unplanned bivies

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 1 - 35 of total 35 in this topic

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 20, 2006 - 03:06pm PT

OK, this is a thread for your favorite unplanned bivy story.

to wit;

Summer 1982. Taking time out from his autobiographical tome; Small Walls, Big Falls (doubtless to acrue more material) my first Zion climbing partner Kevin Kelly and I saw fit to rope up, tying our fates in yet another adventure. This time it was to be a mere milk run, Northcutt /Carter on Hallet Peak.

Now already people are wondering, Northcutt/ Carter? Bivy?

That's right folks. Although Ken Weeks and Yvon Chouinard had debunked the fearsome reputation of this route with a casual 2 hour second ascent more than two decades earlier we were headed for dark water nonetheless. Mr. Kelly has a distinct talent for creative epic-making.

To make things even more embarassing I knew the mountain well. At 16 I had hiked up Flattop to view it and at 20 (already with a Diamond route under my belt) I had even made easy work of the very same route besides two others.
Now 28 I was a better and far more experienced climber.

Its easy to see where I went wrong NOW;
1) late start, classic mistake
2) blocked by another party, ditto
3) off route, ditto again

By now we're running way late. Kevin's having problems following. Then the storm hits, but we trek on. By the time we top out the storm is gone but so is just about all the light.

Time for another mistake. Kevin doesn't like the looks of the descent gully so we opt for the rap below the first buttress. A few more minutes and we wouldn't have had light to find it.
After the rap the rope sticks (thats gotta be #5). It takes an hour of herculean effort to pull it free in now total darkness. We begin to scramble by braille.

6) We scramble down a section that, even in the dark, appears to be both deadly exposed and wrong. Council yields a retreat upwards.

7) We find a long terrace with some trees. Bivy Ho! No food two sips of water but we build a small fire.

By now after most of the leading and the stuck rope I'm KNACKERED. The fire overheats my front while my ass freezes. Sometime after midnight my kidneys have functioned sufficiently to warrant a little hike. When I return Kevin is stretched out with his rain jacket covering his upper half.

Its freezing cold but soon to my amazement Kevin begins to snore.

How can this be?

Anybody figure it out yet?

You see Kevin had craftily waited until my brief sojourn to seize the rocks bordering the fire, lay them out around him, and pull over his jacket creating a mini-sauna!

It wasn't until the sun crested the horizon that, in my reduced state, I was able to discover his fait accompli.

Then the worst thing yet happened.
We started back down only to discover that the night before we had already scrambled by braille down the crux of the descent only to reclimb it and spend the night out!

WoodyS

Trad climber

Riverside

Feb 20, 2006 - 04:03pm PT

We were on Kumori in Peru. The west ridge--standard route-- turned out to be heavily crevassed so we traversed around to the north face. It turned out to be slow, technical going. We got stubborn and kept at it even though we knew we might not make it without a bivy. Finally, about a hundred feet below the summit, we had no choice but to hold up because we were running out of daylight. We dropped into a shallow crevass and chopped a hemisphere out of one side of it, threw the ropes down, sat on them and snuggled in--four of us. Spent twelve hours shifting positions so the guys on either end who had their shoulders against the ice could get some relief. I didn't get feeling in the forward portion of my feet for six weeks. We got the summit the next morning, and found out later that we were the third ascent and an FA on the north face.
The problem was, three of us had no bivy gear since the regular route was to be fast with a quick turn around. The bivy was at approximately 18K. If there had been wind, we wouldn't have made it. I learned a lesson on that one.

