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California is a climber's dream come true. Great weather, perfect granite, and solitude
when you want it combine to make California a climbing Mecca.
Photos by Bob Foley unless otherwise noted.
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Lover's Leap As far as I'm concerned,
Lover's Leap is the best place to climb in the country. Where else can you find
15-20 routes that would be considered classics anywhere, all within the space of half a
mile? Indeed, Traveler Buttress is one of Roper & Steck's 50 Classics in North
America. If you like steep moderates that "eat" pro and great resting places,
you'll love Lover's Leap. The steep vertical cracks are criss-crossed by horizontal dikes
that make almost every climb easier than it looks. |
My favorite routes so far: The Line (5.9), East Crack (5.8), Bear's Reach (5.7),
Traveler Buttress (5.9)
Best Lover's Leap climbing quote: "I really wanted to bonk Mike on the
head and steal his helmet ... but he was wearing a helmet" -- Bob Henley,
remarking how he would have liked to shield his bald pate from the painful lima bean-sized
hail that was pelting us.
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Pop Bottle (5.7). This is one of my favorite climbing pictures. I like
the way John framed the photo, particularly with Jerry belaying in the lower right corner
and the main buttress in the distance. And it doesn't even look like we're 160 feet off
the ground. The well known Traveler Buttress (5.9) route ascends the skyline. Photo
by John Payne 6/97. |
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Breathing easier just past the crux of The Line (5.9). Another one of
those very descriptive route names. The Line follows a plumb-line crack for over 300 feet
to the top (the name also applies to the queue that forms up on weekends). Photo
by Rick Iwatsubo 7/95. |
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Yosemite Valley What
can one say about Yosemite? The sheer walls speak for themselves. |
My favorite routes so far: Bishop's Terrace (5.8), Nutcracker (5.8), Snake Dike (5.7 R)
Best Yosemite climbing quote: "You gotta bite the dog that bit you"
-- Rick Iwatsubo, reluctantly, when asked if he wanted to climb on Sunday after doing
Snake Dike on Saturday (see the "real" crux of Snake Dike, below).
Approaching "The Mantle" on Nutcracker (5.8). Actually, the
mantle was not nearly as hard as people made it sound. The "twinkle-toes"
traverse on the previous pitch was far scarier -- and I was following that one. Photo
by John Payne 11/96.
The 2nd pitch of Commitment (5.9). The name says it all (on both the
first and last pitches). Photo by John Payne 11/96.
The 4th pitch of Snake Dike (5.7 R). Jacqui and Jerry watch as I
finally get to my first piece of pro ... 80 feet above them. This route follows
the western shoulder of Half Dome and plants you atop one of the most spectacular places
on Earth (below). Photo by Rick Iwatsubo 9/95.
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Half Dome from Yosemite Valley. The Snake
Dike route roughly follows the red line to the summit. The hiker's cable route comes up
the back side, opposite this picture. Both the hike and the climb to the top pass Vernal
Falls and Nevada Falls. These two sites are worth the trip by themselves. |
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Still smiling on the "real" crux of Snake
Dike. Forget about the 5.7 rating. Forget about the runouts. The real crux of
Snake Dike is the 16 mile trek to the top of Half Dome. This picture was taken at 9:30 pm
on the way back after:
- A 15 mile trek beginning at 5:00 am
- 4,500 feet of elevation gain and 4,500 feet back
- Over 16 hours on the move
- A technical climb of 7 pitches and another 1,000 feet of scrambling
- Untimely calls of nature
- A brief pause for summit photos on Half Dome
- Descending the hiker's cable route
- Darkness fell above Nevada Falls (five miles from camp)
Would I do it again? ... Absolutely!!
Photo by Jacqui Moore 9/95. |
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Phantom Spires Phantom
Spires is a really fun place to climb. Bring slings to tie-off the knobs (or
chicken-heads) that abound here. |
My favorite routes so far: Hard Up/Over Easy (5.9), Gingerbread (5.7), Fear of Flying
(5.9)
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Gingerbread (5.7). Follow the huge flake until it gets too wide, then
"knob hop" to the top. Fear of Flying (5.9) follows the huge dihedral to the
right. Photo by Rick Iwatsubo 11/93. |
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Hard Up/Over Easy (5.9). One of the best
routes anywhere! The 5.6 move over the roof is a breeze when you have a knob the size of a
steering wheel in your hands. The hard part is getting up there using the 5.9 finger
crack. Tie off half a dozen chicken-head knobs for pro on the first pitch. Photo
(left) by Rick Iwatsubo 10/94.  Photo (above) by John Payne 10/98.
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