Fanfare for the Common Climber (a TR)

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Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 29, 2014 - 06:23am PT
I got this reflective piece from a fine friend. While written for his passion I'm certain many here on ST can relate to my friends complimentary sport, I sure can. So let's start my TR with this reading.....

Spirit of veteran of rugby

Your skin wrinkles, your hair becomes white, days turn into years.

But what’s most important doesn’t change. Your strength, your conviction have no age, your spirit is the feather duster of any web.

Behind every line of arrival, there is a line of departure.

Behind every achievement, there is another challenge. Meanwhile while you are alive, feel alive.

If you miss the things you did, do them again. Do not live watching photos turn yellow.

Keep going although they all think you will let go. Do not let what lives inside you become rusty.

Make them respect you instead of having pity for you. As you get older and you can not run, then trot. When you can no longer trot, then walk. And when you can not walk then use a cane, but never stop.

There are those who carry lucky charms, those that look up to heaven searching for a way and those that believe in superstitions.

And then there are those who keep running when their legs feel heavy, keep playing when they have run out of air, and keep fighting when everything seems lost, as if each time was the last.

Convinced that life itself is a challenge. they suffer but they do not complain, because they know that pain will happen, that sweat dries off, that weariness ends, but there is something that will never disappear: the satisfaction of having tried it.

In their bodies there is the same quantity of muscles. In their veins run the same quantity of blood. What makes them different is their spirit.

Their determination to reach the summit. A summit that is not reached by be being better then others but by bettering oneself.

Do not lose the opportunity to feel unrepeatable sensations, unique sensations, those that we have been discovering since we came to our club and those that we incorporate for the rest of our lives.

Nearly all of my best friends I’ve met as climbers/skiers including my wife Nancy. The act of sharing a rope to move over consequential terrain is an experience that deeply bonds and connects us in ways that are so intrinsic and true to the very core of a partnership. It’s an experience in which one is exposed and venerable, your partner will witness the very best and the worst in you along with all the shades of grey you offer.

I’ve had the privilege of over 50 years of mountain rambling during which time I’ve assembled a vast fortune of great friends and haunting ghosts. Most of them including myself have never climbed exclusively or professionally, we’ve all had jobs, professions, families and businesses that have reduced mountain activity to weekends and vacations often creating conflict with competing interests and some real train wreaks, this is normal.

So this TR is a Fanfare to the Common Climber a tribute to climbers like you and me. It's a reflection on 3 fine days spend with my wife and two of my greatest friends in Kings Canyon NP climbing the South Face of Charlotte Dome. It is part humor, part tragedy and all true so let me begin by saying never trust anyone over 60.


Gathered around the wood stove in a backcountry Selkirk ski lodge as you might guess slightly inebriated my fine friend of 36 years Stein lamented on the fact we seldom journey out of the Tahoe Sierra to his backyard of the Southern Sierra for an adventure let alone a friendly visit. Stein being a recovered Catholic can level guilt so on target and so direct it would make any of the "black veiled monsters" of my 1950's elementary school experience smile with pride.

So we agreed to meet the Great Stein down in his back yard of Kings Canyon. Given our guilt we just couldn't bear to tell Stein to meet us on the East side (an 7 hour drive for him) despite the fact its approach to Charlotte Dome is well documented as easier albeit longer. The plan needed beta so we asked Dave Johnson another great friend of similar vintage who had done the route, "what can we expect? Give us the skinny!" His wayward gaze beginning with, "well the way I remember it..." and ending with "....hell it's just a 5.7 dome!" should have sent up BS signals but hey we had been drinking. The thing he didn't tell us was his ascent had been over 20 years ago, so much for the beta. What we did know he's over 60 and he agreed to join us so I thought it couldn't be that bad.

Stein is perpetually in great shape being a hard core avid cyclist and the youngster of the team at 57. Johnson my contemporary on the other hand was in the middle of helping out with his daughters wedding plans up to our climb which had completely consumed his time. Both had done little climbing this season with the exception of their SE Buttress of Cathedral Peak ascent, a far more menacing feature than a mere "dome" according to Johnson. Recognizing our geriatric team should conserve its energy we decided and paid to have mules deliver our gear and beer to Charlotte Creek at Bubbs Creek, our base camp.


It's a splendid camp with a bear box and great views, we cooled off in the Bubbs Creek after our 7 mile stroll with day packs up the hot and dusty canyon:


Swinging around we gazed up at tomorrows climb, "Holy cow Johnson that thing looks big and steep, I thought you said it's fun in the sun 5.7 face climbing on a dome?"