WoodyS

Trad climber

Riverside

Feb 20, 2006 - 04:19pm PT

Another. East Ridge of the Grand. We got off route on the Moose's Tooth or Molar Tooth or whatever that thing is named. I got sucked in by some pins that were going in our direction. We climbed it, got to the top and looked down at the notch where we were supposed to be and got really pissed because it was almost dark and we'd planned on melting ice at the notch for drinking water; we were out and rather dry. We rapped off the Tooth in the dark to a ledge system. The only liquid we had was a full bottle of Niquil. We drank it savoring its finer qualities. Retreated the next day to water.
Got the peak a couple of years later--same route-- and didn't climb the damned Tooth. I found out later that screwing up and climbing the Tooth was rather common--and humorous in some quarters.

todd-gordon

climber

Feb 20, 2006 - 04:40pm PT

Dark Shadows in Red Rocks..most parties only do 3 or 4 and rap...We went all the way to the top (8 or 9 pitches...)....... then you hike awhile on the summit of Mescalito, then you start a bunch of rappels.... half way down the raps, we were out of light........spent the night on a ledge, no food or water....(had a small fire..).....more of an "oops" than a story of survival. Next was on the Finger of Fate Route on the Titan........one pitch from the top....no more daylight......decided to tough it out.......November has cold evenings and a wind picked up.....again, not much for food, water, or bivy gear.........not a survival situation, but lots of teeth chattering and cussing. It must be nice to be talented enough to climb these big routes in lightning speed...but for mere mortals, ..shit happens...., like the saying says.... if you bring bivy gear, you'll end up using it....(My advice.... wear a jacket...)

Fat Dad

Trad climber

Los Angeles, CA

Feb 20, 2006 - 05:06pm PT

Two jump to mind:
1. Space Shot in a day in November. We heard (actually we read it in Climbing mag) that the rappels were tricky. We top out but it's getting dark, so we sit it out. First (and hopefully last) time I have to spoon a man. Turns out the raps were exposed but otherwise no problem. Still, knowing what we knew then, the right decision.
2. We top out on Clyde Minaret and, only 50 ft. from the top, start descending the wrong way. Right when we figure it out, my buddy pulls a loose block and lands on a ledge 10 ft. lower with the block in his lap. Busted hip, fractured pelvis, etc. Nothing to give him but the last swig of water and the last two Advil. A very long, cold night (especially for him) in nothing but a pullover. Thank god for the cell phone and SAR.

Lots more where that came from but enough about me.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2006 - 05:44pm PT

No! Not enough. Who'd you spoon?????

Heard about a couple of bickering partners who got caught out and eventually one said to the other,"Well I don't like it any better than you but...."

BoKu

Trad climber

Douglas Flat, CA

Feb 20, 2006 - 05:47pm PT

Royal Arches, 20 August 2005. Went too slow, forgot headlamp, got benighted rapping off. Bivied at rap 8 ledge. Had a fleece pullover, a cyalume stick, and plenty of food. Restarted the descent at first light. No problems.

paulj

climber

utah

Feb 20, 2006 - 05:57pm PT

Kor-Beck, Fall 1977. Three of us, in late October, end up benighted on a big ledge filled with pine needles/boughs, just a pitch or so below the Kat Walk. A warm, Indian summer evening, we had a great time watching the lights of the cars on the Valley floor. We thought about building a fire but were afraid we'd light the ledge on fire. The next day was a thirsty walk down and a food fest at the cafeteria.

BElliott

Trad climber

Feb 20, 2006 - 07:29pm PT

Unplanned bivy on Refried Brains in Red Rocks... did the route and instead of going to the top of the mountain, went for a rap down...had to leave gear..got dark three pitches before the bottom...could't find the anchors for the next station. Went up and down the rope a few times..holding a lighter on..nothing. My now ex-wife and I sat out the night on a ledge..me in a Hawaiian shirt and prescription sunglasses looking at the lights of Vegas...fortunately it was Memorial Day so it wasn't too cold. Long night. It was a marriage test..we lasted a few more years... and one more unplanned bivy in Red Rocks.

Melissa

Gym climber

berkeley, ca

Feb 20, 2006 - 07:31pm PT

I like this story of an unplanned bivy on Enigma at the Cookie Cliff.

http://home.flash.net/~cfoster2/climbing/stories/cookie.html

treeman

climber

Feb 20, 2006 - 10:41pm PT

Lowe Route, Zion, May 93. We figured we could do it in a day, and set out with a couple extra layers and a gallon of water. Got way up there but got shut down in the dark up where you traverse up and left to the exit gulleys. Proud spot to spend the night, 'cept we were planning on getting tanked at the Bit instead. Our bros from Flag, B. Ward and Cameron, pulled into the parking pullout (clearly visible from our perch) and due to their 'heightened' state decided the only way to commerate our misfortune was to decorate the truck with enormous spewing penises in the buildup of dust covering the rig(the beginning of the Flag-car dicking craze). Finished up at first light and spent the rest of the day in the lawn chair by the river.

