Disaster Strikes Dr. Piton!

This is photo #25 in a series of 32. You can click here to return to Photo #1.

OK, folks, this one goes way beyond being a Big Wall Theorist! This is what happens when the Wank Factor spirals way out of control. Here you can see how I dropped Tom's pig from a thousand feet up on Scorched Earth.

Notice how I correctly flagged the ledge onto the haul line. That bit is right.

In my left hand, I hold the cordalettes which equalize the anchors, and in my right hand, I hold the Power Point locker. My mistake was that I attached the haul line, not to the Suspension point locker on top of the pig like I should have, but rather I attached it to the Power Point of the anchor. So when I untied the load release knot on the docking tether, the pig flew into space unattached to the haul line!

[I was working to get the #4 Friend out of the closed-up Poison Pill crack, when all of a sudden came this noise like a gigantic falcon flying down away from us: a tremendous flapping and the sound of the air itself being ripped apart. I looked down just in time to see the bags disappear into the trees, about a hundred feet from the base. And that's what saved the Amazing Flying Whale.

[After we topped out, I hurried down to perform Salvage Duty. I could see that the Cratered Pig had hit full-speed without being slowed by the trees. The large rock it cratered onto still had the scars from the violent encounter. The Pig was blown out at all the seams, and there was exploded clam chowder and ants everywhere. Shattered water bottles littered the scene for at least a hundred feet downhill from the Impact Zone.

[But the Amazing Flying Whale had managed to reach out and grab the trees with its Catch Line and was still hanging a few feet off the ground when I arrived. The Leavittator rack of Valley Giant cams inside was only marginally damaged. AMAZING! Not only that, my sleeping bag didn't even get a hole in the stuffsack. Pete's headlamp, which was in the top of the Pig, still worked. And so did two other flashlights. Not one thing was missing or stolen. About the only things destroyed, besides the Cratered Pig itself, were water bottles and some of my food. Quite a bit of that was salvaged, and offered up a fine feast at the base of the Zodiac that night.

[The next day, I put the exploded mess into large garbage bags, tied them up and fed them to the Pig. I was able to easily carry it out like that, despite the blown-out seams. - Tom]

Please click here if you would like to understand exactly How Dr. Piton pulled the ALL TIME BONEHEAD MOVE and dropped Tom's pig.

Sheesh.

[You can carry on by clicking here to see my next photo, and find out how Dr. Piton Saved the Day. - Tom.]

"Saved the day?" Dr. Piton pulls Superhero Poses in front of mirror. He frowns. His biceps really are small, aren't they? No matter. Dr. Piton is retired from free climbing.