tim_b
Jul 4, 2006, 9:18 PM
Post #1 of 1
(1043 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2006
Posts: 34
|
Just finished The Error with The Uneventful finish from the 2-pine tree ledge. The Uneventful finish (the crux), goes up behind the J-shaped tree, up a nice hand/foot crack that widens for knees/legs, then squeezes tight for a little huffing and puffing to exit. When up and out, below the roof section, there's a welcome piton (good shape), that is not indicated in the Vogel/Gaines guidebook. Also, that pitch (P6 on page 53) indicates a 5.0 rating, so the Topo is wrong, but the text is correct, which indicates the 5.5 crux. When over the roof, step around to the right, set 1" cam at your feet with a long sling to go around the corner to lessen rope drag, then up 10 ft to the belay. Here's the CAUTION: at the P6 belay ledge, there is a LOOSE BLOCK. I put a hand on it and I thought it was going to GO, which would be about a 680 ft downward accellerating bomb, destroying anything it hit, climbers lives included. A call of "rock !" would not be heard from that height. The rock looked like about a 35-pounder. I made sure my second come up and so much as didn't even BREATHE on it. So, CAUTION Tahquitz climbers. I read some threads on trundling, and that thing needs to go, but, how/when is a question I couldn't answer.
BTW, we got totally DRENCHED by an afternoon T-storm ... wind came up fast, dumped some water on us to frighten us abit, then stopped, then the zipper in the bottom of the clouds was opened and we go soaked to the bone 600 ft up at the top of P5 (2-pine tree ledge). ALL of the crack systems were rivers (strangely, the water off the stone was warm, but cold in the face). When my second came up to the belay, he was shivering, I was soaked, and we put rain gear on over soaked clothing. The big unknown was how long it was going to rain. I wasted no time in re-racking gear, and set out on P6 of The Uneventful ... "Uneventful" my ass ! I have never climbed in totally soaked shoes, soaking wet rope, wet hands, etc. Pretty f-ing scary for the first time, not knowing how much grip you're going to loose. Reaching up in the cracks brought water down my arm, all the way to my shorts. I did the crux soaked, but warmed up a bit cuz I was humping pretty hard. I made sure my belayer watched me like a hawk, and I set more pro (duh !) than I normally would, thinking for SURE I'm going to slip. Anyways, as soon as I topped the roof, it stopped raining, cleared up, got sunny, and by the time my partner got up to the P6 belay, we were both warm and almost dry (except for the shoes).
My Five-Tens did me right that day.
(long posts be damned)
|
