 |
| Home | Access Issues | New Routes | Local Guidebooks | Membership | Resources |
UPCOMING EVENTS:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PHOTO GALLERY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE SMCC MISSION: To find solutions to access issues pertaining to climbing areas; To provide a forum for positive communications and relations between climbers, land managers, landowners, and other land users; Education and outreach to land managers, and the nonclimbing public about matters of concern to the local climbing community; Informing and educating the climbing community about local climbing issues; Promoting climbing safety in Southwest Montana; Organizing and promoting trail improvement and maintenance, erosion control, and resource conservation projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED AN UNSAFE BOLT OR ANCHOR? Drop a line with a detailed description to: Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition P.O. Box 6762 Bozeman, MT 59771-6762 or email: climber@montanaclimbers.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SUGGESTION BOX Are there any special topics or issues you want to see addressed or stories you would like to read in BLACKLINES or on the website? Do you have climbing photos you'd like to see in print or on the website? Send photos, along with information about the photo and the name of the photographer, to kristend@montana.edu Story ideas, burning issues and/or letters to the editor can go to erebeccakay@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARCHIVES click for PDF -BLACKLINES FALL 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SMCC Board of Directors Tom Kalakay Pat Callis Bill Dockins Fred Donich (Butte) Jim Earl Randall Green (Helena) Joe Josephson Skyler Pauli Neva Steward Hannah Arm SMCC Officers Tom Kalakay, Executive Director Joe Josephson, Secretary Deborah Pratt, Treasurer Committee Leaders Bill Dockins, Access Geoff Heath, Trails Skyler Pauli, Anchors Meg Hall, Memberships Jeff Ho, Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BLACKLINES is the official newsletter of the Southwest Montana Climbers' Coalition. Published semi-annually, BLACKLINES is available to those who support the SMCC. Becky Edwards, Editor Kristen Drumheller, Production/Design
|
BLACKLINES NEWS FROM THE SOUTHWEST MONTANA CLIMBERS COALITION Updated 1/03/08 DOWNLOAD BLACKLINES FALL 2007 Hyalite Update - 1/3/08 **Official Notice**
Hyalite Update -12/27/07
The Hyalite Road was plowed today so ice fishermen and skiers can easily reach Blackmore and ice climbers will have no problems getting to the Grotto Falls Parking Lot. Snow tires and/or AWD/4WD is still required as the road is slick and there will be lots and lots of traffic the rest of the weekend. There will be skiers, families, dogs, you name it on the road and throughout Hyalite. Thanks.
Hyalite Update -12/27/07 Montana Climbers,
A New Plan for Hyalite Canyon A new Forest Service proposal could create a multi-use recreation area by Emily Stifler
Thanks to the hard work of SMCC board members and dedicated locals, the status of winter ice climbing access in Hyalite Canyon is looking promising. The final travel plan for the Gallatin National Forest, released in December, proposed closing and gating the Hyalite road and designating it for cross country skiing use. Over the course of the next three months, a group of climbers led by SMCC board members Joe Josephson and Bill Dockins met with multiple user groups including the Bridger Ski Foundation, local and federal governments, environmental groups and motorized representatives. Climbers have developed a coalition with these groups, and have since met with Rebecca Heath, the Forest Supervisor. Together, they reached an agreement on the decision-making process for improving the final travel management plan. For climbers, this means the Forest Service is willing to work on a seasonal basis to determine when the road will be closed. In addition, the Forest Service proposed a four-part plan that acknowledges the unique non-motorized recreational assets of Hyalite and allows the community to be directly involved in the management of the road issue during the winter season. The Forest Service proposal includes the following four parts: 1. Gallatin National Forest will institute a long-term goal of plowing the Hyalite road at least to the vicinity of Chisholm Campground, and will explore designation of Hyalite Canyon as a Public or National Recreation Area. 2. The Forest Service will work with the coalition developed by the SMCC to determine standards for when road will be open or closed, depending on conditions. This also includes the potential for unlocked gates, public education, signage and other strategies to minimize the number of unprepared users on the road. 3. The snowmobile access trail will be re-routed