Tirol Snow and Rock

Published on 2020-3-10 by Michael Stanton

Day One

Saturday, Jong and I snowshoed most of the way up the Vorderes Sonnwendjoch (2224 m), making our high point 100 meters below the summit. That was my fault! I thought we didn't need crampons (Steigeisen) or an ice axe, and dismissively recommended leaving these things at the car. I've learned my lesson!

We had a pleasant hike up the steep and interesting Steinapfelweg. I'm still interested to climb the now abandoned and de-signed Mahdersteig that goes straight up the mountain from the parking lot. It must be extremely steep! This was my third time on the traversing Steinapfelweg, and I just think it's a remarkable trail.

On the lovely Steinapfelweg

We emerged on road, which always feels odd. We started using snowshoes here. Seeing some people in the distance, we made the final hike up open country to the Bayreuther Hütte. Here I enjoyed what Jong called an "American sandwich." He was right! I realized, down to the bread and the nature of the mayonaise/mustard mix, I'd reproduced an aspect of the Old Homeland.

The Rofan Mountains near the Bayreuter Hütte

I'm reading an interesting book called the Cosmic Doctrine (link to J. M. Greers excellent multi-part discussion of the work). It's a kind of metaphysical and psychological story of the creation of a universe. There is an idea that Universes emerge from a Cosmos. For our purposes, we can consider the Cosmos "physical," and as a set of physical influences which act on an Atom, aka a Great Entity, whirling through its spinning rings. The Universe emerges in the mind of this Entity, and reproduces in a kind of inverted-mirror-form the conditions which formed the Entity. In this elaborate metaphor, "we" are thoughts in the mind of the Entity, assisting in bringing it to full self-knowledge.

Ha! Anyway! To quote:

You may conceive of the Cosmos as extended in space and time. But when you come to consider a Great Entity, it's parts are not extended in space or time, but are implicit in its nature as habitual reactions which are made whenever and wherever the appropriate stimulus is forthcoming.

Therefore, all the phases of Cosmic evolution -- the Rings, the Rays and the Planes -- occupy neither time nor space in the organism of a Great Entity, but are implicit in its nature.

Jong in the basin below the Vorderes Sonnwendjoch

The book is "meant to train the mind, not to inform it," and so offers itself as a mechanism by which the mind can grasp increasingly subtle ideas. None of the ideas have a "real" basis in physical reality. And yet to imaginatively grasp the concepts, you do end up visualizing these Rings and Rays and Atoms, etc.

As I looked at my sandwich, I realized I was reproducing the structure that formed me. I, an "entity," have been conditioned by the "cosmos" (my upbringing in Texas) through which I sailed. That upbringing included a special kind of sandwich. I could not help but bring it into existence again, here, in 2020. The sandwich was implicit in my being, and was brought forth.

Thanks Jong! And I must say: such sandwiches are good! It was only under great discipline that he resisted my waving it in his direction repeatedly to try a bite, just one!

Now we continued up, first with 15 minutes of traversing, which was rather annoying in snowshoes. Then to a little saddle followed by a short, steep climb to higher open country. We were in full sun, unexpected on this day!

Sun here is good!

Before long we were climbing the steeper slopes of the summit block, with an increasingly worrisome set of cliffs below us on our left. We traversed above them, noting how icy the snow was, and starting to wish for an ice axe. Jong went straight up and I kicked traversing steps around a corner. We met at a level point on the ridge where strong wind had blown most of the snow away.

Gämse eye us warily from the other side of a basin

The western side of the Rofan

Above that bit of nerve-wracking snow, we continued another 100 meters. But then it was clear that the last bit didn't make sense with our gear. Steep snow, bits of rock scrambling, and large cornices hanging over the east side of the ridge required crampons and axe. We descended, removing snowshoes in order to kick steps laboriously down to safer ground away from the exposure of cliffs.

On the whales back...

Turning to descend as weather deteriorates

Boah! Not every mountain is an easy hike! But they are all beautiful. We bombed easily and quickly down the upper slopes, returned for more snacking at the hut. We dutifully put the table away on the wooden deck so that it wouldn't be loaded by snow, then continued down, re-applying snowshoes for the section of forest road. Finally, we reversed the Steinapfelweg in sometimes blowing snow that thankfully never really became rain. However the trail was quite cumbersome on descent -- the rubber of our mountain boots was cold and didn't grip the damp network of roots that make up much of the trail surface. So we were constantly on guard against slipping.

A fun day that really worked the legs!

We repaired to our lodging near the Martinswand and cooked a dinner of spaghetti, salad which I failed to eat, bread, wine and ice cream for dessert!

Dinner preparations!

Day Two

After some morning meditation and yoga (wow, I feel like such an adult saying that), and a good breakfast, we drove over to the Martinswand. I chose "April Scherz" (5+) as a route, confusing it with another route called "Rucola." April Scherz I'd never climbed, though I thought I had. Hmm. It was good for us to have any kind of warm up climb after a winter of plastic, however this climb is not the best. There are just too many dirty sections. However, the end of the first pitch offers a fine traverse with pockets for hands and pretty blank slabs for feet. That was a good wake-up call.

The best part of April Scherz (5+)

Another view of the neat traverse.

