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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 27, 2007 - 03:00am PT
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About a year ago, actually, July 29, 2006, Aaron and I were in Tuolumne Meadows and attempted to do Peter, Peter, 5.10a R on the west face of Fairview Dome. This is a Roger Breedlove route, put up in 1971. I think that we went to check it out because Roger mentioned it in a thread, but I can't find the reference because of the simple Forum search tool...
Well I hadn't heard of anyone doing it, and the reason became apparent on our initial foray on the first pitch. The single bolt protecting the 5.9 slab moves was missing. Aaron essentially soloed up into ground-fall territory, thought about pulling the moves (with me checking just where I'd run if he came off), thought better of the fact that his only piece was about 20' up (he was about 50' up), and reversed his moves back to the ground.
On the way down he spied a bolt with a broken hanger.
I wrote Roger asking if he minded us rebolting the route with 3/8" SS bolts and hangers... he didn't...
In his email to me he thought we might "be doing a very early ascent of Peter Peter." Roger also responded to my comment that he had "my respect for putting up what would become (and is now) an archtypical Tuolumne Meadows route, very heady leads on minimal protection." I'll let him post his own comments about what they were doing back then.
While the Falkenstein guide says that "RPs" can be used in the initial corner, Roger asked for a definition (obviously he didn't use them) and we found the corner wouldn't take them.
On the next outing I went with Gary, the mission was to replace the bolt. I went up and couldn't find it... sh#t, and I was really in the same zone that Aaron had been previously. I decided to go to the top of the ramp and put a bolt in to get the protection a little closer to the slab crux of this pitch. I was totally jibbed out standing on little feet. As soon as I got the drill bit in I lassoed it with a sling to help with my feelings of security. I think it took an hour, mostly just readjusting my tiny stance, tink, tink, tink, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, tink, tink, tink...
Gary was looking for his runway too. It would have really hurt to have smeared off that stance. But in the end the bolt was in. I was emotionally drained and lowered. I asked Gary if he wanted to go up... "is the bolt ok?" he asked. "I just lowered off of it!" was my reply, "ya it's ok!"
So Gary goes up, scopes out the opening moves into the crux and lowers, of course he finds the bolt. Up I go again and put in a 3/8" bolt next to the original. Roger doesn't remember placing this bolt, but it is the same Dolt hanger and split shaft 1/4" steel bolt he used for the rest of the climb.
Now there are two bolts on the first pitch. The original bolt is rather low to prevent a long fall if you were to peel off the 5.9 slab... Roger was ok with that... his intention was to create a "everyman's climb," not a test piece. I suspect that the original bolt broke long ago.
I talked to Greg Barnes about this and he has a hypothesis that the some hangers shear like this from ice sheets, that they are the last thing holding up the departure of the sheets in the spring, and if the weight of the sheet is sufficiently large, it shears the hanger. Sounds reasonable, and he has a lot of observation under his belt.
Ok, now two bolts, and I'm done for the day.
Sometime in fall Aaron and I go up to finish off the business. Aaron ends up combining pitches 1 and 2 and finishes atop the feature that provides the route's crux, a cool right facing corner to a roof to a right facing corner, to a ledge, 5.10a traversing under the well protected roof. I'm up but make a mess of the crux, seems that taller people have an advantage.
I'm on top and it's my lead but I'm sick, it's a relatively cold day (41ºF with a south wind)... Aaron is the hero and leads off, 4 bolts on steep ground but classic Tuolumne knobs at 5.8. Aaron finds the belay station and pulls the bolts and redrills the holes. He isn't so happy that he lead on the bolts below after the ease of pulling, but he's got a great anchor in... of course this happens during a hail storm. He bails to the ledge, then we use a great flake (NOT THE LITTLE PINE TREE!) and get on the ground.
I turn out to actually be sick for a couple of days with some flu like thing.
Thinking that I'd like to get this wrapped up in 2006 Gary, Simone and I trip out very late, but end up only getting on the ledge after a morning of discussions... but it is a great late fall day and we're in the sun and really enjoying it. I overcam a blue Metolius in the roof and end up buying another one for Gary...
...ok today I had no partners, so I went up to finish the job. The strategy was to hike to the top of the route, find and replace the belay station, then rap down to the previously replaced station, set my 300' 10mm static line and work on replacing the four bolts on that pitch. On the way out I figured I'd recover the cam under the roof, clean up the tat, etc.
I get to the Fairview Dome early enough to park... and then carry up the ropes and gear for the replacement. Of course I have to find the station. I overshoot, remembering the topout to Lucky Streaks, go back lower and eventually find the belay station. Two bolts but not Roger's, someone replaced those with button heads. I think about rapping off what's there and decide to pull them and replace.. good thing too, 5/16" x 1.5" steel split shaft.
Since I'm doing this alone I'm being really careful. I rap off looking for the bolt and don't find it, but I'm seeing stuff over to my left. I jug back up to consult the guide to find that the end of Roseanne is what I was looking at, but I probably did see the little left facing corner that the Peter, Peter belay station should be at... I rap to it not worrying about the last bolt, figure I'll get it on the jug out later.
