Traveler Buttress Trip Report 7/19/08

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Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 23, 2008 - 09:31pm PT

Traveler Buttress Trip Report 7/19/08
Feeling daunted by the eight hour round trip to Tuolumne I managed to talk Bob into going to Lover’s Leap, only five hours round trip. Somewhere along the way we decided on Traveler Buttress, which I’d never done and Bob last did thirty years ago. Being so wimpy about the driving I very graciously offered him the crux second pitch squeeze.

Here’s me preparing for heading up P1.

Here’s a pic of about half way up. It’s really cool flake/crack/dike climbing.

There is a small roof about 3/4 of the way up which has big positive holds. The crux 5.8 flare can be climbed a few ways. First I squirmed up the flare till I could just reach a hold in the back but I was wondering, "where’s the 5.8"? I squirmed back down and tried using face holds to the left and the edge of the flare. This turned out to be no easier so take your pick.

Here’s a pic of Bob in the P2 route crux, a 5.9 squeeze.

The pure squeeze is only a few feet before you can grab a flake and/or some jambs in the back. Somehow it doesn’t make it all that much easier. Pro is good though.

Here’s a pic where it starts to get smaller.

Pretty soon you are out onto the face. The crack above is pretty sustained so there is no real let up. A great pitch. So far the “5.8” sections had been pretty burly so as I lead up pitch three I was waiting for it to get hard. It never really does. You can stay on your feet the whole time. Pretty soon you are out on the arete with amazing exposure and you just keep on it until the roof when you move around onto the easier dikes.

Here are a few pics of the pitch.

Here’s a pic of Bob smiling as he ties off a huge chicken head type thing low on the fourth pitch.

The rest of the pitch is continuous class four dike hiking.

It’s easy to see why this climb is considered to be a classic. Great stuff throughout.
See ya on the rock,
Zander

Russ Walling

Social climber

Out on the sand.... man.....

Jul 23, 2008 - 10:38pm PT

Bueno!

Phil_B

Social climber

Hercules, CA

Jul 23, 2008 - 11:16pm PT

Suh-weet!

Very nice Zander.

goatboy smellz

climber

colorado

Jul 23, 2008 - 11:16pm PT

hey there, say zander I've been there back in '94...thanks for the flashback.

You coming out for the boogaloo this year?

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

sorry, just posting out loud.

Jul 23, 2008 - 11:26pm PT

"hey there, say zander"

neebee = goatboy_smellz?

good pics Zander, thx for throwing them up on the board

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 24, 2008 - 01:32am PT

Hi Goatboy S.
Sadly, I'm not going to make it to the boogaloo this year. You all will just have to party down without me. I sure wish I was coming. Last year was great.
Zander

le_bruce

climber

Oakland: what's not to love?

Jul 24, 2008 - 02:36am PT

You've pushed this route to the top tier of my list. It's a multi-tiered list.

J. Werlin

climber

Cedaredge

Jul 24, 2008 - 09:10am PT

Excellent! Always wanted to climb that one. Thanks.

Roger Breedlove

climber

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Jul 24, 2008 - 09:18am PT

Great pictures, Zander.

I have only climbed a few times at the Leap, and Commie Buttress was one of the routes I did with a barely climbing friend. I could recall the specific climbing with the help of your pictures.

Thanks, Roger

spyork

Social climber

A prison of my own creation

Jul 24, 2008 - 11:32am PT

Nice one Zander. I found that 1st pitch scary.

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, Ca.

Jul 24, 2008 - 11:37am PT

Cool stuff.

I love climbing at the Leap.

rhyang

Ice climber

SJC

Jul 24, 2008 - 12:24pm PT

Good stuff :)

cmclean

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Jul 24, 2008 - 12:31pm PT

Nice! Looks like you were milking that squeeze for all it was worth (I think most people traverse to the hand crack about 6 feet below the leader in your 4th picture, where the cracks are closest to each other).

climber

Far off places where I left lipstick traces...

Jul 24, 2008 - 12:44pm PT

hey there...say Zander (don't cha just love neebee?)

The way I think about climbing chimneys is this:

Some days you're the ring-tailed cat...
other days...
Dang--I'm fat!

Thanks for another excellent TR!

susan peplow

climber

www.joshuatreevacationhomes.com

Jul 24, 2008 - 12:53pm PT

Very nice plus you got to bag one of the 50 Classics of North America.

I had forgotten how fun that route was.

What's next?

cleo

Social climber

Berkeley, CA

Jul 24, 2008 - 01:31pm PT

looks fun, i can't wait!

scuffy b

climber

Sartre's No Exit 1/32 mile

Jul 24, 2008 - 02:13pm PT

Very nice. Thanks for the report,
especially the pictures.

caughtinside

Social climber

Davis, CA

Jul 24, 2008 - 04:21pm PT

Nice going Zander! Thanks for the pics!

dave

nutjob

Stoked OW climber

San Jose, CA

Jul 24, 2008 - 04:55pm PT

This was one of my first ticks after moving to SF Bay, following the "50 Classics" book... first time up there spend a few hours wading hip-deep in snow (wearing jeans and hiking boots of course) to get to it, and poked through snow at the top and bailed after seeing an airy black abyss below my feet with the tops of tree branches visible.

I think I leaned or yanked on a cam through the crux wide part on the trip when we did climb it, so I'm up for a revisit at some point.

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 24, 2008 - 08:46pm PT

Hey cmclean,
Yeah, Bob’s a good OW climber so he stayed in the loving safety of the OW. While following I was out on the face as you described.

