But seriously....I have tried 3 times, 2 on washington column (south face, the prow) and 1 on el cap (the shield) and think I may just keep it to single day multi-pitch climbs from now on!
Many folks find that it's NOT their way. Sometimes they discover this when they're with you. Sometimes Fate has other plans for you.
Sometimes. Other times, it all clicks.
im 1 for 1. but i had a ringer. it was an interesting experience. i found out the day before that the wife was prego, so that def got in my head. she pulled erik aside and told him not let me puss out.. hahaha. it was july and over 100 degrees and i was miserable and cramping like mad.
erik didnt let met quit, and while i deferred leads on the top half, we did make it. need to get a 'cleaner' ascent.
My first try on the captain was an early send of the Majic Mushroom 1984, Wow that was 29 years ago. My last time on the big stone was in 2001 on Lost World a small Epic and slow team and the anus looked pretty wet and dark, this was my only big wall failure. I turn 50
this August and would like to finish on top with maybe one last send.
Kristoffer Wickstrom, soloed South Seas to the Pacific Ocean Wall as his first El Cap route a few years ago. Some of these ascents fly under the radar, because the climbers don't do any self promotion.
I climbed a bit with Kris a couple of years before his solo (we did WFLT), and I immediately knew that he was a tough dude. A year or two later we made a trip to Red Rocks to do the Rainbow Wall. It had snowed a lot, and I bailed on the approach itself. Kris stayed on by himself, to do the
Aeolian wall. I looked at the frozen wall, north facing, bitterly cold, infrequently traveled - I thought, this kid is nuts to try this solo, in such terrible conditions. He got up high on the wall, a storm dumped on him like crazy, he had to bail, but he survived. Next I heard from him, he had soloed Lunar Ecstasy at Zion. The next thing was his solo of SS->PO on El Cap. I know I'm embarrassing him by talking here about his exploits (he has posted on this forum before) - but he is not going to blow his own trumpet, so I'm blowing it for him.
1st try, bail on the Nose due to tendinitis of the knee. 2nd try the Nose, 2 months later, success. Plans for Salathé, but scrapped due to serious congestion on the route. Did Free Blast instead, and nearly got killed due to rockfall from an aid party hauling a bag up the Half Dollar. Did the West Face. Made a weak attempt at Zodiac, bailed on the first pitch, due to stupid lawn chair ledge idea. I think Walt S. promoted that idea to us. That wasn't the only silly thing he convinced me to try, hah, hah.
Hey mcreel- "Plans for Salathé, but scrapped due to serious congestion on the route. Did Free Blast instead, and nearly got killed due to rockfall from an aid party hauling a bag up the Half Dollar. "
Let us know!