BElliott

Trad climber

Feb 20, 2006 - 11:20pm PT

Some unplanned bivies are not on the rock.
Went to Gran Trono Blanco in Baja a lot in the early 90's. On one trip, Gus and I got a bit lost on the maze of dirt roads leading to the crags. About 10 miles or so from the crag we took a wrong turn and after a couple of hundred yards realized it. Attempted a 3 point turn in the road and next thing you know the truck was axle deep in sand. Excrementum!! Miles from nowhere in the dark in Mexico. Several hours of digging and a few beers got us nowhere and now it was midnight. We said F.. it for now and slept on the road next to the truck. No one came by and at first light we commenced digging again. By noon we finally got out and managed to get a few routes in for the weekend.

bulgingpuke

Trad climber

cayucos california

Feb 21, 2006 - 01:25am PT

Last weekend I slept in this girls front yard, Her mom comes out at five in the morning to find me asleep in a surfboard bag on my crashpad (sorry men, sadly I gave in...to the opposite sex that is, and let my friend's girl friend use my sierra design ultra warm bag.....damnit)

Wonder

climber

Feb 21, 2006 - 02:21am PT

all my unplanned bivies are my favorite bivies. 2 days sunk up to the axles at mono lake. top of lost arrow spire (bived on the ledges one pitch down). I was gonna start but unplanned bivies seem to be a recurring theme.one more, middle cathedral with a bottle of vino.

Patrick Sawyer

climber

Originally California now Ireland

Feb 21, 2006 - 12:28pm PT

Not really an unplanned bivvy, but early November 1976, a long dry spell in California (drought year), living in Cedar Ridge with other climbers. One of my housemates, Claude Fiddler, and I decide on doing the Mendel Couloir, so we (I, on minimal sleep after an EMT I mid-term exam at CJC, and doing all the driving) drive over Sonora Pass and crash at the roadhead for Mendel. We had a third person with us, one of my best mates Brian. We decided to forego a tent (I mean, there was a drought on) and just took minimal food and small stove so we could travel fast. Slept a couple of hours and then head up over the Lamarck Col, made real good time on the trail.

Found a sandy platform among the boulders down from the Col, right across the valley from the North Face, with those two beautiful couloirs staring at us. Settled in for the night, but after a while in the dusk we could see a big fog bank approaching. I mentioned to Claude that I hope it doesn’t start snowing, he replies, somewhat confidently, that it doesn’t snow when there is fog around.

Yeah right. The skies start heaping snow on us – big time. First big storm in months. No bivvy gear. After awhile I make the first move, dove down some boulders to this ‘cave’ (two big boulders leaning against each other), the other two followed suit, forcing me out the other end of the ‘cave’ into the elements. It was well dark with white out conditions, so we weren’t foolish enough to try to hike out. We just waited it out, and my down bag was soaked. The other two were decently protected, so to speak, but not me. Early hours in the morning, no sleep, and I am in the early stages of hypothermia. Finally, at first light I told them I was going to leg it. They reluctantly agreed (they were relatively dry).

Boots frozen, candybars rock hard frozen, still pretty much white out conditions. Up over Lamarck Col (it was dicey), and along the cliff band. Finally made it to my truck. Found our way out to the Buttermilks. We were invited to a big party (kegs, band, bong loads) out in the rocks. Driving up 395, with Brian crashed out in the back under the camper shell, Claude had to save us after I fell asleep (only time ever) at the wheel going about 65 and he (having not really partied that night) was still wide awake and grabbed the wheel.

Eventually ended up at Hot Creek. Man, those hot springs felt great in the morning.

Taught me a big lesson, that did, and I never found myself in that position again. And damn it, I have yet to do Mendel.

Sorry for a long story about a so-so epic.

