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hosebeats
Sep 16, 2005, 4:27 PM
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Trip Report- Tuolumne Meadows, Sept. 12-15
Monday Morning- Jake picked me up around 8am and we had to head back to his house to pick up his wife and kid who were staying in Temecula with her parents for the week. (He got me first to give her time to pack.) Apparently she's in a pissy mood about something or other so she dick's around wasting time and generally being a pain in the ass. Jake is a patient man so he just deals with it and trys to hurry things up by packing all of her stuff for her. (I would have yelled a bit and pointed out a few key things, but I guess I'm not as patient as he is.) We have to swing by work so he can drop off some paper work. As we start heading that way she all of a sudden points out that she has to go to the bank. WTF... This shit is on purpose. Spite full bitch could have gone all yesterday just about any time but she decided to wait till we were leaving. We go to the bank, to work, to Temecula and then we are FLYING up I-15/I-215/Highway 395/120, WE ARE THERE! In record time we make the Meadows campground in 6 hours from San Diego. Some speeding was involved.
We set up camp then go out for a drive. Tuolumne isn't as immediately impressive as the Valley, it's just not in your face.
We spot Cathedral Peak and Eichorn Pinnacle and start to think we might have been a bit ambitious in our plans. We walk up the back side of Pothole Dome and sucked wind like we were 50 years older. The hike tomorrow is going to be rough. Head back to camp, eat some hot soup and drink Fat Tire (its not sold in SoCal for some reason, which sucks).
Tuesday Morning- Holy shit it's cold. We get up early around 6ish, for the hike out to Cathedral. Hot oatmeal and gear sorting eat up an hour. By 7:15 we are at the trail head. A few cars, looks like most people haven't left the warmth of their vehicles this morning, it is damned cold. We throw on our backpacks, do a few a final checks of gear and what not and we leave the car at 7:30.
I start my stopwatch for the official car to car time. The hike up was actually pretty nice. Going from sea level to 8,000ft and then hiking a mile and a half is harder than it sounds. The topo said an hour and a half for the approach, we did it in 1hr 40min. Not bad I think considering how hard we were sucking wind. As we get to the base of the peak we see 2 parties already on the wall and one group of 4 checking out the different lines.
By now its wonderfully warm in the sun. We pick our line and start to rack up. More people show up. We take off, pitch one goes fine, pitch two is fine, I belay Jake up to the big ledge a 2 other parties are on. They are all waiting for the right handed line. We decide to go and do the crack on the left. Jake starts to rack up, we flake out the rope and we are all ready to start climbing. A group of Scottish guys come running over to our line and just start climbing before they get on belay or set an anchor. At first we weren't sure that these guys had just jumped on our line like that. Everyone else on the ledge looks a bit shocked. We curse them pretty thoroughly and get ready do climb again. Oh, no wait here comes the party of 4 who belayed at a lower ledge and is now trying to link pitches. FUCK. So we wait, and wait, and wait... Jake takes off and in a few minutes reaches the next belay ledge, right before the chimney. What a cluster fuck at the chimney, everyone is now waiting and it's all backed up. He has no place to put in an anchor. So he sits and I wait. I spent an hour and a half on that ledge doing nothing but waiting for everyone to un-screw themselves. (Some asshole peed on the ledge, good thing I didn't sit in it.) I go up and wait some more. Finally I head up the chimney. Not recommended with a pack on, you will grunt and grunt hard with a pack on. Up, up, up to the next ledge. Guess what, it's backed up as well. I put up my anchor and here comes Jake. We are sharing a 3ftx1ft ledge. More people show up behind us. By now it's 3pm and we are hungry. We start talking about burritos and cheese fries. The sun is starting to disappear around the backside of the peak. It gets cold and windy, I now officially hate Scottish people. We see a free soloist almost jogging up the face, bypassing parties, listening to his I-Pod. Jake finally gets to take off hot on the heels of a couple from Tahoe. He gets to the next ledge, I come up and we wait. A Spanish group comes up and tries to climb past everyone and over their ropes. We speak up and tell them to stay put. They kind of do, they crowd everyone and move around the ledge over peoples ropes.
I don't know how it works in Spain, Scotland, or Europe but you don't crowd people, jack their lines, or climb over peoples ropes. The Euros are 0 for 2 today.
