Trip Report
Sea of Dreams
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Wednesday July 1, 2015 4:42pm
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Andy KP
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About the Author
Andy KP is a climber from the UK |
Comments
johntp
Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
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Stoopid climbing content.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Wow! Almost forty years later, that climb is still serious in my book - and your description did nothing to change my mind. Congratulations on doing it solo - and on conveying the fear of hard aid so well.
John
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Russ Walling
Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
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Super!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Great stuff - thanks for sharing.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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wow - that is an excellent TR and trip you took
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Nice one! I did this beast of a route in 2003? and thought it was damn exciting. Junky fixed heads, lots of loose features, it was pretty full on hardcore. We'll done Andy.
I led Hook or Book and encountered the same manky nest of heads near the end, uuggh!! I also led the pitch up to and off the Peregrine Pillar and the Ace in Space which were rather memorable. The Blue room pitch really scared me though, I was sure we were gonna peel it off and ride it down Dr Strangelove style. One of the best routes on El Cap in my opinion.
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elcap-pics
Big Wall climber
Crestline CA
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Yeah Andy, great job on a difficult solo climb. always a pleasure to have you here in the valley!!
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Way to go - was hooting the day you were on Hook or Book, and the next day!! Proud!!
Paul
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Wow, a 14 day solo passage on the Sea of Dreams. Beautiful write up.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Great job! Watched you a little bit one day after we got down, looks like a handful!! Cheers.
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Sport-o-land
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Nice job up there. Cool that you are sporting the russian aider system. I used it long ago and liked it a lot.
Also to nice to meet you again.
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Wonderful TR, Andy! Great job on your solo of a classic!
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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Really nice to read.
Thanks.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Proud Send!
Beauty Pics
Nice Write
d8^D
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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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Sounds friggin insane, madman. Nice write up
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NA_Kid
Big Wall climber
The Bear State
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Andy, it was really cool watching someone solo this route, let alone the mighty AKP!!! You looked like a champ up there, and had things dialed. I admire your trickery and how you climb these hard routes solo. Such a commitment. The thoughts that come up whilst soloing have got to be some of the wackeyest, kookeyest things that have ever gone through a humans head.
How did it compare to your solo of The Reticent Wall a few years back?
thank you for the documentation!!!
It is interesting hearing from Levy and others about their ascents years back and hearing yours, this climb sure has some excitement left and is a real masterpiece. Bridwell sure knows how to pick 'em.
Again, job well done, cant wait till our paths cross again.
-Jordan
P.S. you may remember me from our speed ascent of Zodiac together...
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anita514
Gym climber
Great White North
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Read this on your blog. Loved the pictures too (especially the before/after shots)
Great stuff. Impressive, scary. Honest writing too.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Yer' Darn tootin' there!
What every one has already said ,
wOW! !!
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Awesome accomplishment and such a good write! Superb work...
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Watermann2
Mountain climber
Saluzzo Italia
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Very Great Mr. KIRKPATRICK!
Very Great CLIMBING!!!!!!!!
CHAPEAU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Andy you and I chatted at the bridge once a couple years back and you struck me as genuinely stoked, truly authentic and downright mad. Three indistinguishable hallmarks of any real wall rat. Congrats on a fantastic adventure. You're a modern day warrior. That's a proud route on the proudest formation in the land. Well done lad.
Scott
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sac
Trad climber
Sun Coast B.C.
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Wow. Thanks for posting your TR.
Some TR's inspire me to go climb walls.
Some make me not want to.
Not sure on this one.
I admire your solo efforts.
Cheers.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Wow!! What a wild report! Great writing, too.
Andy, who makes this crazy looking hook from your photos?
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bbbeans
Trad climber
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Yowza!
*Adding "Soloing Sea of Dreams" to my list of "Things I Will Never Do Because They Are Terrifying".
Really impressive work with a great write-up. That first paragraph really grabs you attention!
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Matt's
climber
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kunlun_shan-- that "hook" appears to be a repurposed speed-climbing ice tool...
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Raafie
Big Wall climber
Portland, OR
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It looks as though Andy is using quite a range of equipment from Krukonogi.com which is a Russian supplier of Ice and Big Wall gear. His bat-hole hook photos are of a hook with the Krukonogi.com label.
The Russian Aider system he's using is another example. Look on their website and you'll see a large selection of Russian Aiders.
http://krukonogi.com/en/ice-drytooling/ice-fifi-for-speed-climbing.html
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Thanks Andy, sounds like you had an adventure not often found on El Cap.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Nice TR! Will there be a book about it? ;)
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John Mac
Trad climber
Breckenridge, CO
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Way to go Andy. Great effort. Love your honest writing...