Grug

Trad climber

Golden, Colorado

Feb 21, 2006 - 01:01pm PT

Spring 1977. Rick Piggot and I set out to do the Crack of Doom, but couldn't get across the river. We hoof it back to Camp 4 and decide, instead to do the DNB on Middle. By the time we get to the base, it 1:00 pm. We go for it anyhow - neither one of us brought more than a long sleeve shirt.

We get benighted on a small ledge, I forget how far up. A fromt moves in that evening and it's colder than shi#! Now I'm pretty stoic, but Rick takes the cake for stoicism. I remember after sitting there for seemingly hours, awake, I figure it must be close to morning. I whisper "Rick, Rick... are you awake? What time is it?" Rick says to me "I'm awake now! It's 10:30!"

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2006 - 01:11pm PT

Somehow, when I started this thread I had hoped for more humor. It hasn't been entirely absent but the word 'anemic' comes to mind. In all comedy there is a victim and by combining the element of an unplanned bivy I had hoped to provide a venue for self-depracation as say with doing the crux of a descent only to climb back up it and bivy with a sly partner.

C'mon people. Hasn't anyone bivied in a haul bag or a urine soaked hammock (Jack Dorn and Randy Cerf, respectively, on the Salathe headwall in '76) or SOMEPLACE that's just slightly absurd?

Apocalypsenow

Trad climber

Cali

Feb 21, 2006 - 01:39pm PT

I think I have a better one Piton. About a month ago, some guy wanted to know what it was like to sleep in a snow cave.

On the side of a parking lot, he dug a cave, crawled in with his bivy and sleeping bag...and went to sleep.

Unfortunately for this guy...he chose to do this in the snow bank of a ski area. When the giant snow blower came along (late in the night)...well I will stop there.

Lets just say there wasn't an open casket.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2006 - 02:51pm PT

Boy!

I like getting blown. But not to bits...

Apocalypsenow

Trad climber

Cali

Feb 21, 2006 - 03:05pm PT

Yea...heard they were using a snow scoop for most of what was left of the guy.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2006 - 03:49pm PT

one down...

(actually his WAS kinda funny)

Apocalypsenow

Trad climber

Cali

Feb 21, 2006 - 03:59pm PT

Coloradians are no fun anyways...

Matt

Trad climber

places you shouldn't talk about in polite company

Feb 21, 2006 - 04:25pm PT

unplanned royal arches biveys are more widespread than most people think! (i know this because often, whenever i admit to it, so do others in the same conversation!)

several years ago, i too spooned a man (yuk), not that ther is anything wrong with that...

my good friend and 1st climbing partner, the man who later performed my wedding ceremony, had been in a new relationship, had got himself married, switched jobs, and was out of climbing for some time, well over a year. he called and said that they were pregnant, and he confessed that he might be on his way to being done w/ climbing for awhile.

i on the other hand was single and had been climbing in the valley most weekends for months. i convinced him to spend a weekend up there following me up some easy stuff, just to get outside and hang out together. i'd always avoided the nutcracker because i hate crowded climbs, but he wanted to do that so we got up early and were the 1st party, no waiting. we climbed at a casual pace, enjoying a clear spring day and we were back at the car just after 11. we ate some lunch and jumped off the bridge by el cap meadow, and then i talked him into running up royal arches.

we left the car at around 1pm w/ a single 50m 8mm line, 6 cams, some slings, and a quart of water. i had never done the route, but i basically knew where it went, and we moved quickly up to the pendulum, where we found a serious clusterfukk. some guy and his 13 or 14 year old daughter had just completed the pendelum, the party after them had somehow got their rope stuck by a cam lobe on the pitch that accesses the rope, and the father had lowered his daughter down to free the other party's rope. it took awhile before we got our chance to climb that pitch... still, we managed to get past these two parties before the slabby traverse pitches, but the party w/ the stuck rope was fighting between themselves over who had bogarted all the water (they were out after starting w/ 6 quarts between them) and they each begged water from us (more on that later) as we passed them at seperate belays, blaming the other for being a stooge. the guy w/ the kid along had her toting a large pack, and we waited for them at the 1st traverse to carry her pack on that part for her, as a few lateral moves earlier had freaked her out a bit.

