By Dave Hill
So, having completed two grade VUs in my first year of big wall climbing, i thought it would be most fitting to close out the season with a grade VI. The regular route on half dome fit the bill perfectly: plenty of free climbing, good bivi ledges, outstanding views...anyone who has gazed upon the face from the valley floor needs no convincing!
Dave was one of my few climbing friends who hadnUt yet done the dome, and we had been talking about the possibilities of such a venture for some time. After numerous postponements, we finally were able to lock in a date. A few nights before departing, I met with all of my buddies who had done the route already for beers and beta. Without a doubt, Dave and I ended up with more beta than any other party ever to attempt the route!!
Setting off with best wishes and a lot of borrowed gear from our friends, we headed out of the bay area on 580. The drive took a bit longer than usual, as we were in the oh so powerful Toyota of Mr. Jones. We crashed outside the park in one of our many favorite spots, and woke before sunrise to begin our approach in....
The plan was to hike in and fix two pitches the first day, and we started hiking just after 6 am in an effort to have first crack at the route. Despite efforts to keep the bags slim, the approach was pretty grim, and we werent even carrying water!! We were keeping up with most of and passing some of the day hiking tourists, which reassured us somewhat as to our physical state. At the top of Nevada Fall, we met a trio headed for snake dike...one fellow was hiking in koflach vivasoft plastics, which puzzled me greatly, but i didnt bother to ask...
Finally, finally, we reached the shoulder and dropped down along the face. Finding the route was no problem and we were indeed most pleased to find ourselves alone, with the closest party up in the chimneys!! I was initially dismayed as I couldnt spot the spring, but Dave came through and spotted it. It was actually just a tiny pool, with a lot of dead bugs floating in it, but we were awfully pleased nonetheless...
As we prepared to fix, this thoroughly likeable guy Nate showed up, saying that two of his buddies were on the way, and that they were headed up the route as well. As they would surely be slower than us, this seemed to be no problem. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the awesome sweep of the face above us, but we quickly set to work climbing...The first two pitches were quite fun and straightforward, and as we were rapping our fixed lines, larry and moe showed up, asking if they could jug our lines, fix two more, and blast to big sandy the following day. As we were shooting for p.11 the first day, we had no objections...After all, they had no haulbag, looked like serious climbers, and would surely not hold us up...getting an assurance that they would not take our bivy, we let them up our lines.
So, we kicked back, chatted with nate, and generally enjoyed the adventure that was unfolding for us. We also kept an eye on larry and moe, which turned out to be something else...first off, it took them an hour and a half to jug our two lines. then it took another two hours for them to fix the following pitch and a half. and in the process, larry (or maybe it was moe) dropped an aider while on lead! As we watched the spectacle, all three of us were thinking, Rbig sandy?? i dont THINK so.S So when the boys were back on the ground, we had a little chat and expressed our mild concern about them holding us back the next day...later, as we were getting in bed, they came and informed us that they were bagging their attempt (big surprise there) which was just fine with us....
So the climbing began! The next am, we jugged and climbed, jugged and climbed, jugged and climbed. Things were going smoothly and we were making great progress, while poor nate waited and waited and waited for his buddies...i should mention that nate gets major hardman points. when we met him on sunday, he had just hiked down from the shoulder for a look. then he hiked back up to the shoulder to retrieve his pack and then back down to the face...then he hiked BACK TO LITTLE YOSEMITE to pick up a haulbag and then back down to the face...we were most impressed...
As the day wore on, we noticed a party of two quickly gaining ground on us. They caught us around pitch 6 or so, and turned out to be a couple of czechs. I greeted them with a Rdobry den,S and ascertained that they were heading for big sandy. We climbed to p.8, and decided to let them pass. Now these guys totally rocked. Absolutely incredible. Picture it: two guys in ratty clothing, with beat up ratty looking gear (their lead line was way fuzzy and had several sections that had black tape wrapped around it...hmmm...). NO tag line on the haul bag, so they were just cuttin it loose and letting it fly....on several of the pitches, the leader was hauling and belaying the second at the same time! Plus, they were just positively flying...it was indeed a spectacle. Then they french freed the robbins traverse bolt ladder (both lead and second!) and instead of the easy aid corner on pitch 12, they led the absolutely horrifying slot next to it. good climbers those czechs...
Sooooo, anyway, we cruised to 11 and fixed 12 before settling into a slightly uncomfortable, yet passable bivy. Cans of ravioli and tortellini, along with M&Ms finished off the day nicely. The next morning, we were off for big sandy. After much grunting through the chimneys, i had the pleasure of leading the double cracks pitch. Oh man, lets hear it for those inside edges...Belaying dave up, i was absolutely enthralled with the view and with the audacity of what we were doing. When i started climbing three years ago, i never in my wildest dreams thought i would be sitting where i was...I soaked up the sun and the views of the birds catching thermals up the face. We were a bit surprised to be at our days destination by 1 pm, so we had a long lunch and decided to fix the first two zig zags. These pitches definitely slowed the pace a bit, but we had hours to go until dark. After having made fun of larry and moe for dropping their aiders, dave then proceeded to one up them by dropping his not once, but twice!! By some rather large miracle, they landed on the belay both times rather than floating the 1500U down to the base.
A third nights dinner of ravioli and tortellini greeted the sunset, and if you think that chef boyardee three nights in a row doesnt sound appetizing, then you my friend are not big wall climbing!! We were alone on big sandy, which was a rare treat (so i hear..) and the evening was without a doubt one of the best of my life. Watching the sky slowly shift from blue to indigos and reds, and the stars emerge one by one, we talked of climbing, of daves recent engagement, and of nothing in particular....
The next morning, we arose excited and eager to top out. A quick jug brought us to the last zig zag which passed quickly and led me to Thank God Ledge. Any pictures you may have seen of this pitch simply cannot prepare you for the utter coolness of it. It is absolutely magical. I began shuffling out, crouching to place a cam every now and again until i got to the wee narrow section, at which point i dropped down and hand traversed for 10 feet, before hiking myself back up onto the ledge. It is actually a very easy lead, just a bit exposed...
I grovelled for awhile in the slot immediately after the ledge before finally figuring out the moves, much to my relief! From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to the summit via the last two pitches...Topping out was an amazing experience, as bewildered europeans gathered around pointing and gawking. As i hauled, one young woman asked me what time i had started that morning...that amused me greatly, and i took pleasure in informing her that it had been a three day excursion. Dave quickly joined me on the summit, and we heartily congratulated ourselves, stripping off our climbing shoes and rank shirts...
After lounging on the summit, peering off the diving board (nate and co. were only on pitch 7....), and packing, we began the trudge back to the valley floor...i was never so happy to see flat ground. A few phone calls and a bag of chips later, we were bound for berkeley once again. Over some pitchers of beer and the congratulations of our friends the next night, i relived the adventure in thoughts and words. We had indeed done it and are pleased to say that we now own half dome!
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