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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 13, 2009 - 09:30am PT
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Mid-pitch doublers are jive, IMO. Finish the lead or deal with it yourself. Don't place unnecessary convenience anchors. Keep it clean ...and tight! LOL
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Roger Brown
climber
Oceano, California
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May 13, 2009 - 10:48pm PT
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Hell Clint,
I rap from a single device, single biner, and a single rope all the time. I guess I can rap from a single bolt once in a while. Especially since I know the guy that placed it:-),
Roger
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Chief
climber
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May 11, 2010 - 10:49am PT
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bump for a great thread and for adventures on Mother Middle!
I've mentioned a factor about all the climbing on MCR before, or most north facing walls for that matter - the routes look real licheny, grungy even, from the base because you're seeing only the undersides of all the roofs and scoops on the wall. But after climbing a pitch you look down and see the true colors of the rock appear on all the upward facing texture which has been scoured by weather for eons. The foreboding lead you stepped out on, looks instead like a mosaic of bright colors and generous, clean holds. It's always a kick to watch your partner negotiate the pitch from above.
This wonderful phenomena had Sutton and I trying to think of some names with an orange theme when we did The Grand Wazoo. Orange Sunshine, Orange Barrel, Tangerine Dream etc. Zappa trumped em all.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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May 12, 2010 - 10:07am PT
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Look here ,brother. Who you jivin' with that Cozmic Debris?!? You could make more money as a sportclimber, so don't waste your climb on me...
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Red Wing
climber
Truckee
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Jan 27, 2013 - 04:36pm PT
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Didn't catch this the first time around. Anyone get on Mother Earth this summer? Anyone want to give it a go early June when the route is dry? Serious offer...
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David Wilson
climber
CA
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Jan 27, 2013 - 07:52pm PT
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This is a great thread, one of the gems of ST. Mark, any more pics out in the garage?
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Jan 27, 2013 - 10:52pm PT
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Father Time 5.13b... That's over my head.
I'd be up for another trip up Mother Earth. I've only been to the start of pitch 7. I'd like to finish it to p. 10.
Still have to figure out how to get off the thing from pitch 10.
Doing several pitches of 5.10 crap to traverse off to the gunsight is bullsh#t. I'm thinking of adding an anchor to the top of pitch 7 or just below and rapping into the Smith Crawford.
Either way, I'm your huckleberry.
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Red Wing
climber
Truckee
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Jan 27, 2013 - 10:56pm PT
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Thanks Clint! When was the last time someone topped out this route?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2013 - 12:27am PT
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Chad,
An anchor at (7) would not interfere with the climbing, but it would be hard to reach (6) from it because p7 traverses so much. Maybe you could reach (5) or something on Crazy?
Also, the anchor near the start of (10) which we rapped from is a single (newly replaced SS 3/8") bolt.
The traversing to the Gunsight is just one 5.10 pitch and a bunch of 3rd/4th class. And it is just a couple of 5.10 moves. If you did that 5.10 pitch, there is an anchor for Border Country at its end, which you could rap if you didn't want to scramble down the Gunsight. Not as straightforward as rapping Mother Earth, though.
Maybe simplest is to leave a biner or sling on the bolt on p7 and rap from it.
Red Wing,
I don't know when someone last climbed the entire Mother Earth. We know Mark and Max did it, but I don't know if others have repeated the entire route since then. Mikey might know.
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Yosemite
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Gotta bump this one again.
And say thanks to Long, Warbler, Meyers, Kauk, Chapman and everyone else that inspired me to look deeper and go farther up there on Middle Cathedral. Father Time wouldn't exist if you guys hadn't been inspiring me for so many years!
Red Wing, not sure if anyone has topped out ME lately. My original plan was to go up there and try and free the thing but I got distracted by the virgin rock out left...
Here are some pics by Jeff Johnson that will hopefully get others psyched to go check out Middle Cathedral. The season is almost here!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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wonderful place to be
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Anybody wants a taste of this stuff, try the Flakes first. Just advisin'.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Spectacular looking route, Mikey. We pushed it about as far as we could given we were going ground-up, on-sight. I remember being stoked that when we finally did Mother Earth on the 2nd go, I climbed the whole thing, bottom to top, no falls.