we topped out w/ about an hour and a half of good light, no water left (we'd walked through the mud, but i didn't know there was an actual spring), but we had an orange to share (big mistake). as we started walking for the descent, my partner bonked hard. i hadn't considered how our pace might be difficult fo him, given that he wasn't in climbing shape at all. i was thinking that because i was doing all the leading, he was on easy street- but it was a warm day, we'd slept few hours, climbed many pitches on sparse food and water, and he just wasn't used to it at all. on minute he was telling a joke and the next he was all out of gas. he couldn't walk 100 yards w/out stopping to sit and rest. we slowly made our way and hoped to get to safety before dark set in. we passed a stream w/out drinking for fear of getting sick, still thinking we were going to make it down just fine before dark (doh! that was a big mistake, i felt fine but should have recognized that he was seriously dehydrated and at least filled the empty bottle for later, just in case!). soon after, a dry cotton mouth set in for both of us, which was amplified by the citrus from the orange. my partners bonking got worse, we were basicly slowed to a crawl as we approached the unfamiliar (and notorious) descent, and eventually nightfall prevented us from route-finding, as we couldn't see far enough by headlamp to know where to go.

we tied into a tree on a sloping hillside strewn w/ some soft leaves, he in long pants and a long sleeve shirt, a fuzzy hat, and no socks, me in shorts, my leggs inside a tee shirt, and my arms pulled inside my windbreaker, and a fuzzy hat- thankfully i had some socks.

it was sometime in early april and while it was a really nice warm day, the night temps were somewhere in the 40's, maybe not really life-threatening, but not comfortable either. we spooned shamelessly, switching sides every couple of hours. i might have slept an hour or so all night, boy does that time pass slowly, and that concentrated citrus flavored cotton mouth never let up.

morning found us both sucking from a mossy rock that barely had a trickle of water on it [ron- this may not be a very funny story, but we laughed hard at ourselves later that morning while gorging ourselves at the all you can eat breakfast, thinking of sucking on that rock after giving away 1/3 of our water and passing that stream w/out filling our bottle]. i don't like to climb w/ any extra weight, but i do take preparation more seriously after that experience. i also had never really taken a less experienced climber on anything over a few pitches, so looking out for another climber wasn't something i thought about in great detail, but i have learned that self monitoring isn't always enough when you are not climbing alone.

in the years since, i have done lots of long climbs in the valley and that is still my only unplanned bivey, but the closest i have come since was when i took my wife up- that's right- royal arches, and she led almost all of it. we began the raps w/ plenty of time to get down in daylight, but twice had serious rope snagging issues and could easily have been forced to bivey here or there. each time we had the persistance to free our ropes and we were in the awhannee bar by around 9:30. i will never rap that route again, even if it goes flawlessly, it still takes longer than walking.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Topic Author's Reply - Feb 21, 2006 - 07:23pm PT

No Matt, the moss had me laughing, but the water moochers tick me off. You should have told them to rap or suck on their own nuts.

Matt

Trad climber

places you shouldn't talk about in polite company

Feb 21, 2006 - 07:28pm PT

you should have seen the amount of stuff those 2 were humping up there w/ them-

did i mention that is was a foul and dirty mossy rock?
not your pretty, aesthetic mossy rock, but one that looked like it belonged in a college fridge- ah, the memories...

sure tasted good that morning.

climber

Cardiff by the sea

Feb 21, 2006 - 07:34pm PT

This one doesn't look planned.

WBraun

climber

Feb 21, 2006 - 07:54pm PT

My only unplanned bivi

Helicopter leaves, missed it due to darkness, we are 1000 feet on top of some weird rock formation in Borneo filming IMAX, with an approaching typhoon. There was a tent that they left. Set up the tent, no sleeping bags, you don’t need them there. Wake up in the middle of the night feeling something pressing hard on my chest. It’s the phucking storm pounding the tent flat. It’s raining so hard it’s crushing us. Wicked lightning bolts are arcing all around.

The river below rose 10 feet during the night.