I find the station, the bolts that Aaron put in are shining and tight. I setup the long static line, and then I'm off to the first bolt below... It comes out with little work, I'm using the tuning-fork that Greg gave me and it is working great! The route angles down and left, so I leave the rope through a 'biner and go down to the next bolt. I'm getting more comfortable all the time working up on the cliff.
Finishing off with the four bolts, I rap to the ledge, clean off the very old slings and our bail sling from the previous fall. On the way to the ground I check for the cam, it's gone! Maybe someone climbed the route!! That would be great.
I leave the pack and stuff, but take the bolt kit and start jugging. This is good practice too, but I am trying not to kill myself, I should be jugging more... maybe this year I think. Up to the top of the static line. I launch it to the ground and jug the last pitch. I do find the final bolt.
While hammering the tuning-fork under the hanger the nut strips. I end up drilling a new hole next to the old one, oh well, not bad 6 out of 7 pulled fine.
To the top, unrig and walk off. I find the static line hung up on the ledge, but a little creative pulling frees it.
So now Peter, Peter is fully re-equipped with 3/8" 2.25" SS Power Stud bolts (http://www.powers.com/pdfs/mechanical/07424.pdf); with Metolius SS hangers.
The addition of a bolt was approved by Roger, though there could be discussion about it... since the route has probably not been climbed since the old bolt broke there is little tradition regarding this climb.
My hats off to all you who work to rebolt routes... man that was one long day!
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Aug 27, 2007 - 09:57am PT
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Excellent, Ed, thanks to you and all those who do quality rebolting.
That first pitch bolt has been missing since at least July 2000. From my journal that's when I did the route with my friend Ron Skelton, who was 60 years old at the time. He led the first pitch and couldn't find the bolt. I'd been up there and led the first pitch 3 years earlier (but then been rained off). Since the bolt was obvious when I led the pitch, I was wondering about Ron's mental state. Naturally, I found the broken off stud when I followed him.
So there's a rough idea of how long it's been gone.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2007 - 10:33am PT
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Thanks mtnyoung for the recollection. (More stories should be written about Ron Skelton!)
For a route that's been up since 1971 I have found few people who had climbed it... strange that the bolt was there in 2000 (32 years after it was put up). That explains the relatively good condition of the tatty bail slings though.
I'm still amazed that someone rapped off the little pine tree. There is a great flake on the left side of the ledge that is perfect for bailing. We found bail slings on the top of the 3rd pitch, and on the third bolt off the ledge. I also found a rap sling and double hollow aluminum rings on the very top belay station. Maybe someone was using the route to get to the ground?
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Aug 27, 2007 - 11:05am PT
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Great work Ed. Inspires me to go out and do some Commie Service myself...
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elcap-pics
climber
Crestline CA
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Aug 27, 2007 - 12:15pm PT
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Nice Ed... you refitters do a great service at considerable expense of time and $$$ and we all appreciate it. Thanks!!
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
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Aug 27, 2007 - 12:25pm PT
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Thanks, Ed!
And rebolters everywhere!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Aug 27, 2007 - 02:55pm PT
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Nice work, Ed!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2007 - 02:59pm PT
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This was a rather minor rebolt job compared to what the ASCA does... but maybe a window on the involved nature of rebolting by a relative amateur. Unfortunately, we tend to focus on the infrequent problems with rebolting rather than the most frequent success. Perhaps that is human nature, but it is nice to clip the better bolts on rebolted climbs and not think too much about the effort involved.
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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Aug 27, 2007 - 08:37pm PT
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Did this route a couple of times when there was just the one bolt noted. It did seem pretty run in a near grounder sort of way, but it was all worth the angst as the upper wall was beautiful and without protection issues.
Great to see the check in with FA Roger before doing replacement. Sure seems like that's the best approach before doing anything to old bolted routes in TM, unlike discussion on another thread about adding (not replacing) a bolt to Great Pumpkin where first ascent party has passed on and one can only speculate about their preferences. In such cases (there will be more in the future, I'm guessing), it seems all the more appropriate in memoriam to leave things as they were.
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 27, 2007 - 10:55pm PT
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Nice job Ed,
Thanks for making it "safe" for the rest of us.
I've never replaced a bolt but I'm thinking of replacing the Anchor on Secret Storm after the good times we all had on it last year. Want to go with me?
see ya,
Zander
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Aug 27, 2007 - 11:00pm PT
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Hi Tom, Hi Ed,
I was disturbed several years ago when Greg Barnes told me that 'Peter Peter' was not often done because of its 'R' rating. This is did not match up with my memory of the climb.
I remember the low angle slabs to the small corner at the base of the right traversing roof. I remember the cool moves under the roof to a good rest before pulling over the right edge. I particularly remember waiting at the left edge until I had the moves worked out to the other side. When I finally started across, it all clicked and felt like nothing--a perfect goal at the time--although it is reasonably 5.10. I remember the pine tree, the ledge, and the flake. I remember the upper couple of 'knob' pitches. And I remember relinquishing the lead to Tom McCabe and being very impatient with his bolt drilling.
