A DAY IN BRODERICK CANYON

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Peter Haan

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 13, 2009 - 03:56pm PT

A long time ago I spent the day by myself up in the hanging valley between Mount Broderick and LIberty Cap towering over the LIttle Yosemite Valley just before you get to Nevada Falls. At the time there were no routes there in this beautiful quiet place though I had already campaigned a line in 1972 that in the eighties would become Lightning Bolt Crack, a insanely overhanging long dihedral on the South Face of Mt Broderick.

But my trip was also to recon all other lines as well as have a great quiet hike and ply my old Nikon F loaded with black and white film. This is what I saw. I located the original negatives just a week ago and began work on them. In recent years I have posted a few of these images that were derived only from a battered contact sheet. Some of these images are so wonderful.

I start here with a composite image: The Mountains were formed by Ice: a double exposure with Fort Bragg's Glass Beach:

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Sep 13, 2009 - 04:08pm PT

Top notch once again Peter.

I can feel the quiet and the excitement you must have been experiencing that day.

Definitely a climbers eye behind that lense!

Thanks for bringing more golden goodness to the party.

Captain...or Skully

Social climber

Boise....

Sep 13, 2009 - 04:11pm PT

I Love the details that B/W catches, easily missed in color.
Wow, Peter, those are beautiful. Amazing.

Blitzo

Social climber

Earth

Sep 13, 2009 - 04:15pm PT

Nice shots!
I always loved that formation.

Ray-J

Social climber

east L.A. vato...

Sep 13, 2009 - 04:18pm PT

the artist has a high level of familiarity/connection
W/ the subject matter - loud and clear, authentic.

U hit on something w/ the robbins portrait by
Using the hippy van and the treatment on rr's face,

A stand out effort.

Thanks for sharing!

Lynne Leichtfuss

Social climber

valley center, ca

Sep 14, 2009 - 12:14am PT

Peter, more than stellar! Black and White seems to catch the essence of being for earth objects. And you are more than good at framing the creation.

I found my old Canon T50 last week. Dan gave it to me so many years ago so I could capture life and climbing. I did to a small extent. Now I have nothing to lose....kids all raised, and Dan's in heaven so I hope to define life even at risk through the lens of this gift given to me from one gone who knew what I loved about life.

Why Peter, when you evoke a thread, does It send to the core of my being. I don't know....but thank you. Hope to see you Sunday 9/20.

Much Love and Peace Peter Haan from lynnie

Russ Walling

Gym climber

Poofter's Froth, Wyoming

Sep 14, 2009 - 12:40am PT

BOINK!

Brunosafari

Boulder climber

Sep 14, 2009 - 10:00am PT

These gorgeous "straight" shots (yet more abstract), are a nice counterpoint to the recent manipulations. Love the terms, "hanging valley," and "NIkon F." Gives me power on Monday morning! Thanks again, Peter! -B

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Sep 14, 2009 - 10:57am PT

Like Pavlov's dog hearing the dinner bell those pics got me salivating.
Thanks for posting!

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Sep 14, 2009 - 11:00am PT

Thanks for the memories from the idyllic Stone Free days of youth. Poking around the Valley walls looking for something to dream on...Beauty all around and plenty of time to soak it in!

How sweet the freedom, looking back!

MisterE

Trad climber

Canoga Bark! CA

Sep 14, 2009 - 11:04am PT

Bump! Great shots, Peter.

Peter Haan

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 14, 2009 - 11:35am PT

Thanks Pate, all these images have more than 200-400 adjustment steps in them, by the way.

Doug Robinson

Trad climber

Santa Cruz

Sep 14, 2009 - 11:55am PT

Thanks for giving us pause, in black and white, Peter.

A leisurely stroll, drinking it in, belies the gotta-get-to-Snake-Dike, or maybe full-tilt-Valleyward in twilight -- the rush, the mad dash tapping over stream boulders that has so often propelled me through that hanging valley with fond but fleeting glances at those walls.

It would be a fine place to camp, to linger, to address those very slippery slabs, when its cheerful creek flows among wild flowers.

enjoimx

Big Wall climber

SLO Cal

Sep 14, 2009 - 02:43pm PT

Theres a mountain lion that hunts in that canyon...I saw a really messed up dear carcasse once

dickcilley

Social climber

Wisteria Ln.

Sep 14, 2009 - 03:52pm PT

Rack and sack up Peter. Lets go.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Sep 14, 2009 - 05:10pm PT

The good stuff!
Lighting Bolt Crack looks scary hard.
That scoops thing at the end looks like one of those lines of weakness that might mostly go, but could also have a blank section....
Thanks for sharing.

Fuzzywuzzy

climber

Sep 14, 2009 - 05:45pm PT

Peter -

Was up there in May. Don't know when the rockfall let loose off Liberty Cap into the mid-gully? Didn't mess with any of the "routes". A couple of those pictured now have seen some action - bolts connecting the thin cracks up and right of the entrance routes.Someone must have done a couple of those wider/burley systems?

The polish in there is amazing.

Great shots.

Peter Haan

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 14, 2009 - 05:48pm PT

Thanks, Fuzzer, Clint, Dick, Dougie and everybody.

Fuzz, I didnt know about a rockfall in there. It has been maybe 20-30 years since I was in there. SO wonderful. I saw a couple of bolts BITD Fuzz. It was just below an highly obvious incipient splitter with grass in it. I don't know about other bolts. There are at least ten real routes to do/have been done? up there. And way cool.

Chickenskinner made a comment last year that he had found claw marks up high on some of the trees near the top of the valley, probably made when there was a huge snowpack in there. I guess snow must slide from both Liberty Cap and Broderick right down in the vee. Anyway he said it was bear claws made while the bears were walking around on the snowpack(?). There is quite a bit of big wildlife up there in my experience too, even way back to the early sixties. I was sure I heard a wolf up there in 1965. It just HAD to be. I don't know what else could make that giant of a howl. This was not yipping. Scientists say we don't have them, but I don't know...

Lightning Bolt is beautiful but hideous. I tried to offwidth it in 1972 with Jim Orey. Liebacking was obviously the way to do it but you would not get in protection and the sucker is well over 100 ft long. Offwidthing it wasn't really possible, it overhung so severely and was a bad size. So Walt Shipley just gunned up it with Valley Giants (or similar) back in the eighties, they were tipping out and shifting like crazy, he was up there screaming down to Werner he was going to fall, but at the last moment got something smallish in way up there. They retreated totally stunned but later Walt (with someone other than Werner!) aided the sucker, put in some bolts for to lieback it and then did the pitch. It is not clear if they continued all the way up to the summit. It is clear there is some spectacular climbing in pitches above this Walt pitch. I don't have that info.

The scoops spot in the valley is just incredible, isn't it, Clint. It blanks out, I am fairly sure.