The "2 hour approach" took us 3 hours likely due to Johnson's insistence on his sound memory of the creek crossing location. Once we maneuvered across the slippery rocks way too early he marveled at just how much the brush had grown in 20 years as we approached the face. The mornings bushwhacking was nothing compared to what we'd experience on the descent, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Finally reaching the slabs we looked up at the sun lite South Face, way cool:


The climbing was indeed "Awesome" and met the expectations. It is highly featured and varied with crack and face climbing all interesting and super fun. The pro was solid but tricky at times with one pitch that was run out 5.7 up near the top. It was also long and kept going for some 10 to 12 pitches. Some where along the way (I think it was the first pitch) our two party's of two got reduced into one party of four the unfortunate outcome of too much wedding planning, work and cycling vs. air time on the rock. Whatever, the setting was spectacular, no one was going to rain on my parade and I was stoked to be there:


Needless to say the 12 or so pitches took us old farts a considerable amount of time and we found ourselves on the summit ridge just as the sun was going down:


The descent down the slabs, talus and through man eating manzanita with patches of thorny buck brush, across the creek, down steep sandy and graveled slopes with loose rocks and deadfall during a moonless night proved without a doubt the power of Steins prayers; no one was hurt! He in fact is really the only one built for such travel. His femurs are the length of my entire leg well above most of the deep thick brush.


We crashed hard and woke up like new born fawns desperately trying to stand. We were spent and laughed at our midnight arrival back in camp taking stock of the toll the climb and descent had taking on our old bodies. I've been wearing a helmet this season after all these years without which saved my head from being impaled by manzanita on at least 3 occasions. We're nothing but soft tissue in a world of hard and sharpe objects, Johnson's arm told the tale:


The 7 mile hike back down the rattlesnake infested canyon with all our gear in the 90 degree heat was the final gauntlet. That last stretch, a 2 mile long sand trap of a trail seemed like penance of some sort, perhaps for underestimating the approach, climb and descent. No doubt as I've read here on ST the South Face of Charlotte Dome has some solid climbing where you have to be on your game. It is indeed more of a alpine rock experience then a day smearing up a dome. I would also agree it's a stiffer route then the Regular Route on Fairview, I suppose proving once again "if your going to be stupid in the mountains you better be tough."

A final note, I like many of you here on ST spend a fair amount of time in Yosemite NP, enjoying the Valley on the shoulder seasons and the high country of Tuolumne from mid summer on into the fall. It blew our minds as drove down into Kings Canyon worrying about finding a camp site that the place was deserted in comparison. The campgrounds were about 20% full so we found a great site right on the river. Kings Canyon National Park is awesome and its high country is some of the best in the range.

Oh such fond memories we create in this trifecta of life; our health, love and the time to enjoy it is all that has any real worth.

Berg Heil Super Topo, see you in the mountains.

Charlie D.











Stewart Johnson

climber
lake forest
Aug 29, 2014 - 06:30am PT
Excellent !
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Aug 29, 2014 - 06:43am PT
That's the stuff!
PhilG

Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
Aug 29, 2014 - 07:15am PT
Stellar trip report.
I too had an enlightening time on this great route.
Berg Heil to you!!
Dapper Dan

Trad climber
Menlo Park
Aug 29, 2014 - 07:24am PT
superb TR.
Dave Johnson

Mountain climber
Sacramento, CA
Aug 29, 2014 - 07:35am PT
Great TR and trip, CD. ST's High Sierra Climbing describes the west approach as "steep, grueling and will involve unpleasant bushwhacking. Indeed. Prudent climbers will approach from the east.

Now, let's get the ski season underway. So much less suffering!
Norwegian

Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
Aug 29, 2014 - 08:06am PT
charlie you're a clown;
our mountains the circus
and that was your fine act.

when we gonna rope up
and freestyle some red wine?

i did a solo flying circus recently
and i'd like you to climb that route
with me - a wonderful location on the east wall.

clarkolator

climber
Aug 29, 2014 - 08:44am PT
Awesome! Tell me a story, CD! Got the campfire legend down -- Big Picture, manzanita, newer greener climbing pastures, and of course lovely Nancy. Keep 'em coming and more power to you and the gang!
Footloose

Trad climber
Lake Tahoe
Aug 29, 2014 - 10:38am PT
Nice, Charlie! A fun read, too.
Thanks for the stoke!!
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Aug 29, 2014 - 11:52am PT
BBST
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
Aug 29, 2014 - 12:16pm PT
Beautiful place. Love it there.
Bad Climber

climber
Aug 29, 2014 - 01:43pm PT
Well played....

BAd
Ghoulwe

Trad climber
Spokane, WA
Aug 29, 2014 - 01:48pm PT
Nicely written Charlie. Another trip that I'm sorry I missed with you guys (except for the hike...) Keep moving!

Eric Barrett
Ghoulwe Mtnrg Club
Spokane WA
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
Aug 29, 2014 - 02:00pm PT
SuperCoolOldGuysRule!!
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 29, 2014 - 05:37pm PT


This time I AM serious: The best and most humbling trip report ever! Having backed off a backcountry (2day approach) 5.9 at the tender age of 59, I appreciate the motivational tricks the mind plays in that situation. Glad you got up and down it!
Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2014 - 06:55pm PT
The bloody bastard is big, 1000 ft. high. The South Face route is basically just this side of the left sky line.

Mark Force

Trad climber
Cave Creek, AZ
Aug 30, 2014 - 08:11pm PT
That's the way to do it! That is proud!
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