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
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Now that is a really outstanding adventure.
Thanks so much!
Susan
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Really great read and photos. Proud solo for sure.
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Outstanding
Outstanding
Love the beta pics...
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If
Trad climber
UK
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Been looking forward to this and didn't disappoint! Thank you a great read!
Steve
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Holy f'ng sh#t. I used to kinda sorta think I wanted to climb this route.
Mark- don't look at this!!!
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Watermann2
Mountain climber
Saluzzo Italia
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Hello everyone, I wanted to ask a question: these two great routes on El Capitan, (Sea of Dreams and Reticent Wall, two masterpieces of the climb) (and here I hope to make me understand what I want to know) So, we can say that these two great routes are the same as technical difficulties, dangers ect ect, or Reticent Wall is harder Sea of Dreams? (Even if only slightly, but it's even harder to Sea of Dreams) Excuse me, but did not understand your language (and I am very sorry), (only automatic translator that translates not quite right) he seemed to have understood (but not I am absolutely sure) that the great Mr. Kirkpatrick, the put on the same level (I repeat, surely I translated wrong) then, I wanted to know, if still Reticent Wall, is slightly more difficult (even if only slightly, is a step harder. )
Then yet another question, on this great route (Sea of Dreams)
From what I know myself, the first solo climb was made by the great Xavier Bongard, I want to please know if any of you know of other solitary climb this great route.
Thank you for all the information you give me
I apologize for the translation (machine translation)
Greetings to all from Italy.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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shred the gnar, Andy...way to go;....a grand adventure on a grand scale on a grand stage.......mega-awesome...thanks for sharing that.
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youri
climber
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Jul 15, 2015 - 06:08pm PT
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Nice TR! Tfpu. :-)
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Lambone
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Or
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Jul 16, 2015 - 09:57pm PT
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Congrats Andy! Met you at the base when you were fixing. Glad you had a safe full-value climb!
It's funny...the first day you shouldered full loads at the bridge and headed up to the base, I saw Tom walk over and ask you what you were getting on.
I was like, "Hey Tom what are they up to?" To which he replied "Sea of Dreams."
I dunno why, kinda by instinct I guess...I just shrugged and giggled..."ha, yeah right! BAIL!!!!" Dunno why, perhaps because so few people actually get on the hard routes anymore that it seemed unlikely.
Tom immediately schooled me, "You obviously don't know who that guy is do ya Lambone?" Followed by, "You shouldn't be so quick to judge climbers you don't know."
Damn straight. He was right, I didn't recognize you as the guy who I've learned so much from and been inspired by over the years.
Glad you proved me wrong! Served me up a nice dose of STFU ;)
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Spanky
Social climber
boulder co
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Jul 18, 2016 - 07:48pm PT
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Bump because I missed this TR the first time around.
Awesome work up there! This route has always held a mystique about it. Its definitely above my pay grade but so rad to see what it really looks like.
Sick!!
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Jul 18, 2016 - 08:25pm PT
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Thanks for sharing your incredible journey! Nice images of the creative placements and beautiful terrain.
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Lurkingtard
climber
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Jul 18, 2016 - 09:46pm PT
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I was broken down by the wall, skin and bone and fat and brain and thought rendered by the toil of it all.
Great quote and great TR!
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Jul 18, 2016 - 10:13pm PT
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yo got a good eye Lurkingtard! i liked that part too. Awesome draft, i wonder how long it took him to write it. it would take me longer to write it than climb it.lol
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Jul 18, 2016 - 10:30pm PT
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I feel honored to have read your well-written post. SoD is certainly the real deal, and my hands were sweating to read your turn of phrase. Congrats on a proud ascent!
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Double D
climber
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Jul 21, 2016 - 02:40pm PT
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Nice job... well written.
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Jul 23, 2016 - 02:46pm PT
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Having done both Reticent and the Sea, I'd say The Natural pitch on Reticent is the real deal DFU, but other than that (I didn't lead the Master's Corner pitch) the rest was relatively casual. Whereas on the Sea there are several "real deal" pitches, loose rock, and hard free climbing. Of course I didn't solo either route, which is bad ass in my opinion. Reticent with E, and the Sea with Shipoopi. WOO HOO!!!
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Sea of Dreams is route number 18. Photo: Galen Rowell
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