Index with Josh

Published on 2003-7-23 by Michael Stanton

Index Climbing, July, 2003

Josh and I went out for some fun. I was feeling excited to climb the 2nd pitch of City Park (5.10b), not realizing it was over my head! So I lead up Godzilla for the 2nd time. It felt mostly easier than before, except for the layback which felt just as strenuous if not more. I really like the crack climbing above the layback. Josh came up, having trouble with the layback but successfully free climbing the cracks above (nice job!). I got my fingertips into tiny cracks of the 2nd pitch, and made some tenuous moves. I got a nut into a very bad placement that would only hold if I pull straight down (I need to buy new tiny nuts). Trying a few times, I got a little higher each time, but an important ledge was just out of reach. Expecting the crack climbing to be 5.8 from there, I used some slings to aid my way up to a good nut placement at the ledge ( at which point the bad nut fell out). Trying to free climb again, I was impressed by the stout moves required to stand up on the block. I had a good fingerlock with the right hand, but just couldn't commit to get up in there. I saw that it would be hard climbing for a while from that point, so I lowered off the nut to the belay and we rapped. Thanks for catching my falls Josh! Next we climbed "The Sickle (5.7)" which is a great hand traverse. I tried to finish via "Blockbuster (5.9)" but the awkward exit moves of the block repelled me. Belaying at the base of the Aries chimney, I brought Josh up. I wanted to climb the chimney again in better style than a few weeks ago. I stepped up and placed a cam in the back of the chimney, then moved out and began inching my way up. Very soon I was above the cam for a long somewhat fearful journey with my back on the smooth wall and one foot on the opposite wall. If I fell I would hit the belay ledge. Will my leg get too tired and give out? How do I manage these worries? Ok, just keep climbing. I reached a pocket for an orange 4-cam behind my head and clipped in. On the previous climb I made a mistake here and abandoned the chimney technique. This time, I just kept "chimneying" to the top for a much easier exit. Yay! I did it with a minimum of whimphering! I was pretty happy. I went to the belay and Josh started up. But the cam I had placed was really too big for the crack and had apparently walked in a ways. Josh kept trying to clean it for about 10 minutes, wedged awkwardly in the crack. He realized he couldn't get it, and combined with already being worn out from Godzilla, he decided to save the climb for another day. I rappelled down and while Josh held my rap rope in a "fireman's belay," struggled to clean the cam. After about 8 minutes I got it. Yay! We made one more rappel to the ground, and home. My assessment: "Index is hard!"