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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 25, 2016 - 04:36pm PT
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Bruce Morris has been posting some great photos on FB of some less traveled Tuolumne Meadows routes he had climbed back in the day. These got me thinking about a couple of 11's I had led on Pywiak Dome (Golden Bars? and one other Golden something?). While looking for these routes on Mountain Project I ran into the Dike Route.
I had just had a nice Spring in the Valley crack climbing, first time up Astroman, lot's of other great routes. This would have been sometime in the mid 80's. I migrated up to the Meadows with a New Zealand friend and the first thing we jumped on was the Dike route knowing nothing about it really except it was 5.9. How hard could that be? I had no idea of the runouts. My partner was not a leader so I took off. All's I remember was I was absolutely scared shitless. I wasn't sure if I had missed bolts but the run outs were enormous! Probably the most gripped I had been. Totally unexpected.
Just remembered this today!
Marty
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Apr 25, 2016 - 04:54pm PT
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Fort Knox is the other .11 over by Golden Bars
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 25, 2016 - 04:58pm PT
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Fort Knox is the other .11 over by Golden Bars
That's the one! Thanks!
Marty
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j-tree
Big Wall climber
Typewriters and Ledges
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Apr 25, 2016 - 04:58pm PT
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I remember having two separate knobs in a row break on me at the end of the third pitch (iirc) and called it a day.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Apr 25, 2016 - 05:20pm PT
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Dike route was probably my first route is The Meadows. Somewhere up at about the second pitch the clouds started to build. Not familiar with the fickle nature of Tuolomne weather I figured we had plenty of time if we climbed fast.
I was leading P4 when it started to moisten up; a very light misty drizzle. To compound matters I missed the bolt out right. Those puny old bolts were easy to miss. There I was, looking up at the anchor fifteen feet above. The rock was slicker than snake snot, and I was looking at an endless factor two fall. I clearly remember that moment, looking up at the anchor, and I remember wrapping my fingers around the webbing at the anchor like it was yesterday. I can't remember anything in between.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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Apr 25, 2016 - 05:20pm PT
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There are places that routinely have bigger run outs, but the glacier polish sure made me think the first time I ran into it.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 25, 2016 - 05:26pm PT
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There are places that routinely have bigger run outs
Whitesides in North Carolina has some incredible run outs but didn't scare me like the Dike route. Probably because I was expecting them.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Apr 25, 2016 - 05:56pm PT
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This dude passed us on the Dike Route w/only shoes, shorts & chalk bag when we did it back in the mid-80s. It wasn't Bachar but sort of looked like him.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Apr 25, 2016 - 06:02pm PT
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The Dyke route was my 4th climb in Tuolomne, and my 6th multi-pitch lead climb ever. I climbed up and down the crux about a dozen times before I nailed it.
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life is a bivouac
Trad climber
Bishop
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Apr 25, 2016 - 06:04pm PT
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Hey, Three cheers for the late Tom Gerughty who was not known for his face or friction climbing prowess, rather a very good crack and off width man. Of course back in '66 those tiny golden edges had not yet worn off, so his Kronhoffers did what they were known for, edge. He was quite the guy.
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PSP also PP
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Apr 25, 2016 - 06:20pm PT
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I climbed it a couple of years ago and it had been 10 plus yrs since the last time . I totally forgot the route and went way right on the crux pitch (like 35 feet right); and then went straight up and came back over to the bolts above the bulge . Really stupid and quite scary .
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Karen
Trad climber
Prescott, AZ ~
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Apr 25, 2016 - 07:19pm PT
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I just followed and it scared me!
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Dapper Dan
Trad climber
Redwood City
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Apr 25, 2016 - 07:26pm PT
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How does Dike route compare to Marginal on GPA ?
or is it no comparison....
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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Apr 25, 2016 - 07:37pm PT
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We are up in the Meadows in late May 1976. There is no guide book at that time, but we had heard of a few routes.
"Hey, there is some route around here called the 'Dike Route.' That looks like a dike over there. Let's go over and see if it has bolts." It did and we did it.
Next day. "There's a route around here called Crescent Arch. Whoa, look at that big arch over on that dome. That's probably it." I led the first 5.9 pitch without any protection as the crack was too big for what we brought.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 25, 2016 - 07:46pm PT
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How does Dike route compare to Marginal on GPA
I don't think it's any harder but I don't remember any real run outs on Marginal. But I haven't climbed that route since probably 73.
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BeeHay
Trad climber
San Diego CA
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Apr 25, 2016 - 07:52pm PT
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I soloed it mid 80's. That's not me in the pic above, I would never be mistaken for Bachar nor would I pass a party. Led it 20 yrs later and sh#t a brick thinking back on that FS!
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Apr 25, 2016 - 08:21pm PT
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Apr 25, 2016 - 08:26pm PT
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startem' young
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Apr 26, 2016 - 02:56pm PT
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We're at the 1st belay and Bachar comes up the 1 pitch- no hands just balancing on his feet. The conversation:
Bachar: "Guys?"
Us: "John"
Bachar: "Climb through?"
Us: "no problem"
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Apr 26, 2016 - 03:37pm PT
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I remember doing the Dike Route (5.9) back in 1974. Seemed like normal TM run-outs at the time. However, we had very, very good beta about what to do and what not to do and where to go to avoid confusion. We asks a lot of people who had done it before we went over there, so there weren't any real surprises. I can see if you just jumped out of the car, grabbed a rope, and started climbing the Dike Route like it was a normal 5.9 how gripped you'd be. Nothing wrong with asking around before jumping on something new to you me thinks.
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