You Might Not Get What You Want but You Might Just Get What You Need

When I came to Yosemite I had a specific goal in mind of climbing the Zodiac route on El Capitan. I had trained what I thought was enough and learned what I thought was adequate to get me up the face of this immense piece of granite. What I didn’t know is that I didn’t know some things that were of great importance to my being independent and helpful to the climbing team that would be going with me. I have generally climbed where most things were done for me but that really isn’t climbing that is moving up a rope. There is a lot more to it than that. You have to be able to tie yourself into your belay rope. You have to know your systems and how to use them. I generally knew my systems but troubleshooting it was something I have relied on other people to handle for me. That is not climbing.

Climbing is being able to recognize that something is wrong with either your equipment or others on your team. Climbing is being responsible for your own well-being and others around you. Climbing is knowing terms of climbing, what ropes sizes mean, types of rope, how to tie all the knots needed. I knew some of the basics of most of these things but not enough to say I understood. Climbing is being able to organize a trip and have it ready before you even leave home so there is no confusion as to who has each role and who all the players are to make it happen.

So I am sure you are wondering about the climb since that is what this whole thing has been about. We started up the Astroman Route on Washington Column Friday morning after getting up at 6:30 and having 15 people carry me for about 2 hours up to the base of the climb. It is pretty amazing how strangers come out of the woodwork to help out when it is needed around here. It may not happen at the last minute but it happens. We started up after the guys on my team, Nick Sullens, Christian Cattell, and Craig Muderlak all took part in fixing ropes and getting everything ready. I jugged (aka climbed) up the rope doing pull up after pull for about 8 hours or so until we reached the 3^rd pitch at about 400 ft. That was our first day. The team then set up the portaledges and got the haul bags unpacked, which they had been hauling up each pitch all day. Each one weighed around 100 lbs. These guys put a serious amount of work into making this happen. That night we checked the weather forecast and realized there was a better than average chance of rain. We made the decision to end the climb a day early but not until we did one more pitch, just so I could get the feeling of climbing away from the portaledge. We ate supper which consisted of bagels, cheese, and salami and some lifesaver gummies. The view while we ate was amazing. Half Dome was across from us and glowing. That line in the picture is a strap from the portaledge. While we ate and sat around we talked and everyone gave me advice on how to be a better climber. This is where the part that I needed came in. Now came the arduous task of trying to sleep in the cold 400 ft above the ground. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much. I was not properly prepared for sleeping in that situation which is something else I need to work on for next time. What I lacked in sleep I made up for with an amazing view of Half Dome and the stars above. I have never seen the stars like that it was truly breathtaking and one of the reasons I climb. You will never get views like that any other way. The next morning we all woke up, got breakfast and then proceeded to wait for a few parties to climb past us. While waiting we met some really cool people one of them even knew a friend of mine who is a guide for Paradox Sports, Gary Dunn. They even volunteered to carry some of our stuff back to the trail at the end of our day. After the parties had passed if was time for me to start climbing and for some reason, I wasn’t into it. I think having sat on a ledge looking down to the Valley floor for so long had unnerved me a little. After a pep talk from Craig, I decided to give it a go. Once I got going it felt amazing I pushed myself all the way to the anchor about 70 ft. or so. It was a pretty short last pitch. So after about 600 pull-ups or so it was time to go back down. They lowered me to the ledge I had just left and then came the big lower. Nick was on rappel and I was being lowered. He was there to make sure I didn’t crash into any major rock features and make sure everything went smoothly. He did an amazing job. We were lowered around 140 meters to the very bottom all on 2 ropes swinging in the breeze. It got a little scary when we got to the free hanging stretch where the wind caught us and we started to spin quite fast. That was probably the only time I was definitely nervous. Then, of course, everything that was brought up had to come down. That was the task of Craig and Christian. They had to rappel with 100 lb. bags hanging beneath them. It was pretty amazing to watch. They both did an amazing job throughout the whole process. When they got to the bottom and everything was on the ground they all then had the task of carrying everything to the trail. That I am sure was no easy task. I then had to wait at the base until I heard the cavalry coming to carry me out. It was not even confirmed that we even had anyone to carry out when they started lugging stuff to the trail so I was a bit worried. We came down a day early so no one expected to have to carry that day. I was greatly relieved to see so many awesome people some of them I had never met. They all just decided it would be a great thing to be a part of and volunteered. The carryout was quite precarious and I am sure very tiring and stressful for the people carrying. The trail was very rocky with loose stuff everywhere and extremely steep but they all did an amazing job of being safe and secure. When they got me down the bottom I decided to invite everyone out for pizza and a few were able to come and we had an awesome time but we were clearly tired. That pretty much ended the climb and we got a ride home to finally have a good night’s sleep. So, in the end, you see I didn’t get the big wall experience I necessarily wanted I got the experience I needed to continue getting up to bigger and bigger walls in the future. I am sorry for the lack of pictures this time but there will be more to come as soon as Craig is able to get them to me. I will continue writing throughout my preparation for the next big wall and ski season so stay tuned.