Regular NW Face - 5.9 A1 popular

+ Pierre (death slabs approach; the spring was still giving water despite the hot summer, 3 pitches 1st day + 2 ropes fixed; sandy ledge 2nd day; summit on day 3; F...ing haul bag!)

this was my second time to climb this. all around fun and suffering.

We landed at 2am in SFO, drove to Yose, checked in to Curry Village, started hiking the Death Slab approach at 2pm, started climbing at 7pm, topped out 30 hours later at 2am. The spring was dry so we skimped on water, taking 8L for the two of us. We downed 3 as we baked in the sun on the approach. We were dry for the last half of the climb. The weather was perfect! We bivied for 4 hours at the sloping ledge at P6 with just emergency blankets and nanopuffs. I nodded off for half an hour or so, my partner, maybe, 15 minutes, then we continued by full moon light. Doing it again, I'd want to leverage the daylight better. I'd also ditch the tag line.

More tired and dehydrated than perhaps I've ever been after a 30-hour push (with a 4-hour stop for a nap). Too tired to free most of the route, but the free climbing highlight was the chimney pitch through the window to the 10c splitter finger crack. Awesome.

asskicking adventure. Thought the spring wasn't running so we carried 50 lbs of water (it was running) up the slabs for 5 hours. Slow going for me/us...22 hrs to get to BS, a few hours sleep, and another 12 hrs to top out. I was as spent as I have ever been. Not sure if fun is the right word, but an amazing climb.