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 Charlotte Dome! Credit: cultureshock |
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There is something so sensational about the unknown, about exploring, that sucks me in so strongly and consumes all of my thoughts. I don't know if it is a desire to understand myself or just to try and test myself. I do know that climbing new routes allows me to stop comparing myself to others and to climb just for me.
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Getting psyched!
I'm going to wax philosophically for a moment longer here. I have been struggling to understand the roles these big daunting goals play in my life. I've been putting off asking hard questions about my motivation. Maybe this lack of clarity is one of the the reasons it has taken almost a year to tell the story of What's Up Bubb.
I know there is a large part of me that needs the obsession of a big objective, a place to focus all of my energy. When I find a compelling line it's full commitment and I end up investing much more of myself than I realize. Like the Incredible Hulk or Liberty Cap in years past, the Bubbs Creek Wall captivated me and took all of my focus during the summer of 2014.
I've come to see the dangers of such an obession and how it effects the people around me. Through the process of freeing Scarface I fed off of the energy of many different partners in my pursuit of freeing the line. Not many came back for multiple trips. Perhaps it was some of the drudgery of cleaning cracks or just the uncertainty that the line would go or that doing new routes is even a good use of time. These were things that I asked myself. Time can be one of our most precious commodities and it's not always clear how to spend it.
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Ben and I near the summit of Bubbs
Throughout the many days and missions to Bubbs, I had the luck and good fortune of a few partners sticking with me, enduring the long hikes and the repeated failures that go into the process. This created a bond and solidarity between Casey, Aaron, Ben and I. I really appreciate the time and effort they put into climbing What's Up Bubb. Failure is a hard thing to work with. I think this saying from last year gets at my feelings.
Success has been a leaf blowing in the breeze. I see it dancing around in the air, and I jump like a child trying to catch it. Failure is the ground that I return to after each try. Each time I do catch a piece of success, it is fleeting. Completing one challenge just makes me push harder for the next level. The cycle of more, better, faster, stronger is never ending.
Ben and I first "discovered" Bubbs together. Bubbs had long been on my mind but I never knew what it was like. Climbing Ronan was like opening Pandora's box and King's Canyon was soon to consume all of my thoughts.
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Casey midway up the crux 7th pitch.
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 The photo from the FA by Rob that enticed me to want to try the route. Credit: cultureshock |
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I don't know what makes certain area's popular, but I do understand that the price of entry for climbing in the Sierra backcountry is high. There are camping permits, long hikes, and lots of logistics. I thrive on these things and revel in the experience it affords me. I enjoy the solitude, the adventure.
On my second trip to the area Aaron, Casey and I blazed up What's Up Bubb. We were freeing pitches onsight or on follow that had been aided on the first ascent. Ambition and enthusiasm were high until we hit the 7th pitch. Casey whipped off unable to figure out the crux or find anywhere to put in gear. We sent up hooks, but that only resulted in another nasty fall and a bunch of skin loss. We bailed down the route.
The routine of pushing the highpoint of the route would continue for another half dozen trips. After much effort Aaron, Casey, Ben and I would stand on the summit having figured out all of the pieces of the puzzle. By using fixed ropes we had completed the probable second ascent of the route but a proper one day lead of the route had yet to come.
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Aaron lost in a sea of granite on the crux 7th pitch.
With "The Sensei", as we are calling the free version of What's Up Bubb, I got to live out my dreams and unlock pitches that we thought impossible. The route came to be with a lot of work and drive from Casey who did the first lead of the crux 7th pitch. I aided cleaned, and bolted this pitch over multiple visits. The movement was subtle yet still powerful and takes a spectacular path up the smoothest and steepest part of the wall. The exposure is stimulating and the sequences were just at our limit.
In September of 2014 on the last weekend before I left California, Casey and I put the project to rest and opened up a new way to free climb the Bubbs Creek Wall.
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Casey following the far out arete on the 8th pitch.
The Sensei comprises mainly of face and slab climbing connected by crack systems. The wall swoops to vertical at the seventh and eight pitches which are both the pinnacle of difficulty and aesthetic beauty of the climb.
You get a full package after the dome rounds out with some adventure climbing to the summit. Over 1500 feet of beautiful white sierra granite, with very little dirt or poor quality rock.
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Photo by Vitaliy M.
Routes from left to right. Crystal Bonzai, Samurai Warrior, The Emperor, What's Up Bubb, Becky Route
Go enjoy!
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 The Sensei Topo - Bubbs Creek Wall Credit: cultureshock |
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Luke
