Climbed the South Face of Mt. Watkins with Nick. Definitely the toughest climb I've ever done. Spent two nights on the wall. 19 pitches, heinous approach and descent, got a quick sierra storm, and took some nice falls.
First ascent by Warren Harding, Yvon Chouinard, and Chuck Pratt over 5 days in 1964. They took 1.5 L/person/day. We took about 1.2 Gallons/person/day... and we were THIRSTY. Warren Harding was also superhuman.
Many prominent roofs, ledges, and crack systems aren't marked on the topo, but we always thought, "what would the first ascent party do here" and after a climbing for a few minutes, we'd usually find a bolt or some other indicator that we were on route... adventure climbing at it's best.
To hear about the first ascent, read Chuck Pratt's account here. http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=637156
First ascent by Warren Harding, Yvon Chouinard, and Chuck Pratt over 5 days in 1964. They took 1.5 L/person/day. We took about 1.2 Gallons/person/day... and we were THIRSTY. Warren Harding was also superhuman.
Many prominent roofs, ledges, and crack systems aren't marked on the topo, but we always thought, "what would the first ascent party do here" and after a climbing for a few minutes, we'd usually find a bolt or some other indicator that we were on route... adventure climbing at it's best.
To hear about the first ascent, read Chuck Pratt's account here. http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=637156
There were gear on all the anchors (see the sailing rope behind me?) and there was even a black rope coiled up at Sheraton Watkins... what happened?
Top of pitch 9. Nick utilizing his newly acquired thrift store pick up.
The view down of what we've come up...
And what we still had left.
We connected pitch 11 and 12, passing the ledge with a nice bivy for 2. Most folks fix lines on day 1. Get up to Sheraton Watkins on day 2. Get up to pitch 11, fix a few more lines on day 3. And top out on day 4.
We appreciated some shade... but I didn't like the look of these clouds at all. Clouds over the aptly named (at least for that minute), "Clouds Rest."
Made for some cool pics though. Nick aiding up pitch 12... a really cool pitch with a small pendulum.
And up to pitch 13. I quickly led pitch 14, which required a scary 5.9 mantel with very poor pro... But the storm clouds kept my fear away.
These trees were amazing. They can grow anywhere...
At the top of pitch 14, we felt some sprinkles. So much for the 0% chance of rain. It was great timing, as there was a small ledge there, and Nick had just finished jugging up the line, and I had just hauled the pig.
At the top of pitch 14, we felt some sprinkles. So much for the 0% chance of rain. It was great timing, as there was a small ledge there, and Nick had just finished jugging up the line, and I had just hauled the pig.
As soon as we got the tarp set up, it started raining harder. Under the tarp, we were pretty jolly, trying to figure out what flavor Jelly Beans we were eating. The snacks and listening to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band kept us giddy enough.
As Ronald Reagan once said, "You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans."
I wonder what he'd think about our character... of guessing the flavors 1500 ft high on a rock face.
As Ronald Reagan once said, "You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans."
I wonder what he'd think about our character... of guessing the flavors 1500 ft high on a rock face.
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