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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Sep 23, 2009 - 12:16am PT
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Thanks Zander. Never got to do that classic. Your pics help me to know what it's like.
-Jello
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 23, 2009 - 01:05am PT
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Thanks for the TR with photos Zander.
RE your caveat emptor: Don't worry, you will not be responsible for getting me on it. Not that I wouldn't want to in my dreams, but it's a bit far away and probably way over my head.
Dawin
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Sep 23, 2009 - 01:06am PT
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Alright Z!
Man you get to all of the good ones!
Good work replacing those bolts, many thanks from my end.
Great pictures, that haulbag pic is awesome!
Mucci
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HalHammer
Trad climber
CA
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Sep 23, 2009 - 01:51am PT
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Hey WTG that is awesome to see more parties up there! Classic route, I hoped it would start getting done more frequently. Says a lot to haul the bolt kit way up there finally.
-Your beta I'd agree the #4 bro is not esential now. We called it mandatory because it was the only thing that could place in the vicinity of the crux/runout fossil bolt land; that fall was dangerous onto the flake in the crack below. Cliff was glad to have it on the safety valve lead as well. We placed it one more time on the long 5.9 squeeze pitch above the crux.
Quite the reputation hangs over the chimney. I love getting on those kind of lines. Good on you guys; more people get out there! When we were going to check it out in the valley no one knew anything. Only Timmy and Dean and Honnold had been up there in the last recent years. We were warned of loose funky climbing with manky gear. Alex's partner said he called the traversing 5.10 on the old topo frustrating, unclimbable free after several tries. What the heck does that mean is up there?!
So.. key the Darth Vader music... no it's not terrible; quite the adventure. A steeper sustained cousin of the Steck Salathe. With the improved bolt replacement by Zander and his partner this climb is a fun long physical day. Nice work! Burl!
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MH2
climber
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Sep 23, 2009 - 04:34am PT
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That's a good day, Zander!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 23, 2009 - 08:54am PT
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Karl,
About the Harding Hole. This Zander party did the better alternative pitch on the outside, basically just continuing up the chimney to the notch without any tricks. Their last photo shows this. This last pitch is one of the best on the whole route, by the way and is 5.9, protectable. Some handjamming and a little roof, nothing too radical and on the best rock of the climb. The Harding Hole is really tiny. You chimney sideways way back in there, the crack getting smaller and smaller slowly. I tried it when I was 185 lbs and I could get one arm out and just stick my head through to enjoy the insane exposure you would get coming through the final hole to the notch. But it was also a little bit worrisome as you could possibly get stuck back in there, God Help You. It is just really small and lame because it would circumvent the more interesting, bettter climbing of the alternate pitch.
In general, Pilgrims, the route is only 5.10a, is reasonably safe especially now with the fossils eliminated at the crux, and is really classic climbing. But there is like a 1,000 feet of steep chimneys, squeezes and combination climbing and usually most climbers get pretty tired in there. they aren't use to using their cores that much for that long. Retreating from somewhere on the route itself might be quite problematic with hung-up rappels, I would imagine and you would be leaving very valuable gear too... So you want to get to the Notch. Will Tyree and I did the second or third free ascent of it in 1971 in 6 hrs. The late Bill Bonebrake hiked to the rim and left us Jumars, slings and a fixed line from the big tree to the Notch. Oh, and you would NOT want to be there in weather or even worse, freezing conditions where ice might be coming off the rim; you might not be able to shelter yourself. And lastly, we did not bring a pack; too much trouble.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Sep 23, 2009 - 12:20pm PT
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HI Peter
If you had two ropes, couldn't you bail at one of the Error ledges and rap the direct route?
Yeah, the Harding Hole is one place I've sworn never to go and I don't think you'll be venturing there either, absent some famine!
Peace
Karl
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 23, 2009 - 12:56pm PT
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That's for sure. I am really fat nowadays, to say the least. But even someone 175# probably could not make it through and you'd miss a really fun, pretty final pitch to the notch on the outside.
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scuffy b
climber
Sinatra to Singapore
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Sep 23, 2009 - 03:07pm PT
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Didn't Salathe and Nelson descend by rappelling the Chimney?