Now I wish we had gone up there at least one time with a modern approach and tried to boulder out a dandy. Great you guys did. Middle is a fantastic playground but the routes take a lot of time to establish for many reasons. I can only imagine how much work Mikey and the others put in to get this line on the wall.
JL
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Rollover
climber
Gross Vegas
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Dec 25, 2013 - 11:12am PT
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Bump
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Sport-o-land
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Oct 21, 2015 - 03:28pm PT
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I actually went and checked out Mother Earth last week. Went up there with Josh Wharton. We managed to climb up to the big ledge and do the first A3 pitch before bailing.
A few notes. We found the climbing to be great and challenging. It definitely felt really sandbagged. Not sure if this was because I haven't been climbing or what but the 5.10 is the real deal up there. Went and climbed a "modern" route on Fifi buttress a day later and found the the difference in grades to be about a whole number. In fact I'm pretty sure I had to try harder on the 11c move on pitch 7 then I did on a 12+ on Fifi... That pitch 7 is a real voyage. Not exactly sure where the leap move is though. It felt pretty exciting to follow. Maybe a fix pin is now gone? I left a stopper before the downclimb to protect a possible big swing.
Pitch 9 is extremely dirty these days and totally over grown. Actually it was so shitty that I'll probably never go up there again.
The big half way ledge is amazing and has to be one of the best bivis in Yosemite. Easy to untie and scramble around.
The first A3 pitch off the ledge was a lot more challenging than I expected. I think it has something to do with the fact that the bolts are 40 years old now. I replaced a couple of them with 1/4"s and one 3/8th down low. Still felt like legit A3. Not old school trade route El Cap A3... In fact I didn't see a single pin scar. I added a bolt to the belay on the top of this pitch or where I think the belay should be. No sign of any fixed gear and anything that would make a great belay. No idea if I was suppose to keep going or what. We tr'd this pitch at mid 5.13. probably a V5 at two-thirds height.
The next A4 pitch also looked pretty legit. I also think this pitch would go free but would probably need a handful of bolts to do so. Was thinking this would be a good hybrid free ascent where the leader would aid climb it and the follower could free it. Best of both worlds maybe...
Having climbed a fair bit around yosemite in the last 20 years I gotta say this is maybe one of the proudest routes ever done. Truly a test of all the skills required to be a true yosemite climber. Bravo to everyone on the FA that managed to get the rope up. I'm thoroughly impressed and need to go back and finish this one.
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Matt's
climber
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Oct 21, 2015 - 06:14pm PT
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bump-- cool stories all around!
i remember leafing through the reid book and wondering if anyone had tried to free mother earth... now we know.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Oct 22, 2015 - 12:11pm PT
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I've always wondered about the history of that part of Middle Cathedral Rock, partly because MCR is my favorite climbing formation in the Valley, but partly because in July of 1974, while on the regular North Buttress Route, we saw a party that appeared to be attempting a line in the vicinity of Mother Earth, but retreated. Does anyone know anything about any attempts prior to the successful ascent?
I also second Mouse's advice upthread. Do The Flakes first to get a taste of what you're getting into.
John
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 22, 2015 - 04:51pm PT
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John,
Yes, the first page of this thread describes how there were multiple attempts on the lower part of Middle Earth, starting in 1971 (or perhaps after 1973):
Jun 15, 2006, 10:20am PT
Author: Roger Breedlove
Trad climber From: Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Here were my two cents in about 1974:
"There is another route, as yet unfinished, to the right of the North Face Slab. George Meyers began it in 1971, by climbing a pillar at the base of the wall. He has returned at least eight times, gone through as many partners, and is seven pitches up. Though slow, this sort of climbing project, which, as Steve Roper comments, 'sound like a job!", lacks none of the sprit and adventure of most first ascents. Climbing a 10ft. 'blank' section free can be as absorbing, time-consuming and serious as an entire pitch.
George often feels oppressed by his 'Big One', as it has come to be known, and would like to get it finished. He is not trying to do impossible feats on the route: he is doing what climbers know to be possible, but he trying it on a big, almost blank wall. His route in some ways epitomizes the newer routes on Middle, and perhaps points the direction for other new routes. Those who are repulsed by the elements of drudgery in his ascent should rest assured that some day the route will be a pleasant romp for some young climber."
I do not remember if the ‘began it in 1971’ is accurate. Might be. However, when we started climbing on the North Face Apron in 1973, nothing else was over there.
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