By Nick Lincoln Jan 31, 2013
| So guys Im going out to yosemite this summer for anywhere from 3-5 weeks. And I started at looking at what to do while there and my itinery for the trip. I honesly have no idea where to start, any ideas? I will be climbing about half the time and hiking the rest. |  FLAG |
By Mark Vogel From Lander, WY Feb 1, 2013
| First stop, El Cap Meadow! |  FLAG |
By John D Feb 1, 2013
| Depends on what time of the summer you'll be there, may and early june you can probably climb in the valley, after that, it'll be so warm that you'd probably prefer to climb in toulume. If you like hiking and climbing check out snake dike, it's got about 8 pitches of climbing and 18 miles of hiking. You can do it in a long day, or spend the night along the way and do it in 2. |  FLAG |
By TWK Feb 1, 2013
| Depends also on difficulty level you want to climb. Post that up--we'll go from there! |  FLAG |
By mike seaman Feb 1, 2013
| Yeah and have you climbed crack before? You want single or multi pitch? |  FLAG |
By Nick Zmyewski From Newark, Delaware Feb 1, 2013
| You can definitely climb in summer, you just have to change your tactics a little. When I was there last summer, we would wake up early 6am, and go climb a few pitch climb (up to 5 pitches for us), then get down before it got too hot. Relax during the day and either hike or swim in the river. Then in the evening when it starts to cool off, but before the sun goes down you get 2 or 3 hours of climbing at a shady crag. And there is always night climbing, if you're comfortable with that. |  FLAG |
By S Denny From Carbondale, CO Feb 1, 2013
| start by figuring out a gameplan for living in the valley for 3-5 weeks |  FLAG |
By Andy Novak Feb 1, 2013
| S Denny wrote: start by figuring out a gameplan for living in the valley for 3-5 weeks +1. It is possabile to sneak around Camp 4 for a while, but after about 2 weeks you might get sick of being illegal. I did. Totally posssible though, if you're savy and out of camp all day. |  FLAG |
By vincent L. Feb 1, 2013
| I would consider spending 3-5 weeks in Yosemite and the Sierra in general , maybe some alpine routes , east side exploration and hiking . 3 - 5 weeks in only the Valley might get stale / difficult ... Enjoy . |  FLAG |
By Nick Lincoln Feb 2, 2013
| Not trying to do anything too too hard climbing wise when Im out there but, single and and multipitch are fine, I have done some crack climbing out here in new england. I was planning on climbing el cap, and hiking around a lot while I was there. And I can go anytime over the summer starting around june 15-august 25th. And Im not sure who Im going with, my climbing partner is busy all summer :/. If anyone wants to climb with me while im out there, or tag along on hiking feel free. |  FLAG |
By TWK Feb 2, 2013
| "not trying to on do anything too too hard climbing wise . . . I was planning on climbing El Cap . . ." WTF? Am I missing something here? |  FLAG |
By Nick Lincoln Feb 2, 2013
| 31 Pitches of 5.9+, Im use to leading 5.11's and 5.12's, 5.9 isnt that hard. |  FLAG |
By hrdeyo From Yosemite, California Feb 2, 2013
| Valley Climbs (too many tourist and too hot on the ground during the summer) Bouldering anywhere (before 9am of after dark during summer) 5.8 Nut Cracker-five pitches, easy for the grade classic 5.9 Central pillar frenzy- 4-5 pitches, link the first two pitches wonky chimney into amazing finger cracks (best hangover cure ever, finger cracks not the squeezy bit, that sucked) 5.10 Serenity Crack 3 pitches into sons of yesterday-make it ten pitches 5.11 so many option is you climb this grade. Astroman, Rostrum, El cap west face(I'm looking for a partner to climb all these this summer) High Country Climbing(best during the summer avoid tourons) Any bouldering Mathes Crest- (Amazing hike to easy climbing with rad views the entire way) Cathedral peak (most amazing 5 pitch 5.7 on the planet)Super Aesthetic Tenya peak(short approach 5.3 climbing) Awesome solo in the morning swim inn Lake Tenya in the afternoon. Hikes Half Dome, Clouds Rest, Any Grove, North Dome rest days float the Merced drinking brass monkeys, laugh at tourist from a high vantage point. If you need a place to place to crash, shower, or climbing partner. pm me when you get into Yosemite. I'll be there April through October. |  FLAG |
By Daniel Winder Feb 2, 2013
| Nick Lincoln wrote: 31 Pitches of 5.9+, Im use to leading 5.11's and 5.12's, 5.9 isnt that hard. Hahahahaha... Good one |  FLAG |
By Ryan Williams Administrator From London (sort of) Feb 2, 2013
