Half Dome, Yosemite, September 2001

Our goal: Half Dome in the distance. But first, the grueling, 3-hour approach up the "Death Slabs" in the foreground.

My partner on the climb, David "Lamb Chops" Potter.

We begin to get a sense of the scale of this wall. That's David's white helmet in the lower right.

The route follows a crack system just left of center, then traverses right to top out under the overhanging "Visor" at the very top.

The topo.

We reach "Big Sandy Ledge," our home for the night after a 15-pitch day.

The 2000-foot view down from my belay on pitch 22.

Success!

The cables on the back of Half Dome provide an untypically convenient descent for climbers. It is the tourists' means of getting to the top. Note the perpetual pile of leather gloves at the bottom.


Our climb was a success!  The "Regular Northwest Face" of Half Dome, 
Yosemite (VI 5.11c C1), 23 pitches, 2000 vertical feet.  Dave Potter 
and I got back into town last night at 3:30 AM.
 
Day 1, Friday
============
Ten hours to Yosemite via US395 through Bishop, along the Eastern 
Sierra, and through Tioga Pass, Tuolumne.  Canadian bacon-pineapple 
pizza and Guinness for dinner at Curry Village, Yosemite.  Bivy 
(illegal, but free and quiet) at El Cap Meadow, in the shadow of The 
Captain.
 
Day 2, Saturday
============
Pancake & eggs breakfast at Curry Village.  Visit to the Mountain Shop 
and general dilly-dallying in the Valley.  Shrimp Ramen and granola 
bar lunch in Big Pine parking lot.  Four-hour hike and horrendous slab 
climb with 30-lb packs on approach to Half Dome, including 
hand-over-handing numerous long fixed lines.  Establish base camp and 
climb first 3 pitches, fixing two 60m ropes, and rapelling back to the 
base.  Dinner is quarter-loaf of Schat's chilli-cheese bread, half can 
of tuna, and a granola bar.  Fair night's sleep.  Three shooting 
stars.  No bears.
 
Day 3, Sunday
============
Wake at 4:00 AM.  Breakfast is bananas-and-cream oatmeal in cold 
water.  Ascend fixed ropes to pitch three.  Lunch is a granola bar.  
Climb pitches 4 through 20.  We allow Yosemite phenom Miles Smart to 
blaze past us at pitch 10 on what we later learn is a six-hour 
solo-aid ascent.  Whatever.  Highlights include my first pitch of aid 
climbing, a tricky pendulum, three pitches (13-15) in a row of nasty, 
slightly overhanging, runout chimneying, and a spectacular last pitch 
in the orange glow of sunset (my lead).  We reach Big Sandy Ledge in 
failing light.  Bivy at BSL.  Dinner is quarter-loaf of chilli-cheese 
bread, half can of tuna, and a granola bar.  We have sleeping bags but 
left the pads at the base, so a wretched night's sleep on this long 
but 3-ft narrow ledge 1500 feet above the Valley.  Thankfully we are 
not harrassed by the rat that I saw disappear into a crack when I set 
up the belay.  Five shooting stars.
 
Day 4, Monday
============
Wake at 7:00 AM to threatening cloudy weather.  Hardest climbing of 
the route is yet to come, including a few scary aid pitches and a 
30-ft pendji.  We haul our packs all day today, instead of climbing 
with them.  A momentary sprinkle on pitch 22, just above Thank God 
Ledge, but bad weather never materializes.  Brunch is a granola bar.  
Clouds give way to a sunny, warm day as we summit at noon.  
Triumphant, we chat with tourists, who give us snacks.  We descend the 
cables and return to the base to recover our gear.  Horrendous descent 
back down the slabs.  A friendly trio of young women psyched on 
learning to climb carry our packs along the main road in exchange for 
the Story of Half Dome.  Shower, pizza, and beer at Curry.  Depart for 
San Diego at 7:30 PM, west of the Sierra via the I-5.  Discussion 
ranges over failed relationships; mid-life crises; the philosophies of 
Plato, Descartes, and Wittgenstein; and the challenges of modern 
spirituality.  Arrive in SD at 3:30 AM, asleep at the wheel.
 
Jeff

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