What did I find? Can I name it?

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Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 21, 2010 - 03:25pm PT

Last weekend we visited the Valley for the first time in about six months.

We wanted a bit of adventure, but we weren't honed for too much of it.

Peter Pan seemed like a good compromise between doing some classic welcome-back cragging and finding a place to do some new things without killing ourselves. However, about 50 paces up the El Cap trail I was already weezing. It's a long walk to Peter Pan.

By the time we got to Sacherer Cracker, it was clear that we were the only ones on the west side of El Cap (and that I would maybe loose a lung before reaching Peter Pan). I requested that we try the Slack Center 1st pitch which I have, sort of surprisingly, never done.

We got our stuff on, and I felt out the wet start. Definately snaily. I requested a warm up on Sacherer Cracker. By the time I hit the upper anchor, two more parties had joined us, so we opted to just keep climbing up the Slack.

The last time I climbed the Slack (right/center) was maybe two summers ago with Kate. It was also the last time that I saw Micah Dash. I barely knew him, but I kept thinking about seeing him as we moved up (and into) this favorite of mine. He and his partner could hear our voices coming out of the belly of El Cap as they rapped down the left side, and they wondered where the heck we were.

When we reached the top, J suggested that we climb the nice thin hands 3rd pitch of La Escuela on the rap down. (p's 1 and 2 are still wet.)

Since I was racked for Sacherer Cracker, I only had two small cams and no nuts. I was desperate for a snack too. So, I wan't feeling particularly motivated to do the steep finger layback at the top.

I noticed another crack out to the left that looked easier. I guessed it would go at 5.8 and seemed to be mostly hands with what looked like a bit of layback to wide in the middle. There were even chains at the top that are part of what I believe to be the Excalibur (now Freerider) rap-and-fix route. (This is what Micah was doing when we saw him.) I picked what looked like the easier option.

The pitch was a solid 2 stars...maybe better. Everyone would do it if it was on the ground. About 50 feet of perfect yellow Camalots opening up a bit to blues. The crux is 10ish, maybe 10-, deep fists around a roofish flake where you have to smear and sort of campus up your fists (like J did) or thrust your hips towards your high piece and yell take (like I did). A tiny wide slot goes to a short bit of doglegged thin hands that ends with an inconveniently located loose rock that seems like it would have been tossed if someone had prepped the route. A steep flare (overhanging if you're trying for security, less so if your brave and stay out of it more) takes you to the anchor.

When I got on this pitch, I assumed it was part of another climb of which I was ignorant. Despite being in such a popular area and even having an anchor at the top of it, I can find no record of this pitch. Maybe its prominent area led other ascentionists to just assume that it had been done too?

If no one has any objections, I'd like to call it Mr. Dash.

Rick A

climber

Boulder, Colorado

Feb 21, 2010 - 04:13pm PT

Melissa,

No objection from me!

Nice that you're not letting a little thing like winter keep you from cragging on El Cap. I laughed when you described the "yell take" technique. I am too familiar with it.

Rick

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Feb 21, 2010 - 08:32pm PT

Melissa,

I've been up the right side of Slack & toproped upper pitches of La Escuela, but I didn't notice the crack you describe.
Is it on this photo from Xrez?
I think I see it now - you rap to the base of La Escuela p3, but instead of doing that, you climb up and left in the slightly left-leaning crack/corner. It joins Excalibur at (4) in the "Big Walls" guide by Reid.
[Edit: I guessed wrong - see later post]

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2010 - 08:55pm PT

I'm not good at picking things out on these pics. I'll see if I can get J to trace it later.

It goes almost straight up a splitter from the anchor at the top of P2 of La Escuela whereas La E. p3 would go to the right. You could cross back over to the La E. p3 anchor at the top (I think) w/o much difficulty or continue up a right facing flare to the rap? anchor as I did. IIRC, it's mostly splitter but for the crux move and the finishing bit.

There is a flake/left facing system out left that probably could be climbed and that is shown slightly on the Reid topo for the area, but that's not what we did.

