Day 171: The Yosemite Valley Report
Finally, the update you’ve all been waiting for. After seven weeks in Bishop it was time for a change in scenery. It’s too bad we had to leave the unfinished Mandala and High Plains Drifter behind but the opportunity of ending this big climbing trip at a place we consider one of the most beautiful on Earth was too hard to pass up. One week in paradise:
One of the most well known boulder problems in the world is marked with this image. With a year packed full of incredible classic sends I knew this would be the ultimate conclusion.
Midnight Lightning, v8, the centerpiece of Camp 4 on the huge Columbia boulder was first established by Ron Kauk in 1978 before I was born. Still to this day it is one of the most sought after boulder problems by all types of climbers. It requires both technique and power and holds the rewarding “Yosemite mantle” as the last hard sequence. After 13 years of climbing I found myself finally standing below the masterpiece, wondering is it now my turn?
Yes!
With Midnight Lightning complete the pressure was relieved. Now it’s time to focus on the beauty of my surroundings (and cheer April on as she works her grand finale).
Tendons Give, v4, a traverse into the fun, bad landing, DO NOT FALL Tendons Mend, v0. After raving extensively about how amazing the moves were I convinced April to not only try it, despite the scary landing, but to send it. And she too got to experience a good old-fashioned “Yosemite mantle” at the top.
The Font Problem, v6, recommended to us as by a couple of friends as “a good ass whoopin.” As the name denotes, you can expect to squeeze your way to the top bypassing nothing more than little dimples in the stone. Very, yes, Fontainebleau-like. April worked it the first day and sent it the next.
Bears in our campground at night, bear next to April as she’s peeing in the woods, bear trying to get into our gear while we are climbing, bear in the tree next to Midnight Lightning while I’m trying to send, bear cruising through the forest on our hike out of the boulders. Bears everywhere.
Rain day in the valley.
Beautifully secluded campsite number 176.
Secluded? Just kidding. Behold the boxed-in future of American Car Camping.
Half Dome on a Thanksgiving Day.
Our first attempt at cooking our very own Thanksgiving turkey.
Stoking the fire under the feast.
Our stuffed bird cooked to perfection accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes, creamed corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls with butter and of course pumpkin pie.
Burning off the Thanksgiving dinner with a hike up to Glacier Point via the Four Mile Trail.
Yosemite Falls.
Half Dome.
April enjoying the view from Glacier Point.
Wait, wait, there’s one more. The Force, v9, adjacent to Thriller, v10, situated in front of the coolest tree in all of Yosemite.
Tick list complete.
And last but not least, our Cute Morgan.
posted by pjv
This entry (Permalink) was posted
on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 at 5:12 pm and is filed under Bouldering, Yosemite-California.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0
feed.
You can leave a response
, or trackback
from your own site.
Leave a Reply