Trip Report
TR: Heading For Oblivion, Leaning Tower
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Friday March 18, 2016 7:54am
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Quick TR. I could write more if some are interested. I will post some photos later.
Topped out early yesterday morning on Heading For Oblivion on Leaning Tower. I had been dreaming about this climb and visualizing that part of Leaning Tower for some time. It was an amazing project turning that initial vision into a reality.
Lots of heads, beaks, and hooks...
P1: A3 Super fun beaks, slightly expanding, to hooks, steep, 140'
P2: A4 Beaks and heads, steep, thin, gritty rock (perhaps most unappetizing rock on route), hooks and poor rivets to anchor, 140'
P3: A4 Heads and hooks to a beak nest for pro, heady drilled hooks to rivets and some free to anchor, 165'
P4: A3 Stellar beaks and heads in solid rock
P5: A3 Expanding flakes in a pretty thin and loose flake to some heads
P6: A4 Small heads and hooks right off anchor to heads and beaks, scary, slopey and loose 5.7 traverse to anchor
P7: A3 Head right to improbable looking steep face, beaks and shenanigans, super steep, wild, stellar, perhaps most memorable pitch
P8: A3 Hooks to rivets to 5.8
P9: 5.8 to summit
Rack
5 blades
10 arrows
20 beaks
30 heads
2x .3-#1, 1x #2-#3 cams
Offset cams
nuts
I had first two pitches fixed with a belay and support from Matt Estes. Thanks Matt!
Adam Ramsey and I dropped fixed lines and committed to the wall on 3/15/2016. We topped out yesterday morning, 3/17/2016, after two bivies, one at 4 and one at a ledge atop pitch 8. I led all pitches except for pitch 4, which Adam led in style. This was only his third wall and seven hours on lead with five whippers brought him to the top of the pitch. Awesome effort. This was an adventurous route and a climb that I will remember always.
A quick poem inspired by the climb:
The true me is an ephemeral being.
He lives in dreams as real as wind.
I seek him at the edge of this world,
But I must always come back again.
His laugh cures all that aches and ails.
He is strong and pure and true.
His is a breed of ancient forge,
And I seek to resurrect him anew.
He sits atop cliffs that can never be climbed.
He lies at the edge of this world and dream.
Mine is the gypsy quest of self reflection,
Glory is but a glimpse at him that is me.
BrandonAdams
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About the Author
BrandonAdams is a big wall climber from Yosemite, CA. |
Comments
Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Mar 18, 2016 - 08:02am PT
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PHOOK YEAH AND great going
it is a historic place to cut ones wall teeth so to speak
Awesome
Can Wait but will be lurking to see the Snaps.
again words & Pictures
Im sure some are coming
Get some rest and heal up,
suck down a scotch and post up
Or a 'binger' or two, (Humbolt is close to you, & my heart)
and what tonic you Imbibe
Again No JIve, THANX FOR POSTING CLIMBING
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BrandonAdams
Big Wall climber
Yosemite, CA
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Author's Reply
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Mar 18, 2016 - 08:13am PT
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Oh btw no new bolts were added to this route. The topo alluded to bad hardware so I brought some bolts to repair bad belay anchors. No new bolts were needed.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Mar 18, 2016 - 08:13am PT
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Yes, we want more, how about some PICTURES! :) Scary beaks, scared faces, happy faces?! Post them up! Talk about the experience, if you can. Simply stating that you went out and send the gnar is not that exciting for the public...but wtf do I know, if you post photos and talk about it, maybe someone will call you a spraylord. :)
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
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Mar 18, 2016 - 08:41am PT
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^
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nopantsben
climber
europe
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Mar 18, 2016 - 09:19am PT
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if you post photos and talk about it, maybe someone will call you a spraylord. :)
Hahahaha good one :)
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Bargainhunter
climber
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Mar 18, 2016 - 12:23pm PT
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Looking at the description of the pitches, that looks like a bunch of involved, hard aid. How would you compare it to Wet Denim Daydream?
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Mar 18, 2016 - 12:27pm PT
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Brandon Adams? Never heard of you : D
That reference put a smile on my face. LOL
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Prod
Trad climber
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Mar 18, 2016 - 12:29pm PT
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Nice. Looking forward to seeing pictures and reading more.
Cheers,
Prod.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 12:38pm PT
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Useful information, and good work. I look forward to pictures, but that's just a bonus.
Thanks again.
John
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Soggy Herbs
Big Wall climber
Yosemite Village, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 04:33pm PT
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Outstanding work leading those scary, technical pitches, Brandon. I was thoroughly impressed with each pitch you led, with zero falls, and as cleanly as possible! Thanks for the adventure!
