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| Messages 1 - 29 of total 29 in this topic |
Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 31, 2007 - 09:17pm PT
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Had an unforseen opportunity yesterday afternoon to head up to Yosemite. Got there about dark, so sat in El Cap Meadow and watched the moonlight inch its way down the wall. Beautiful. Ended up in the high country for a bivy and got up early this morning. Grabbed the light gear and started hiking to a familiar climb you all know.
Cathedral Peak, of course. SW Butt, 5.6ish
"racking up"
This would be the classic 5.4 fingers first pitch. (it's not steep at all)
Quick slam-bam 180 pano, shot at the base of the Chimney, 2/3rds up.
Alas! The Chimney. You can see it as a tiny vertical black line in the second photo, above.
Eichorn Pinnacle, from the summit.
N. to Fairview Dome, the Meadows, etc.
Two hours from the car, 7:45am. :)
What's this??!! Free Beer???!!
Damn straight, I drank that beer at 9:30 in the morning. It was good too!
Ok, Ok, I put it there. And there's one more, ice cold, under this log. Go get it!
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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May 31, 2007 - 09:38pm PT
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Very nice pix, but we expect no less from you. How about some trip details?
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 31, 2007 - 10:05pm PT
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Mmmm. I think I'll have another one of those.
Added captions, David. And Seriously, there's a beer under that log. Or at least there was this morning. Hopefully somebody saw my sign and indulged. :-)
EDit:
Oh yeah, I got screamed at by a ranger on the drive home when I stopped to take a picture of a bear, along with 200 tourists. I apparently got too close and could have scared it off, thus depriving the tourists of a park exerience, and unnecessarily agitating the wildlife. I'm sure the screaming ranger made the bear feel more at ease. Incidently, he could have arrested me and slapped me a $285.00 fine, or so he said. I kindly apologized and took my place with the others, which seemed like a comedic twilight zone.
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Jude Bischoff
Ice climber
Palm Springs
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May 31, 2007 - 10:20pm PT
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I laughed when I saw the picture of the chimney. I climbed Cathedral Peak on my second day as a climber many years ago. I got to that chimney and had a hell of a time finding anyplace to put my feet or hands.
Several years later I climbed the same route with my daughter and realized the chimney that had confounded me earlier was a piece of cake. Thanks for the memories and the beer commercial. Big love in the Sierra Nevada!
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
Hell on earth wondering what I did to deserve it
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May 31, 2007 - 10:28pm PT
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Whoa, I'm so out of practice reading a climbing thread here that I just don't know what to say. ;)
Thanks for this. It was much needed and enjoyed. And thanks much for the great photos!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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May 31, 2007 - 10:58pm PT
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Thanks tons Jerry, special vignette!
PH
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
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Nice start, dude!
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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nice Jerry - thanks
I simul-soloed it w/ Tucker Tech in like 88 - really fun climb
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davidji
Social climber
CA
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Always love to see your photos Jerry. Thanks!
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climbrunride
Trad climber
Durango, CO
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Great pics, as always, Jerry! Is that one looking out of the chimney? Cool.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2007 - 01:02am PT
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Yeah, it's looking out. I nearly dropped the camera trying to squeeze it out of the case. Liked the viewpoint.
Such a great super classic climb! Gotta take my wife up it, though it has a history of being bad for relationships.
Anyone know if those holes in top are from lightning strikes?
Enjoy!
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Varied locales along the time and space continuum
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A trip report, beautiful photos, a funny story twist at the end... who could ask for more? Thanks!
Fletch
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2007 - 01:20am PT
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You're welcome, but try as I could there was no twist at the end. Nearly put a hole in my T-shirt trying, but the lid said "Pry Off."
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LuckyPink
climber
the last bivy
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Hey Jer, Really stunning photos! The spontaneity of this trip is totally inspiring! Been up Cathedral repeatedly, viewed all kinds of photos, but THESE photos are in a class by themselves, once again!
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Thanks Jerry,
It's beautiful up there.
Zander
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Good stuff Jerry.
A TR with no ropes or gear anywhere in sight!
'Does just what it is supposed to: make me pine for the wild & the free.
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Evdawg
Trad climber
Sacramento/S. Tahoe
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wow. i've read up on that climb
looks amazing! good job on the photos (esp. the pano)
keep up the fun (and the pics!)
I ought to do that one sometime i'm not buisy
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pc
climber
East of Seattle
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That's what I'm talking about...
Thanks Jerry.
pc
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jerr
climber
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My names Jerry to and im supposed to be in cali rt. now climbing exactly what you just climbed.
We opted to stay home and make $$$ and alot of that we are making by our standerds but dang it....
Glad you had a good one for us.
Jerr
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Sweet! I've never done Cathedral because there's so many other routes in Tuolumne to do when I go but....one of these days.
Awesome TR. You take some awesome self-portraits too, Jerry.
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L
climber
A small kayak on a very big ocean
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Excellent and entertaining TR, Jerry! And those Newtons are the bomb, aren't they? Never found anything like 'em.
I've been up Cathedral once--4 or 5 years ago--and your amazing photos brought back the beauty and exhileration of that experience. And the unquenchable urge to get back up there!
Thank you so much for bringing the mountains into this dreary office...
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 1, 2007 - 04:28pm PT
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It really is an amazingly inspirational peak. Get out there and climb it. And if you've already done it, do it again, and again, and again.
Here's the rest of the story...
The climb came about by serendipity. I wasn't even planning to go to Yosemite. But on Wednesday morning Arienne's grandmother didn't wake up. She passed peacefully in her sleep. What a blessing to go like that! So without warning I found myself at Oakland Airport at 4:30pm dropping my wife off to go spend time with her family. I didn't have to be anywhere on Thursday. Traffic was a mess everywhere. I looked in the back of the car and saw that I had in fact not cleaned out the camping gear from last week, and my shoes/chalk bag were sitting there. So I headed East hoping to photograph the full moon in the Valley. Clouds looked good for a sunset, but I was too late.
While hiking to the climb. I thought about our grandmothers. Mine passed in March. They went to the same church. Like Muir, I've always preferred the Cathedral.
The stone felt like an old friend, the wind my ever present partner. I prayed during the climb. "Oh Great Knobs of Tuolumne, please don't fail, I trust in thee..." etc. Amazing how nature can reset you at the core. It was a very brief but immensly rewarding trip. Odd to take pictures of yourself climbing. But the camera makes a good companion, and its fun to record and share the memories.
(L- yeah, Newtons are great!)
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Thanks for sharing the photos (great as usual) Jerry.
Steve
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jerr
climber
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Awesome pics and story thanx for sharing
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handsome B
Gym climber
SL,UT
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I'll have to give that one a try, it looks great!
Thanks Jerry!
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L
climber
A small kayak on a very big ocean
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"Oh Great Knobs of Tuolumne, please don't fail, I trust in thee..."
That is so funny, Jerry! And so true about returning you to the core of who you are...who we all are in the end.
Thank you again for sharing the mountains, the cold beer, and the warm story.
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10b4me
Trad climber
Hell A
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one of the great climbs anywhere. climbed it eleven years ago. need to do it again.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Good one Jerry...great photos!
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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What a great trip report and such beautiful pictures. It does make me want to go back to that one--I've managed a handful of trips up that route and it is a special one. I sometimes prefer the face bit to the left of the chimney. One time my wife and I finished the route near dark and found that the descent was scarily iced up. We had to rap in fading light and were quite relieved to get to easier ground...some choice bivying up that way...can't wait for my August vacation...Thanks Jerry!!!
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