Goodrich Pinnacle, Right 5.9 R

Currently 5.0/5

Glacier Point Apron

Yosemite Valley, California USA

Trip Report

Semi-Epic Rappel on Goodrich Pinnacle

Tuesday June 21, 2011 9:43pm

On Monday, June 13th, Riley Wyna and I climbed Goodrich Pinnacle, Right. It was our first time climbing together and it was good times. Since we had 2 parties below us, we opted for the "optional rap" route as per the ST. We were rapping with a 70m rope and a 5mm pull cord. I led the way down and found the 1st set of bolts right where they should be. I made the next rappel and at 200 feet down, couldn't locate the next set. I swept left and right with no luck. I looked up and saw green webbing on the left side of the pinnacle. I went up and found that it was a piton and an old button head. It was too sketch for my taste, so I kept looking. I swept even further left and spotted a pair of bolts. I was able to get to them only since I was on a 70m rope. However, I realized that the Mountain Shop had not measured my pull cord correctly to 245 feet!!

I shouted up to Riley and he replied with an ingenious idea....tie the ends together and make a loop! Yes! So I did and when I got to the anchors, I was out of rope. I BARELY made it. The anchors were bent from rockfall. I clipped in with a sling and tugged on them. They were acceptable and Riley rapped down. As a precaution, we clipped a runner to the anchor and to the rope so we didn't loose the rope as Riley came off rappel.

We began to pull on the pull cord, but the rope wouldn't budge! Ah Hell! Both ropes were soaked from the runoff that we had to cross. We didn't make any progress. Luckily, I always carry my Wild Country Ropeman ascender and 2 prussiks. We space hauled on the pull cord (rated to 1,400 lbs.) STILL we didn't make any progress. Luckily, there was a fixed line from our anchors to the bottom. However, the weight of the snow pack below pulled on the rope, which allowed for ZERO slack. Riley, as ballsy as he is, tied the pull cord to his harness and down-prussiked the fixed line. PROGRESS!! When the rope came down to me I was able to do a single rope rap to the ground. Woohoo!

We then headed over to check out Haley Daley. We decided to call it a day instead in order to rest up for our ascent of Lurking Fear. After the rap ordeal, we knew we were a good team to take on our first El Cap route!

Trip Report Views: 1,228

PAUL SOUZA

About the Author
PAUL SOUZA is a trad climber and mountaineer from Clovis, CA.

Comments

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climbrunride

Sport climber

Golf Wall, CO

Jun 22, 2011 - 01:07am PT

Ingenuity beats out calling for Werner and the boys - well done.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jun 22, 2011 - 01:36am PT

It is a bit unclear, but checking the (2003) edition of the supertopo guide, I believe you are describing rappelling the Left Side of Goodrich Pinnacle. This can be done with two 50m ropes, for the first several anchors, although there is a gap in anchors lower down where you have to downclimb 3rd/4th class to find the final anchors to reach the ground.

Roger Brown replaced some or all of the rappel anchor bolts on Goodrich Left Side in 2008.
There was a rockfall down the lower part of Hall of Mirrors and Left Side of Goodrich Pinnacle in spring 2009 which probably resulted in the anchor damage you describe. It may have erased the anchor you couldn't find.

Since you swept well left after the first anchor below Goodrich Pinnacle, it sounds like you were at the end of p3 of Hall of Mirrors anchors.

The top rappel anchor to use (at Goodrich Pinnacle) is the old Rohrer anchor, if it's still there. It is lower than the anchor at the top of the last pitch of Goodrich Right Side. One of the bolts is a Star Dryvin, but it's still good.
From there you rap down and well to climber's left to reach the next anchor, around 150'. Then a couple of anchors down the corner.

nutjob

Sport climber

Almost to Hollywood, Baby!

Jun 22, 2011 - 01:37am PT

Fun stuff!

Riley, what is it with you and funky raps/downclimbs? Dream of wild turkeys on a single line coming to mind, he he he.

Riley Wyna

Trad climber

A crack near you

Jun 22, 2011 - 12:01pm PT

Nutjob- I know right
Kind of fun.
Rapping problems are like the little puzzle books of climbing.
Fun little challenges to methodically and safely figure out.
Weird that the few times I have been totally screwed there has always been a fixed line.
With out the fixed line I would have had to swing over on the 7 mm.
A more dangerous option

We rapped off the left side as per ST recommendation.
Unfortunatly there is very limited info about the climbs and raps- just a small note on the topo and an arrow.
I don't mind as I don't even use topos half the time although it was nice to have one on this climb.
This was a fun little challenge for us that set us on our first El Cap route together.
And this problem was actually much more tricky than anything we did on El Cap.

For the love and art of climbing....

Good write up Paul!

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Jun 22, 2011 - 12:42pm PT

Paul,

From my limited climbing with you, I already know two things: You're always using your head, and you don't panic. This TR shows you and Riley doing both.

Good work, and good write-up.

John