Recovered Gear on Third Pillar of Dana --July 17/18

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 41 - 60 of total 140 in this topic

<< First | < Previous | Show All | Next > | Last >>

WBraun

climber

Jul 19, 2010 - 01:11am PT

Yeah I think Bertrand was just asking if someone came upon their gear and if they'd like to return it.

I think that's all it was .... ?

High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber

Full Silos of Iowa

Jul 19, 2010 - 01:13am PT

Yeah, that's all it was. -Till the pinhead fool started up with the monday morning quarterbacking like it was gospel, a for-sure consensus in black and white, that needed to be heeded, do it my way or else. (First page.)

Bertrand

climber

California

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 19, 2010 - 05:29am PT

TC, this is where we started...directly across from my buddy, and then up the blocky ramp to the squarish ledge. I think that is the normal start.

Yes we brought photocopies of the topo from the ST book. I didn't lead the first pitch, so both my focus at the time and my recollection of it were limited.

Later in the climb, I came up to the ledge in the earlier photo from the right side...coming up through a steep right facing corner (hands), which followed a thigh sized right diagonalling ow that mercifully had an inside corner for hands and a jagged right lip for the occasional right foot.

I don't know if it is the variation you named, but aside from being lost-and then getting a little over my head on the sustained steep fingers above the rooflet, the climbing was quite enjoyable.

Brokedownclimber

Trad climber

Douglas, WY

Jul 19, 2010 - 09:53am PT

Bertrand;
I should have said this earlier: "Glad you made it down safely!"

Regarding the "ownership" of gear left bailing off a climb, I believe that The Mountain has ownership. Whenever I've left gear there, it's strictly "finders-keepers." Occasionally a close friend may retrieve gear that he knew you left will make a special effort to retrieve it and return it.

In July 1966, S-T member Patrick Oliver and I were descending the N. Chimney on Longs Peak after completing the 4th ascent of the Diagonal (V,5.9,A3) and were both pretty wiped out. We were rapping, cause we were too exhausted to attempt the downclimb with all the aid gear and other crap. We hung my 165' goldline, and we simply said "phuck it," we were in no shape to attempt to retrieve said rope. A few days later a close friend, Roger V, came into the Rocky Mtn Rescue office and handed me my rope, but I tried to refuse it, saying that it was his. He insisted that I take it, so I did. I never again used the rope, but kept it as a memento of a great climb.

Rodger

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Jul 19, 2010 - 10:01am PT

Posting on a Calicentric site I have to endure Dana Pillar mania several times a year. Never has a quaint little 5 pitch climb received more press. Anything else to climb out that way?

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Jul 19, 2010 - 10:13am PT

Maybe the proper line needs to be color coded like the routes they climb in their local gyms.

High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber

Full Silos of Iowa

Jul 19, 2010 - 10:21am PT

Bertrand- Just noticed you authored that other thread. What's up with that?! It is a climbers' forum, man, and, FYI, it is considered bad form to nuke a thread.

Jerry Dodrill

climber

Sebastopol, CA

Jul 19, 2010 - 10:29am PT

FYI, it is considered bad form to nuke a thread.

^...unless it gets hijacked to the point of ridiculousness.

Bertrand, glad you survived both storms.

Fuzzywuzzy

climber

suspendedhappynation

Jul 19, 2010 - 11:39am PT

Werner -

I remember that storm. Luke was up there with you, right?

A lot of folks had a scary time that evening.

What a storm.

TC

Bertrand

climber

California

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 19, 2010 - 12:37pm PT

I didn't mind doing a bit of a variation, once realizing we were probably off the "obvious" route; I had read there were many ways to go and felt confident enough to keep going up regardless of my level of certainty of where I was. Perhaps that was a mistake on this particular day.. Good one, Donini. I know this route isn't supposed to be a big deal.

HFCS, I didn't nuke the other thread! In fact the comments on both these discussions have affected my opinion on each matter.

rhyang

climber

SJC

Jul 19, 2010 - 02:08pm PT

Promised my 57 year old mother I would take her on the west ridge of conness - camped at Young Lakes and by 7 am there were big puffy clouds moving FAST.

Sounds like good times :) How did the approach look snow-wise ? Anyone been on the approach from Saddlebag Lake lately ?

corniss chopper

Mountain climber

san jose, ca

Jul 19, 2010 - 02:16pm PT

An old trip report (w/ the proverbial sudden lightning storm) & pictures from 1931.
Climbers having fun and dealing with adversity.

http://www.thehighsierra.org/palisades_climbing_school.htm

The Wedge

Boulder climber

Santa Rosa & Bishop, CA

Jul 19, 2010 - 02:28pm PT

It is called a plateau! Wake up. YOu can only see in one direction. The way off is up, not down. And then you are still not safe considering the 3.5 hour hike out on the Plateau. You are hanging you ass out in the wind. Doing that rt with clouds, or a chance of a thunderstorm, is just wrong. You can only see in wrong direction of which a majority of the storms come from (nice photo).
But you got off safe and learned a thing or two. 3 cams are cheap in comparison to your health or calling out SAR.

deschamps

Trad climber

Out and about

Jul 19, 2010 - 02:33pm PT

Wow, this has become quite the analysis / flaming / "this is what to do next time" in reaction to a simple bail due to weather. Weather happens, people bail. No big deal.

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Jul 19, 2010 - 03:13pm PT

Bertrand: Some random thoughts

Glad you guys survived without significant hardship.
Disclaimer: I've never climbed 3d Pillar. Have scoped out the approach a couple of times.
Speed in the mountains is safety as we all know. I'd say 3.5 hours car to ropeup on 3d Pillar isn't too bad. I can only guess how long the climb itself takes.

We all "roll the dice" every time we rope up. Often on the approach or descent.
Weather is one of the calculations.
Summer in the Sierras I always assume at least 20% chance of showers in the afternoon. More in July. Clouds by 10:00 AM and I start to get twitchy about the weather.

If we walked back to the car without roping up as soon as we saw clouds we'd hardly get any long routes done.

Plenty of high country routes obscure the likely approach direction of thunderstorms and they can appear suddenly. Extra vigilance on those routes: south east side of Cathedral Peak, Stately Pleasure Dome, most of the east side routes in the High Sierra.

That being said, the first pic you posted: I'd most likely have turned back at that point.
At post #40 you have another pic and ask

Here is the sky about 1 hr before the rain started.

That low on the route, with those clouds forming, I'd have bailed. The diffuse cloud at the right indicates wind and probably colder air. Plenty of times, I've bailed and then watched the clouds dissipate and cursed my decision.

No one's thought to mention you might have been safer where you sat out the storm on the side of the pillar than if you'd been caught on the wide open Dana Plateau.

It looks as if you were in the general area where Jeff Maurer fell last August
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/946005/Jeff-Maurer-Rest-in-Peace

By the way. I didn't interpret your original post as begging for your gear back. Three SLCDs is a meaningful fistful of cash for some of us (including me). You clearly said you didn't expect it to be returned.

I don't often hear of climbers in the Sierra or Yosemite getting hit by lightning. Top of Half Dome being the exception.

Good on ya for not taking the bait thrown at you on this forum.
I expect most of the bait throwers have been caught high in a thunderstorm, or worse. Obviously they've lived to tell about it. I have.

It's good we have this forum to learn from each others' mistakes.

Charlie D.

Trad climber

Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra

Jul 19, 2010 - 04:07pm PT

Reminds me of the time I asked Ferdinand, "what's the weather been doing?" He looked out from the kiosk into the sky as if he was channeling hidden energy and simply replied, "summer".