| Nick Lincoln wrote: 31 Pitches of 5.9+, Im use to leading 5.11's and 5.12's, 5.9 isnt that hard. It might not be that hard for you, and you may have enough experience to just ignore my advice. If so, that's awesome. But if you really want to finish El Cap, you should consider it hard, and you should take it seriously. The 5.9+ climbing is certainly the easiest part, even though it will feel more like 10+ with 2000 feet of exposure, the wind blowing, an aid rack hanging from your harness and a faster team behind you, hoping you don't cause a clusterfuck. About half of the climbers bail on their first attempt and for many it takes more than two. People fail for all kids of reasons - ignorance and arrogance come to mind. Don't let your chance at success be ruined because it gets 5.9 in the guidebook. There's a little more to it than that. |  FLAG |
By TWK Feb 2, 2013
| Nick Lincoln wrote: 31 Pitches of 5.9+, Im use to leading 5.11's and 5.12's, 5.9 (Edit: El Cap) isnt that hard. We'll look for follow-up postings in either "Trip Reports" or "Injuries and Accidents". Or maybe "News at 11:00". |  FLAG |
By gunter Feb 2, 2013
| Nothing like the casual stroll up El Cap to take it easy in the valley....Sounds like you might be asking for it (Rejection that is). Not only on here, but on one of the biggest faces in North America. French freeing/ Aiding is no walk in the park. (Pun intended) |  FLAG |
By James Arnold From Chattanooga Feb 2, 2013
| Hmmm, 31 pitches of 9+ on the Captain, which route is that? I guess Salathe is kind of close, but at least a dozen of those are 3" or (much) wider...left festering wounds from my fists to my lats, but I'll be the first to cop to not having the best technique. Always tried to remember Largo's maxim of "never resort to thrashing" but somehow, I get up in something like Hollow Flake (or the next pitch, Hollow Flake Chimney---worse imo, but maybe I was off route...) and I am thrashing. Plus you've got a haul rope, helmet and bevy of other wall stuff, mental and physical (see Ryan's post) on to really make things more "unwieldy." You might find the quality of Yosemite crack climbing a bit different than that of NE...or maybe should be "quantity"... In general though, free ratings on the Captain's aid routes can seem "light" in places-say most of Mescalito, as you are accounting for a full rack. Still, I've been gripped out of my gourd on something like da Bismarck Pitch (10a-or was it 9+ muahahaha)....definitely could have used a 9-11" piece. My experience has been that it's actually all the hauling that crushes the "free climbing cuties" to steal another aphorism from Long. That's assuming you aren't going siege style top/down/bottom/up Still, there's no other sensation like being a "granite astronaut", hat tip to largo-again. GL. |  FLAG |
By TWK Feb 2, 2013
| Yer Gonna Die! |  FLAG |
By Nick Lincoln Feb 2, 2013
| The nose route, and I will most likley send you a pm when I am there, Im 17 by the way lol |  FLAG |
By JLP From The Internet Feb 2, 2013
| Good luck finding a partner. I'd estimate less than 1% of the people who show up to the Valley wanting to climb the Nose actually make it to the base with gear and a partner - then, as noted above - over half who make it that far bail before Dolt. The ones who are strong and experienced enough to go higher are not at all likely to partner up with a clueless 17 yr old kid with zero wall experience. |  FLAG |
By John D Feb 2, 2013
| no way in haides I'd partner up with a 17 year old kid that I hadn't known for years to do a wall. I'd be pretty reluctant to try a wall with anyone that I hadn't climbed with and known for a while. I'm kind of torn because I'd love to have been 17 and contemplating the nose so I want to encourage you, at the same time, I know how much work is involved in a wall like that and I doubt your chances of success are very high. Go to the valley, climb hard and safe. I hope you have fun and learn alot. And not that it needs me to speak for it, but the nose is VI 5.13+, 5.9 C1, or 5.8 C2 I think all of that is significant, the biggest part I think you're ignoring is the VI grade 6 is a long climb, I have friends who are 5.12 climbers (they also had over 30 summits of rainier and more than 2 summits of denali between them). THey did the nose in a 38 hour push, by the end they were aiding through some 5.7 pitches. Good luck and climb safe. |  FLAG |
By TWK Feb 3, 2013
| If you are not emotionally and conceptually overwhelmed simply standing in the meadow gazing up at that massive monolith upon your arrival in Yosemite Valley, your mind is not in the right space. The Sierras are not Rumney or Quincy Quarry--they are mere playthings in comparison to these astounding mountains. You're only deceiving yourself if you believe otherwise. |  FLAG |
By Adam Winters Administrator From the Shire Feb 3, 2013
| I wouldn't make too much of plan. Just get there, flip thru a guide book, feel it out and go from there. It'll become quickly apparent what you should get on. Over-planned trips lose that sense of adventure, if that's what you're looking for. |  FLAG |
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