from Blackmore along the west side 4. The Forest Service will not implement a road closure until the new snowmobile route is established and road closure “standards” are developed and agreed upon. Since the meeting, the regional Forest Service office in Missoula denied all administrative appeals it received, including the one by ice climbers. While user groups can now appeal to the federal district court, climbers have agreed with the Forest Service not to file any further appeal so long as productive discussions aimed at solving the access issues are ongoing. Additionally, two lawsuits are in progress – one by the Citizens for Balanced Use, a motorized use advocacy group, and one by conservation groups represented by Earth Justice. Currently, the SMCC is organizing the coalition to work with the Forest Service on development of road standards. “Things are moving forward,” says Bill Dockins, SMCC board member. The statute of limitations for filing petitions for judicial review of the travel management plan allows some time to work to improve access for climbers so “as long as the Forest Service is working with us in good faith, we won’t file the appeal,” Dockins says. This process of keeping and improving access to ice climbing in Hyalite is dependent on support both in the Bozeman area and nationally from the climbing community. Road improvement, plowing and recreational status will all depend on political and monetary backing. SMCC board members Neva Steward and Hannah Arm organized a fundraiser at the Nova Café in Bozeman this spring, raising over $7000. Local companies Northern Lights and Barrel Mountaineering, as well as national companies such as Grivel have generously donated funds. The Access Fund and the Gallatin County and Bozeman City Commissions have also been key in helping with leadership and developing pathways through which climbers have been able to negotiate. For up-to-the-minute Hyalite access updates, please visit www.hyalite.org.
Lines from the Director The past year has been an exciting time for the SMCC. From near-misses with climbing area closures, Florida-style board election results, and the final decision of the Forest Service Travel Plan, Montana climbers have had their fair share of adrenaline, without even roping up.
Forest Service Travel Plan Whew! How to describe this process? Cruxy, strenuous, and long, but in the end ice climbers are in a good position to reach their goal of maintaining access to Hyalite ice. Story on page 1.
Bozeman Pass The ever-popular Bozeman Pass cragging area faced closure due to the illegal parking area directly off I-90. With the increased number of climbers in the area, as well as road construction that subsequently narrowed the roadway to two-lane travel, the Department of Transportation closed the parking area. SMCC board members quickly spread word of the parking lot closure and set in motion the building of a new trail from the Trail Creek exit to the crag. This situation was handled swiftly and with the cooperation of the entire climbing community and with assistance from the Montana Department of Transportation. Other plans are in the works for the Pass. For more information and a parking map, please see page 3.
Trails, Trails, Trails The past year has seen the development and improvement of several trails in the area. On May 21, 2006, the Rack Pack, led by Neva Steward, did trail maintanence at Allenspur. A couple of weeks later on National Trails Day in June, 2006, over 45 SMCC members shouldered chainsaws, shovels, and pick axes to rebuild the trail to Practice Rock in Hyalite Canyon. Volunteers rebuilt the trail, built belay platforms and performed some additional erosion control. Work was done to put in the Trail Creek to Bozeman Pass trail from the new parking area, which included the construction of a stile to make it easier to cross a fence.
This recent National Trails Day in June, 2007, also saw significant sweat equity put into the trail to the Waltz formation in Gallatin Canyon. Story and photo on page 8.
35mph Bridge An exciting new development has occurred in the Gallatin Canyon at the 35 mph bridge. The USFS, using funds from an Access Fund grant (thanks to Will Shoutis of the USFS and SMCC members for input in acquiring this grant), has installed a message board at the head of the Gallatin River Trail. A new trail has been constructed under the 35 mph bridge, making a much safer crossing of the highway for climbers, hikers and boaters alike.
Good fences make good neighbors The SMCC continues to maintain and develop good relationships with landowners. The SMCC recently made a monetary donation to aid a landowner in our access partnership. See page 3 for story.
Good food makes good fundraising In addition to building and maintaining trails, the Rack Pack hosts incredible fund raisers. Please see page 8 for story.