Here comes another soloist. He stops and talks with everyone, nice enough guy. He bust's out a bagel, the man was almost thrown from the cliff face. I'm not sure if he knew the danger he was in but everyone on the ledge eyed that bagel until it was gone. Oh, the Spanish couple is gone. They took a line up and are now tying up the summit block, yay. We finally get to top, see Eichorn Pinnacle and realize we don't have nearly enough time to climb it. The sun is going down. We coil our rope and head down the 4th class toward the base. (Kind of scary if it's your first time to down climb that sort of stuff.) We make it to the base back on the trail and we are nearly running back to the car. The sun light gets dimmer and the moon gets brighter. It gets dark, really dark. The only light we have is the moon which is confusing as hell, it makes everything look farther away or hides things. (We didn't bother packing our headlamps, we thought we would be back to the car by 2pm) We make it back to the car at 8:00pm. That's right, 12hr 30min for a route that should have taken 6 or 7. We go back to camp, gorge ourselves on ramen, sandwiches and beer. It looks like the off season isn't so off here in Tuolumne.
The climbing is easy and fun for Cathedral peak. I recommend it to anyone, just start super early and bring headlamps.
Wednesday Morning- Well, all the easy fun routes we want to do look like they are going to get late sun. So we have a bit of a later start today. Still cold but not as bone numbing as yesterday. Seems that a diet of ramen and oatmeal is causing some sort of digestive issues with Jake and myself. We can't go more than 5 miniutes without nearly gagging each other on our funky farts. We decide to go do Northwest Books on Lambert Dome; only 2 pitches and it's going to get sun soon. The drive is short and we are staring up at the big gray dome within miniutes. Hiking up the talus and onto the dome is a bit easier today, maybe only 30 years older now. Well, the topo is kind of hard to follow. A big diagonal crack is supposed to lead up to a pine tree. We see plenty of pine trees some with rap slings, but no diagonal crack. Could it be this tree, or that tree? This and that kind of look... Well, maybe not, wtf?? We decide on a line up to a big pine tree and figure we'll belay from there. Jake takes off, mostly 4th class with the occasional 5.4 move thrown in. Two pieces of pro in 150ft, he sets the anchor and up I come. I head up and past him to a large ledge. Oh I get 3 pieces of pro and have a nice 5.6 lieback thrown in. Jake comes on up and we start scouting around. We can sure get to the top from here. A nice chimney teaming with marmots looks a bit omnious or perhaps the unprotectable, glassy, friction route up? No, that would be a 30ft whipper onto a ledge. We go left on the cliff to a bush and start scoping the rock above us. Holy shit, this bush is the big pine tree on the topo. Our route is right here. The big diagonal crack isnt a crack at all, it's a crumbly ramp up to this pathetic "pine tree". We meet a couple from Tahoe that confirm our suspisions with a different book and drawing of the dome. We all curse the author of our book and Jake takes off. I learn a few things about the owner of the company that publishes these books, maybe not the nicest guy in the world. Jake sets his anchor, I come on up. What an awesome pitch. The second is kind of lame and runout but it's better than not climbing at all. We get to the top, take a few pictures and christin our new route "Fuck Chris Macnamera" 5.6 R/X.
We go eat some lunch; sandwiches instead of more ramen. Got to give our stomaches a break. We were going to go do Z-Tree but now it's a bit late for a 5 pitch climb. Instead we decide to head over to Puppy Dome. There is a 3 star 5.6 hand crack with a 5.11 toprope right next to it. Awesome. I lead the crack. Wow, this would go at 5.9ish at Mt. Woodson, these Tuolumne people are hard mo-fo's. Looks like we can toprope another crack if we don't mind a bit of a swing. Harder than Puppy Crack for sure, ring locks and hand jams, fun fun. Oh, now it's time for the Tuolumne 5.11. The start is thin but easy, getting to the crux isn't that bad. Holy cow, the crux is some nastyness. Sheer, polished, and thin is the only way to describe it. I can see the move but there is no way my feet can stick to these nubbins. My respect for the Golden Age climbers skyrockets. I'd crap myself if I had to do this on lead with only a rack of stoppers and tatty old slings Oh yeah, the shoes they used were junk compared to what I'm wearing. Bad men, all of them. I decide to call this nameless climb Tuolumne Cowboys in thier honor. I yard on the rope past the crux and manage the finishing moves. Someday my footwork will be good enough to climb stuff like this. We pull the anchor and head back to the car.
