Quarter Dome--Pegasus tr

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Erik Sloan

climber

Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 17, 2009 - 07:14pm PT

Disclaimer: we didn’t free the Pegasus route but liked the name better.

September was as sweaty as ever when Logan agreed to do a push. We wanted to do something neither us had done which knocked out a lot of the easier contenders. El Cap was shining in our dreams but I suggested maybe we should try something different. I had been wanting to climb Quarter Dome for a few years(JAB and I went back to climb it in ’94 but lost our psyche on the approach and climbed Watkins instead, which is pretty easy to have happen if you carry too much stuff.). Logan took a look at the topo and agreed it looked worthy.
We had two days, and getting beta about the climb wasn’t that easy. Ansel Evans had attempted it three times back in the early 70s, said the first half was good. Unfortunately a major rockfall fell onto the third-fifth pitches several years back. So we decided to hike up Monday afternoon and bivy somewhere on the approach or at the base. We ended up sleeping halfway up the talus approach to the base because it got dark. The base of the route has an incredible looking bivy.
Tuesday morning we started up the last bit of the approach before light. We missed a major traverse right and committed to much 5.4munge slabs before arriving at a steep corner at the base of the buttress the route starts off of. Doh! Logan led a 200’ 5.9 pitch to get us up to the true base. We started the route proper just after 8 am, feeling silly for getting lost and taking so much time. Fortunately the first half is all freeclimbing and Logan fired it in style. The second half’s free and aid took me a bit longer but we made the top right at dark. It was 90 degrees that day and we only had one hour of sun. Deluxe! Pegasus is such a sweet route. Awesome climb with tons of 5.7/5.8, no hard/tricky aid, nice stances or ledges at most belays, gorgeous views. We walked down the Half Dome trail which sucked. I went back up the next week and replaced a bunch of bolts and came down the Death Slabs. Definitely the better way.

Logan’s camera battery died so light on the pics.

Psyched! We got dropped off at the Stables but it would have saved some hoofing to have rode bikes to Mirror lake.

All those awesome trs about hiking down Tenaya Canyon have vastly improved the trail. We hit the base of Watkins after a couple hours of easy padding.

We blew by the shallow pools at the base of Watkins and then found ourselves below the Dome in a bone-dry creekbed. Luckily just 5-10 minutes of easy crusin up the creekbed brings you to a clear pool.

When heading into the unknown, get the most ripped partner possible

After Steri-pening the water we laid around admiring the late light on our objective

If you hike past the base of Watkins for 10-15 minutes until you reach an open, wide streambed section it is pretty easy to scope the approach. Allow about 2 hours to the filter water spot, an hour to filter/lounge, and then another hour/hour and a half to get to the base.

This photo is courtesy of crackfiend. Thanks!

Soon we were snoring happily surrounded by amazing peaks

early am start(we did the route in the Fall, and could have easily got by with no sleeping bags, just puffy jackets, as the inversion really brings up that hot air.)

off route on the approach

Logan taking us up to the true base of the climb

Sweet bivy at the base of the route

Logan at the end of the first pitch on my new topo. (The old guide shows this as the beginning of the 1st pitch but to make that happen you’d have to solo some easy 5th—reasonable with a day climb amount of stuff but not more)

Just getting started and it’s already a long way down

5.7 face traverse at the beginning of the third pitch

The scar above the third-fifth pitches—large and pretty

Sweet views

(different light cause I shot this one the next week when I went back)

Splitter fun, 5th pitch

Psyched!

Easy 5th at the beginning of the 6th pitch

9th pitch

10th pitch—this is the thin aid. If you can climb 5.10 there is a face variation to the left that it looked like a couple bolts had been added to. The beaks/baby angles were bomber.

11th pitch—lots of easy chimneying with small, C1cracks in the back on the upper pitches. A little dirty though.

12th pitch—a couple beaks at the beginning and then beautiful small cams

Logan taking us to the top(Actually in this photo he is about to attempt the free variation which is pretty desperate. Ended up just aiding the A2 fixed)

Sick view of Half Dome from the top

Met a friend on the trail down. He said ‘only 5.12 and you still aided? Shuffle along lightweights’

Summit Glory shot from the next week

New Topo

To download this as a pdf
http://cid-ac7b92e4a1d5c148.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/Pegasus%20Map%20Final-1.pdf

Thank you Logan, Quarter Dome and the Tenaya Canyon gang.
Best
e

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Dec 17, 2009 - 07:52pm PT

I've always been interested in that route. Roper's description in his Red guide made it sound too good to be true. This TR settles it. Next year, I'm going!