Our apologies for the late timing of this
Enjoy your winter,
Tom Kalakay
Volunteers Rebuild Waltz Approach Trail June 2 was National Trails Day, and in what is becoming a great tradition, over 40 volunteers showed up to rebuild the trail to the Waltz formation. This path, which takes off from the Gallatin Riverside Trail, had been in various states of decay and had rerouted itself many times due to erosion and the fragile nature of the steep hillside. The SMCC’s goal was to relocate the trail onto more stable terrain to create permanent and non-erosive access to the Waltz and nearby climbs. A talus field provided the necessary material, and volunteers proceeded to shape tons of rock into a solid trail. Individual volunteers took special pride in their section of trail, or corner, or set of steps and employed both creativity and craftsmanship in their work. Many hands make light work, and the entire project was completed in around 4 hours, leaving plenty of time to climb in the afternoon. Geoff Heath, SMCC Trails Committee Leader, coordinated this project. Special thanks go to him and to all who volunteered, including Aaron Hjelt and the Bozeman Climbing Team members and parents. Many thanks as well to the Bozeman Ranger district who provided tools and technical guidance.
Volunteers start up the trail from the parking lot to work on the Waltz approach trail. This particular section of the river trail has since been rerouted so that it goes under the bridge, allowing climbers, fishermen and others to avoid crossing the road on a blind curve.
NOVA Cafe and the Rack Pack
Saturday, March 24, saw perhaps the best looking, and certainly the most physically fit, team of waitresses anywhere serving dinner and filling water glasses at the Nova Cafe in downtown Bozeman. Nova Cafe owners Bonnie Steward and Serena Rundberg, along with Neva Steward and members of the Rack Pack, a local women’s climbing group, hosted a very successful fund-raiser with a silent auction to benefit the SMCC. All food and service was donated by the Nova Cafe and members of the Rack Pack: Hannah Arm, Rebecca Gee, Amber Jean, Leslie Bahn, and Adrien Earlson. People gathered at Barrel Mountaineering at 6:00 for a social hour, with drinks generously provided by Barrel Mountaineering. The crowd then moved down the block to the Nova Cafe for a formal three course dining experience. Music was provided by Ross Lynn on acoustic guitar and later by Craig Hall on electric jazz guitar. Auction items ran the gamut from ropes to art prints to a glider ride. (For a list of people who donated items and services, please see sidebar.) The dinner was originally designed to amass funds for a possible lawsuit arising out of the Gallatin Forest’s Record of Decision severely limiting ice climbing access to Hyalite Canyon. Joe Josephson recapped the arduous process undertaken by the SMCC over the past three months to reverse the worst aspects of the Record of Decision impacting ice climbers. (See story, page 1.) The funds raised (over $7,000!) will give the SMCC firm financial footing during ongoing discussions with the Forest Service to maintain and improve winter access to Hyalite Canyon.
NOVA CAFE Contibutors to Ross Lynn Mystery Ranch Backpacks Lizann Kudrna Ani Bell Amy Bullard Peter Clark Pacific Outdoor Equipment Northern Lights Black Diamond Jennifer Lowe Spire Climbing Center Amy Lowe Grivel Amber Jean Conrad Anker Brandon Smith Metolius Danetta Boka Geoff Heath Barrel Mountaineering Nova Cafe
Share the Rock Climbers generally like to think they own the faces overlooking area rivers, valleys and grasslands, and most boaters, fishermen, and tourists are happy to cede those vertical spaces to them. There are, however, other denizens of the steep: creatures who aren’t just out for a day’s “rock gymnastics” but who actually live there and who rely on this rocky ecosystem for their survival. Granted, many of these creatures are small, probably non-sentient, and, well, creepy, like silverfish. Other creatures have a bit more panache: beings of a noble or mythic quality that inspire the imagination, the kinds of animals that have foundations and institutes named after them. The SMCC was reminded of this point by a letter from Byron Crow, a climber and a biologist with the Montana Peregrin Institute in which he brought an important sensitive species issue to our attention. In some areas where peregrin falcons nest, the Missions, Blackleaf Canyon, and possibly Allenspur, among others, increased pressure from greater numbers of climbers and other visitors could affect peregrines during incubation. Climbers need to remain sensitive to these issues and act proactively. Otherwise they face governmentally-mandated, and sometimes overbroad, closures of climbing areas. Within the past year Lewis and Clark Forest supervisor Spike Thompson implemented a protection zone on portions of the Blackleaf Canyon wall face and adjacent ridge top areas. The closure of these areas stays in effect until the peregrins are finished nesting. Violations of the closure can result in a hefty fine ($5,000) or a prison term of 6 months. The suggestion was made that the SMCC foster lines of communication between the Forest Service and organizations such as the Montana Peregrin Institute and the climbing community to identify climbing areas with sensitive species issues and self-regulate climbing in these areas during critical periods. If you are interested in working on this issue, please contact the SMCC at climber@montanaclimbers.org.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors A few years ago, local climbers, working through the SMCC and with an area landowner, reopened the Allenspur climbing area. In recent months, however, some persons, probably not climbers, began driving vehicles onto private land in the SMCC’s easment area, prompting the landowner to install a gate. The SMCC donated $500 to help defray the costs of the gate. The new gate may be locked at times, but it is equipped with a stile to provide climbers access to the trail. Cars must be parked at the Carter Bridge fishing access site and are not to pass through the gate. Other area landowners have expressed concerns about dogs trespassing on their property and chasing wildlife. Climbers are encouraged to leave Fido at home. Also, please stay on the marked access trail, even though it has some frustrating elevation gains and losses. Cutting across the hillside, while shorter, jeopardizes good relations between climbers and area landowners.
