Skull Queen Trip Report....finally.

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Shack

Big Wall climber

So. Cal.

Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 21, 2005 - 01:52pm PT

About a week ago, Mike Ousley, Sean Roberts and I climbed Skull Queen.
This is a basic rundown of our climb…

We left from Mike’s house at about 10:00am on Friday the 11th and headed to Yosemite.
By the time we got to the Valley, it was already dark.
Short days are the trade off, for the cool weather of late fall climbing.
We sorted the gear in the Awahnee parking lot by headlamp, and after a last minute supplies check…
we headed off to deliver our first of two loads.
By the time we finished with the second load, it was about 11:00pm., and we settled in for a comfy bivy at the base.
We got a 10:00am start the next morning after packing the bags we made out way to the base of the climb. With Sean taking the lead, before too long we were on the ledge at the top of the first pitch.
Sean continued to lead the second and third pitches with me cleaning and Mike managing our 2 heavy haul bags, while jugging a free line.
Finally, at about sundown, we found ourselves on Dinner Ledge.
Wanting to get another pitch in before calling it a day, it was my turn.
The Kor roof pitch at night! Cool. I was tired but it still sounded like fun. I freed it as far as I could. A few cams and a cam hook move later and I was at the base of the roof. After some fun moves out and around the roof , I soon bootied a BD cam from the C1 crack and was within sight of the anchors when from below I heard Mike and Sean. Mike informs me that as soon as I’m on good gear to pull up the haul line.
When I pulled up the line I found a Tall can of beer and a Rice Crispy treat! Ahhhh!
I polished that beer off, then polished of the rest of the pitch and was finally back on Dinner. Whew!
After some grub, and couple tokes, we drifted off to sleep.
After attempted food thievery by a ring-tailed cat and questionable accusations of snoring, by certain members of the team, we awoke to the cold morning air and a great view of Half Dome.

After breakfast we packed up the bags and jugged up our lines with me cleaning the pitch….
and Sean and Mike handling the hauling

Once again Sean took off on lead.

Finally we were leaving the South Face and would be on the first pitch of Skull Queen.
Pitch 5, which had originally been a zamac rivet ladder, has been dumbed down with the installation of 3/8” Rawl Spike rivits and a big fat 3/8” bolt every third rivet!
Originally we had heard that there were many more chicken bolts than there actually were. Even so, the few chicken bolts that were there, were removed.
After some nice leads by Sean, including a short scaping daisy fall where he cut his finger pretty good, and some nasty hauling by yours truly through that stupid bush,
“Evil Tree II”, we were at the top of pitch 7.
It was getting dark now and Mike suggested that we get one more pitch fixed.
So Sean stepped up and fired the next pitch by headlamp.
It’s a long 120ft C2+ pitch and Sean knocked it out and was back down in good time.

Finally our first portaledge bivy!…at the top of pitch 7...it was better than I thought it would be. Had the FISH ledge set up in no time and I just couldn’t stop looking down at the view.
After some dinner, a couple shots of Tequila and a few tokes, I was ready for another
peaceful night’s sleep.

The next morning brought the same cool temperatures, and tales of snoring as the last.
Eventually, after breakfast and the “hoop snake” incident, discussed in detail here,
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=120617&f=0&b=0
, we got our stuff packed and I started up the lead line, cleaning Sean’s previous night’s work.
Sean jugged the free line and once at the belay began hauling.
We were running 2 bags and 2 haul lines, so sometimes this proved a challenge with the
ropes sometimes twisting around each other, and making hauling a bitch.
Finally by the end of the third day we were at the top of the 10th pitch with darkness closing in.
Nobody really felt like leading the last pitch and topping out in the dark, so we decided to just bivy right there. It’s actually a pretty nice spot. We set up the ledges and in no time we were relaxing and enjoying the moon, which was full by this time.
The weather was nice and cool but not too cold. The Tequila definitely helped to warm me, and Mike burned some really nice incense and had the iPod w/ speakers blasting Frank, the Ramones, among others, to put us in the Big Wall spirit. We passed a big fatty back and forth to celebrate our progress and eventually drifted off to sleep.
The next day turned out to be the crux of the climb. After our usual 10:00am start,
somehow, between Sean taking extra long on the lead…
and bypassing the normal belay spot, opting to haul from higher up, we didn’t finish the last pitch and a half until
almost 4:00 pm.

By the time we took a break, dumped out extra food and water, reorganized our haul bags etc. and started to head down, it was 6:00pm.
The night time descent at times was sketchy at best and a back breaker in general with an 80lb.+ pig on my back. I’m sure Sean’s load was about the same and Mike had the rack, a couple ropes and a bunch of other crap on his back.
For me, the descent was an epic in itself. A few diggers, some scrapes, cuts, bruises,
and about 5 hours later we were all back at the truck in the Awahnee parking lot.
I was spent. After sucking down some water and packing up the truck, we were gone.

the Fet

Trad climber

Loomis, CA

Nov 21, 2005 - 02:08pm PT

Another great story and set of photos, thanks.

ricardo

Gym climber

San Francisco, CA

Nov 21, 2005 - 02:12pm PT

absolutely great! ..

nothing like big walling holidays

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Nov 21, 2005 - 02:18pm PT

Thanks for the TR. Glad you weren't actually bitten by the dreaded Hoopsnake.

Sounds like so much fun that you didn't need to hurry. Maybe we should set up a race, you on Southern Man and PTPP on Skull Queen. First one to the top buys the beer.

Peace

karl

Landgolier

climber

the flatness

Nov 21, 2005 - 02:21pm PT

Nice. Did I see a Fish rope bag somewhere in there?

Lambone

Ice climber

Ashland, Or

Nov 21, 2005 - 02:27pm PT

Way to go guys! Sounds like a great climb and a great group of partners.

So, I take it that at least one "Chicken Bolt" you are reffering to was on the 5.8 off width crack?

Shack

Big Wall climber

So. Cal.

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2005 - 02:30pm PT

Karl,
5 reasons why we would kick Pete's ass in a race:

1. Pete doesn't climb before noon.
2. We had 2 haul bags...Pete would require at least 3.
3. We will climb into the night...Pete is afraid of the dark.
4. Pete uses a hauling ratchet. (slow)
5. There's gotta be one more...

Shack

Big Wall climber

So. Cal.

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2005 - 02:39pm PT

Yep...the FISH feeder rope bucket thing Kicked ASSS™™™!!
Easy to use, and plenty of room...even for two 8mm haul lines!

Mike probably remembers the exact bolts that were removed.
I think one was on the "rivit ladder" on pitch 5, and one was on pitch 8 next to a C2 crack.

quartziteflight

climber

Nov 21, 2005 - 04:20pm PT

Cool report. Way to represent the 80's porn moustache.

Shack

Big Wall climber

So. Cal.

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 21, 2005 - 05:00pm PT

I call it the "Harry Reams" stache.
It's currently in the process of being updated though...
Photo's soon.

up2top

Big Wall climber

Phoenix, AZ

Nov 21, 2005 - 06:47pm PT

Dude -- I really can't think of a better way to spend a few days. Good climbing and good company -- looks like you guys had a blast. Nice job and great photos!

Mike -- what did you replace the 3/8 rivet with? A 1/4" button head? It seems to me that the whole pitch culd have been new 1/4 button heads and retained a more authentic difficulty. Lemme guess who slammed in the 3/8" rivets and bolts -- someone who does this kind of "service" for many other routes in the Valley?

Ed