SP led the first pitch/es up a pillar
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Smoke from a controlled (?) burn drifted up the valley during the day
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We jugged up the ropes in the evening with most of the gear
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Half Dome has an unusual shape from Watkins
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Our 70 and 60 m ropes got us to the top of the 3rd pitch.
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We tied the two ropes together and made it back to the base of the wall with a few metres to spare
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Half Dome in late afternoon sun
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The Quarter Domes just across the valley
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Studying the topo back at the bivy site
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Jumaring back up the ropes in the morning
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SP leading pitch 5
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The last couple of pitches up to the bivy site at Sheraton Watkins at the top of the 8th (our 7th) were easy but run-out
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Sheraton Watkins, a large ledge system, but not too many flat areas
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After a break we planned to fix the next pitch. SP led half of it, but couldn't find the bolt ladder marked on the topo.
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He put in an anchor at his high point and I top-roped up to it and also tried to find my way up to the bolts. It looked like some fixed pegs had been removed...
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SP ponders our lack of success on Watkins - this was his 4th attempt and my 3rd
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We bivied for the night knowing that we would abseil off in the morning
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Sunset and contrails over Half Dome
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Rigging the anchor to abseil off and lower the haul bag
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Descending, with the unattainable headwall way above ut
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I abseiled on one rope and guided the haulbag which SP lowered on the other
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Once I had moored the bag to the anchor SP followed on the double ropes
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We skipped an anchor to go all the way to the top of the 2nd pitch. Fortunately the 60m rope just reached
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Back on familiar terrain - the steep slab we had already jumared and abseiled several times
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SP does the last abseil
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One more abseil got us to the bottom of the face
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We put the gear on our backs for the abseils down the approach slabs
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The swim in Tenaya Canyon felt good
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Though we soon got sweaty again lugging all the gear back down the valley
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