiple 5.11 pitches at altitude. Once you gotten over the mental hurdle of climbing hard above 9000 feet, you must survive a very cruxy and sandbagged first pitch. The next crux requires a cool head and some small nuts. Good route finding skills help on the easy middle pitches before the crux finale. Expect thin finger locks and magic stemming! This is a big step up from Positive Vibrations and Sunspot Dihedral. You can rap the route but it’s much better to meet up with the Venturi Effect and rappel that route if you are not going to the summit. This route is much less windy than Positive Vibrations and the middle pitches can feel near tropical on a sunny day!

Astro-Hulk

The independent part of this climb starts after the 5th pitch of Positive Vibrations. You can also follow Tradewinds until the 7th pitch where that route splits with Astro-Hulk. The meat of this climb is two hard 5.11 pitches of full value alpine climbing. The rock is grainy, the gear can be infrequent, but the climbing is stellar!! Bring your A game! The upper ledge can easily be traversed allowing you to rappel the Venturi Effect. This is a good way to add some difficulty to Positive Vibes or an alternate way to finish Tradewinds, which keeps the grade at 5.11c. While there are only a few new pitches this is a great step towards some of the more difficult routes at the Hulk.

Positive Vibrations

This is the most classic king line of the Incredible Hulk, with pitch after pitch of stellar cracks that make it hard to beat. This is a huge step up from the Red Dihedral, but both 5.11 pitches have less than 50 feet of difficult climbing. Regardless, expect a long day since there is only one pitch easier than 5.10. This route can be windy and is often cold in the morning (before the sun hits the face). This route is also pretty popular. There are many ways to do the first couple pitches so you can often pass or climb a variation to keep moving.

North Face of the Rostrum

Quite possible the best crack climb I’ve ever done. It’s long enough that you get to do every single style of jamming, but short enough to get you to the Mountain Room bar by dinner. The crux finger crack is pumpy and often spits people off at the end. Not enough off-width technique will make the sixth pitch a challenge. This is surely one of the best sized climbs since you don’t have to get up super early to do the route. However do realize this climb has all day shade and is very popular! All the bolted belays are equipped for rappel so retreat is possible after the third pitch.

Cloud Tower

While Red Rocks is filled with many amazing multi-pitch routes, this is one of the few with serious crack climbing! Moderate hand cracks lead to a thin and cruxy dihedral which is one of the two cruxes of the route. The final pitch is steep jamming, that will be cruiser for the Indian Creek veteran. This climb requires a large rack and a second rope to rappel. Hauling a small bag on both crux pitches makes it much nicer for the follower, since you end up only using around half of the rack at a time. I found that stemming and use of face holds made the crux pitch more reasonable. The crack is barely tips at the beginning and quite hard to climb directly.

Free Blast

Life is grand when you get to climb on El Capitan. The Free Blast is first ten pitches of the Salathe Wall, and is often climbed as an independent objective. This climb requires solid slab technique and fondness of pin scars. Offset nuts and cams can be helpful on some of the flaring cracks but are not required for the confident 5.11 climber. This route gets almost all day sun, so plan accordingly. This route is popular both as the start aid routes and as a free-climb. Retreat is possible with two ropes but most people “top out” on the Mammoth Terraces and rappel via the Heart Ledges rap route. A 70m rope and some simul-climbing get this route done in many fewer pitches.

Levitation 29

The closest thing to a sport route on this list, this route is another Red Rocks gem! The sunny exposure allows this route to be climbed in multitude of seasons which helps compensate for it popularity. The 5.11 pitches are well bolted and this is a great climb where you can push your limits. The route can be carefully rappelled with a 70m or two ropes. If you start late in the day expect two way traffic as others rappel the route. Be careful if you decided to top out in winter since the descent can covered in ice and quite serious.

Feel free to leave any questions, or click through to the route pages for trip reports.

- Luke

Putting in the Work, 2012 in Review

Notes 2 Responses »

Feb 052013

I’ve found in climbing and in life that one’s mind is vital for accomplishing anything. There is a lot of complexity in how we perform and how we observe said performance. Our in-the-moment observations can vary the outcome and cause us to fail when we could otherwise have succeeded. In the recent past I’ve strayed away from hard resolutions and goals and tried to be more flexible with what I wanted to do. In some ways this works since it helps get rid of the anxiety of falling short of my expectations. On the other hand, with only one or two “goals” to think about, I have not been focusing all of my energy in one direction. A plus side of this has been putting in effort across the board and making lots of smaller advances in my life. Oftentimes the little things make a larger difference in your life, despite being harder to remember.

Now that I’ve been in California for five years I want to take a look at where things have gone and highlight some of the good memories. Then I’ll move on to a review of this year.

2007 – Graduated from college and moved back to the west coast. California weather allowed me to ramp up my climbing substantially and I managed to onsight my first 5.12a sport routes.

The stunning Equinox!

2008 – Lizzy and I took our first trip to Indian Creek. I started projecting routes for the first time. This year end with my first 5.12 crack, Equinox, and a redpoint of a 5.13a sport route.

2009 – A year for the record books. Two trips to Indian Creek, a near onsight of the Rainbow Wall and a trip up El Capitan. Somehow everything fell into place for a great year of sending. This year I managed to start with a small injury but got stronger and more confident throughout the year.

2010 – The beginning of grad school for Lizzy and our relocation to the Bay Area. Dislocating my shoulder again caused me to consider climbing better instead of just getting stronger. Much of the year was spent rehabbing, running and eventually completing my first Marathon and 50k. Despite all the down time I still managed to re-build my climbing fitness by climbing the Regular Route on Half-Dome and sending both Astro-Hulk and the Rostrum.

