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| Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic |
murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 6, 2007 - 09:55pm PT
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No pictures--sorry, still have to pick up a pocket cam! Day trip from
SF. Chances like this are rare given my family situation (those
goddamn f*#kers!) (kidding) (honest!) and when chances arise, I am
SO stoked. So the email from a grad student in my department
coinciding with the sudden availability of a Saturday was like a
Plentiful Boon from Providence. We're both gym rats and fledgling
trad leaders wanting to lead easy stuff to shake out the bugs and
notch up the confidence without Daddy Mentor, so it's perfect. We
were hoping to do stuff at Lovers Leap, but Clint's warning about
conditions (on SuperTopo) dissuaded us.
Up before 5 & at Camp 4 before 9. Partner delayed, so I check out
Manure Pile---crowded enough to make the climber::ant analogy
inevitable. Uh-oh, our plan was for easy classics, and this might not
be the day for that.
Back to Camp 4, we meet and head out to Glacier Point, hike to the
Grack, and only have to wait a half-hour or so, with competent parties
moving nicely in front of us. The climb is fine, if a little boring,
you know, climbing-wise, but with wonderful views. And the chance to
place stoppers and cams every seven inches, and to build fifteen-piece
anchors is just what the doctor ordered. Still, I have to say that,
as a gym climber, I am freaked out by pure friction. I know, you just
stand up and it works. Hell you can probably walk right up the Grack.
Buit I don't trust friction. I like HOLDS. Give me a lieback or an
undercling or a fingernail crimp and I'm fine. But smearing both
hands and feet---even, like, on a horizontal surface---and I'm not
happy.
With renewed confidence in our Compleat Expertise, we head to Five
Open Books, gear up at the car, and promptly take the wrong Falls
path, tromping through a half-mile of tourists, exuding the jangling
macho of your middle-school janitor (Hi Frank!).
At Munginella (I did say "easy") we are delayed for an hour by a poor
guy taking a (Very) poor girl up too soon for her first multi-pitch.
She is quivering already by the first move, can't remove the first
piece, and it only gets worse from there. We clean the pitch for
them, assist their escape, imagining not without the temptation for a
chuckle their ride home, and write off my partner's ride.
The climb is fun and totally straightforward (with a third pitch that
I wish could have been about twelve times as long), convincing us that
we are indeed Trad Masters of The Universe. But it was getting a bit
dark on the descent, so we didn't have a chance to top off the day
with a quick run up The Rostrum.
When we got to Camp 4 at 7:00, Partner's (5:30) ride wasn't there, so I
had company home (yay), and an hour detour (boo). Turned out
Partner's ride was later than we were, and we left 15 minutes too
soon.
No one is reading now, after such a long and boring TR without photos. So I
can confess my undying love for Mary Lou Retton without fear of being
discovered. Ah, that felt good.
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
Hell on earth wondering what I did to deserve it
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Mary Lou Retton! Bleck!
Haha. Nice TR even without any visual candy. Sounds like a good day. :)
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2007 - 10:12pm PT
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Curses! Foiled again!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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somedays it's nice to cruise...
I don't know about Mary Lou though... maybe you should climb more and get your head right!
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2007 - 10:52pm PT
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but . . . she . . .
 this image courtesy pert plus (tr)
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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but.. she... probably has pretty flexible hips! an inspiration...
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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You promised no pictures.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Pert 'n' chunky!
I got tired of waiting to use that one, it almost fits here.
Nice Tr!
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| Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic |
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