The most popular classic linkup at the Leap? You should definitely get an early start. Of course that was the plan, but things often get in the way. This time it was ice. For the cooler. Our initial plan was to rest and acclimatize on our first day of the trip, and maybe get a pitch or two. But we realized the night before that we were fresh, and that crowds would only build as the weekend approached, so our best bet was to attempt the link-up our first day. But the cooler needed ice, and we needed to make and pack a lunch, and things just kept needing to be dealt with.
We got to the base to find seven climbers on or waiting for Surrealistic Pillar. Luckily The Groove looked free, with a party of three just clearing the first belay. With aims to beat the crowds we headed over. We’d already done Surrealistic together once before, and I’d been really curious to get Emma’s take on The Groove, so it seemed like a perfect alternative.
The first pitch of the Groove is really great movement. And mildly challenging. Everything goes, it just feels a bit tenuous and unlikely. I remember placing a bunch of aliens last time, but didn’t miss the small cams at all, gear is just everywhere. Emma pulled the crux right off the ground and made good time to the anchor, although there was lots of complaining about “sandbagging”. Apparently I didn’t warn her that it was sustained? But it was all smiles so I took it as just talk.
The second pitch was mostly a hike. I went right instead of left (whoops, probably easier) and followed the path of least resistance to the top. Not much gear, but nothing serious either. We topped out, packed up, and began our hike to Corrugation. It was slow going since we were feeling the elevation, but I was feeling optimistic that we had circumvented the traffic jam on Surrealistic.
Part of the appeal of the leap is the short approaches and descents. It’s a great way to get a lot of pitches in quickly and easily. That said, I do love the hike over to the main wall. The thin path that leads across the ledge is exposed and dramatic, showing off the looming complex cliffs. The combination of angular, undulative and rippled forms at the leap are really unique, and the weird organic vibe reminds me of the work of H. R. Giger. Some of them could almost be set pieces from an Alien movie. This extends down to the micro-level as well, and you never quite know if that hold will be an incut edge or a sloper until you grab it.
We rounded a corner to find a party of three headed our way. They turned out to be our campsite neighbors (accompanied by Petch, we later discovered) returning from Hospital Corner. Apparently they were the group on The Groove ahead of us. They gave us the good news that Corrugation was wide open. We arrived at the base with no line, and even had time for a relaxing lunch.
The first pitch of Corrugation is really fun. More of a puzzle than I remembered, and just really fun moderate climbing. Moving up a stemming dihedral to an easy traverse into a perfect belay nook.
The arête on pitch two really is something. It was just as spicy and spooky as I remembered. Just an amazingly exposed and unlikely place to find yourself in. I couldn’t stop smiling as I made my way up, remembering how I had to trust in the route the first time I did it. It just doesn’t seem like somewhere you should go. Everything about it feels wrong to me. It’s an amazing zone, and being there again felt exhilarating. The gear is spread out enough to feel heightened, but 5.7 is completely accurate. It just doesn’t look like it should be.
About three-quarters of the way up the pitch the arête becomes the right side of a chimney as it meets with another large face on the wall. Emma reached the lower end of the chimney slot and had to ask me if she could stem across it. She later said that she considered it, and just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Like it felt forbidden, or not allowed. It’s totally how I feel on that pitch. Something about it feels like a trespass, spooky, ominous. We call it the haunted crevice, and imagine some sort of supernatural entity that lives in there.
The end of the second pitch went as expected. Emma’s smile pulled a quick 180 as she surveyed the awkward sloping ledge and resigned herself to her fate. After a false start into the crevice, I coached her around and onto the face, where she replicated my maneuver, a partial-mantel-partial-thigh-clutch onto the ledge. A bit of a Sexy Grandma move. No belly flops for us.
She didn’t like the ledge. It’s understandable. It’s awkward, slopey, and the cams are at your feet, so things feel precarious. The upper wall juts out like it’s trying to push you off, and the contrasting and diverse set of angles makes it hard to judge plumb. All of this adds up to a perfectly safe and secure belay that feels like you’re detached and slowly tilting backwards. The first time I was on that ledge it really got to me, just a weird feeling that nothing is secure and things are slowly sliding into a different orientation. Bad dream type stuff. I’ve always chalked it up to perception, just a weird combination of surface angles that throw off your ability to assess up and down, but it goes along nicely with the spooky forbidden vibe.
The vibe fades as you move through the chimney on pitch three which featured zero owls. I placed a #3 in the back of the chimney with plenty of extension, but wasn’t sure it made a difference for Emma. A #5 stopper backs up the ring pin before the traverse. While the traverse is easy, it’s probably best to either back-clean or avoid placing until much higher in the corner. I’ve seen video of some epic follower swings here, so do what you can to protect yours. Also a good idea to use plenty of extension on this pitch to minimize drag. If done right it’s an easy pull from the top, but if not, you’ll end up doing a fourth pitch.
The top out is a bit anticlimactic, as the wall ends in bouldery ledges that are part of a scrubby hillside. We snacked and packed, and began the descent. Atop the ridge was our first full view of the damage from the Caldor Fire. Up close you can focus on new growth and the flowers and bushes, but seeing entire hillsides of grey and burnt trees was really dramatic. At least the top of east wall wasn’t completely barren. Tons of trees were burnt, but even with less shade the ferns and shrubs were still there. We were thrilled to see our favorite zone was still lush and colorful with wildflowers.
As we approached the now barren corner of East Wall I wondered what sort of condition the trail was in. It couldn’t be good, given that it depended heavily on vegetation for stability. It was at this point we discovered the most delightful, unexpected, and downright luxurious thing we’ve ever come across in the wild: perfect granite switchback stairs. Instead of scrambling and sliding down the old gully trail, we were treated to an easy to navigate stairway. Just as we were really feeling the fatigue and wobbly legs set in we were graced with an incredibly easy and accommodating trail. We saw tools at the base of the stairs and marveled at the effort and ingenuity required for such an undertaking.
Back at camp we chatted with our neighbors and learned that the renowned Petch Pietrolungo was responsible for this marvelous infrastructure, and furthermore, he was with our neighbors up on the main ledge! I knew of Petch from the internet and wondered if we’d cross paths with him on this trip – turns out we did, and didn’t even realize it! And then to top it off they told us that the new descent trail was his handiwork. For the rest of the trip we couldn’t stop praising his magnificent stairs. What an incredible upgrade to emerge from the destruction from the fire.
Dinner was ramen with ham, veggies and soft boiled egg. Our attempt at soft boiled eggs failed, but adding undercooked egg to the ramen broth basically created an emulsion and made the broth even richer and thicker. A perfect dinner to replenish two tired and dehydrated climbers.
The Groove
5.8 – Two pitches – 300′
with Emma
Gotta try the crux off the ground next time without tree-stemming
Go left for second pitch, not right
Super fun, Emma loved it and will definitely repeat
Corrugation Corner
5.7 – Three pitches – 500′
with Emma
1st belay large stoppers
#1 fits between pitons on arete
This section is thin, would micro-cams be helpful?
missed the pin below the ledge, but #2 fits well
2nd belay: #1, #2, #3
#5 stopper at ring pin
Avoid pro until well above traverse
Pro in chimney is of debatable value
Overextend everything on pitch 3
What if you drilled holes in the chimney and used a coeur pulses so you could have a classy belay and no one would know???
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