Cholatse: Winter 2006 trip by Ross Lynn
As pleasant dreams of Sunita Ry (the girl preparing our meals) were binding my slumber to the night, something else was untying it. A disturbing sound drew my attention and as I drearily rolled over onto my right side, the accompanying aroma caught my nose off guard. I cracked open an eye with the 4am squint to see what my other two senses had been trying to tell me. Three feet away, Whit was relieving his burdened stomach of its containment. Whit Magro and I were partners in an endeavor to climb Cholatse (6440m) in the Khumbu region of the Himalaya. We were on our way to base camp when the untimely amoeba arrived on the scene. As all things do, it ran its course and a couple of days later we continued up the valley. We had been in the area for two weeks prior working with the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation as instructors in the Khumbu Climbing School. That time, as well as several days spent dealing with the unwieldy administrative system of the Nepali Mountaineering Association Walking in the midst of huge mountains is always an awesome experience. The convenience and efficiency of using yaks and Sherpa porters takes some getting used to, but it provides the local people with high paying jobs they might not otherwise have. So Whit and I, along with Nuru Gylgen, his wife Sonam, and three of their yaks, headed toward Cholatse. Cholatse’s base camp sits at 15,500 feet in a hanging valley that drains to the West into a much larger valley. At the head of that drainage is Choyu, one of the coveted 8,000m peaks that separates Nepal from Tibet. Lacerated with numerous frozen gray streams like ribbons carelessly tossed about, the perfectly flat valley below Cholatse looked a bit like a wasteland. Cold and frozen, it is hard to imagine the warm summer days of green pastures and flowing glacial waters where some 200 yaks find their feeding ground. The first day of climbing was an easily gained 2,700 feet of elevation. We spent most of it navigating a steep crevasse field woven into the lower portion of the Whit Magro pulling over the col on Cholatse’s southwest ridge. Photo by Ross Lynn.