Next time I come up here I'm bringing a fishing pole. We chill by the river for a bit then go get dinner, ramen YAY!! :oops: Fat Tire!! :D Another day in Tuolumne finished and good.
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caughtinside
Sep 16, 2005, 4:47 PM
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Registered: Jan 8, 2003
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Hilarious.
I hope you had fun at some point during the day.
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areuinclimber
Sep 16, 2005, 4:52 PM
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that is why i hate tuolumne. the valley is ALWAYS better. even in 90+ heat.
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caughtinside
Sep 16, 2005, 4:56 PM
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Hey! Tuolumne isn't bad! But Cathedral peak is usually crowded, often with inexperienced leaders, groups of 4, etc.
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skateman
Sep 16, 2005, 5:14 PM
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Registered: Jun 13, 2003
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Thanks hosebeats, I will use your TR for a template for Royal Arches. The same shenanigans went on there as well. Soloing, rope crossing, crazy spanairds, etc...
All I need to do is a search & replace CP with RA!
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chanceboarder
Sep 16, 2005, 5:20 PM
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Registered: Oct 6, 2003
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:lol: thats great, sounds like an interesting time to say the least. thanks for sharing.
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harmonydoc
Sep 16, 2005, 5:56 PM
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Registered: Jun 12, 2005
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Thanks for sharing. I definitely want to do Cathedral (although maybe next season when it warms up).
In reply to: But Cathedral peak is usually crowded, often with inexperienced leaders, groups of 4, etc.
I'm one of those inexperienced leaders, I feel bad about being slow and making people behind me wait, but it's my first lead summer and right now I can't help it. I try to be as considerate of others as possible, though.
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phile
Sep 16, 2005, 6:02 PM
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Registered: Aug 5, 2004
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wow, that many people with an early start on a tuesday? I didn't realize it was such a draw. makes me want to stay far, far away. thanks for the write-up.
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caughtinside
Sep 16, 2005, 6:15 PM
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In reply to: Thanks for sharing. I definitely want to do Cathedral (although maybe next season when it warms up). In reply to: But Cathedral peak is usually crowded, often with inexperienced leaders, groups of 4, etc. I'm one of those inexperienced leaders, I feel bad about being slow and making people behind me wait, but it's my first lead summer and right now I can't help it. I try to be as considerate of others as possible, though.
Hey, don't feel bad, I was just stating the facts. If you're a newer leader, you have every right to be on a 5.6. But, you have to expect that if it's the most popular 5.6 in Tuolumne, you may have to deal with crowds.
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harmonydoc
Sep 16, 2005, 6:32 PM
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In reply to: Hey, don't feel bad, I was just stating the facts. If you're a newer leader, you have every right to be on a 5.6. But, you have to expect that if it's the most popular 5.6 in Tuolumne, you may have to deal with crowds.
Yeah, I know, you're right. I'm fine with crowds. Although you really have to be prepared for the extra time it's going to take. I actually was in Tuolumne Sept 9-11 with 3 relatively NOOB friends, I lead one of them up Holdless Horror (5.6 low angle with some offwidth on Dozier Dome, super fun). By the time all 4 of us topped out, it was sunset. To make a long story short, even though we had headlamps we got lost in the woods trying to get back to the road and spent the night outside in subfreezing weather (the low was 16 degrees) huddled around a campfire (thankfully we were dressed warmly, had some food and water, and had matches). It was easy to find the road once the sun rose. So that's my first epic, I guess. Plan to write a more complete TR soon.
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hosebeats
Sep 18, 2005, 4:27 PM
Post #11 of 15
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Registered: Dec 4, 2003
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Wednesday Morning- Well, all the easy fun routes we want to do look like they are going to get late sun. So we have a bit of a later start today. Still cold but not as bone numbing as yesterday. Seems that a diet of ramen and oatmeal is causing some sort of digestive issues with Jake and myself. We can't go more than 5 minutes without nearly gagging each other on our funky farts.
We decide to go do Northwest Books on Lambert Dome; only 2 pitches and it's going to get sun soon. The drive is short and we are staring up at the big gray dome within minutes. Hiking up the talus and onto the dome is a bit easier today, we feel only 30 years older. Well, the topo is kind of hard to follow. A big diagonal crack is supposed to lead up to a pine tree. We see plenty of pine trees some with rap slings, but no diagonal crack. Could it be this tree, or that tree? This and that kind of look... Well, maybe not, wtf??
