Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock. September 17, 2005

I got sidetracked following the wrong line of cairns in the dark during the approach to Higher Cathedral.
I had had big plans for 2005. I’d been climbing for about six years. I’d worked my way through the lower grades and over the years had climbed some long moderate Yosemite classics. Although I was pathetic in the narrows, I’d even thrashed my way to the top of the Steck Salathe on Sentinal. In March and April, 2005 I swung leads on Arrowhead Arête and Chockstone Chimney. Though these climbs are great goals in their own right, I considered them warm-ups to the many great climbs to come. I planned on climbing hard all spring and summer and in the early fall climb NEB of HC. Then the next weekend I would try to salvage a semblance of dignity on a second ascent of the Steck Salathe. To smooth the way, I built an adjustable squeeze chimney in my shop to practice my technique.
Unfortunately, I then ruptured the top bicep tendon on my left shoulder. I spent the spring lifting weights to strengthen the shoulder and climbing 5.6 in the gym. Afterwards, I did a few climbs but though my shoulder seemed OK, my climbing and especially my lead head was lagging. Never the less, I decided to stick to the end of my original plan.
My partner, GW, had suggested we do this climb together. We appreciate each other’s humor. He’d done the heavy lifting on SS so he had no illusions about my ability. He had been hammered by heat during a summer climb of the NEB the year before. Still, he was telling me what a great climb it was and that I would love it.
On the approach we got separated while I was taking care of some business. After following the wrong cairns, I found myself looking up at Lower Cathedral Spire on the left, looming in the pre-dawn grey. I shouted out. The answering shout showed me I was level with the climb but on the wrong side of the gully. I thrashed my way across the gully over the brush and fallen trees. Growing up, my brothers and I spent many summers and weekends doing just the same sort thrashing. Climbing has got to be one of the few activities when you get to be 10 years old again weekend after weekend.
The spires and looking up the wall
As I got to the start of the climb, three guys came up. Two Swiss and a German. One of the Swiss guys smiles at me,” Not two bad, only two parties on the climb”. I looked over at my partner’s very intent expression and in it I read that he did not want to get stuck behind anyone, especially climbing with slow me and after getting hammered in the heat the last time. I barely had my harness on and he was off up the climb. I followed quickly over the easy ground of the first pitch.
As I lead the second pitch I’m still feeling very tentative. The climbing is easy for me but I’m carefully putting in a piece every ten feet or so. I never have liked climbing with parties right behind me and these guys were coming up right behind. I’m still trying to get my head together. Above us the wall is huge. The Spires reach for the sky behind us.
The belay atop the second pitch is tucked behind a small tree. The sun is now on us and I’m happy for the shade. GW blasts up to me, re-racks and moves up the third pitch. The German climber is soon at the belay. I had set up above the tree so he could tie in just below into the fixed slings. We chat quietly as he sets up and belays. Soon I’m moving up. The topo shows some 5.9. It must be a boulder sort of move because I can’t remember any crux. I climb carefully up the pitch. When I reach the belay GW apologizes for leading the pitch fast, without his normal low energy smoothness. Like I could tell watching!
I’m thinking I’m going to lead slowly, the wall is huge, the guys will catch up to us, and I don’t want to bivy. I tell GW that I’ll be too slow so he should keep the rope. He moves up pitch four. As I sit there belaying, looking at the Spires, I think- it doesn’t get any better than this. I’m climbing like Chicken Little and my partner is feeling bad about climbing too fast! Following I find the 5.7 ramp to require more attention that anything on the pitch before.

The exposure on the first traversing pitch drops all the way to the ground. Super cool. The next two pitches are the heart of the climb. Fortunately, we are now back in the shade. After the thin 5.9 section. The chimney/ corner goes for 100 feet.

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Zoom of upper section
I feel good in the chimney. My practice is paying off. At the top, the chimney kicks past vertical. Some one had tied a fixed sling hanging down from the roof to clip before the crux move of the climb. After unclipping the rope from the sling I stand there stemming, wondering if I should move around the corner or move up a few feet and jamb the roof. I move around the corner. Mistake. I’m on thin edges and all the cracks are filled with grass. I try to make a careful step up and fall. I wimp out and make a couple of quick pulls on the rope and I’m over the roof. The squeeze above isn’t to bad- one short blank section. I kind of like the comfort of the chimney instead of stemming with 1000 feet of air below. We could hear that the Euros were finding the chimney pitches to be interesting.
The start of the next pitch is a steep boulder move slightly to the right. Reid has it at 5.8. ST has it as 5.9. There’s a thin crack straight up which I assume is the 5.10 in Reid.
I take the lead for the second traverse which is blocky and fun. The last few pitches the two diferent source topos don’t look at all the same. The supertopo is closer to what I saw. You go straight up and make steep enjoyable moves in a corner. Moving left out of the corner by the tree low on pitch eleven I look up the 5.8 chimney. I’m pretty tired but psyched to realize that I know can just crank it out.
Summit shot- with photoshop
Stay right as you get close to the saddle at the top of the decent gully. We started down too soon and were soon third classing 5.4 in our regular shoes. As we came around to the bottom of the climb we could hear the guys above on the last pitch of the climb. We shout out to them but they don’t hear us. We could hear them talking and laughing. They were having the time of their lives

Zander.