Discussion Topic |
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Stanley Hassinger
climber
Eastern US
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 25, 2008 - 06:02pm PT
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Two of my friends and I did the Shield this past summer. What a spectacular place the headwall is. Does anyone have good shots of it? Want to share?
I'll start.
I took this shot with a little point and shoot at the top of the pitch after the tripple cracks. Great crack. Beautiful day. Long lead. Couldn't ask for more. My two partners are down below on the ledge.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho
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Feb 25, 2008 - 06:22pm PT
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Man, that crack is lookin' beat up...
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 25, 2008 - 06:28pm PT
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And that's not even the triple cracks.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 25, 2008 - 06:53pm PT
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Dale Bard cleaning the triple cracks; circa 197? something.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:25pm PT
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Werner,
the side lighting on that photo really brings out the band of lateral glacial scouring level with the lead one pitch above Mammoth.
Blur your eyes and check it out.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:27pm PT
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Presumptuous to assume that beating it out will allow for EITHER free climbing OR solid pro.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:36pm PT
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Bridwell wanted to put bolt on holds up there to the right, hahaha.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:42pm PT
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He would...that Bridwell! Howdy, Werner, how's things?
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:47pm PT
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" Presumptuous to assume that beating it out will allow for EITHER free climbing OR solid pro."
Seems to have "worked" all over the valley and elsewhere... Not that I'd advocate speeding up the process, but kinda hard to deny that eventually it will come to be.
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atchafalaya
climber
Babylon
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:53pm PT
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its presumptious to say its presumptious.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:55pm PT
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Ahem...presumptuous, I presume; i.e. Nefarius(above).
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 25, 2008 - 07:56pm PT
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I see.
So it becomes a communal project; "chipping by attrition" with plausible deniability for all!
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:03pm PT
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Hi Captain...or Skully I'm doing good.
But, who am I talking to?
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:08pm PT
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Kaptain Kirk....I left in 99, moved to Boise. I hang out with Cade up here.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:11pm PT
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Point is, it's inevitable. To say that the scarring that will happen over the years, as people continue to beat the pitch out, will not lend to free/protectable climbing isn't presumptuous, it would be preposterous.
Take a drive to your local crag, where the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. A significant number of the free lines in the valley were made by aid scarring. But, then again, you, Ron, of all people know that scarring leads to free lines. So, why would you argue this?
And I'm a little too young to be lumped into your "communal project" theory, dude! =) hehe
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:12pm PT
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Hey Kirk all right.
Fukin A good to see ya again.
I had no idea by your avatar.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:17pm PT
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Yeah, Cade calls me Skully now, for my Mescalito shenanigan...ah, well.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:19pm PT
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I of all people?
It all sounds like a convenient excuse not to go hammerless.
"I'm not scarring it. I'm making it go FREE!"
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Feb 25, 2008 - 08:28pm PT
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Of course, you of all people. Anytime something of this nature comes up, you're embroiled in it. Not to mention the "constructive" scarring you've done yourself.
Neither here nor there though. For the sake of this argument, scarring is scarring. Regardless of how it happens, it will, eventually, make a route free-able/protect-able. There's no way around that fact. To deny it is just being stubborn and hard-headed.
And, you'll notice I said immediately I wasn't advocating speeding the process up. So, I'd whole-heartedly appreciate you not trying to lump me in with the hammer crowd.
Sheesh!
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Stanley Hassinger
climber
Eastern US
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 25, 2008 - 09:07pm PT
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Ok. Things took an argumentative turn in what I had hoped would be a thread with great pictures of a great route. Here's an effort to get us back on track.
Granted, the last two aren't of the headwall, but still fun to look at I think.
Anybody else got stuff to share?
This is my buddy Jeff leading the Groove:
And Here is my bro at the anchor atop pitch 6 (that is, the sixth after mammoth):
This is Jeff leading the traverse pitch immediately preceding the roof pitch:
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Feb 25, 2008 - 09:11pm PT
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Thanks for the great pics... I've got to get on that route one day...
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Stanley Hassinger
climber
Eastern US
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 25, 2008 - 09:32pm PT
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Last one of my decent headwall photos. This is Jeff leading the last pitch of the headwall. I think after this it was just one more pitch to chickenhead ledge.