Edit: I think I'm oriented now...If the ledge down and left of the bush is the p3 anchor of La E., the anchor I climbed to is the ledge up and left of it. If the little ledge barely visable at the bottom of the image is the p2 anchors, this climb goes mostly straight up from the next system to the left, but not all the way left. I thing the little round to the right just above the mid-pitch rest ledge on La E. might be the crux flake and above that the left doglegged bit of thin hands...then taking the far left of the flake to the ledge. I'll confirm w/ the expert later.

Supertopo shows a middle-of-nowhere rapping/fixing station for Excalibur in the vicinity. Those guys were taking an alternate (to Heart Lines) path down from the Freerider. The anchor is new chains and bolts. I could be someone's anchor for the "new" route too, although it would seem like someone whose intent was to do a new free variation to La E. might be motivated to skip the last bit and finish on La Escuela rather than sink that much time and money into a new anchor for a 20ft. variation to nowhere.

I think Steve S. was working on something in the area, so maybe he knows or they are his.

Captain...or Skully

Social climber

Last clip of Lichen Lunch

Feb 21, 2010 - 10:33pm PT

If it's not a named route, then I'd say you picked a fine name.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Feb 22, 2010 - 12:42am PT

i don't think we did it, when We, did Excalibur...

le_bruce

climber

Oakland: what's not to love?

Feb 22, 2010 - 12:46am PT

Hey Melissa - can you see the line in this bad photo, looking up from the La Escuela p2 anchor? We wanted to climb the obvious hands, but didn't go up for fear that we wouldn't find an anchor. I haven't seen a topo of the area so I might be way off with this photo.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2010 - 12:53am PT

That's exactly it! They're perrrfect hands there. Like...How can perfect 5.7-8 hands in an area w/ 6 others there in February not be "a route"?

The most prominant roof is ~5.8 fun hands. Where it jags to the right near the top center of the photo is the climbs-like-a-roof fist crux flake.

Another reason why I feel like this is a climb for Micah is that, as I barely knew him, the image of him that I hold in my head is of him showing off his gobis in the Indian Creek guidebook. I have still have a big shiner on my thumb knuckle from this one!

Thanks for posting the picture. Were you doing Excalibur? There's an anchor, but it's totally blank above to my eye and recall.

T*R...Thanks for the FB suggestion.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Feb 22, 2010 - 03:52am PT

OK, I see now:

Prod

Trad climber

Dodge Sprinter Dreaming

Feb 22, 2010 - 10:00am PT

Too cool to find a new moderate line on El Cap! Now get your ass back up there and lead it.

Also curious about the name? Why Mr Dash?

Prod.

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Feb 22, 2010 - 10:25am PT

Great story Melissa, nice name.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2010 - 10:54am PT

Clint, that's almost it. The bottom is spot on. Then it jags left above what looks like it would be a stance (just above the big rest ledge on La E. p3 and takes the far left of the flake up to the ledge. I think you could go straight up as you drew it too.

Prod...I did lead it: 5.9 A0. The name was in honor of a climber who perished last summer in an avalanche. I didn't know him well, but the last time that I saw him was in this place. We were both having great days, and the memory of messing with the guys who were wondering where our voices were coming from (there is a massive tunnel across the pinnacle in the picture) is one that I thought of fondly before I had a reason to think of it as a final memory of someone. The pun is silly. Mrs. Dash is a brand of seasonings.

Captain...or Skully

Social climber

Last clip of Lichen Lunch

Feb 22, 2010 - 10:56am PT

So it'd probably end up being 10A-B?

Cool.

Prod

Trad climber

Dodge Sprinter Dreaming

Feb 22, 2010 - 11:00am PT

My bad, I thought it sounded like you were setting up a top rope.

Pretty cool for sure, I'd be proud!

Prod.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2010 - 11:04am PT

J thought 10bish. We were thinking of comparisons. He said the crux is harder than any move on Independence Left (which I haven't done) b/c you don't get any feet for a couple of moves, but it's short. I can't think of a comparable move in Yosemite. Lemon (5.9) is a fisty flake that you have to jam around, but it's less steep and much easy to reach the jam around it, so substantially easier.