Thanks much.

John

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:10pm PT

Frickin' fab.
Thanks for posting here, instead of thar.

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:11pm PT

Nice TR. I barely remember what that route looked like.

Max and I were caught in a rainstorm in that chimney. It didn't last too long though. We may have bivied right there also. I can't remember for certain but I know we bivied at the base and then bivied at that chimney and then over near the saddle of Half Dome. I don't think we did the whole route in a day.

tom woods

Gym climber

Bishop, CA

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:18pm PT

That looks great. Thanks for posting.

What else is up there? On an old post here I remember someone talking about routes the right of pegasus, how about to the left. That looks like free climbing for mortals land to the left, unless its all desperate slab.

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, Ca.

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:20pm PT

That's really awesome. Nice job.

I'm curious about the start though. Going left up the dihedral 'looks' better. Is that not so?

I'll edit your pic to illustrate...

enjoimx

Big Wall climber

SLO Cal

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:21pm PT

Nice TR...I want to do that route!!!!

Mike Bolte

Trad climber

Planet Earth

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:25pm PT

ahh! great TR. Thanks.

Buggs

Trad climber

Corrales, New Mexico

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:29pm PT

Awesome TR! Always have desired to climb Quarter Dome and Pegasus looks like a winner. Think I'll drag the Cozmic Banditos to the base and see if they are in.

GoMZ

Trad climber

Eastern Sierra

Dec 17, 2009 - 08:34pm PT

Cool!!!

mooser

Trad climber

seattle

Dec 17, 2009 - 09:43pm PT

Fantastic! Thanks!

WBraun

climber

Dec 17, 2009 - 09:46pm PT

Good job on doing that approach photo diagram.

That makes it very easy to understand and be repeatable.

Excellent Eric .....

climber

Dec 17, 2009 - 10:34pm PT

It's this type of post that makes the Taco so valuable as a resource. Cheers, that got me psyched.

yedi

Trad climber

Stanwood,wa

Dec 17, 2009 - 10:55pm PT

Thanks for that TR. We did that in 78' I think. About an hour up on the rock after the approach a chuck of rock about the size of a volkswagon came off 30' to the right of us. Just creamed our approach where we had been just a little while before. Great route and was my first wall. I forget who led the "all time nail up pitch" but it was classic.

Erik Sloan

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 17, 2009 - 11:30pm PT

cheers all,

Bluering: the variation you suggest has probably been climbed. I think Tom Evans actually did that by accident the first time he went up there, nailing of course. It looked like dirty 5.11 or harder for sure, and the other way is pretty clean and just a short 5.10 section. Guess if you climb that hard it might be a nice way to avoid the rock scar/fall potential. Can't say on that crankage.

There wasn't any rockfall while we were up there and you climb pretty quickly through the three pitches below the scar which go at 5.8, 5.10, 5.9 i think.

F10

Trad climber

e350

Dec 17, 2009 - 11:36pm PT

Cool TR

Thanks for some climbing imput

Logdog

Trad climber

Sierra Nevada

Dec 18, 2009 - 12:12am PT

Thanks Eric.... It was a super good time for sure! I can't recommend this route enough, excellent free climbing, easy aid, super wild views of watkins, and a perfect summit! If you don't mind hiking more than your average valley climb, Quarter dome is a stellar experience!

-Logan
P.S.- Has there been a second free Ascent yet?

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Dec 18, 2009 - 12:53am PT

All right!
Great trip report
Zander

Ihateplastic

Trad climber

Lake Oswego, Oregon

Dec 18, 2009 - 02:44am PT

QD was my third wall. I did it with Mark Blanchard (Real Blinny if you must) and a firefighter named Bob Care. Loved the route although it rained on us a lot. Bob took a dive out of that chimney since it was slick as snot with rain and moss. Busted his ankle which made the walk out interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the climb and the wall. So quiet back there!

Well worth being on anyone's list.