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goon
Trad climber
bishop
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 3, 2010 - 12:31pm PT
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has anyone done the evolution traverse? If so, how long did it take you to go camp to camp? Thanks :)
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Tried it in winter of '98. Didn't go so well. Do it in summer.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Going for it on 8/14- I'll let you know.
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adventurewagen
Trad climber
Seattle
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My buddy and I got on the route last year. It was our first time to the Sierras and definitely a good intro to the area. We walked off the ridge after Haeckel though since we were out of time, good weather and go juice to finish off walking those last few chossy peaks. I doubt we'll ever go back to finish them, but the crux ridges were crazy!
We left the trailhead at a reasonable time one morning and hiked up and through Lamark Col and set up base camp at the toe of the route which took most of the day. We camped for another day to get acclimatized a bit better then took off early the next morning. We roped up and simuled the entire ridge. Lots of chimney downclimbing and wierd route finding from what sticks in my mind. We spent two nights on route and three full days for the 6 or 7 peaks we actually did. The last day after finishing a couple more peaks and realizing we'd be doing the last one or two at night so we decided to walk into the evolution basin between peaks and back around to camp. Weather was deteriorating and the palms of our hands were nearly bloody from all the downclimbing for 3 days.
As for camp to camp, I really don't think there is anyway to know. We found numerous bail ropes along the way from teams hiking out before us who bailed after a single peak or two. My buddy and I have simuled tons of terrain and lots of peaks. Heck, most of the actual climbing "up" was done in minutes but those ridges took us hours to navigate... If you are comfortable at soloing 5.10+ and do the ridge unroped you'll at least have a chance to pick it off in 3 days. Now if your're Honnold or Croft fast then you might tag it out in two days with one bivy but that's probably a long shot. We'd hoped for a day, but after that first day with so much terrain left to cover we knew it wasn't going happen. Those ridges are the crux for sure.
I remember reading something Croft wrote about how it was harder than Nose in a Day which I would completely agree with. My buddy and I were nice and fast on the standard climbing and simuled most peaks in 20 minutes or so, but getting down and across those ridges was tough going we'd never really done before. The rock is absolutely rotten and knarly for much of the route which slowed us down too. We found water in hueco's along the way but lived off about 7 liters each for 3 days and bivied above 13k twice. I'd highly recommend bringing LOTS of webbing to leave behind since what we found for all the mini rappels was completely sun crusted and trash.
It was a good route and amazing terrain but since we weren't willing to solo the route simuling it made for tough slow going. If we did it again we'd bring a short half rope to simul on and stick with the single rack of gear we had (half set nuts and single set cams from blue alien through #2BD). I think the short rope would help since most of the time you can't get more than a half rope out before it gets snagged on something anyway. But we were sure glad to have the full 60 for rappels.
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t-bone
climber
CA
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I think 2 days on the ridge seems reasonable for an average fit party. After bivying below the toe, we spent the first night at the notch below Haeckel (water available a few hundred feet below the ridge in a glacial tarn- the only fairly easily accessed water I remember). Finished the ridge by mid-day the next, then back to camp in the afternoon. We only carried light daypacks with a bivy sack, kind of hoping to finish in a day. A bit cold at night, but better than lugging the extra weight.
Have fun.
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adventurewagen
Trad climber
Seattle
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I don't think it's a question of being "fit" but more about how you do the route. Solo we'd have shaved it to two days for sure. There are definitely alot of other climbers out there to which this route is more suited to. Soloing on pretty much anything is out for me but unfortunately I think roping up was the quickest way to slow us down too much.
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goon
Trad climber
bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 3, 2010 - 02:44pm PT
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thanks :) all good advice! We have been engaging in lots of long days to help prepare us...
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t-bone
climber
CA
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Yes, it's a long ridge. Roping up for all the easy 5th will definitely slow you down to a >2 day pace. I felt like we did it in a fairly conservative standard style- roping up for mid-5th and up, and also rapped many, many times when it seemed less sketchy.
Overall, it wasn't quite as sustained or "classic" as I was expecting, but it is long. And in an incredible area.
Oh, I remember having sore palms too.
Enjoy.
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Sak
Mountain climber
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2 full days. Should have taken a rest day, backpack in was kind of tiring. Croft's description spot on. Bought one of those overpriced down sweaters( how can a zipped coat be called a sweater?) Very cold at night, didn't quite make it to Haeckel first day. Also wore those fancy scrambling shoes for the first time. (never put on rock shoes). Probably rapped about 4 times. Was able to bypass 5.8 crack (just left or was that right of the crack? lol 2nd half of ridge more enjoyable. Almost did first ascent( smoke on every peak, ran out of american spirits.) Great adventure, have fun!!
edit: a bit more recollection, maybe 5 or 6 raps, barely made it to lake below final peak (huxley) before dark, bivied, walked back to camp on day 3. Agreed, only water to be had was before Haeckel( slow drip) . On day 2, I heard some yodeling on Haeckel, than Wallace, than this youngster flew by me near Fiske. He was hiking that part of the ridge after his partner for the day failed to show. He was gone out of sight until I heard his yodels way ahead of me. I felt slower and older than I am at that point. He left a congrats at the last register for me, whoever he is, thanks for note, made my day.
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