mt. watkins

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dirtbagaaron

Trad climber
i get around
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 16, 2005 - 06:19pm PT
what would be a good route to do this spring on watkins? anything in between 5.11b/c and A3 would be good. thanks.
dirtbagaaron

Trad climber
i get around
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 17, 2005 - 08:56pm PT
gees is it bc i posted something climbing related i get no responses?
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
Jan 17, 2005 - 09:00pm PT
For years I have fancied the Harding route on the South Face of Mt. Watkins, but have been discouraged from what I understand is a somewhat nasty approach. I've heard that it's hard to cross the creek in the springtime, too.

Has anyone here done the route? Is it the Ultra-Classic I've heard it is?

Cheers,

Pete
Gunkie

climber
I don't get mad, I get stabby -- Fat Tony
Jan 18, 2005 - 08:56am PT
South face of Watkins trip report:

http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/info/yosemite/watkins.html
weekender

climber
Oaklanc CA
Jan 18, 2005 - 12:23pm PT
I've done it twice; once in a day and a half, and once in about 10 hours or so. It's great climb, a beautiful scenic wall with that remote feel you get up in Tenaya Canyon. Lots of great moderate free climbing with the occasional aid section if done in standard mode. Highly recommended, the approach is tedious but no big deal. I would also recommend Escape From Freedom on Mt. Watkins, exceptional clibming up outrageous slabs and dikes in a stunning position.
dirtbagaaron

Trad climber
i get around
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2005 - 05:31pm PT
i was looking at escape from freedom. pretty cool looking.
weekender

climber
Oaklanc CA
Jan 18, 2005 - 06:32pm PT
Escape From Freedom is phenomenal.
Lambone

Ice climber
Ashland, Or
Jan 18, 2005 - 06:34pm PT
funny name...
Larry

Trad climber
Reno NV
Jan 18, 2005 - 10:01pm PT
Pete,

If the Half Dome approach is too much for you, forget Watkins. Not as much elevation gain as Half Dome (edit after reading Largo below: 1400 feet gain. But no shuttle bus to trailhead anymore, just 1 mile of pavement.), but quite a bit tougher than El Cap.

The crossing of Snow Creek is NTB though. This is from last May.

With the snowpack as it is now, this bridge could get knocked out, I suppose.

(further edit: What do I know, I haven't climbed the wall. I even got lost trying to approach the Watkins Pinnacles.)
museman

Big Wall climber
Poway, Ca
Jan 18, 2005 - 11:28pm PT
This is what you look like when you reach the base!
T2

climber
Cardiff by the sea
Jan 18, 2005 - 11:31pm PT
And this is supposed to be fun. I suppose you got to pay to play.
museman

Big Wall climber
Poway, Ca
Jan 18, 2005 - 11:32pm PT
Sheraton Watkins....greatest bivy ever!
And a damn good place to pee.
museman

Big Wall climber
Poway, Ca
Jan 18, 2005 - 11:37pm PT
South Face route after a summer storm.
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Jan 19, 2005 - 02:22am PT
I met this guy at a party who had me all convinced that Mt. Watkins wasn't too bad at all to crank in a day car to car. Made it sound all reasonable.

I hadn't met Timmy Oneil until then and hadn't heard how fast he was on other stuff.

Went it all became clear, the plans went out the window.

Weekender has a few speed records himself so I'm still not encouraged.

Still, seems like a great way to get in shape and enjoy peaceful beauty. Maybe I'll hump a pig up there.

Peace

karl
Rhodo-Router

Trad climber
Otto, NC
Jan 19, 2005 - 12:56pm PT
...or just carry a bag :)
Largo

Sport climber
Venice, Ca
Jan 19, 2005 - 12:57pm PT
The approach to Watkins--actually getting to the base of the wall, not just beneath the formation--is not so bad providing you know where to go. Otherwise you can get really lost on the slabs and rubbish leading up to the wall. Folks used to slog in there with the pig, geting the approach wired and stashing gear a the base, then returning to camp--a one day excursion. Then, wth knowledge of where the thing goes, return and blast for it. The shutle bus used to take you to the trail head, then a few hours later--on a mostly dead flat trail--and you were roping up. The old Harding route goes quickly, but findin the descent ain't all that easy.

