Index with Kris and Theron

Published on 2003-5-11 by Michael Stanton

Index Climbing, May 11, 2003

Kris, Theron and I drove to Index in the late morning for a half day of climbing. We climbed the Pisces route, it was Kris's first time and she had been looking forward to it. She did great, but had to rest on the rope while cleaning some gear. This made her feel bad, so after Theron led pitch 3 to the top, we rapped down and let her climb the great hand crack again. This time she didn't have to stop for anything. Her practice and determination to climb hand cracks has really paid off! I'm proud of her!

We rappelled down and went to climb Princely Ambitions (5.9+). I had started it a month before but rain caused me to rappel off at the bolt, so this would be my first lead of it. Also my first "Index 5.9" climb, lead or follow. The detail of this report may be boring so you can skip it. But it made a big impression on me so here goes:

The route has two or three scary parts. For one thing, it is a full 50 meter pitch. There is one bolt near the bottom. Above the bolt is an awkward 5.8 mantle onto a small ledge. Then nice but exposed 5.7 crack climbing to increasingly blank terrain. Gulp! Now you have the 5.9 crux of the route. I tried to climb it "wrong" at first: chalk on ledges led me out and right but TOO SOON! I carefully reversed the moves. On tiptoe I could continue climbing a flake straight up, where I placed the important yellow cam. Now I was required (and ready, thanks to pro) to move right, having to trust that a handhold would appear to keep me in balance, because the feet going around the corner are mere smears on chalky dimples. There was a hold, but it wasn't great - I kept moving right to a marginal stance. I was already feeling tired!

I had to take another step higher, that's better. Now a thin finger crack allowed a decent nut placement. Now what?

A long leftward hand traverse with a licheny, overhanging wall above and beneath! I worried about the nut that I placed with a pull from the left. Would it hold? I fiddled with a micronut on the start of the traverse. I don't remember if I placed it or not, because now I was running out of gear with a long ways to go.

Without feeling ready, I entered the committing traverse. Breathing deliberately, I curled my fingers around a crack in the back of the ledge and pasted my feet. Hands shuffling, I made it across the ledge and somehow climbed up onto the ledge to a stance. I slammed in an orange metolius, and had some difficulty clipping the rope to it. I stood here a while, recovering.

Then I was moving again, the leftward traverse leading me into a steep but blocky dihedral that curved gradually up. I had two slings left and no quickdraws. The exposure was enormous, as I had traversed into the weakness of a generally overhanging wall. Another crack, this one with a fixed cam. It looks good, I'll just clip a biner to it! How long have I been climbing? 30 minutes? It feels like forever. I dimly know that I'm past the worst difficulties, but how can you trust a book more than your fingers and toes? I pass two protection opportunities with regret - I need to conserve. In the blocky dihedral good ledges appear. I place a thin nut. I climb to the next ledge, 15 feet below the exit moves. Here I find a bomber nut placement with the largest nut I have (#13?). I clip a locking biner and sling to it. No more slings, and all my remaining gear has been placed on just three biners. I'm pretty tired, but I need to climb. The dihedral begins to overhang, but it's climbable due to favorable ledges and good flakes on the side walls. A rattley hand jam in the only bad rock on the route supports me as I fumble with my right hand for a high hold. I find The Proverbial Bomber Ledge and I'm safe, I know it! My feet swing free, I do a pull up, eye scanning for foot-holds. The sun is in my eyes now, the ledge is golden warm. Regaining caution, I move steadily to the belay, not speaking until I'm clipped in.

Ahh, such relief! Looking back a few days later I realize that I never really felt secure since the traverse. Even though I placed a fair bit of gear, and the climbing eased off after the traverse, the exposure was very great. I think if I had doubled up on a placement at the end of the traverse my mind could have been at more rest. Now Theron started climbing. I didn't envy him, because the climb wasn't very straightforward and he's still new to rockclimbing. I could imagine a few moves that might give him trouble. Right away, he did run into a difficulty at the mantle moves that get you from the face into a crack. He was thinking about lowering off at that point, but finally went for the moves and climbed past the difficulty. "Great!" I thought, but I also thought the next part would be harder. I was thinking about how to retrieve my gear from the climb if he lowered off. It wouldn't be easy. I think I'd need to rappel down and clip the rappel ropes into the gear down to the lowest placement, then reclimb the pitch with a prussik in order to clean gear.

But there was no need for that, because Theron climbed with considerable skill past the 5.9+ move on the face to a finger crack, then launched into the traverse and the rest of the climb. I was really impressed! My mind was whirring with processing this amazing climb. Theron and I talked with Brent for a while, he was climbing with Chris who happens to be a co-worker's husband - what a small world! We set up the double rope rappel and were soon on the ground. It was Theron's longest rappel yet, and it overhangs a bit, so it's very nice.

Now I'm excited to climb it again! And this time I want to climb pitch 2, and then Beak! Beak! Beak!, which is 5.9. What a great three pitch climb that will be! Thanks to Kris for waiting while Theron and I climbed this. She got some pictures from the railroad tracks too. We drove back to our house and worked on a movie for a while, and called it a (great) day.