Despite my moaning and groaning, it was a fantastic experience I will never forget. I'm glad you pushed me to keep trying. No where to go but up! The work was worth it. This was also good inspiration to get more efficient with my steep climbing. Cheers to more wall shenanigans!
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Machew
Trad climber
Oakland, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 07:57pm PT
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You're a champion shenaniganizer, Bud. Lookin' forward to more water-bottle-hook-placements in the future! They're so easy to clean...
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Mar 18, 2016 - 10:12pm PT
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Nice work, Brandon, you spraylord!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Mar 18, 2016 - 10:39pm PT
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dig it
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Mar 19, 2016 - 08:36am PT
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Nicely done. Now let's see some photos :)
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Mar 19, 2016 - 08:40am PT
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Well done, that route has not seen many ascents. It's a neat location over there.
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Kristoffer
climber
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Mar 19, 2016 - 09:28am PT
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nice work. thanks for going up there and clarifying the condition of the bolts.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Mar 19, 2016 - 09:47am PT
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Nice Brandon. You've had some great momentum going for a while now.
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Reeotch
climber
4 Corners Area
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Mar 19, 2016 - 09:57am PT
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Can't wait for the pics!
Where does this line go?
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BrandonAdams
Big Wall climber
Yosemite, CA
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Author's Reply
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Mar 19, 2016 - 02:24pm PT
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Some pics added.
@Bargainhunter: much harder than Wet Denim.
What can I say, I love to spray.
@ Soggyherbs: Great climbing with you buddy. Many more to come. "Well, see ya later!"
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Mar 19, 2016 - 05:41pm PT
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Nice. That's a cool area, and steep. I did the 2nd ascent of Roulette back in the late '90's and remember looking over on one of the last few pitches and seeing some of Beyer's heads. Wondering how many ascents that's had - can't be too many. Nice job, and looks awesome.
Paul
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Mar 19, 2016 - 05:45pm PT
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Actually, sorry, that was the late '80's. Where has the time gone?
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
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Mar 20, 2016 - 04:20am PT
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Nice job,
What's up with the taped hook with the belay device?
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batguano
climber
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Mar 20, 2016 - 04:39am PT
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Strong work! Thanks for sharing. I did Roulette in '01, thought it was a cool location as well.
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Prod
Trad climber
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Mar 20, 2016 - 06:50am PT
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Nice job,
What's up with the taped hook with the belay device?
Also curious.
Prod.
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smith curry
climber
nashville,TN
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Mar 20, 2016 - 07:12am PT
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Sweet!
Quote:Nice job,
What's up with the taped hook with the belay device?
I reckon it's to hold it in place for pro
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BrandonAdams
Big Wall climber
Yosemite, CA
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Author's Reply
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Mar 20, 2016 - 08:09am PT
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Bomber pro
BTW, you guys remember that first pitch of Roulette (50' of hooks off deck) as particularly scary or what? Any stories from Roulette? Thinking Id like to head up that way too sometime.
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Mar 20, 2016 - 10:23am PT
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I thought the hooking on Roulette was pretty casual - so much so I led the pitch twice. Once only to get pounded by a snow storm, and then I don't know why we pulled the rope. Came back a few weeks later and led it again.
I remember top stepping on a hook on the first pitch to get to another and looking down and discovering a rivet near my waist. Kinda like the Hook or Book pitch on the Sea - you'd be blowing it to fall off it, unless of course something broke.
The Battle of the Bulge pitch is the crux - small heads and #1 peckers, at least when we did it and that was with just a few prototype beaks .....
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BrandonAdams
Big Wall climber
Yosemite, CA
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Author's Reply
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Mar 20, 2016 - 02:00pm PT
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Right on. Thanks for the info.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Mar 20, 2016 - 06:07pm PT
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I am looking at this at work. When I started laughing at the photo of the duct-taped hook, my co-workers came over to see what's up.
How do you explain this to people?
(:
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fosburg
climber
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Mar 20, 2016 - 06:17pm PT
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Nice, good job! Looks real scary...
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Mar 20, 2016 - 06:25pm PT
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Nice job!!
Nice tape-job on the hook, it's still holding in place!
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batguano
climber
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Mar 21, 2016 - 03:06am PT
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Brandon, here is a copy of my topo from Roulette. I had a similar reaction to Gagner, I thought the hooks were pretty good. Probably better than the zamac rivets, actually. I did this shortly after I soloed the sea, so I can't attest to the accuracy of my ratings. No guarantees on pitch lengths or gear descriptions either.
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Mar 21, 2016 - 12:24pm PT
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Guano and Gagner -- STOP KILLING IT (in the past) ALREADY!
But on the real, please post up something about soloing the Sea. That's got to be a fun read.
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