Watkins is an adventure climb, for sure. And if you want to step it up a bit, go the the Bob Locke route. A skilled party could hike in, fix, and dust the route with one bivy.

JL
David

Trad climber
San Rafael, CA
Jan 19, 2005 - 02:54pm PT
fyi. South Face of Watkins will be one of the new routes in the next edition of the ST BigWalls book.
Larry

Trad climber
Reno NV
Jan 19, 2005 - 10:28pm PT
Just theorizing here...

I would arrange to hike out to highway 120 rather than descend back to the valley. If you've scoped out that part beforehand as well, it's not bad at all. Park the car at a large loop turnout on the north side of the road, near a high point on the road. The Reid/Falkenstein book talks about an old quarry being nearby.
weekender

climber
Oaklanc CA
Jan 20, 2005 - 12:13pm PT
For the descent, skirt the slabs at the top of Mt. Watkins and head cross country west through mostly open forest to the drainage that leads to Snow Creek. Pick up the Snow Creek Trail at the that point and head down. Painless and fast.
museman

Big Wall climber
Poway, Ca
Jan 21, 2005 - 01:17pm PT
Holy shit!
I just looked at the top thread about John Butler's TR and realized that the photo's I posted are from that same climb. I was his partner back then, it was June '94 and we had no business on that wall. We were a couple of gumbies making all the classic mistakes. His trip report glazes over the stupid things we did and it reads like we knew what we were doing, but we didn't!
This was our second bigwall after doing the Leaning Tower which was another story all together. The approach to Mt. Watkins was long, but we found our way ok. The first mistake was when John droped and broke one of our one gallon water jugs leaving us short on water from the start and the wall was baking in the sun.
The second mistake was me trying to free between fixed gear on the pitch above Sheraton Watkins. Standing on a dime edge with finger tips in pin scars when the dime broke off sending me for a 25' fall catching and elbow and spinning around with my back to the wall. Seeing the ledge comming with the wind whistling through my ears bracing myself for impact I hit feet,ass and elbows on the ledge and peeled off and went down for another 10' before the rope caught me. Now you might think that the distance of my fall could be due to rope stretch, but I think - to this day- that John let me reel. We never talked about it, but I heard later that he has dropped people before.
My ankle was screaming with pain as I pulled myself back to the ledge to regain composure and it was 20 minutes or so before I could even holler back to him that nothing was broken. I then jugged back to the RURP that I was climbing above and it was still in place. I called for the pin rack and placed my first pin
in my short career as a big wall climber. Once the bag was hauled
I dug out the Vicodin which got me through the rest of the climb.
Being low on water was now starting to take affect on John. He was conserving his share a little too much for me because of my ankle and elbow and was unable to lead above pitch 12. He held the rope while gimped back and forth on the pendulum. I lead four more pitches before throwing in the towel to John telling him he had to lead at least one pitch to give me a rest.
Clouds where now coming up from the west getting darker by the minute. I tell John he better get going as the weather is starting to close in and looks like it might rain. John gets about half way up pitch 18 when it starts to rain and we have nowhere to go but to hang under a small ledge below the belay.
We're both soaked to the bone and John gets under the ledge first and starts setting up a seat out of this nylon butt bag for him to sit in taking forever while I get wetter and wetter as waterfalls are gathering all over the place. He then wants me to help him get his rain gear on him like some sort of invalid. Right then I lose it, telling him that I have my own problems and set to standing in the haulbag under him. All my clothes are coton and the only thing I have is a Goretex rain parka which helped keep the water off my back, but the rope wicked water to my waist and down my legs. We hung in our harnesses all night and it was hard to stay upright standing in the haulbag. I would start to nod off and almost go over head first. Shaking uncontrollably due to hypothermia I swore by morning I would get us out of here rain or not.
Luck would have it that the skies cleared and got my wish to lead us out of there. Once on top John took a rope and a good portion of the rack. I got the pig with all the wet gear which seemed like it weighed a thousand pounds. During the hike out John left me far behind and made it for Mirror Lake. It took me forever to get down those switchbacks stopping now and then to rest my bad ankle.
I realized after that climb that I could suffer through more than I thought I could and gained confidence that is only gained from living through your mistakes.

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