Hey L,
No choice here. I’m always fat.

Hey Sooze,
Next route is North Country at the Leap...if I can get my head together for the runouts.

Hey Nutjob,
A friend of mine who has done the NIAD told me he took a hang on the OW so you are in good company.

See y’all
Zander

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Jul 24, 2008 - 11:31pm PT

How sweeeet it is!

Crimpergirl

Social climber

Boulder, Colorado!

Jul 24, 2008 - 11:48pm PT

Cool - and thanks for the photos!

Footloose

Trad climber

Lake Tahoe

Jul 14, 2009 - 01:39pm PT

Zander,

So you even did a TR of Traveler B in 2008... boy, you get around! Great Pics.

...and when will you be getting around to North Country's?!

Footloose

Peter Haan

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Jul 14, 2009 - 01:46pm PT

Love that route. Did it back in the late Sixties. The L.Leap is so fun.

Here is a re-image of that shot below the crux. it needed this, it's a nice image:

tom woods

Gym climber

Bishop, CA

Jul 14, 2009 - 02:10pm PT

one of my all time favorites. I used to do it a couple of times a year.

One of my best climbing memories is from the first time I did that route. After pulling the squeeze, you get that third pitch around the corner onto steep and exposed jugs. I just remember some friends waving to me from the trail and waving back from a great holds on steep climb with a lot of air under my feet.

They don't get much better than this climb.

msiddens

Trad climber

Mountain View, CA

Jul 14, 2009 - 02:11pm PT

Great one....I finally got back on that thing last year after bailing back when my hexes were the only thing dangling off my rack. Much better with a wide cam but a great route regardless.

A picture at the hidden jug.

scabang

climber

Jul 14, 2009 - 04:05pm PT

I did it in the early 90's and thought that i was da Man. When along comes this chica two bricks & a tickey high carrying a 75l North Face pack and she proceeds to solo the climb, no problem. Showoff!

Footloose

Trad climber

Lake Tahoe

Jul 14, 2009 - 04:56pm PT

chica two bricks & a tickey high

What in the heck is that?

msiddens... try that 5.10 crack to the left next time... save your shoulder... take it from an old man.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 14, 2009 - 05:25pm PT

Sooo cool.

Thanks for sharing Zander!

Gotta get there some day.

msiddens

Trad climber

Mountain View, CA

Jul 16, 2009 - 01:06pm PT

Footloose.....you should know as you were the belayer there:-) I'd love to go back and do it again. Come to thing....still need to get on Roofer's and continue up and Eagle's as well. So much to do.

Footloose

Trad climber

Lake Tahoe

Jul 16, 2009 - 01:32pm PT

msiddens-- Well save me as your Eagles partner, then! come Sept or Oct, I think, after all that avian business is through...

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 17, 2009 - 12:27am PT

Hey Peter,
How did you tweak the photo. I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of photoshop. Did you use photoshop? If so, what did you do exactly. If you used some other program, what was it and what did you do.
Thanks,
Zander

Hardly Visible

Social climber

Llatikcuf WA

Jul 17, 2009 - 01:41am PT

Great report Zander, it makes me want to do the route.

mongrel

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

Jul 17, 2009 - 01:48am PT

Msiddens, whaddya mean, hidden jug? It's as obvious as can be! It's a classic piece of squeeze chimneying: one place, reach way in for a fist jam (maybe only works if your arms are long); at others, holds at the outer edge. Just don't wedge yourself too far in and it's a cruise. The lower you go out to the arete on the 3rd, the more fun it is, with successive moves on toe holds right on the very frickin' edge. Better than the Gunks.

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

the ground up

Jul 17, 2009 - 01:49am PT

" hey there...say . . . " is now copywritten. Talk to her lawyer(s).

seth kovar

climber

Bay Area

Apr 25, 2010 - 06:50pm PT

Bump...

tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber

Leading Edge of North American Plate

Apr 25, 2010 - 07:12pm PT

a couple of shots from the late 80s...early season ascent...photos courtesy Eric Collins

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 25, 2010 - 10:39pm PT

TT,
Nice blast from the past photo bump.
Z

tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber

Leading Edge of North American Plate

Apr 25, 2010 - 11:36pm PT

you bet Z...at that time those high tops were "all the rage"

rockermike

Trad climber

Berkeley

Apr 26, 2010 - 01:16am PT

I've only been up there once, and after a long weekend and late into the afternoon I bailed on pitch two right at the crux. Been told I was within 6"s of the "hidden hold" but wasn't feeling it that day.

Anyway, we brought big ass cams with us (maybe even a #6??) thinking "protect the Off Width" - but it seemed big cams wouldn't really work anyway. What size is right for those crux moves anyway??

Got to go back soon and clean up my record and my guilty conscience for being a wimp that day. ha

thanks in advance

Wayno

Big Wall climber

Seattle, WA

Apr 26, 2010 - 04:56am PT

T. B. is one of those routes I did a long time ago, and that I would love to, and might still be able to, get onto.

cowpoke

climber

Apr 26, 2010 - 09:48am PT

wow, great bump. love all the pictures and this line:

"where’s the 5.8"?

mark miller

Social climber

Reno

Sep 20, 2010 - 10:03pm PT

Clicked off one the 50 classic's..The photos bring back sweet memories. Done it 4 times and it is still an outing. Great climb regretfully the modern 5.11+ climber can avoid the "crux" by doing the beautiful hand crack to the left...There soft.