We decide on a line up to a big pine tree and figure we'll belay from there. Jake takes off, mostly 4th class with the occasional 5.4 move thrown in. Two pieces of pro in 150ft, he sets the anchor and up I come. I head up and past him to a large ledge. Oh I get 3 pieces of pro and have a nice 5.6 lieback thrown in. Jake comes on up and we start scouting around. We can sure get to the top from here. A nice chimney teaming with marmots looks a bit ominous or perhaps the unprotectable, glassy, friction route up? No, that would be a 30ft whipper onto a ledge.
We go left on the cliff to a bush and start scoping the rock above us. Holy shit, this bush is the big pine tree on the topo. Our route is right here. The big diagonal crack isn't a crack at all, it's a crumbly ramp up to this pathetic "pine tree". We meet a couple from Tahoe that confirm our suspicions with a different book and drawing of the dome. We all curse the author of our book and Jake takes off. I learn a few things about the owner of the company that publishes these books, maybe not the nicest guy in the world. Jake sets his anchor, I come on up. What an awesome pitch. The second is kind of lame and runout but it's better than not climbing at all. We get to the top, take a few pictures and christen our new route "Fuck Chris Macnamera" 5.6 R/X.
We go eat some lunch; sandwiches instead of more ramen. Got to give our stomaches a break. We were going to go do Z-Tree but now it's a bit late for a 5 pitch climb. Instead we decide to head over to Puppy Dome. There is a 3 star 5.6 hand crack with a 5.11 toprope right next to it. Awesome. I lead the crack. Wow, this would go at 5.9ish at Mt. Woodson, these Tuolumne people are hard mo-fo's. Looks like we can toprope another crack if we don't mind a bit of a swing. Harder than Puppy Crack for sure, ring locks and hand jams, fun fun. Oh, now it's time for the Tuolumne 5.11. The start is thin but easy, getting to the crux isn't that bad. Holy cow, the crux is some nastyness. Sheer, polished, and thin is the only way to describe it. I can see the move but there is no way my feet can stick to these nubbins. My respect for the Golden Age climbers skyrockets. I'd crap myself if I had to do this on lead with only a rack of stoppers and tatty old slings Oh yeah, the shoes they used were junk compared to what I'm wearing. Bad men, all of them. I decide to call this nameless climb "Tuolumne Cowboys" in thier honor. I yard on the rope past the crux and manage the finishing moves. Someday my footwork will be good enough to climb stuff like this. We pull the anchor and head back to the car.
Next time I come up here I'm bringing a fishing pole. We chill by the river for a bit then go get dinner, ramen YAY!! :shock: Fat Tire!! :D Another day in Tuolumne finished and good.
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maculated
Sep 18, 2005, 4:35 PM
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Don't listen to CaughtInside, he can't even FIND Cathedral Peak, much less climb it. :)
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harmonydoc
Sep 18, 2005, 8:15 PM
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In reply to: Don't listen to CaughtInside, he can't even FIND Cathedral Peak, much less climb it
Oh yeah, I read that, good story ... :D
In reply to: The thing is, it’s noon and Fshizzle and I are huddled together at the south base of Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows fighting the frigid winds and occasional flurries wondering what the hell happened to our companions that had hiked in before us. It’s been about two hours and there’s nary a sign of them.
Guess I'm not the first person to get a little off-route hiking through the woods ...
In reply to: Our route is right here. The big diagonal crack isn't a crack at all, it's a crumbly ramp up to this pathetic "pine tree".
Seems like the line between a 4th class ramp and a crappy low 5th class pitch is kind of fuzzy. So overall do you think the route was worth it? It was one I considered but got a little freaked out by reading this:
http://www.friendsofyosar.org/...issions/7-05-05.html
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hosebeats
Sep 18, 2005, 10:52 PM
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The climb is really 2 1/2 pitches. The first is by far the best. The second pitch is run out near the top a bit but not that scary. You can sling a tree near the top and get a decent nut placement that keeps you from being too dangerous. Overall a good climb. Nothing hard, but interesting and fun. I have an idea where that guy fell and he needed to keep going to the right. As long as you keep following the tiers up and to the right you'll be fine. Just try to pull the first pitch instead of the last half.
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jbell2355
Sep 18, 2005, 11:53 PM
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I did Cathedral Peak last week. We started hiking in at 2:00 pm and found nobody else on the route. We were even able to squeeze Eichorn Pinnacle in. If you climb fast, maybe an afternoon start is the way to go.
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