Scramble in the Palisades: 7/15/06

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marty(r)

climber

beneath the valley of ultravegans

Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 20, 2006 - 05:27pm PT

Following the success of Tarbuster's/Roy's "Scrambles in the Rockies" series, here are some shots from a long day out in the Palisades. I'd hoped to do the Thunderbolt to Sill traverse in a push, starting before sunrise and hopefully finishing before dark. With the aid of bad karaoke at Whiskey Creek in Bishop, three hours of sleep, and the poor decision to go up the North Couloir on Winchell, I only got as far as North Pal before descending the U-Notch (soft, but there are three tiers to the 'schrund.) Here's the view north from the summit of Thunderbolt:
This is a more head-on view of the "Lightning Rod": Looking to the east there's Temple and Gayley: And still farther south there's Starlight (North Pal is obscured from view) and some snow. What you don't get a shot of is the cave-ass rig I was running for shade. After all that snow to reach the crest I was fried and had to tape two PowerBar wrappers to my Long's Drug Jackie-O shades to make a sad pair of glacier goggles! Pathetic.

Anyhow, there's a ton of snow up there. Ex-Vogue model Jacqueline Florine'd been there a few days before trying to set the women's 14ers record. I never found any of Reardon's Vagisil or huggers, but he's fit and I have no doubt that he did the whole enchilada last summer. Croft calls it grade 4 which seems right--a long day, emphasis on long. I'm out of shape from a month of honeymooning and eating non-vegan grub in France. No doubt Pat Nay'll chime in about doing it in '73 and some runner stud'll say I live at the edge of wuss cliff for not finishing it out, but I had a lot of fun. Other "stuff" to follow...

BrentA

Gym climber

estes park

Jul 20, 2006 - 05:45pm PT

Dry leather boots or wet approach shoes?

Both?

Cheers

marty(r)

climber

beneath the valley of ultravegans

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2006 - 06:06pm PT

BrentA,
Soggy Guide Tennies, two pairs of socks, and those Newtons for a change of pace from the swamp-funk that my toes were swimming in after all that snow. Tennies are all you really need. Oh, I had a shortie 8mm line that I used to rap the Lightning Rod and out of the U-Notch, but otherwise downclimbed/scrambled the other descents. Stick left after T.bolt (find the cool slab), then right of everything that looks intimidating from the notch on out. MUCH better rock than many of these kinds of link-ups. The summit blocks of T.Bolt and Starlight are rad, and the "Milk Bottle" is pretty darn classic. Enjoy.

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

Jul 20, 2006 - 06:20pm PT

Very cool, even better than today's special ed!

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Jul 20, 2006 - 06:30pm PT

Marty(r)
Thanks for the pics. I love the way the lines and fractures of the assembled photos mirror the lines and fractures of the rocks therein.
Zander

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Jul 20, 2006 - 06:41pm PT

Way Cool!
(shyte, flash back: haven't said that in a coon's age).
(D'oh! Coons age, that's Largo speak)

So you were solo too.
What a neato day out.
Who cares what you did or didn't finish.
All adventures rightly finish at the car and the beer cooler.

Those mosaic-like panoramas are fun too.
Got any more Sierra scramble stuff?
Let 'Er Rip!

marty(r)

climber

beneath the valley of ultravegans

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2006 - 07:05pm PT

Matt,
Sid is dead, dude. Or like Slapshot said, "Punk's dead/You're next!" Just kidding. My lid goes wacky--or what the chic salons now call 'bed head'--when I'm back there.

Anyhow, just a few other shots to break up the boredom:
The view up to Aiguille du Midi on the telepherique:

My honeydip posing down in front of Les Droites/Grand Jourasses:

The herd finishing the ridge up to A.du Midi:

Rad location, plus you can order espresso at the summit!

marty(r)

climber

beneath the valley of ultravegans

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2006 - 07:10pm PT

Tar,
I'll see what else I can dig up. This should tide you over:
Matthes Crest looking north...

Matthes crest looking south...

Adamame

Trad climber

Oakland

Jul 20, 2006 - 07:52pm PT

Nice pics VLG! When were those pictures from the Matthes Crest taken? I Can't wait to do that thing again.

marty(r)

climber

beneath the valley of ultravegans

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2006 - 08:09pm PT

Manchild! Sheesh, this place drags everyone into the light. Those flics were from two springs ago, right when the pass opened. I think it was April 15 or so, 2004. Our bottles froze and we had to crank to In'n'Out for grilled cheeses, then plugged on home to the 510 where I had a job interview the next day! Rad times. Keep in touch.
(d)V(lg[m])

westhegimp

Social climber

granada hills

Jul 20, 2006 - 08:13pm PT

Nice pics Marty. That just looks sick!!!!!! Keep'em comming.
Wes

BrentA

Gym climber

estes park

Jul 24, 2006 - 02:27am PT

Martyr....

or anyone else.

HOw many nights have you slept in the Midi Telepherique bathroom?

I think Im at 4.

le_bruce

climber

Oakland: what's not to love?

Dec 19, 2008 - 02:44pm PT

Bump - someone build on this killer thread with photos, stories, anything Sierra-related...

Festus

Social climber

Enron by the Sea

Dec 19, 2008 - 03:32pm PT

Cracko, Jacko & Hacko (aka Festus) stashing gear for the next day's climb...

then returning to the same spot to dig it out and bail (summitless) two days later, after waiting out the snowstorm first at Sam Mack Meadow and then at that emergency shelter at a slightly lower elevation that locals call Rossi's.