Sandy:

Pre-Trip

The trip to Squamish during July 4th week left us wanting more climbing experience there. Originally the Labor Day week trip was planned for Squamish but due to wet weather up north, we looked south. This was going to be our fourth trip to Yosemite and we knew from experience that we have the strength (due to heavy lifting for over a year) but not the specificity (due to too much office and schoolwork this year). We had a bang on start, a gratifying finish, and a cheerful family time in between. This trip was special because Rick’s parents were going to be with us in the park.

Our itinerary was as follows:

9/3: Arrive in Yosemite and study at Degnan’s Deli due to downpour.

9/4: The Super Slacker Highway (6 pitches, 5.10 b/c) and dinner with family at the cafeteria opposite Camp 4.

9/5: After Six (5.7) with Mark. Mark’s first multipitch and first time climbing in Yosemite.

9/6: Failed attempt on Tenya Peak due to several wet slabs on approach pitch.

9/7: Commitment (5.9) with Mark followed by lunch and Ranger crack (5.8), Lightweight Guides (5.10b)

9/8: Rest Day

9/9: Run up Yosemite Falls, 6.8 miles, 3200 feet gain/loss in 3 hours round trip and drive back to Portland.

The Super Slacker Highway (5.10 b/c), 6 pitches

This climb felt harder and steeper than Reed’s Pinnacle-Direct. On Reed’s the second pitch was awkward and strenuous but had great jams. Whereas on this route, there are several steep slab moves. The rest of the climb is described as figure captions.

Pitch 1: We opted for the Nurdle (5.8) which has a heady move (like Penny Lane in Smoke Bluffs, Squamish) to get into the main vertical crack. The vertical crack is steeper than it looks but has the jams and good hand size offset cams. The crack is wavy just like Reed’s Direct.

Pitch 1: Almost at the anchor of pitch 1.

Pitch 2: Very mellow start and then it traverses left right about where Rick is standing. You will find one bolt on the traverse. Rick linked pitch 2 and 3.

Pitch 3: When you get to a chimney, look right on the face, there are two bolts. This slab section upto the first bolt is good but the mantle to the ledge is safe but quite difficult due to sloper ledge edge and friction hands.

Pitch 4: We moved the anchor of pitch 2 to the tree on the left to capture great pictures of the leader and protect the leader (safety second, look good first). The finger crack looks like it’s full of leaves, but it takes .3 to .5 cams as shown in the picture below. Getting to the start of the crack is again awkward but there is a bolt to save your ankles. The two knobs on the right seem like they are too far but provide fantastic rest for this sustained 5.10a finger crack.

Pitch 4: From here traverse left, up and slight right on very steep knobby section. The anchors for this pitch are very far on the left so avoid the knobs above your head. They seem doable but trust me the section above them is way harder. Traversing left for the anchors is way easier. Also, all the knobs here have sloper surface unlike patinas.

Pitch 5: Hanging bolted belay at the top of pitch 4.

Pitch 5: The knobby headwall which has 2 bolts at the start and one shown above. The slabby/smeary traverse right start of this pitch is fairly challenging but protects well due to the two bolts. If I were to lead this, I would be acknowledging my fear of the run out section between the two bolts down below and the one shown in the picture above. It’s a delicate dance. The anchor is right after the flake where Rick is belaying.

Pitch 6: The famous 5.10 b/c mantle, honestly this is a ridiculously hard mantle, the toughest of all mantles we have done so far (Our home crag Ozone has many 5.10 mantles, but this is not even in the same category). You can see that the feet are just a smear on vertical wall and the hand is a sloper slab. Rick said if this was a 5.11- mantle even then it would be the toughest 5.11- mantle he had done. Rick leads 5.12- sport so I trust his words. If your belayer keeps you tight, then at least you won’t fall far. I am so glad that there are so many thoughtful bolts on this route for safety.

Pitch 6: Short off balance 5.10 finger crack which certainly felt much easier after the so called 5.10 b/c mantle.

We rapped down and TRed the Knob Job (5.10b). I definitely recommend this pitch.

After Six with Mark (5.7)

Mark is probably the only enthusiastic, energetic and strong willed 62 year old I have ever seen. After summiting Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and some single pitch sport climbing with us at Smith Rock and at our local crag Ozone, he wanted to do his first multipitch climbing and first-time trad climbing in the World’s most renowned climbing destination. I told Mark, for a trad multipitch, he cannot say “No, I cant finish this pitch” because we don’t have bolted anchors. Lo and behold Mark neither said no to any pitch on After Six nor on Commitment. Heck, he even finished the Ranger Crack despite bloody hands and legs. Now that commands respect.

Awkward pitch 1. I led every pitch on After Six and used a heinous ATC to belay from above with two ropes for 5/6 pitches. If I were to climb with Mark and Rick again, I will use Gri-Gri and belay only one climber at a time. Between the trade off of wait vs. overworked biceps and triceps, I choose the former.

Sandy leading pitch 2

Mark on pitch 2

Mark on pitch 3. I avoided the chimney and chose the face. I placed a hand sized piece up above towards the end of the chimney and a small piece on the right crack before moving on the unprotected supposedly 5.5 slab. Do the grades remain the same on sun baked granite slab?

Top of pitch 5. I skipped the belay after the slab section of pitch 3 and kept going up to a tree on a ledge and belayed from there. After that there are some easy cracks that takes you up to a big comfortable ledge on the left where a #1 cam would fit but I didn’t have any and I needed a bomber belay station, so I chose the much-appreciated shade and a hanging belay on this tree.

Pitch 6 : Go around the tree to find a nice hand crack to a tree followed by a big flat top.

Pitch 6 continues

Commitment (5.9) with Mark

After Mark’s fantastic performance on After Six, we thought to try a more sustained and technical multipitch for him. Therefore we repeated Commitment, this time Rick led all the pitches and used a Gri-Gri to belay one person at a time. His argument to not using an ATC was “Are you crazy, pulling two ropes using an ATC, who does that?”

Pitch 1 start was easy for me but without solid crack techniques Mark climbed it with right hand and right foot in the crack instead of walking the crack. I was astonished that he got up with pure strength for the awkward start.

Mark at the top of pitch 2 after a victorious finish to a win or die battle.

Towards the finish of pitch 2.

Rick leading the crux pitch.

Pitch 3: Mark did surprisingly well on the crux pitch. He jammed hands under the roof, traversed right and found the jug without sitting on the harness. I was extremely impressed.

A short butt scoot section on hot slab to prevent a short rap.

Before leaving Yosemite, Rick and I wanted one more adventure, but we desperately needed a rest day due to excessive sun and heat exposure and it was going to be thunderstorms on Sat 9/9/2023 so we decided to do something light and fast.

Upper Yosemite Falls Trail run

We started at 8am after our last coffee at Degnan’s.

Ascend Time: 1 hr 44 mins

Descend Time: 1 hr 16 mins

Distance and egain/loss: 6.8 miles, 3200 feet

Round Trip time – 3 hrs

We found this gorgeous throne by Tenya Lake in Tuolumne

Passing 73 people on our way up was more rewarding than the views up top (which were terrible).

This was also the first trip where we discovered the free Yosemite Bikes. They really need to pay more to the software engineers for this app as it does not unlock the bikes after the rental starts.

This trip was fun, relaxing, and inspirational for our future Yosemite Goals!