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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Sep 20, 2013 - 12:59pm PT
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The last pitch didn’t seem to offer much protection. The outside of the chimney was glassy smooth, hard, and was of a size and orientation that promised to facilitate a long and gory fall. The inside of the chimney was absolutely running with slime and smelled like dog-sh#t. I headed inside the chimney and thrutched for my life. I was getting soaked with slimy goo and every inch of progress entailed a stout effort; slithering from a sideways position to upright then towards the outside of the chimney and then back inside. I could feel the water dripping off my shoes and shirt as I tried to compensate for my increasingly lubricated state. Finally, God relented and I was at the top of the bat-shit encrusted pinnacle known as the Folly.
I want to do this climb again, but, I must say, this last pitch gives me pause. It's probably been since 1980 that I was on it and I only remember the Cliff Notes version. Has anybody done this more recently and were the conditions like Karl describes? (Sorry to hijack your TR, Karl)
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E Robinson
climber
Salinas, CA
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Sep 20, 2013 - 01:16pm PT
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Hahahahaha. one of my favorite routes of all time.
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cuvvy
Sport climber
arkansas
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Sep 21, 2013 - 01:26am PT
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15 quickdraws will get you up just about anything WORTH climbing.....
with plenty of time to get to the beer.
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GhoulweJ
Trad climber
El Dorado Hills, CA
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Sep 21, 2013 - 12:23pm PT
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TFPU
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WBraun
climber
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Sep 21, 2013 - 12:38pm PT
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I want to do this climb again, but, I must say, this last pitch gives me pause.
Last pitch is nothing.
The whole climb is mellow.
Why people worry?
What me worry ......
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 21, 2013 - 12:55pm PT
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Wild thing you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, I think I love you
But I wanna know for sure
Come on, hold me tight, I love you
Wild thing you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Trogg On!
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Sep 21, 2013 - 01:36pm PT
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Elliot - any pics from BITD ?
Someone has to go analog and actually climb this mythical Wild Thing
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 21, 2013 - 01:37pm PT
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What YOU worry?!?
NOPE! LOL
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E Robinson
climber
Salinas, CA
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Sep 21, 2013 - 04:53pm PT
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No pics, did it with Bob Palais...have this vague memory of having a belay with a marginal stopper behind a small block wedged in the chimney, but really just figuring I was the belay anchor. The chimneys just made me chortle; when you add in the bizareness of the up over up down over up pitches below, its all just full value. The bat sh#t at the top was kind of off putting.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 28, 2013 - 12:42pm PT
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My Birthday was in May so that's when it was wet. I imagine the last pitch would be a no-brainer to anyone who had got that far, as long as it was dry later in the season.
Still, love to hear of subsequent ascents.
Peace
Karl
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Sep 28, 2013 - 01:33pm PT
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David,
Vandiver and I went up to to do the FFA of this thing not long before the Dawson/Peterson rushed up afterwards.
We had gotten up to the beginning of the chimneys but were so baked with no water in summer exposure out there that we came down. Don't do this in heat.........!
Vandiver had a couple attacks of violent forearm cramps even. But those two pitches up to and through the sort of hand-traverse/jam (pictured up-thread) are not only novel but as the name connotes, 'wild'. Your vantage point is terrific and the rock stellar and steep. A long straight-in hand crack leads up to that roofish crux to a sort of stance just below it. The belayer has a very cool view there of not only the whole Valley but the leader in the overhanging, most exposed and most difficult part of the whole climb. Feels like El Cap there.
Not sure the upper pitches ever get dry...but the climb is unique, spectacular, safe, and in my book, at least past the crux, a five star route. Higher up, quite gross apparently. Even just getting out onto the face from The Folly book's giant edge and Security Ledge is very cool (5.10b). You use hidden handholds and micro edges/smears on very smooth granite, highstepping. You can't really see what is going on but have to go for it, emerging into clarity to gain the straight-in crack. Very fun!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Apr 13, 2015 - 10:00pm PT
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I think this is such a great story from Karl... miss him
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Apr 13, 2015 - 10:29pm PT
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Karl's still around, just quiet...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Apr 14, 2015 - 05:46am PT
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Word around the campfire is, that Eeyonkee really forgot was that that was the route that turned his hair White! At like age 23 or something!!!
Meanwhile Karl is positively prolific over on (look at my)Facebook. Several a post just this morning, but he's on Hindi time....
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Apr 14, 2015 - 11:29am PT
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Never read this amazing tale before!
Classic Yosemite, "There we were" reporting!!
Thank gawd I now know that my wide sick partner will never be able to talk me into this horror show.
NEVER!!!
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Apr 14, 2015 - 01:14pm PT
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We were standing at the base of this a few weeks ago, after getting shut down on a wet and jungly p1 of the Good Book. Looking up from the base at this line is intimidating.
Karl's writeup makes it more intimidating.
Good Book p1 looking wooly:
It would have gone but we were feeling uncertain, so went over and did the Book of Job. No regrets!
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E Robinson
climber
Salinas, CA
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Apr 14, 2015 - 01:17pm PT
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One of the wilder routes out there...one of my all time favorites. And Karl's report makes it all the more awesome!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Topic Author's Reply - May 9, 2015 - 10:43am PT
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Rumors of my demise are always exaggerated. I'm set to leave India and arrive back in Yosemite Late May. Life is good and miss Supertopo but somehow managed to kick this addiction, maybe while healing my broken arm from that big sliding rock on Zodiac.
But still climbing (at a bit lower level, the arm kinda set me back a bit)
Big Love to all the Supertaco Peeps. Please shoot me if I'm ever talked into going back to Wild Thing although it's worth a shot if you're looking for that kind of trouble
Peace
Karl
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Happy Birthday
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Flip Flop beat me to it
Happy Birthday
The true test of the piece is in the overall 'NO Mas' from all who commented,
then again,
the sassy duck recommends ...
no, says it is no big deal, Wild thing? why worry . . .What Me Worry?
Right on Karl!
I'll add from our ascent (with Walt Shipley): started late, took way too long, did the last couple of chimney pitches in the dark, no headlamp of course. Crux pitch was my lead, got out there and started pimping up the finger crack and just as soon as I could get my fatties in there I was plugged right on top of a very noisy bat! Furry bastard scared the piss outta me! Total panic set in while trying to get pro in and having a bat wiggling under my fingers. Creepy..... Probably one of the best pitches I've ever done at any grade. It was so dark on the top that we could not tell if we had threaded the rope correctly (or at all) into the wad of bird sh#t encrusted slings for the rap.... sketch.... on one of the raps the rope was a bit short and we had to kinda "drop" onto the slings at the bolted belay on the overhanging wall.... way sketch! Got down about 10:01pm.... just late enough to miss the Olde E at the gift shop... it closes at 10pm. Could have really used one!
Russ
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