2011 – This year had so much climbing, it is hard to get it all straight. Recovery was complete and running was put on the back burner. The biggest send of the year was a very special event on June 18th! I couldn’t be happier to get married to the woman of my dreams. Climbing-wise, we were all over the place. A cold week at Indian Creek for spring break, summer spent establishing a new route at the Incredible Hulk and Thanksgiving in Bishop. All the other months were equally busy getting dialed in Yosemite climbing and resulted in a send of Astro-man and a solid effort on the Chouinard-Herbert.

Now on to 2012, another epic year of climbing, running and having fun. It is hard for me to figure out how the year passed by so quickly but at least I remember the high points. With so much hoopla around certain routes I find that I let my expectations build and end up being disappointed. The Nose on El Capitan has been on my mind since I first climbed in Yosemite 9 years ago. Every year I’ve wondered if I was ready. This year I climbed the route in a style that I am very proud of. Stein and I had a great time and managed to not waste time on the route, proof that waiting was the right decision. For once the route really did live up to the HYPE!

Bivy ledge luxury on El Cap Tower

The strangest thing about climbing the Nose was it’s placement and role it played in my year. The year kicked off with a good deal of running and a focus on sport climbing. Lizzy and I both spent a bunch of time in the gym preparing for our March spring break trip to the Red River Gorge. I ended having a killer trip and for the three weeks surrounding that trip sent a 5.12 each day I climbed outside. I was in the best sport climbing shape *ever* with consistent fitness from the middle of March until early April. This climaxed with a send of Soap on a Rope, a solid 5.12d, at the Jailhouse. This was the difficulty prize of the year and allowed me to relax and go trad climbing.

I transitioned almost instantly to Yosemite climbing with my ascent of the Nose in April. I was pretty wiped from the Nose and the preceding months of sport climbing and started taking things pretty easy. Gym climbing was reduced to almost zero over April and May but I was still running regularly in preparation for the Lake Tahoe 50k in July. Last year Lizzy had run from Tuolumne to Yosemite via Clouds Rest and absolutely raved about it. By summer time I was ready for a nearly 18 mile run and went and soaked in the alpine beauty. Words do not describe how spectacular the views are!

Luke and Half Dome from Clouds Rest

One of the big draws for me these days is doing first ascents. I like the idea of exploration and it makes me push outside of my comfort zone. Searching for new quality routes also plays to my obsessive nature and this summer I got to indulge in a quality backcountry “expedition”. Usually I play the weekend warrior but this year I managed FIVE days off during prime Sierra season. A number of options were discussed, but Casey and I ended up heading to Merriam Peak to check out FA potential and to sample some freshly climbed routes.

Merriam Peak from the approach.

The Merriam Trip was a great success with two routes repeated and a mixed aid and free route done on the right side of the peak. There is still more virgin rock there for the motivated and strong free climber.

The rest of the summer was spent on various running adventures and working on another new route in the Tuolumne/Yosemite backcountry. Over a few trips earlier in the year I had checked out Basket Dome and surrounding area and spotted potential for new routes. Over many weekends I ended up establishing the first routes on a dome I’m calling Acorn Dome. A trip report is still to come but here are the lines that Casey helped me finish off back in August. The primo line is the Miwok Dike which follows a golden dike for 110 meters in two pitches.

New routes on Acorn Dome

Summer was a great success and it was time to start training for the next adventure. The summer season never seems to coincide with my peak climbing fitness, so I have to make sure to start putting in time at the climbing gym for the fall. September started out on a high note with the visit of long time climbing partner and college friend. I insisted on taking Gordon to the valley and we did a nice tour of long routes over his short weekend visit.

On top of Higher Cathedral Spire

I was slowly starting to run out of time before the end of September and the biggest event of the fall. Dr. Jonathan Williams and I had signed up for the 24 hours of Horseshoe Hell and were doing our best to train for the event. Long gym sessions, limited rest and back to back workouts were our bread and butter. In no time we were both in Arkansas listening to the climbers creed before our big adventure. The day panned out in our favor with both of us hitting our 100 pitch goal. All routes were lead and we climbed non-stop for the full 24 hours of the competition. The day was not without ups and downs as our psyche and energy waxed and waned. The cherry on top, which was completely unexpected, was that we managed to win our division, Men’s Team Advanced!

Done with the 1st Hour at 24Hell!

Many trips, days and adventures really fell in to place this year. I didn’t tick many things off the big bucket list but I proved that I can get out and be successful in a variety of venues. Many times I’ve shot for the moon without putting in enough ground work. This year proved that my base level has risen since I am able climb routes in fewer tries and at higher levels. I did not often push my upper physical limits but I am psyched to have consistently performer at a higher level than years past.

Perhaps 2013 will be another breakout year where I start pushing through the plateau that I have been flirting with for a few years. Either way I have come to realize it is important to enjoy all your days outside even when you are not making measurable gains.

Cheers,

Luke

Older Entries

Route Beta: Free Climbing Scarface on Liberty Cap

Route Overview:

Pitch by Pitch Beta:

Run With Us: Zion Traverse

Extended Excitement in Utah

Thank you, endorphins

Why We Run…

The Liberty Cap Project

Mental Training and Running Up Steep Mountains

Goals for 2013

Long Hard Free Routes of the West

Difficulty Rankings

Route Breakdown:

Route-specific beta and suggestions

Putting in the Work, 2012 in Review

Categories

Lizzy’s Tweets

Luke’s Tweets

Recent Comments

Archives

Route Overview:

Pitch by Pitch Beta:

Difficulty Rankings

Route Breakdown:

Route-specific beta and suggestions

Categories

Lizzy’s Tweets

Luke’s Tweets

Recent Comments

Archives

Tags