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| The #4 BD cam is the money piece for this route |
It was time for our annual pilgrimage to Yosemite. I look
forward to this visit from the time we make our camping reservations at 7:00AM,
six months prior to arrival. Short
approaches, great weather, warm temps, and no avalanches or cornices trying to
kill us….a welcome change.
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| Sentinel Rock, as seen from just across the street from Camp 4 |
Not wanting to waste any time, we planned to climb the Steck
Salathe Route on Sentinel Rock with our friend and IFMGA certified mountain
guide, Jed Porter, the first full day in the Valley. He climbed Mt. Fairweather
with us in June, and we were excited to climb together again.
He brought his long time climbing partner, Ian McEleney, who
had done the first winter ascent of the Sierra Palisade Traverse with Jed. This
is a serious multiday undertaking in freezing temps.
Janelle and I had climbed the Steck-Salathe in 2010, but
left the cameras in the van that time. This time, Jed and Ian would climb ahead
and get some, much needed, lead climbing shots. Filming pure rock climbing with
only two people gets pretty boring as its either a butt shot of the leader or a
top down shot of the second.
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| Janelle on pitch 4 |
The previous experience had spanked me pretty good. I
resorted to French freeing through many of the cruxes. “Feels like 5.12, unless you are 3’10” and “very hard, even French free” and “Only easy pitch” are a few examples of the notes I made in the
guidebook after our original effort. This time I wanted to do it in better
style and send everything.
We started before dawn and made it to the base as the sun
began to creep down the Nose of El Capitan across the Valley.
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| Route beta after our first encounter in 2010 |
The first challenging pitch was the Wilson Overhang. Last time
I had pulled on gear, this time I sent it. My wide crack and chimney climbing
technique had improved dramatically over the past three years. This was an encouraging
way to see measurable improvement.
Janelle and I swung leads like a well-oiled machine. Jed and
Ian stayed just ahead of us, whipping out the camera at opportune moments. This
style of run and gun shooting on a 16-pitch climb does not allow for any wasted
time. The pressure is on so you have to get the shot when it presents itself
and then move on, with no real setup time.
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| Mark Smiley on the headwall pitch |
We made it to the top of the Flying Buttress, passed through
a cool 2’ wide granite hallway and rapped down for the start of the next pitch.
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| Janelle Smiley mentally preps for the Narrows |
The “great chimney”, as Allen Steck called it, is the
definitive crux of the route. The lower pitch was mine. 5.10b, stupid wide, no
“grips” (inside joke), but I got it done. I wouldn’t say it was pretty, or
quick, but I sent. I was pumped about that.
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| Ian entering the pain closet |
This photo (above) is the only way to paint the picture of the
next belay. We were roughly 15’-20’ inside the cliff face. Think, vertical
caving. This is the start of the Narrows. Allen Steck and John Salathe climbed
the outside of the wall on the first ascent in 1950, which avoids the lion’s
share of the squeeze chimney. Janelle and I had followed the first ascentist on
our first ascent, so we had not been in the slot. This go, we decided to give
it a try. Janelle took the lead and did a wonderful job, as did Ian and Jed.
They each took roughly 30 minutes to get up this 60 foot section.
I went last. I had sent (climbed without falling or resting
on the gear) every pitch to this point and didn’t want to blow it here at the
last crux.
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| Jed Porter gettin' the job done |
Walking my legs up the far wall I was able to get my head,
chest and stomach into the narrow section just fine. Now, the problem was that
I now had to get my legs from the wide part to the skinny part. This requires
some kind of double chicken wing arm bar move.
I am as flexible as a brick. This personal attribute did not
help me make any upward progress. Things got ugly. After flexing every muscle
in my body and going nowhere, 20 times in a row, I ran out of gas and took on
the rope. I blew the send. I was mad. Then I got stuck, and got really mad. The
ego spanking I was taking made me madder yet.
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| The real crux. |
There is a section that is so tight, when I’d turn my head
from the left to right, my nose would scrape on the wall. Then the backpack
that I was trailing started getting stuck below me. It too was a little too
wide with two helmets clipped to it.
I lost it. Started screaming at the world. Not my proudest
moment.
Eventually I fought my way up, while Janelle performed
crevasse rescue on me with a 3:1 pulley. It was miserable. You can’t even call
it climbing, more like hangdogging on top rope, only your belayer has tied the
rope to a car bumper and is driving slowly away, effectively towing you up. To
make things worse, Jed filmed it all. I guess I asked for that one.
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| Ian McEleney 3 pitches from the top |
Janelle took over and lead the next two pitches, and I took
the final 5.6 consolation pitch, tail still between my legs. The four of us
were on top with a little daylight to spare.
All in all it was a great day with good friends. I do want
to go back and do it again and lead the Narrows clean. First, I need to be able
to touch the ground with my legs straight, and be able to sit Indian style with
my knees touching the ground.
[Note: Following our time in Yosemite we visited Allen
Steck, author of the book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, and first
ascentist of this route. It was great to have dinner with him and chat about
the climbs he had done over 60 years ago! Watch the video we made about this
whole experience, coming Nov. 11 at www.smileysproject.com]
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