I was gambling that by the end of this warm up climb, I'd feel strong enough to climb either the Ostriss (6) or "Maxl's Krone" (7-). Though, I felt apprehensive about everything. I guess it should be the Ostriss, as it's technically a bit easier, and Jong had carried 5-6 cams up in his backpack for us. We scrambled up to the base and ate some food in the warm sun.

Jong belayed me on the first pitch. For scenery, we had the overhanging wall above, with the crack providing the barest semblance of verticality. On the intimidating wall to the left, two climbers worked on "Tschi-tschi" (8), their ropes hanging free in the air.

Pitch 1.1 (25 meters)

A face with beautiful dinner plate holds. Good protection, though noticably sparser than the other routes I've been climbing here. The overhanging wall above with the guys working on Tschi-tschi made things feel serious. Was I ready for this? Well. I could at least move another meter up. And then another.

Pitch 1.2 (25 meters)

From a hanging belay at the base of the crack, Jong belayed me out into good blocky holds protected by bolts on the left. I placed a couple of cams on this pitch, one poor, one good. The crux was when the crack widened to a chimney. I'd stuffed myself back inside, then missed a bolt on the right outside. "You've skipped a bolt!" said the man belaying his friend on Tschi-tischi from behind me. "Unless you want to climb it 'clean,'" he laughed.

"No, thanks much!" I said. I realized I'd crammed myself into the chimney out of fear. It was tough to get back out. I did so with the help of footholds on blocks deep in the crack, levering myself up from very high feet, pressing on holds at the lip of the chimney/crack. Turning fully around, I achieved hands and feet on the outer edge, and could clip the bolt by my right foot. "Whew."

It's funny, when I climbed this with Wayne Wallace 9 years before, all of this was an easy blur. Now, it felt sustained, interesting and a little scary. It suggests that there is an ocean of experience in relative weakness which is lost on the honed. As your strength builds, this ocean recedes from you. I'm not saying this is bad. We all move towards greater strength and capacity as interest blooms. But I have to say, I enjoyed this climb much more from a somewhat more intimidated position than previously. I "savored the fruit of it."

I'm well into the 2nd half of life now, and it seems right for me to find the joy in limits. Still, I will expand, and yet all such expansions are minor victories in a war ultimately lost. The victories are sweeter for their fragile "stuckness" in temporality. It is a new dimension of experience to be aware of that. The young are "invincible." Of course, they aren't really. They just aren't hearing the subsonic notes of death. Perhaps, they heard the notes as a young child. And embarked on a thirty year "running away" from the notes, forgetting about them willfully. The older man or woman comes to recognize those notes as distant friends, who do not mean harm. They say: "live this. Live this, for now."

The pitch ended at another hanging belay, feet on well-polished bumpy rock.

Jong muscles his way up Pitch 1.1

Pitch 2 (20 meters)

Climbing along the crack with a few hand-jams on occasion. Then it narrows to an insipid seam, sending me naturally up on the right to a bolt with blank rock directly above. This must be the "luftige Querung bei Überhang" the topo mentions (airy traverse by overhang). Seeking my fortune to the left, I found some holds that supported the idea, and delicately traversed on small edges for feet to the left. This was really fun. Just a pivotal moment for me on this day. I'd overcome that part of myself that wanted to avoid the climb, like you want to avoid a cold shower. From this point, I'd encounter new and novel situations. I'd appreciate them. Oh! There is a tiny level spot on the wall behind me. If I press with the right hand, I can swing the left foot over there. Shift weight to it, and gain a new perspective on the world before me. And again and again. I arrived at the luxurious belay in a fog of felt mastery over my situation, and was greeted with the throne of a king, on which I could sit.

Literally! I could sit down on a block :D.

Jong arrives at the Pitch 2 belay

A climber and the valley below

Climbers on Tschi-tschi

Enjoying the sun in the middle of the Ostriss

Pitch 3 (27 meters)

The pitch started with an overhang directly above. It was a little shocking to reach and reach...and REACH, but find no comforting handhold available. I looked down, repositioned my feet higher, and tried again. Okay, there is a horizontal space for a mouse to nap which holds three fingers pressed together, like cold huddling mice of their own. A foot can bump up. Finally, one of the rocks above offered a real hold and I could yard over. Above this, the route leaned back for the first time. I climbed a slab easily, passing an hourglass formation where I was too lazy to sling my own thread through. I clipped the ancient in-situ 4 mm sling and called it good. Another move found a bolt, then a short romp to the anchor.

Climber prepares a belay on Tschi-tschi

Having fun at a belay. I love the road below me on the lower left

Pitch 4 (30 meters)

Delicate moves off the belay, then pleasant climbing above. By now, everything is pure fun. The sun has arced across the sky through the day. Just climb. Tomorrow will come, and bring new things.

Jong tops out on the Ostriss

We descended carefully, simul-climbing down to the ledge where trees begin (about 60 meters or more). It felt good to put on shoes. I was ready to keep climbing somehow, but I knew we'd get about halfway up the Spätlese and darkness would arrive. Jong arranged our gear and I grabbed the backpack from the base of the climb. We had an easy trip home.

Thanks Jong for the great time. Thank you mountains.

Soundtrack for writing this: 1917 "Come Back to Us"