Crag-a-thon Yosemite Valley april 2012
I rode with Loren and Toni with a plan to meet Al and Thuy at Homekeeping camp. Al, the big spender, had reserved a spot and between 5 people the price tag came to a reasonable $20 each. This compared to Upper Pines or the stealth bivy is of course extremely rich, however this was before I new the secrets to sneaking showers in at Curry and honestly the cot was pretty damn comfy.
We pulled in to Homekeeping and immediately walked across the street for some night bouldering. Homekeeping Boulders doesn't offer any classics however it's fun for what it is a great way to have fun while drinking beer with close friends. We worked these problems until the hour was late and the beer stopped tasting as sweet as that first sip. Besides, we had two big days of climbing ahead of us and why not start fresh in the morning.
We pulled in to Homekeeping and immediately walked across the street for some night bouldering. Homekeeping Boulders doesn't offer any classics however it's fun for what it is a great way to have fun while drinking beer with close friends. We worked these problems until the hour was late and the beer stopped tasting as sweet as that first sip. Besides, we had two big days of climbing ahead of us and why not start fresh in the morning.
After Toni and Loren finished their nine course gourmet breakfast, we all packed it in a started over at Swan Slabs. An easy start to the new season of Yosemite climbing. We warmed up and then moved over to Oak Tree-Bay Tree. This is a fun two pitch climb with a very beautiful diagonal crack on the second pitch that just feels extremely secure. All five of us got up and and we hiked over to the top of Penthouse cracks. Here you can rappel down and have a top rope set up for three gorgeous cracks. They're short, but offer some technical crack climbing.
After a good morning at Swan Slabs and lunch at Penthouse cracks, we moved the crew over to Pat and Jacks. Pat and Jacks is a very strange wall for Yosemite. It doesn't offer the normal splitter cracks or smooth slab climbing that's normally associated with Yosemite Valley. Instead, the rock features these protruding "chicken heads" that make you feel like you're pulling up or standing on a wide ledge, which you kind of are.
The climbing there is mixed bolted and trad with a few climbs with both. We climbed More Mental Than Mantle and Michala's Climb, pulling the rope so everyone had a chance to lead up a route or two.
That night, after a long day of climbing, we headed back to camp. I started a fire while Chez Toni went to work on another gourmet meal. You see, Toni and I are very different in many ways, food being one of them. I see food, when camping and climbing, simply as fuel. I just need enough calories to get me up the approach and up the climb safely. On a climbing trip, I subsist mainly on Kind Bars, beef jerky and the pouches of indian meals you can buy at Trader Joe's. Toni, on the other hand, packs meals of cream cheese, wrapped in salami and prosciutto. This meal was delicious and amazing, however this was the last time I ever let Toni handle the food purchasing for me. (I still love you Toni ;) )
The next morning, Al was in rare form psych. Actually, Al is always in rare form psych. He's just a very excited guy let's say. You walk the valley floor with him and he'll tell you the story behind every line on every wall and do it as if he was told by Royal Robbins and Warren Harding over a casual beer.
This morning in particular, Al was psyched to climb Jam Crack. Jam Crack is this beautiful 5.7 (5.9 on P2) that offers some of the best jams and is definitely a Yosemite favorite. Al started up, sweating profusely before he even put in his first cam. One of his many endearing qualities. I followed up with a tag line and we set up a top rope on the two climbs to the left of Jam Crack, Lazy Bum and Bummer. These 5.10c and 5.10d are wonderful finger cracks that offer tenuous climbing and exciting finishes as the finger crack flares out up top.
This morning in particular, Al was psyched to climb Jam Crack. Jam Crack is this beautiful 5.7 (5.9 on P2) that offers some of the best jams and is definitely a Yosemite favorite. Al started up, sweating profusely before he even put in his first cam. One of his many endearing qualities. I followed up with a tag line and we set up a top rope on the two climbs to the left of Jam Crack, Lazy Bum and Bummer. These 5.10c and 5.10d are wonderful finger cracks that offer tenuous climbing and exciting finishes as the finger crack flares out up top.
After having some fun on those two climbs, I pendulumed over to the Lemon (5.8) anchors and set up a top rope for the crew to climb. I did this, frankly, because I was scared shitless to climb it. The Lemon is a lie-back that starts with this friction undercling lie-back where you plug in a number four BD before heading up the true lie-back. The placements looked blind and I just didn't have the stomach that day. Al and I instead opted to mock-lead it and both of us took falls. He spashed his face into the rock and I slammed my body bruising my thigh after having my foot slip out from under me.
We spent the entire day at Sunnyside Bench and after having some trouble with a crew with kids that decided they owned the crag, we went for a long hike through the Merced River and stopped for a beer at the Leaning Tower/Bridal Veil Falls look-out. This was a great trip with a great group and started a tradition of Yosemite climbing with these friends.