No big deal life is sweet

cliffhanger

Trad climber

California

Feb 21, 2006 - 09:42pm PT

The first time I climbed the Lost Arrow Spire we hiked in from the north, a long and arduous hike. (It’s much quicker to hike the falls trail). We got to the rim after noon and proceeded to rap to the notch. It’s getting late but I climb fast on the last pitch arriving on top in what should have been plenty of time. My girlfriend tho can not for the life of her clean thru the little traverse. She’s taking forever. I had never heard her curse before but there was plenty coming up from below. I should have gone down and straightened things out. By the time she arrives on top it’s dark and we have no light. She refuses to tyrolean across in the dark. So I go across, get our gear and come back across on the single rope in complete darkness, not even moonlite. This is a surreal experience worth doing. It seems like floating disembodied in space. The wind is so strong we lose half our gear but have one very warm bag left for a pretty comfortable night.

Trad climber

Calgary

Feb 21, 2006 - 11:13pm PT

here is a (planned) bivy story. In the 80's two friends, Sean and Jim did the 2nd ascent of a big Rockies North wall with 2 bivies.
Now Jim had spent the summer focussing totally on 2 things, finishing his PHD thesis and doing hard climbing. There was no time for women so he had adopted a temporary celibacy program. He borrowed Sean's lycra for this route and had a dream on the first bivouc ledge where a gorgeous woman mantled on the ledge, ripped his clothes off and did nasty things to him. When he woke in the morning it was a sort of sticky situation in the lycra. Sean's reply after Jim told him "Jim, I think you are carrying this celibacy thing too far"

Gramicci

Social climber

Ventura

Feb 22, 2006 - 02:14pm PT

OK Ron, I’ll get sucked into this. Can’t say much happened in the way of a climbing. Seems like most of them were hitch hiking probably six of so. Always a bummer.

One time though back in band camp we youngsters did the Royal arches. Three of us, got a late start. But it was the descent that found us totally lost. The more we tried in the dark the worse it got. Still with snow on the ground in places you could of found us three young boys spooning all night. We had with our ropes wrap around us tight so what little heat there was wouldn’t escape.

We were all real clear with each other that no one was to make any eye contact with anyone no matter what!

Brutus of Wyde

climber

Old Climbers' Home, Oakland CA

Feb 22, 2006 - 04:08pm PT

Mt. Alberta, Japanese Route, Canada: Bivied 15 minutes from the tent, couldn't identify the right ledge to get us there, even with headlamps.

Rabbit Peak, California: Bivied on the summit Ridge on the way down. Large group moving too slow. Ran out of water, but the tequila got us through. On a different trip, bivied 10 minutes from the car. Couldn't find the trail. Had headlamps.

Silent Line, Ribbon Falls area. Bivied on the descent. Headlamps insufficient for routefinding.

Eagle Dance, Red Rocks: Bivied 5 minutes from the packs. Couldn't find our way down 3rd class slabs. Headlamps? yes. Used the hot rock trick.

Mt. Assiniboine: Bivied in the Vancouver airport when the East coast blackout scrambled plane flights across the U.S. Only unplanned bivy where I was able to buy pizza and beer for dinner.

Tempest, El Cap: Bivied because I was afraid to walk back down to the edge of the wall to get the sleeping gear.

Ho Chi Minh Trail, Middle Cathedral: Bivied after completing the route when I somehow missed the catwalk and found ourselves on Powell-Reed Ledges at 11 pm.

East Ridge of the Grand. You're right, there are a LOT of bivy sites at the routefinding problems near the Molar Tooth. WE had no problems there. WE bivied just over the summit, didn't want to downclimb the Owen Spaulding in the dark. The very next night, we bivied at the Climbers' Ranch, without sleeping gear, because we had been too tired to hike back up to break camp in Glacier Gulch.

Many, many others. Many. Many. Many. Many.

SUMMER RIDGE FIRST ASCENT
LONE PINE PEAK SOUTH FACE
September 10, 1994

A conversation on a sunny September 11 morning at a
Cafe in Lone Pine, Calif....

BRUCE: I'd forgotten how awful the approach to this
thing was. No wonder we hadn't been back in
17 years!

