The Deer route

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Messages 1 - 12 of total 12 in this topic
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 25, 2003 - 10:28pm PT
I ran into a guy on Lunatic Fringe. John Bencic, who said he managed to climb the chimney behind the second pitch of Reed's Direct all the way up to behind the rest ledge near the top of the pitch. I had heard of folks poking around back there but didn't know you could go that high. He said it was good climbing (maybe 5.10) back there but he had to downclimb to retreat.

He thought about maybe even returning to place a bolted anchor for retreating in there so folks could climb it while waiting to climb Reeds or as just a cool climb for a hot day. You could actually reach out in places and touch somebody on the second pitch of Reeds. That would be pretty dang scary to hide back in there part way up and, when your friend lead an unsuspecting second up the pitch, you reached out and grabbed their hand or foot from within!

Anyway, I suggest we call it the Deer route and John agreed. I don't know whether he went back and bolted it since he only had one day left in the valley and it rained. I'll email since he said he could climb it in the rain.

For what it's worth

Karl
Greg Barnes

climber
Nov 26, 2003 - 03:56am PT
Cool! What's Deer stand for, Deep Exploration of the Entrails of Reeds? (figured it's something along the lines of The RORP?).

If anyone figures a way to tunnel under/in below Bongs Away, I dropped a biner with a knife and rap rings down the hole at the top, rattled down at least a hundred feet...
casey

Trad climber
berkeley
Nov 26, 2003 - 11:23am PT
deer == reed's backwards?
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 26, 2003 - 11:24am PT
I'll give it away after a few more guesses. I like your acronym though! What would be cool is that it would only take a little more creative tunnelling to link up to the third pitch of Reed's regular chimney. I don't know if it's doable or not. (I hate to admit I had to bail on the Third Pitch of the regular when I couldn't get my bulky butt through the slot to the other side)

If somebody could send tiny robots into the bowels of Hollow Flake on the Salathe they could score quite some booty, including my 13 year old jumar.

peace

karl
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 26, 2003 - 02:27pm PT
I cry foul Casey, You were there!

Anyway, it's obvious anyway that Deer is Reed inside out.

Peace

Karl
rbreedlove

Trad climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Nov 26, 2003 - 06:22pm PT
I vote for Deer or is it deeR. On a very hot summer day in the early 1970's, while waiting, without hope, for my large party to get their butts up the second pitch, I climbed behind the flake to the top of the pitch. There was a lot of dead gear on the chocks and some tight squeezes. It was also a little spooky to be so far away from any exit. You can reach out from inside the crack. If one had really skinny arms you might be able to reach out far enough to wave at someone--cool picture opportunity. I don't get what the bolt for is for.

regoR
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 26, 2003 - 07:16pm PT
As far as I know, there's no bolts, at least yet. I haven't been in there.

John seemed to imply that it was hard enough that not many folks would do it if you had to downclimb it. He might not have had a clear sense of it though since he's a 5.13 face climber whose crack experience isn't nearly as deep.

So we thought, put bolt anchors in there so folks could rap off. It's not like they would be an eyesore.

Peace

karl

rbreedlove

Trad climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Nov 26, 2003 - 07:54pm PT
It is possible to climb all the way to the main ledge under the last pitch. I can kind of remember moving sideways near the top and coming into daylight way inside the upper chimney. Since you have to rap to get off Reed's, there is already a rappel station. Hence my question.

Maybe the thought is that you can only go part way and have to down climb, so that a rap station part way up is necessary. If this is the case, it might be hard to swing a hammer to drill a hole--it is tight behind there. Anyway, in this case, I agree that no one should care.

Roger



casey

Trad climber
berkeley
Dec 1, 2003 - 11:46am PT
hey karl i think i was below y'all getting worked over on the crux of lunatic fringe while you guys were discussing...?
it was just a lucky guess! :)
i think bong's away center (the offwidth one) should be renamed "big kick in the ass for those of us with no offwidth skills"... oh yeah baby! it's okay, i liked it anyways.
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 25, 2010 - 04:46am PT
Just ran across this report that somebody actually got stuck behind Reed's. I think they were probably doing the Third Pitch of the regular route though.

From

http://www.friendsofyosar.org/rescues/rescues.html


3-28-10 – Climber Stuck in Cave-Reed’s Pinnacle

On Sunday, March 28, 2010 at approximately 5:00 p.m. Yosemite Dispatch received a report that a climber was stuck in the crawl through on Reed’s Pinnacle and was asking for assistance. Two NPS Rangers prepared to climb to the top of Reed’s Direct to access the stuck climber from the prominent ledge system. Communication with the partner of the stuck climber was established at the base of the west end of the pinnacle and with the assistance from another climbing party was able to free himself from the crawl through and all parties rappelled to the base at 6:15 p.m.
couchmaster

climber
pdx
Oct 25, 2010 - 11:50am PT
Wow, nice thread revival Karl! I was once out in the middle of nowhere doing a FA with a skinny guy. At the top of the route (but still @ 60-80 feet from the top of the cliff), behind a massive pinnacle which we were trying to traverse behind, he worms though a tunnel, which I promptly got stuck in. We had our harness's off so as to be smaller, but it didn't help me. I've often wondered what would have happened had I gotten really wedged in there.

Scary stuff. Did Yosar bring a tub of lard on the rescue?
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 25, 2010 - 04:45pm PT
Scary stuff. Did Yosar bring a tub of lard on the rescue?

Nah, I'm sure a skinny guy would have been a better call!

Places where I've failed or lost skin due to tightness.

Reeds regular pitch 3 - Couldn't get through

Steck Salathe _ Narrows. Done it a number of times, Hate it but always make it

Wild Thing on the Folly. Got off route and scraped my nose before backing down and going the right way

Other place may be blocked from my memory

peace

Karl
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