Up at 4:30am, we fired the stove for the morning brew. By first light we were fifty yards from the tent and began swinging at a 500-foot pitch of 65 degree ice, then onto an equally long section of suspect rock that we wanted the daylight for. With that behind us we began to reorganize our rack and figure out our strategy for the next section. However, we were interrupted when the explosive cracking of an avalanche commanded our attention. Not far to our left, the serac that we were under just the day before was now releasing its hold on the mountain. Watching it plummet to the glacier below and cover our tracks sent an eerie feeling through our bodies. Yet the day was getting on and we needed to stay focused on our objective. We had 2,000 feet above us to gain the summit shoulder. The terrain was varied in steepness from 60-80 degrees and the ice conditions were allowing for quick movement, but the altitude was steadily weighing us down. Dreamy conditions on a perpetual grade IV ice climb kept us psyched, and we dropped it into 4-low and powered on. By 4pm we reached the summit shoulder and stashed most of our gear for the slog to claim the top. What looked to be an hour and a half or two hour hike, just in time for sunset, turned into a slow moving puzzle of route finding around open crevasses and wind scoured ice sculptures. The previous four months had treated the region to drought conditions. Consequently, the route provided us with a different experience than that described by its past visitors. Before we knew it, darkness was approaching. We still had a couple hundred vertical feet to gain spread out over a distance that was hard to estimate. The temperature was falling fast and the wind was picking up. We discussed our options and convinced ourselves that the summit wasn’t everything. Given the route conditions, it would be best to negotiate our retreat on the ground we had just covered with the little bit of daylight we had remaining. The decision to sacrifice the summit weighed heavy as we turned around, though nothing was said as we turned on our
Base camp backdropped by Cholatse’s west face. Photo by Ross Lynn
Bozeman Climbing Team: Pulling Hard by Aarron Hjelt
At the risk of being overtly cliche, the recent efforts of the Bozeman Climbing Team can be reduced to one word: send. The team has spent the last year getting strong, pulling hard at competitions, and applying their strength and skill to the rock. The Bozeman Climbing Team has been getting after it since 1995, when Tom Wells founded the program at the newly-opened Bozeman Climbing Center. After a brief interlude following the closing of the BCC in 2004, the team has reemerged with a mission to produce accomplished climbers from the youth of the Gallatin Valley. With thanks to Meg Hall and the opening of Spire Climbing Center, again we have a great facility to do this. Our program is built around the principle that a climbing gym, which is more or less a “padded cell,” is a highly practical place to introduce youth to climbing. Amid the plywood and plastic, we have fun, work together, and make mistakes with less risk of serious consequence than climbing outside. The convenience, accessibility, and relative safety of the gym is appealing to parents. Being a “team” refers partially to our activity at competitions, but more so to our approach to climbing as an athletic endeavor. Fundamentally, climbing is movement in a vertical realm. In order to achieve technical, physical, and mental proficiency in this realm, a repetitive and systematic strategy is the ideal way to train. By starting with simple bouldering tasks,
Jim Stranahan is belayed by Issac Helvey at the Red cliffs Campground in Gallatin Canyon. Photo by Aaron Hjelt. The goal isn’t to build machines. It’s not to make 5.14 climbers. We are simply trying to provide our kids with a great way to endure their adolescence. The benefits from climbing are obvious to those of us who are active participants, but for kids in the process of mental and physical development, there is a lot more going on. The limitless spectrum of challenge that awaits is a great motivator; team members get strong and smart in the gym and come to realize that a world of opportunity exists. The team functions as a year-round program. During the winter months we follow a periodic training cycle in which elements of power, power-endurance, and strength-endurance are introduced. Technique work is mixed throughout. Weight training, with an emphasis on core strength and active flexibility, adds to our regime. Safety issues are also continuously addressed. As soon as spring arrives we begin competing in USA Climbing regional competitions. Several weekends are spent testing our ability on unfamiliar plastic throughout the Northern Rockies. Competitors can then qualify to compete at the divisional finals and ultimately, nationals. Advancement to this level isn’t pushed, but if our athletes are psyched to get there, we’ll do our best to help them. Over the summer we got our hands on the rock working on projects in the Gallatin Canyon, Hyalite, and up on the Chestnut Ridge. We also got out of town and pulled hard at Wild Iris, Devils Tower, and Massacre Rocks. Additionally, Inge and Gunnar Perkins bagged the Grand Teton via the complete Exum Ridge. The team also spent the day with the SMCC working on the updated Practice Rock trail. Now that winter has taken hold, we are headed back to the gym, adding new members and getting psyched for the long winter ahead. Membership with the team is open to youth ages 9-19, who express an increased desire in advanced-level climbing. We operate through Touch the Sky, Inc., a Montana 501c3 not-for-profit, whose mission is to provide climbing opportunities for the youth of the Gallatin Valley. Touch the Sky offers a scholarship fund to assist those on a limited income. Interested participants or those wishing to support the program can contact
Members of the climbing team on the summit of Devils Tower: L to r, Jim Stranahan, Matthew Wheat, Brandon Smith, Clyde Harrelson, Isaac Helvey, Aaron Hjelt. Photo by Aaron Hjelt
BEST IN THE WEST: Bozeman Climbing Team This spring, the Bozeman Climbing Team bested over 10 other teams from Montana, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming, for the Big Sky Region Team Championship. Over the course of seven regional events, the Bozeman Climbing Team accumulated the highest point total. During a recent regional qualifier at Salt Lake City, ten members of the team qualified for the divisional finals. These were held June 9-10 in Portland, Oregon. Aaron Hjelt was named Coach of the Year for the Big Sky Region the second year in a row. More recently, two team members, Cale Schwarze and Chandler Leachman, qualified for the National Championships. Cale competed in this event July 6-8 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
RECENT EVENTS Tour d’Hyalite On October 6, 2007 Twenty-eight hard core runners showed up for the 19th annual Tour d’ Hyalite which took place in full conditions. Runners encountered thigh-deep snow, wind and white-out conditions. Competitive drive gave way to cooperation as many took turns breaking trail, allowing all competitors to reach the summit at about the same time. A group photo was taken before everyone headed back down and into town to the Spire Climbing Center for the second half of the competition.