Ok, now that I've mentioned it I might as well include one of the oh so sweet chickenhead ledge.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Feb 25, 2008 - 09:36pm PT
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Anyone else notice the increase of vegitation around the base of the Captain in the first picture compaired to the one taken in the 70's by Braun? Not sure if that's a good thing or not.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Feb 25, 2008 - 09:48pm PT
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Sorry, Stanley. I'm really not arguing with Ron. I like Ron. Just making a point and that doesn't always come out right online.
Regardless, I digress. And I apologize for the hijack. Carry on with the awesome pics of The Shield Headwall! =)
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T2
climber
Cardiff by the sea
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Feb 25, 2008 - 09:55pm PT
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What a steller place to get to visit
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Stanley Hassinger
climber
Eastern US
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 25, 2008 - 10:18pm PT
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No worries, Nefarius.
Cool picture, T2! When was it taken? Is that another party behind you guys low down on the headwall?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 25, 2008 - 10:38pm PT
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Sorry to redivert from a celebration of the communal unspoken chipping project, but "constructive scarring" referred to minimizing the detrimental effects of unavoidable nailing.
I was not, for the umpteenth phucking time, ADVOCATING scarring.
(Now lets confuse this further by bringing in drilling why dontcha! Sheesh.)
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T2
climber
Cardiff by the sea
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Feb 25, 2008 - 10:52pm PT
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Stanley: I believe we did the climb in 98' I remember blasting the day of Walt Shipleys memorial. I was fortunate enough to get to lead the whole climb, what a gift for such a beautiful climb. Yes that is a party blow us that had just turned the roof pitch. I think that picture of yours on your blog turning the roof is a outstanding photo.
Mike: We should meet up with our friend Ammon sometime soon. Do you surf? If so lets go surfing near Ammon and Gabes.
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Feb 25, 2008 - 11:21pm PT
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I hope to go up ther some day and slam a few pins in that beyutiful crack! ;)
..and Mike. Fix your piture!
The shot straight down between your legs on the portaledge is my favorite all time EC picture.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Feb 25, 2008 - 11:41pm PT
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Charlie Porter on the Triple Cracks during the FA, 1972 - photo by Gary Bocarde
from
http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/gallery.html?r=ybelshie&n=2
The article "El Cap Update" and photos I remember were in Mountain Magazine, with Burton and Sutton on the second ascent, where Sutton used many knifeblades with red tie-off slings in a row (vs. RURPs for Porter on the FA). This is photo #59 in Yosemite Climber, but there were other good photos in the Mountain article.
By 1975, I heard it was "beat-out" already, taking baby angles.
The pin-bashing up there is a touchy subject. People just have to do it as clean as they can. Carrying pins doesn't mean you have to use them or beat extra hard on them. Doing the route entirely clean could be a tall order, but people shouldn't feel too defeated if there are a couple of placements they can't manage clean. It might be good if people reported which of the headwall pitches they were able to do entirely clean (with existing fixed gear), or how many placements they had to use a hammer on for the other pitches. That would give others a standard to compare with.
I remember before I did it in the late 80s, there was a story about how somebody had zippered the A3 groove pitch. I led that pitch almost entirely clean, using TCUs, nuts and fixed gear, plus resetting a couple of the fixed heads that had loosened over the winter. The crux was threading the hole on a fixed RURP - I used the very thin wire of a tiny steel nut.
In photo #8 of the supertopo photos linked above, the caption reads:
"A climber in the middle of the notorius Groove Pitch during the last rays of light of The Shield. While the crack appears big from a distance, it actually only takes copperheads, birdbeaks, and knifeblades."
I swear there was some clean gear on this pitch.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 25, 2008 - 11:55pm PT
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Oh .... so it's this one .....
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Double D
climber
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Feb 26, 2008 - 12:27am PT
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Sahweeet photo Werner!
Kevin...how cool that must have been to watch! I always regret not doing an early ascent of that thing when it was still a rurp crack.
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ec
climber
ca
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Feb 26, 2008 - 12:39am PT
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Approach pitch to the Shield Roof:
Cleaning the Triple Cracks:
Shield headwall bivy view in the AM:
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atchafalaya
climber
Babylon
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Feb 26, 2008 - 01:32pm PT
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Is this thread done? Really? Sorry the first one is poor quality. It was a throw away camera.
danglefest on the roof
Close-up of our bivy at start of triple cracks
I could look at shield pictures all day.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Feb 28, 2008 - 04:21pm PT
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Me too. Ok, this one's back on the list.
