My best offwidth buddy Kim Groebner and I decided to try to use the short weekend I had to try to seek out an ‘obscure Yosemite multipitch offwidth’. All four of those words should have been a warning for us, but we felt psyched. We had read the trip reports on Supertopo and the new posting on Mountain Project. Kim is a self proclaimed “scaredy-cat”, but an amazing offwidth partner. I had spent time climbing all the Yosemite offwidth classics: Blind Faith, Steck Salathe, Twilight Zone, Stepping Out, 1096, Entrance Exam, and more. We were ready for the adventure.
Because of my short weekend (I work full time as a fourth grade teacher), we decided to hike out to the North Dome area on Saturday morning, climb that day and then stay out there overnight. We carried our big packs out of Porcupine Flat trail head and quickly hiked the 5 miles to North Dome. We set up our tents, regrouped, and started to hike down the Manzanita filled gully between North and Basket Dome.
Approach: The gully was filled with loose rock and brush. We swacked our way down and according to the newly posted MP report by Alexey were supposed to traverse the cliff. It was hard to see an obvious way across but we took our time roping up over the exposed rock bands and slowly made our way to the base of the climb. It was an obvious beautiful looking splitter.
Pitch 2: I was psyched and got ready quick, because I knew that we only had so much daylight. 6 more pitches in 5 hours, very doable, right? The sun had not yet gone around the North Dome ridge, so that first 5.9 offwidth felt very hard and halfway up I realized that I was nauseated. I was moving too fast and every move was 5.9 offwidth. I slowed down and finished the pitch, 150ft of it, past the hollow sounding entire left wall. Kim followed the pitch as the sun moved behind the ridge.
Pitches 3-4: We linked the next two pitches. The pitch had some good rock, but also some super crusty flakes that I prayed would hold my body weight. top had a small offwidth section that I got in to and thankful didn’t fall out of. The only anchor available was behind a crumbling flake. I shoved a #3 and #4 behind it and belayed Kim up. She was doing her best to move fast and keep a positive outlook, but both of us were feeling the dehydration and frustration with the way the route was turning out. There was way more loose rock than we thought would be on the route and the pitches were all hard for the grade so far and we were staring up at the 5.11 crux pitch.
Pitch 5: It is a #4 and mostly #5 sized offwidth that curves up and around into the unknown. I was worried about gear because of the length of the pitches and the questionable belay. I began double fist stacking my way up the pitch. The entire left wall was covered in crusty lichen and I could get no traction to back step. Dirt and granite crystals were showering down on Kim. I soon realized that I did not have the energy or mental strength that late in the day to try to send the pitch. I yelled “take’’ and pulled through the cruxes. I got past the offwidth and stepped in to the squeeze chimney. It was another 60 ft. of climbing and it took all my will power and all of the skin on my knees to not slip out of it. Again it was dirty, yet polished at the same time. Like Alexey had said in the MP report, there were no rest holds, no crimps, and no cheating. The pitch ends in an alcove in the squeeze and the only place to build an anchor is behind a crumbling flake hanging down between the walls of the chimney. I built an anchor and slowly settled into the hanging belay.
Pitch 6: As I belayed Kim up the sun was setting and the chimney was dark. I kept looking up above me at the next pitch. It was a 45 degree offwidth to the right and the 2 inch thick moss covered wall to the left. Alexey calls this the next crux if you go right and the moss on the right was going to prevent me from going the way of the first ascensionists. Kim got to the belay and I started moving fast, because neither of us was happy with the anchor situation. I pulled through the 5.11 crux on gear and got up to the “double hand crack” as Alexey described it. Maybe we were off route, but nothing about the section was double hands. I placed a good #6 in the right crack and a crappy #.75 in the left crack behind a flexing flake and pulled over to a bigger ledge for the next belay. It was dark by now and Kim came up. She was glad to be off of the sketchy last anchor, but questioned my gear placements. “Christina, you know some of those cams aren’t great right?” I later found out she was judging my mental capacity. If I had thought they were ok placements, we would have been in some trouble. I reassured her that yes they were crap, but it was all I had.
Pitch 7: The last pitch was a “5.8” squeeze. After tearing off all skin on my knees from the slippery crux pitch (even with knee pads), it took all my will power and bravery to inch my way through the dark squeeze. I squeezed right then left then sideways finding a path through the darkness. It was not straight forward. I had a rattley #6 which promptly fell out after I had completed the pitch and not much else. I topped out the pitch with a sense of tremendous relief and probably would have broken down in tears if I had not been so dehydrated. Kim came up and at one point yelled up, “Tell me I won’t get stuck in here.” I reassured her that she would fit though and she followed my “trail of blood tears” (as she later called it) through the abyss.
Descent: At this point it was around 10pm and now we had to get off. Thinking that all we had to do was continue up the slopping dome, we started up the right gully. It was easy climbing, but with the darkness and unknown terrain, we stayed roped up. We went up 1 more pitch like this and un-roped on a less steep slab to continue to the top. I lead the way up the slab, but soon realized that it ended abruptly. I threw my leg over the edge and realized that we were on a pillar. In front of me was a vast open space between the tower and Basket Dome proper. “You are not going to believe this Kim; we are on a fucking spire.” As I said this, my headlamp, which had not been fully charged and had been on its brightest mode for the last 4 hours died and I was plunged into darkness.
I don’t think it needs to be said, but this was the low point of the climb.
We amazingly helped each other pull together, down climbed and found a traversing run out slab option that took us left and into another gully. We followed this upwards, until we got to the proper dome. It began to slope out and we un roped. We felt relief as we walked up the dome, me staying close to the light of Kim’s headlamp. After another hour of hiking we arrived back at the saddle, drank the rest of our water , ate some food and went to bed . It was 1am.
Take aways:
1. When attempting obscure back country offwidth, don’t rush it. Give yourself more time and don’t go to the Facelift before.
2. Rock quality will be shit. No one climbs it. Lichen and moss grows on granite that does not get climbed.
3. Think about how mentally taxing 1 pitch of offwidth can be and realize that 7 pitches will be way worse.
4. Your rack is going to be heavy, heavy, heavy.
5. Yosemite climbers from the 60s and 70s were badasses and routes are likely to be sandbagged for us new school climbers. I am so impressed with Donini, Herbert, Bridwell and Klemens. “We are not worthy, we are not worthy”
6. You will be humbled mentally and physically. When a climb is named after someone who is unstable, prepare to dive into insanity.
Sort of ready:)
Kim in a sea of granite. Pitches 3 and 4
Knees
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