Life In Six Minute Increments: The Value of Paying Attention

Good afternoon, friends! As you may recall, after my last post, I set out for Yosemite National Park. I decided to drive in from the west through Bishop, California and to the Toulumne Meadows side of the park. This was a full day's drive and well into the evening I passed signs stating that the Highway that I was aiming for that goes through Yosemite was closed at a certain point. Rather than slowing down to investigate, I just kept on trucking. I arrived in Yosemite to find that the highway through the park was closed due to a fire (a "controlled burn" that got out of control!). The only way to get to Yosemite Valley on the other side of the park--a point approximately 45 miles away where I was scheduled to meet up with John and Amanda-- was a 6 hour drive out and around the park. I spent the night at Toulumne Meadows and tried to decide whether to make the drive.

After hearing from several rangers that the road would indeed be closed for at least the length of John and Amanda's visit I decided to make the drive around. I hurriedly packed up camp and pulled out. Unfortunately, I wasn't very careful in doing so and managed to run my car up on a giant rock that lifted the front wheel off the ground. And so, I once again found myself in the midst of a completely avoidable delay simply because I failed to pay better attention when setting out. Does anyone else think I am supposed to be learning some kind of lesson here? I was certainly getting that feeling. Fortunately, my fellow campers mobilized to build a ramp for my little car and lift it off the rock!

The rescue squad and the big rock!

Thanks to their help I was on my way before too long and made the drive into the Valley. What a spectacular thing it was to finally arrive at this place that I have heard so much about! It certainly did not disappoint. For those of you who have not made it here yet, it is an amazing place. It seems to be surrounded by dry, desert-type landscape but when entering the valley you see green meadows, lots of pine trees, and massive, steep, beautiful granite walls. My first glimpse of the most famous of all those big chunks of granite, El Capitan, is something that I will not soon forget.

First glimpse of the Valley's steep granite Walls: El Cap on the left, one of the Cathedrals on the right

I met up with John and Amanda and the next morning we did a beautiful 5-pitch 5.8 climb called Nutcracker on the misleadingly named, Manure Pile Buttress.

View from the top of Nutcracker

This place is truly amazing and the setting is beautiful:

Oh, and the climbing's not bad either. After John and Amanda left, I moved into Camp 4 and started looking for climbing partners. I didn't realize that Camp 4 would be such an international place. The folks sharing my campsite (6 individuals are assigned to each site) are French Canadians and Germans and so far I have climbed with a Swiss, a Kiwi, a Canadian, 2 Brits and a guy from New York! Finding climbing partners has not proven to be a problem and I am finding that climbing with so many people is really helping me to build confidence in my climbing and leading as I find that I am just as capable as those around me.

Thomas (from Switzerland) leading the third pitch of Central Pillar of Frenzy (5 pitches, 5.9) on Middle Cathedral Rock. This was a great climb and also provided great views of El Cap, just across the valley:

The highlight, however, has definitely been the climb I did yesterday (with Callem from Toronto and Rob and Robin from Bristol, England), a link-up of Serenity Crack (3 pitches, 5.10d) to Sons of Yesterday (5 pitches, 5.10a). Serenity Crack follows a single crack line up pin scars for the first pitch, through thin hands for the second pitch and finally through the finger crack crux at the top. I got to lead the second pitch of this one. It was my first attempt to lead 10a on gear and also my first fall on 10a on gear! I popped off a foothold unexpectedly but was able to get right back on the rock and make the move.

Sons of Yesterday also follows a single crack line from a hard off-fingers section at the bottom, through several pitches of perfect hand jams and even has a bit of easy off-width at the end for good measure. The climbing literally got better with every pitch and was relatively sustained 5.9 to 5.10 the entire way, making for an outstanding day. The climb culminates with a short left-leaning offset crack, the bottom of which protrudes just far enough beyond the top of the crack to allow you to walk carefully along it and bend down and try to peer into the crack to place gear. Good times!