Tech News... May 1995Tech News... May 1995WWW edition of the newsletter sent to Technical Section Members.
I can't remember where the idea started. Maybe in the sixties. Maybe before. Maybe it was someone else's idea. Who knows? The snow outside somehow reminded me of the trip. One of those rare experiences we all have. The memories, the psych, feels like it'll last a lifetime.
The sun set an hour ago. I'm not sure of my position on the slopes leading to Solitude Lake. I don't feel like I'm close enough for an attempt on the route I've come to do. Pissed off, I shout into the darkness. "God damn it, why can't you ever finish what you start?" No one hears. I can't go on. Ever since I left the packed trail leading to Bear Lake the going has been tough. It seems like every time I got through a rock band another cropped up. For a while it was fun. Toe jamming with snow shoes. That was before I snapped a shoe. It's no fun anymore. I decide to set up the Bibler. After I hack out a ledge I decide I don't like the slopes above. Decide this, decide that, I can't seem to make up my mind, In a more protected spot things don't seem so bad anymore. It's kind of nice not having to share the tent with anyone. I can throw stuff wherever I want!
In the darkness of the early morning the going is much easier than yesterday. I'm rid of the snowshoes now. Climbing cracks is much easier! I have a rack, rope and a power bar. That's it. My goal is to make Solitude Lake. I'm sure it's too far to consider climbing Arrowhead. By 9:00 I'm at the lake. At the west end a couloir leads steeply towards the summit. I'm glad I don't have to think about climbing that! What was I thinking when I chose this project? It's still early, so I take the rack and rope up the opening slopes to the first rock band. No harm. I can easily rig a rappel from there. That was the last time I thought about coming down for a while. At the first rock band I set up a belay. Gear just doesn't seem to work as well in the winter. Next time I'm bringing pitons.
The climbing goes uneventfully for a while. Self-belays are confusing me. I kind of wish I'd practiced it a little. The clove hitch on a Carabineer doesn't work too well either. The only way to do a hard section is to feed enough slack to climb unrestricted. Inevitably, I've fed only enough to get in the middle of the cruxes! Time after time I'm stuck in the middle trying to work some slack into the system.
The belays aren't always secure. One long run out on easy ground left me several feet below any available cracks for a belay. Vertical chimney climbing is bad enough, but up unstable snow it really sucks! A manky belay gives reason to hesitate. The next chockstone looks hard. Searching for secure holds, I'm relieved to find a bomber tool placement cammed behind a crack. I crank like there's no tomorrow! The pick bends. Shit. Not my tools! Anyway, once through the chockstone I get a good piece. Another short rock band looks like the crux. A bomber TCU gives me the confidence I need. Above, with the rope secured, I'm rapping down to clean the pitch when I realize I've clipped the wrong end of the rope at the TCU, leaving me unprotected on the last eighty foot pitch! I've got to work on that. The constant climbing, rappeling and jumaring back up is wearing on me. Above looks easy enough to solo without protection. I need to get this over with. The climbing is easy. Until the snow disappeared. The crack exiting the couloir looks too hard for me. Left, around a shadow buttress, I can see what looks like another couloir. My best option. On the traverse the rock is featureless. No pro is available and I've failed to see it coming. I've committed without a belay. Looking down eight hundred feet, the winding snow looks like a giant luge run. Fortunately I didn't take it! In the adjacent couloir I can see the easy rocks to the summit. I'm psyched! I actually did it!
On the top, alone, the feeling is so serene, so satisfying. You know the feeling. You've done something you weren't sure you could do. Then it hit me. I forgot to check out the descent! I'm tired, the power bar seems useless. What I really need is water. For a while the descent seemed straightforward. Then I screwed up. I descended too quickly. I should have followed the ridge further but I didn't know that then. My line cliffed out. Probably from dehydration and fatigue, I choose to begin rappelling instead of climbing back and searching for a better way. Besides, it only looked like a couple of rappels. The first two were secure. Then as I got more and more committed the security began to get compromised. I had no choice. I had only a small rack and needed to conserve; it was becoming obvious there were more rappels. Lots more. Hanging from one rappel I'd place an anchor for the next. The available anchors were few. After clipping in, but before pulling the rope, I'd jump test the new anchor (always one piece). If it held, I'd back it up and pull the rope. Then I'd pull the back up and begin again! Eight seventy foot rappels later I had come through blank overhangs, single #3 stopper anchors, intense stuff. The final rappel was bomber! The rope was about thirty feet short of the bottom, but falling down the steep slab of the final section didn't seem too bad considering all the other times I'd just closed my eyes and prayed. I rapped off the end, grabbing one side as I went to retrieve the rope. Hitting the ground never felt so good!
Descending to the tent, I reflected on the seriousness of my mistakes. Probably the dehydration was the biggest factor. Wanting down so bad I'd compromised my safety. I was lucky. I got a free lesson. Still I'm psyched! It was a hell of a weekend.
Dave Reeder
Plan ahead for the big Eldorado Canyon weekend coming up June 3 and 4, 1995. This will be the annual cleanup, fix-up, and socializing event. Highlights include:
Celebrate Eldorado is a community event hosted by the Action Committee for Eldorado (ACE), The American Alpine Club (AAC), The Colorado Mountain Club (CMC), The Access Fund, The American Mountain Guide's Association (AMGA) and The American Mountain Foundation (AMF), six non-profit organizations working to help preserve Eldorado Canyon.
Proceeds from "Celebrate Eldorado" will go directly to support the AMF's Eldorado Canyon Trail Project and the efforts of ACE to assist Colorado State Parks in managing climbing related impacts in Eldorado Canyon. Registration forms are available at the local climbing shops, or call 494-3943 for info on any of the events.
The last TS meeting, which featured a slide show by Ed Webster, was a huge success. The auditorium was packed with 350 people, the slide show was excellent, and local shops donated lots of goodies for door prizes. One of the best things is that the TS raised $1,030 for the CMC/AAC building fund! Congratulations and many thanks to all of you that supported this and put in the time and effort to make it such a success. Special thanks to Bob Wendell and Keith Jensen for all their work.
There are, once again, potential access issues at North Table Mountain in Golden. The local residents are getting upset with some of the climber impacts. Everyone needs to minimize the potential for aggravating the residents, or we may find this prime sport climbing area closed in the future. Use common sense and courtesy at all times and pick up all trash (even if it isn't yours), don't let dogs run loose, be careful not to trundle any rocks on the trail, leave your boom box at home (for the benefit of other climbers as well as the residents), and don't under any circumstances park in the cul-de-sacs or in front of homes. This climbing area is on private land and the owner to date has been sympathetic to climbers, and the residents have been tolerant. However, they do live there and the local constabulary may tend to listen to them more than they do to the climbing/hiking day users. Also, there is a dusk to dawn curfew, so no moonlight ascents.
There is a Friends of Table Mountain database being set up at the Bent Gate climbing shop, 1300 Washington Ave., Golden if you want to get more involved. If we all do our part, and pass the word to other climbers and hikers, we can continue to enjoy this great winter climbing spot.
Please see North Table Mountain under the CMC Information Service for up to date information on access to North Table Mountain.
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Last Modified June 6, 1998 by Keith Jensen .