First multi-pitch of my life! Holdless Horror on Dozier Dome, just east of
Tenya Lake. WOW. All together a 500’ route, with 4 pitches,
listed as 5.6★★★★ (given 4 stars for being an epic 'must do' climb) Now the climbing
guide book did say to take the Yosemite route ratings with a grain of salt, but
I would agree with the 5.6 rating.
However, the difficulties that I faced...
I danced along the edge of the comfort/panic zone. First time climbing with a backpack (food,
water, shoes, climbing guide, etc.): Not a big difference, and to some extent I
forgot it was even there. First time
cleaning the route: My partner would lead the climb, and as he went up, he
would place gear (protection such as cams, chocks) into the crack on the rock
wall and then clip his rope in, thus attaching himself to the rock and
protecting him in case of a fall. At the
end of the ‘pitch’, he would build an anchor, and then belay me as I climbed up
that same pitch (follower), and removed all the protection gear that he placed. (see
below!)
First time climbing a fair distance out of sight of the
belayer (no one to help point out hand holds, provide encouragement, etc.): I
had my moments of panic, knowing that that only way out was up, no one was
watching, and being stuck wasn’t an option.
It forced myself to choose a hold, go for it, and head up. The rock face was a mix of smallish knobs to
grasp and crack to wedge in feet/hands. (Also
didn’t help that the clouds were beginning to join forces in the sky, still had
to keep going up!)
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| Hanging out mid-climb, hooked into the anchor. Tenaya Lake is over my shoulder (the road winds around the lake edge, we're up high!!) |
In general, the biggest aspect of climbing that made itself
very apparent is: Trust. Trust that your
partner is competent (placement of protection, building of anchors, an overall
awareness of what’s safe). Trusting my
partner on this climb wasn’t an issue; he’s worked as a Search and Rescue
Climber in a past career. Trust in the
situation and becoming comfortable leaning back while supported by a built
anchor 245’ off the ground. Oh how small
the trees looked! Trust in the rock and
in my shoes… they will stick! And if not, I am on belay and my partner will
catch my fall (yes, I did slip once, and
yes, my fall was caught).
An amazing day of personal challenge, growth, and a bit of
fear to keep things exciting and fun!
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| View from the top! |
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| All the gear (minus people) that provided us with a safe adventure! |
Oh, and on the walk off and down the dome, we may have had
to cross a stream via wet, slick granite. “If you fall, sprawl!”
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