PAT: The Brush! maybe we finally went back to do
it because we had forgotten! I know that if
you'd agreed with me, I was going to turn
back and go climb somewhere else.

BRUCE: I know. It was when I realized you really
were ready to go back that I knew we just had
to do the route. I knew for sure I wasn't
going to do that approach ever again. This
was our last chance on the route, and I just
wasn't ready for another failure. This route
has been on my grudge list for close to two
decades.....

PAT: As far as I was concerned, it could have
stayed on our grudge list for good.

BRUCE: Those first two gully pitches were pure
death.

PAT: I know. It's been awhile since I'd climbed
like that. push every hold into place, the
belayer doesn't anchor because he might have
to get out of the way of something big moving
real fast.... Freight train blocks...... I
was real glad someone had been up as far as
the unprotected 5.9 pitch. That 3/8" bolt
they used to rap was perfect.

BRUCE: That's for sure. I think if it hadn't been
there, I would have drilled. I can't believe
you led that thing without pro seventeen
years ago.

PAT: I half expected you to send me up the thing
on lead again.

BRUCE: I woulda' if there hadn't been a bolt there.
It was just enough, spinner hanger and all.
But the crux of the route for me was the
bivy.

PAT: I kept expecting to wake up in the morning
next to a dead man... then you would shiver
and I'd know you were still alive.

BRUCE: The wind.

PAT: An evil wind. I was almost sure that we'd be
rappelling in the morning, if we survived the
night. It was blowing so hard, the buffetting
of my bivy sac was creating wind inside, just
from the fabric moving around!

BRUCE: You shoulda seen my garbage bag, man. What
got to me, though, was that the wind was so
strong that it would blow my ensolite pad out
from under me as I shifted around. And the
dust storms! There were times I couldn't
breathe because of the dirt and grit blowing
around on the ledge. I kept thinking about
your windbreaker, about borrowing it. I must
have thought about it for two hours before I
finally asked.

PAT: And I kept expecting you to ask for it. You
with your warm blanket jacket. Then you'd
shiver again. What happened to that garbage
bag, anyway? I could hear it snapping for
about half the night, then it stopped.

BRUCE: When I borrowed your wind breaker, I took the
garbage bag and crumpled it up inside. I
thought I was going to die. I was getting
desperate and hypothermic. I was trying to
get a little insulation from it. It sure
wasn't doing me any good shredding and
flapping around my ears!

PAT: You know, you were getting kinda close to me
up there...

BRUCE: Listen Pat, I was so cold at that point, I
would have snuggled with Charlie Manson!
Well, are you glad we did the route?

PAT: I'm glad we're down.

BRUCE: But are you glad we did the route?

PAT: Man, the route is a pile. the rock is shitty,
the pro is bad...

BRUCE: Yeah, but the exposure, the views, the
location are wilder than anywhere else on the
peak. Its an unbelievably exposed, wild
adventure in a beautiful location....

PAT: On incredibly poor quality rock. But the
bivy was the crux.

BRUCE: You can say that again, my man. You can say
that again.
**

over 70 unplanned bivies so far.

Rhodo-Router

Trad climber

Otto, NC

Feb 22, 2006 - 04:39pm PT

note to self: avoid climbing with Brutus.

the Fet

Trad climber

Loomis, CA

Feb 22, 2006 - 05:22pm PT

Many close calls but I've been lucky so far, knock on wood.

I've seen a number of people epic... Screams of help! walking past the base of Royal Arches, etc. But the best one was when I was starting up Cathedral Peak with an inexperienced partner. A pair of guys shows up and asks to pass, I tell them if they are moving faster than us they can pass en route. They give us the stink eye. We proceed to move at about double their speed and take a long break on the summit block, before heading down. On the hike out it starts storming and getting dark and they are halfway up, lol.

Same partner later that year we go up Royal Arches. On the walkout he starts losing it, saying he'd rather bivy than keep moving. T-shirts, no food or water. I keep trying to reason with him, but he just mumbles about how it's too hard, finally I slap him in the face and that snaps him out of it, and we make it down the NDG just before total darkness.