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Gene
climber
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Feb 28, 2008 - 06:08pm PT
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Walleye,
Story please.
GM
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Feb 28, 2008 - 06:17pm PT
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He kinda looks like Rob Yang (rhyang). Pre-accident, of course! =)
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Feb 28, 2008 - 08:15pm PT
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ahhh...
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Mimi
climber
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Spike Davis, 1987. What a great route! Thanks to Photoshop Elements, I was able to rotate the slide correctly.
Hanging out above the Groove at 3:30 in the afternoon. Nobody else on the wall, beautiful day!
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Cool pics, Mimi! Do you think people will actually believe people sent walls without all the new-fangled, fancy, shiny gear of today though? And dig the "technical" clothing! =)
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Mimi
climber
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Thanks Nef!
The gear we had was so old by today's standards. We might have had four cherished Metolius/Wired Bliss TCUs. At least we had plenty of rigid stemmed Friends. And lots of wired stoppers and small hexes. My ledge was Deucie's old Frog ledge. A fine prototype but I can still remember cussing it hanging there trying to set it up. Once setup, it was divine. As you can see, Mike is on the SAR's shared subledge. For those not in the know, it was a rigid bed frame from a submarine that I think the Fish scored.
We made the mistake of leaving our gear on top and heading for beer via the East Ledges. We returned via Tamarack Flat a couple days later and hiked it out. Great visuals hanging out at the lip watching a peregrine riding the thermals screaming up the face. Brutal 13 miles round trip and mostly uphill on that darned closed road. We didn't realize how long it would be and we didn't have the gate key. After dividing the gear, I ended up with the subledge. I really had to watch it when a breeze came up as it would blow me sideways.
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Spencer Adkisson
Trad climber
Reno, NV
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Salmanizer, The increase in vegitation you noticed is undoubtedly a result of the lack of fire in the valley. Native Americans used to burn purposely, and repeatedly in order to provide for more oak, and less pine.
There is a really interesting article titled, "The History of Oak Woodlands in California, Part II:The Native American and Historic Period" by Scott Mensing in The California Geographer, Vol. 46 2006.
It is an interesting topic (to some). Here is an excerpt:
"...Today, pines are invading oak woodlands, similar to the successional pattern found in Yosemite National Park. Thus, where conifers and oaks are associated, fire suppression favors conifers, whereas in stands of pure coast live oak, the absence of fire favors increased density of oak woodlands (Mensing 22).
You can probably find the publication through the California Geographic Society. Interesting history about Native Americans, Spanish settlers, and oak woodlands in Cali.-----Enjoy. =) SA
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Gunkie
climber
East Coast US
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I liked the picture of Chickenhead Ledge. So much of not-in-a-day or non-push wall climbing is simply waiting around. That picture really illustrates the peaceful wall climbing moments.
Thanks for posting.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Cool info and shots, Mimi!
Totally cool pic of you with that big ass ledge strapped to your back! hahaha Proud!
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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The Shield has the greatest positioning of any wall I ever did. Most of the walls I climbed I've largely forgotten about but the Shield - never! Sensational pics . . .
JL
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MZiebell
Social climber
Prescott, AZ
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Bump
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Mimi
climber
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A fine bump for Chickenhead! Mike wanted to bivy on top of the Triple Cracks, which was my lead, but I wanted to hang out on the headwall there and party. He said if we stopped there, we had to make Chickenhead the next day. I said no problem and we got there easily. We were really cruising at that point especially after having gotten the manky crux Groove pitch out of the way without a ripper.
While on the ledge that night hanging in our ledges, a weather experiment was launched somewhere over Cali. When we first spotted it in the sky, it looked like a bright missile heading right for El Cap. As it got closer and closer, I began to express my fear by sitting up and yelling WTF! when it exploded into a large green cloud in the sky. Of course, it appeared a lot closer than it really was. heh-heh. Really got the adrenalin going again though.
Another shot of Mike on the headwall. What an excellent partner.
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rjtrials
Sport climber
ChattaVegas
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Very inspiring photos!
Has this route seen many free attempts??
RJ
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Feb 26, 2014 - 12:14am PT
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Bump for some cool content.
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