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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 12, 2007 - 05:59pm PT
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at www.alpinist.com/doc/web07f/rb-own-power-diamond
or just go to the alpinist site and the blog
there is a short piece about Michael Haag and myself climbing Pervertical Sanctuary. Some additional details: Michael carried a 145 lb haulbag about a third of the way up the trail by himself, since I cannot carry much weight. Our new friend Nick passed Michael on the trail, caught up to me (you know you have a heavy load when you can't walk as fast as I can, ha!) and when I told him what we were up to he and I traded packs and he raced down to Michael to take some of the hardware from the haulbag.
Nick quickly caught up to me again, which isn't difficult to do, and we walked most of the rest of the way in together to the cirque, becoming fast friends. Having traveled this trail before, but having been carried in and out, I marveled at the hard won progress that I had made in the ensuing 13 years, and at the tenacity and grit that the crew who had carried me in and out in 94 had shown. Arriving at the cirque and looking up at the face again, this time having made it in under my own power, was a moment that I will never forget. The gratitude I felt for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me is something that I cannot begin to put into words. This feeling was reinforced when Michael arrived shouldering a still overwhelmingly heavy haulbag. A huge grin on his face.
On day 2 we kicked it around the Hilton before Michael headed up to fix the pitches to Broadway, I built a prayer wheel stared at the Diamond and all of the routes on it that I hope to do, and watched the hummingbirds play. That evening another climber arrived at our camp. She and her partner had just done the casual route, and on the last rap their rope had gotten stuck. While trying to free it a rock at least three feet wide became dislodged and came crashing down on them. The result was the loss of the toe next to the big toe (the latter was broken and dislocated) on her partners foot. Michael tended to him with his first aid kit, cleaning the wound with water and gauze, and giving the now amputee climber some topical antibiotic to cover the affected area.
At 3:00 AM the next morning we were up and on the way. I made good progress up to the snowfield, but was very slow up to Mills Glacier as I kicked steps in the snow and hoped with each movement of my left foot that my right would support me until I could get back on the left, gripping my hiking poles for all I was worth. Once I made it to Broadway and a good part of the way across I had Michael rig a line for me to jug horizontally. I frequently fall on less treacherous terrain and didn't want to tempt fate any more than I already was. Once on the route we moved efficiently, but were no threat to any speed records. Michael free climbed the beautiful cracks with grace, and I focused on keeping the lines running smoothly, and not letting anything get snagged below us. Cleaning was a breeze as he was running it out on many of the sections, and the route runs vertically the entire way.
We were blessed with beautiful weather until we were on the fourth pitch from the top, when the wind picked up and the rain began to fall. Michaels jacket ended up being less waterproof than he had hoped for, and he began becoming hypothermic. I was already shadowboxing at the belays to keep my core body temperature up, and suggested that he do something similar before he cracked some teeth, or worse! The route became a waterfall, the thunder cracked louder, the sky grew darker, the wind stronger, and we made it over the top.
As neither of us had done Kiener's before, and it was still storming, we began looking for the trail in as unsuccessful a manner as one could. We climbed over and across large wet boulders, scrambled up talus, went back and forth, until we finally relented and each sought shelter behind seperate rocks to wait for the light of morning. I catnapped off and on for several hours before I fell soundly asleep for what seemd like many hours but was actually about ninety minutes. I awoke to find my right leg, which is little more than the proverbial skin and bones from the knee down, as numb and cold as I can ever remember it being. After massaging it for a couple of hours the sensation returned, mercifully.
With first light we realized that we had been quite close to the trail that leads to Kiener's, and followed it after a breakfast of several macadamia nuts and half of a Luna bar each. We dispatched Kiener's quickly and luxuriated in the sun for about 20 minutes before beginning our way down the trail. After a couple of hours the sun retreated behind the gathering clouds and we were treated to a wind and hail storm that soaked michael to the core once again. As I was dry and relatively warm, and Michael was once again shivering and less than lucid, I suggested to him that he go ahead to his warm sleeping bag waiting at the Hilton. In his condition his directions to the trail that leads to the boulder field trail were less than perfect, and when I realized that I had missed it I just continued to bush whack, knowing that I was going down in elevation, and would meet up with trails above and next to Black Lake, five plus miles away.
At the magnificent Black Lake I met Shannon and her friend, who treated me to a breakfast of homemade peanut butter cookies and Cranberry Juice Cocktails. Never has food tasted so good. Reinforced and rested, after a break of about half an hour, I made my way to the trailhead and shuttle stop. I met up with Michael back at the Rocky Mtn Natl park parking lot, and we drove to Estes Park for a well deserved dinner.
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Kevster
Trad climber
Evergreen, CO
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Sep 12, 2007 - 06:24pm PT
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Wayne,
Great story! It sounds like you had a "Full Value" Diamond climbing experience. Those are the days that stand out in my mind over time. I think I had heard about your ascent, and in your physical condition it is truly remarkable you had the mental toughness for the approach, which is really the crux of climbing on the Diamond. Great job up there and hope to hear about your climb next year, maybe the Yellow Wall?
Take it easy,
Kevin Stricker
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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bump; it was cool to hear wayne tell this story at the base of el cap on sunday.
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Loom
climber
The Whiteboard Jungle
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Wayne, congratulations on another fine ascent. I enjoyed your TR.
Scott
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Seems "Black Lake" should really be some other lake and/or "Kiener's" should really be "Keyhole". Basically, I have no idea from reading where he went. Best fit is that it sounds like he went down the Keyhole to the Trough to Black Lake, and out Glacier Gorge? If so, that's a huge and understated seperation from a partner and bivy back above Chasm Lake. Must have had cell phones or something.
JLP
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
St. Looney
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Thanks for finding this and bumping it. I was bummed that it had slipped off the front page so quickly when it was posted. I totally missed it. Looking forward to his next TR...
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Euroford
Trad climber
chicago
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awsome! i always love tales of diamond adventure.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Nov 19, 2007 - 01:47pm PT
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Hi Wayne,
Congratulations for a fine ascent and for all the hard work over the years. Getting up there on your own after (13 years?) must be very satisfying. Great trip report.
All the best. Happy Thanksgiving.
Roger
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couchmaster
climber
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Nov 19, 2007 - 02:24pm PT
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Got to file this one under "incredibly inspiring tales".
Thanks for sharing Wayne.
Bill
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