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 23, 2009 - 03:12pm PT
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You can rappel anything of course, but do you want to run any chance of hanging a rappel deep in a chimney? And do you want to leave equipment for a bunch of anchors? My point being that if a party is going to go up there, they really should be damned serious about doing the whole enchilada otherwise they might not be so happy after retreating.
You certainly could go on the outside, Karl in a couple of places. And it appears the face has bolts at most/all of the belays.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 23, 2009 - 11:13pm PT
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Hey E Robinson,
We did not do the Harding hole. I know I couldn't fit!
Hey Greg,
Chad used one of the shorter bolts. Apparently the rock was pretty good.
Zander
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Sep 30, 2009 - 03:27am PT
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Nice TR Zander, I had a great time on the route and an awesome time climbing with you as always. Sorry to have sandbagged you on the rack a bit. Don't ever listen to my beta, I never know what the hell I'm talking about and end up sandbagging myself half the time as well.
Thanks everyone for your compliments. I hope this TR riles the crowd to get out there and climb this classic. And for those of you who never get the chance I hope you walk away with a sense of the route, both it's nature and aesthetics as well as the mastery of those who first climbed it in 1947.
Now for the good stuff. A view of the route through the lens of the other d00d who was there.
Looking up from the base you can get a sense of the route. A bit intimidating, a bit intriguing, a good adventure to be sure.
Sorry, no pictures of the first couple pitches as I was busy climbing and belaying. However, here is a shot of the famed Zander pulling with good style through the first crux of the Safety Valve. I figured it's a tight squeeze chimney, you can't fall out so... click, click.
After the safety valve, Zander lead the 5.9 O.W. fifth pitch with just a little back cleaning. It was my fault he was unable to cruise this pitch as I skimmed the rack a bit too much. After the back cleaning he cruised right up in good style. I've climbed a lot of 5.9 O.W. pitches in the valley, and this one ranks right up there with some the hardest ones of the grade I've ever climbed. A proud lead for sure. Sorry, no pics as I was busy belaying.
Next up is the funky sixth pitch with the traverse and bolts printed in the Reid guide. Ignore the guide, it's bogus beta. You climb a .10 flake, traverse/step right at the top to the base of a steep ramp. Then comes a splits maneuver as you stem back across the chimney and weasel your way back into the chimney. It's 5.10 for a 5.12 climber if you know what I mean. Here's Zander fighting his way back into the chimney. What you can't see is his lower half doing the splits. Mind you, he's carrying four liters of water on his back at this point... Hard man!
Cruising through the next pitch we took a little break at the foot of the rotten chimney before setting to work on those old bolts. For those of you who have never seen these bolts, well... here they are in all their glory.
Zander following through the rotten chimney.
After the rotten chimney is the real crux. A long 180ft pitch of continuous flaring, tight, squeeze chimneying. Zander giving it a go.
And a happy Zander upon finishing the pitch.
Enjoy!
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Sep 30, 2009 - 03:54am PT
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Whoop Whoop!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 30, 2009 - 07:29am PT
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I weighed 150 (soaking wet) when I did it and there was no way I could get even my shoulders through the harding Slut.
I passed my rack, shoes, and harness through the hole to the other side, to no avail.
I soloed the other variation (5.9?) in Lava domes and dragged the rope so Scary Larry could follow and crack his pelvis.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Redlands
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Sep 30, 2009 - 11:21am PT
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Outstanding!
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G Murphy
Trad climber
Oakland CA
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Sep 30, 2009 - 12:26pm PT
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I did this in 1990 with Don Snyder when we were both climbing constantly and doing routes in a day like the Nose, Salathe, Watkins, Half Dome, Pegasus, etc. Lost Arrow Chimney was by far the hardest and most physical. Awesome TR.
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imnotclever
Sport climber
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Sep 30, 2009 - 03:12pm PT
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Cool TR!
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L
climber
Smiled like an angel... laughed like the devil
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Sep 30, 2009 - 03:39pm PT
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I somehow missed this excellent adventure first time round, Z.
Awesome TR, as usual...and those photos! Beeeeeeeeautiful and a wee bit sceeeeeeeerrrry! Your partner's photos added a really nice perspective, too.
Great job, you guys. Thanks!
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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Sep 30, 2009 - 04:51pm PT
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Thanks for the thoughtful answer on the rack, Zander.
Great pics, Salamanizer.
This climb looks incredibly hard.
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