All for one and one for all…the real race began on the way down. Photo by Ross Lynn
Doublet Saga: The Timeline Route
by Pat Callis
Part 2. (Continued from Blacklines
“The Doublet, a pair of bulky buttresses, dominates the view to the east of anyone standing about two miles up the East Rosebud River trail from Alpine to Cook City. I fell in love with this feature upon first wandering up this incredible canyon with Larry Reynolds in 1970, acting on a tip from Chad Chadwick.” — P. Callis, from Part I
Part I ends on Labor Day weekend 1998, when Meg Hall, Mike Carey, and I turned back on pitch 11 of Time Line, high on the Upper Doublet. By the next morning I had already shaken off the long-held conviction that the dreaded pitch could not be done free, and a conscious decision was made to allow Meg a real shot at doing it free the following summer. This plot was realized at 6 AM July 10, 1999 when Meg, Mike, Rand Swanson, and I left Alpine Lake. For the many that know Meg, Rand was a natural addition to the team. The agreement was that he and Mike would be responsible for hauling most of the gear needed for the two planned bivouacs while Meg concentrated on the crucial leads. Following a sketchy trail up Snow Creek to below the Doublet, we stopped and watered up. A short while later we cut loose from our boots and packs at a spectacular balanced rock in the middle of the talus field. Disdaining the conservative traverse to easier ground at our left after the 2nd pitch, Meg made an unexpected decision, one that set the tone for the entire climb. She persuaded us to head directly up the original third pitch with the notion of doing the 4th pitch free for the first time. Not liking the look of it from the belay on the detached block at the top of the 3rd pitch, she embarked on entirely new ground: straight up, then right across a thin friction pitch with a 5.10 crux protected by a small nut, then up to a belay. From there it was moderate climbing to a massive ledge (“Big Ledge”). This new variation was far more aesthetic, and was the first indication that Meg was on a roll. By early evening we were basking in the sun on a large ledge a short pitch above the “Cave Bivouac” ledge. After a comfortable bivouac, the moderate pitch 9 was completed, and the four of us gathered on a long, but narrow, ledge that curled to the right. This gave access to the base of an overhanging crack of variable width that offered a smorgasbord of interesting 5.10 climbing. The plan was that Meg and I would proceed up this route to the base of the Gray Matter crux pitch, the point at which our last effort was abandoned. Becau Meg on day 3, following the 17th pitch of the Timeline route. Photo by Rand Swanson. At the base of the crux pitch, Meg seemed calm and confident. I was nervous and uneasy. The first 25 feet of a 5.10 leftward hand and finger traverse under the severe overhanging lip went quickly, and Meg was back standing upright at the previous high point. This was a relatively comfortable stance with the sharp lip about chest high, above which the angle eased back to a less severe 100+ degree overhanging face. Gazing up at the 20-30 feet of seemingly blank, gray rock mostly devoid of protection, I remembered what I wrote about this pitch in my journal following the first ascent in 1972. It stated, “75’, A5, 5.7; thin bottoming cracks, two ‘good’ rurp placements just below the first good piece, a 4” bong.” (For the younger generation, that is not what you think. It is a wide piton that makes a “bonnnggg” sound when driven.) After hearing me say yet again that there was no reliable protection until the 4” horizontal crack below the roof high above, Meg collected herself, made a patented high step onto the lip, and immediately found a bridging position that was nearly a “no hands” rest. She was able to find a reasonable spot for 2 or 3 small pieces before placing a large cam in the 4” slot, after which I (and presumably she) breathed much more easily. However, it was hardly over at that point. Another roof above and to the left had to be skirted, but the exit was hindered by a large block, necessitating another 5.11 move. There was better protection in this section and once around the block, I directed her upwards into a dark cave-like alcove where we had belayed in ‘72. Taking one look at the vertical thin crack leading up to the