Heather, Wendy, Andy, Ted, and Michael below El Cap
Wendy, aid climbing Church Bowl Tree (A1 or 10b free).
Andy:
Brrrr, a cold, post storm morning. But at least it is clear! We
spend the morning climbing fun, short routes at the base of El Capitan.
The wall is truly amazing from its base, as it looms above you in giant,
sweeping overhangs. Climbers pepper the face, moving very, very slowly as
they ascend the huge wall.
Over lunch, Ted and I seal a pact to climb El Capitan by the time are 40... that
gives us six more years to figure it out! Yosemite Valley has a strange
power to make you want to do stupid things (for reference, check yesterday...)
Better learn how to climb big walls! So it's off to the Mountain Shop where I purchase "Big Wall Climbing for Dummies" (its not actually called that). Some quick reading, and Ted's borrowed gear and Wendy and I were off to our first short aid climb.
We take turns leading the pitch (Church Bowl Tree, A1) and have a great time. It's so much fun to stand, pull, yank, and yard on your climbing gear. Free climbing (what we've been doing for years) is all about NOT using your gear for anything but safety, but aid climbing is all about using your gear to go up. Good fun.
Wendy: Yesterday's adventure made me realize that I don't really want to climb a big wall. Two days earlier I told Andy I wanted to climb El Cap, today I'm rethinking that concept given the exposure it would provide. That and how much work aid climbing is, relative to free climbing. We shall see...maybe Andy and Ted can do the big walls, and I can be the picture taker from the ground?
Leading our first aid climb was very fun! You basically set a piece of protection, use it to stand up and place the next piece, use it to stand up and place the next piece, etc. It is relatively safe if you have good protection, which this climb did. You wear knee pads and gloves to protect your appendages from banging into the rock, and basically look like a goon. We're sure to try it again sometime in the near future.
Heather, Wendy, Andy, Ted, and Michael below El Cap |
Wendy, aid climbing Church Bowl Tree (A1 or 10b free). |