What I don't remember is the first pitch run-out. At first I was in disbelief--this is not a test piece route, it should be fun.
Then Ed said he was going to do the route, found the sheared off bolt, and also found an unreasonable run-out.
I don't remember the pitch. Maybe I had something in the waves of steeper rock to the left. Maybe I was concentrating on the steeper climbing above. Maybe I was just lost in a the sea of rock.
Whatever the 'maybes,' I blew it by not placing reasonable protection on the slabs. I have other routes where the run-outs are part of the climb and were well considered. On 'Peter, Peter' the goal was a fun route with a feature, the traversing roof, in the middle of all those knobs. Thanks to Ed, the original intent is now realized.
Best, Roger
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2007 - 02:35am PT
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A little picture essay...
Here is the topo as I see it:
I think it's better to start "in line" with the ramp instead of going around the left side of the roof as Falkenstein put it. Also, the first bolt is a bit farther right than it would seem natural given that the easier climbing is in the corner rather than on the face.
Here is an annotated photo of Aaron on our initial trip:
he gets up to the part just before the "5.9 slab", the cam is his last piece.
He did find the first bolt on the way down:
with the broken hanger, sheared flush. Here is it's replacement:
you can see the stud of the old bolt in the upper right corner... this is the only picture I have of the second trip.
Aaron making the 5.9 slab moves, note that the blue rope on the left is following the corner line rather than the roof as he did above:
And Aaron starting up the 3rd pitch above the ledge. He's looking for hangers...
Here we are in the hail storm, Jay Wood is over there having fun too!
Pictures in storms never make it look as bad as it was! But I was yelling "I LOVE THIS PLACE!" at the top of my lungs. We bailed off the great flake:
this is a 50m rap to the ground.
On the third trip last year, Gary is clipping the second bolt. He doesn't get pro in again until he gets to the lower part of the right facing corner. At this point he is already about 10 to 15 feet above the first bolt.
Simone on the ramp:
...and coming around from the roof. Gary told me she kept her left foot on the left facing corner as long as she possible could, inching up into a split as she reached further and further along the crack following the roof line. She was up for something different that day and she sure got it!
Gary and Simone on the ledge, in a warm October afternoon sun... beautiful day.
isn't that what it's all about?
I would like to thank Aaron, Gary and Simone for helping out, and Greg Barnes for some supplies and advice. And Roger Breedlove for the original route and lots of advice and good discussions regarding this route.
If you do it, have fun! but be careful, it is an old school Tuolumne Meadows route and demands your attention at all times. I hope you can enjoy it a bit more knowing the bolts are a bit more solid than before.
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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Aug 28, 2007 - 11:05am PT
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Great stuff Ed! Makes me want to go out and hit things with a hammer!
Ha! I thought Simone only bouldered! Evidence of her with a rope, hahaha!
Steve
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2007 - 11:37am PT
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Zander - Sure I'll go up with you and rebolt the anchor on Secret Storm, I think with your craftmanship you should have no problem with learning how to bolt.
spyork - Simone is a good friend and a really strong climber. She chooses to boulder, and she's really good at it. Every once and a while she goes out for an adventure to recharge her motivation. I feel extremely lucky when she goes out with me... she helps recharge my motivation too.
Tom - I think that the FAs are well enough known, and that there has been enough time to communicate, for us to know what there intention was... even if they are no longer around to communicate it. I felt really bad screwing up the bolt on the first pitch, so I had a couple of long emails with Roger over that bolt. In that case, having Roger around and accessible was wonderful, and made the project fun.
Thanks all for your good words. As I hope is evident, I think that a lot more praise is deserved to Greg Barnes, Roger Brown, and the ASCA crew than to me... I'm still walking around sore from Sunday's work.
I also think if you're interested in rebolting, you should talk to Greg and benefit from his extensive experience. For instance, I think that the 5-piece bolt is probably a lot more appropriate for rebolting projects as they are replacable without damaging the rock. This will be an issues in the future.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Aug 28, 2007 - 12:37pm PT
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Nice route, I don't know when I did it, sometime in the 80s with Craig Fry and maybe Dave Evans. I do remember, because of its location way over there on the right side, it had a sort of private feel to it. I remember the wonderful light that day and all the rust colored pine needles at the base.
(Thanks Ed for refreshing that opportunity, for others to enjoy, in the future)
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 7, 2007 - 01:26am PT
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re is the belay anchor at the top of Peter, Peter, 5/16" 1.5" split shaft button heads... sling doesn't look too old
Using a tuning fork, extract the bolt:
Reuse the holes, carefully drilling it out to accept the 3/8" 2.25" SS anchor bolts:
The day's labor, 7 bolts extracted and replaced...
...and litter cleaned up.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Good work Ed.
What's up with Sunrise Mountaineering and the Grandfields?
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