daylight above, Meg made her second brilliant decision. Realizing the formerly aided crack above would probably go at 5.12 if at all, she dropped back down and peered around the corner to the right and spied a promising dihedral. Deciding to head again into new ground, she belayed from a cramped chimney from which a traverse right to the dihedral appeared reasonable. Following, I made it into the bridging position without falling. But it was not long before the steepness took its toll, and the all-too familiar hang/rest technique was employed for the remainder of the pitch. I was truly impressed by what Meg had done. The pitch was not only fairly technical (two 5.11 moves) but extremely sustained, requiring excellent endurance and the mental toughness to deal with the seriousness of a fall. Once we were all installed variously in the chimney, Meg moved easily across the traverse. As soon as she pulled out of sight onto a ledge at the bottom of the dihedral, I thought I heard her mutter something like, “That traverse might have been 5.11.”, not what I wanted to hear. A few minutes later, we were relieved to hear shouts of joy, followed by exclamations of glee, as she danced up the lovely moves in the dihedral. “This is a great crack! Beautiful moves!,” she shouted. Following, I could not do the move into the dihedral, but soon found myself greatly enjoying the steep finger crack that ran up the dihedral for perhaps 50 feet, joining Meg at a belay that was back on the original route. This position allowed us to choose one of two promising moderate cracks. From there I once again pointed to the previously used crack on the right that eventually led to a ledge below a steep, blank-looking face with a single, thin crack leading to the bivouac spot that marked the end of major difficulties. For the third time, Meg again wisely disdained the old way, noting that it looked difficult to free climb. She asked the obvious question, “What’s wrong with going up the left hand crack? It looks like no more than 5.6 as far as the eye can see.” To this I sheepishly replied that it was dark by the time I was climbing this before, and it may have been dark as Brian Leo was leading it. With fading light, the old route undoubtedly looked like it would yield a bivi ledge more certainly than the straight up option. Up she went on the left crack, and it was only about 5.6, all the way to where it intersected the original route at precisely the sought after bivouac ledge. As the light began to fade and three pitches yet to do, it seemed best to settle there for the night. My recollection was that it was a roomy, comfortable ledge for the four of us in 1972. For some reason, it seemed far smaller and less comfortable this time. Mike and I were acutely aware of the fact that our feet were literally hanging over hundreds of feet of air, while Meg and Rand resembled pretzels at the other end of the ledge. These minor irritations were completely eclipsed by the glowing sense of accomplishment that we collectively felt.
Pat and Mike on the 2nd bivy ledge, looking at Pat’s notes on the Doublet. Epilogue Meg says it was her best lead. It was a special time and place and a daring effort. Yet in the end it became a beautiful section of rock. Seeking to make a one-day free ascent, Meg returned the following summer with Mike Best. Meg and I often speak of expectations, and how when there is uncertainty, the skills and concentration are heightened, often with unexpected success being the outcome. Burdened with the near certainty of success and high expectation, the outcome was quite the opposite. Not only was she not able to lead the crux pitch free, she was amazed at how hard it was to do even with aid. That revelation only served to punctuate her amazing physical and mental accomplishment of the year before.
Tour de Hyalite Results, October 10, 2007
Wow!
Sponsors: Spire Climbing Center Rocky Mountain Toy Company Nova Cafe Barrel Mountaineering Northern Lights Trading Company Conrad Anker and The North Face La Sportiva Five-Ten Volunteers: Neva Steward and her crew at the Nova Cafe (sorry, I was given a list of incomplete names for the crew) Jeff Ho Henry Schlotzhauer Meg Hall Skyler Pauli Jeff Webber Joe Manlove Flynn Murray Hannah Arm Merel van der Horst and the incredible trailside cheering section Susan Sheard Alex Lussier Ross Lynn
|
