I had always been curious about Paradise Lost, a 7 pitch face route on
Middle Cathedral Rock. I just never could bring myself to jump on it.
I was scared by the topo which has sections marked "loose" and,
repeatedly, "poor pro". Nearby routes like Stoner's Highway were scary
enough and didn't have warnings in the topo. Why risk a 100 foot ripper
on some chossy slab?
Adventure I guess. I was planning a day of almost 40 pitches of easy
soloing when Dan returned my email about climbing. He had dragged me up
routes like "Blind Faith" V. 11d on the Rostrum, so I knew we could do
something I might not ordinarily go for. I thought about "Paradise
Lost". Since I had been planning on soloing anyway, I figured using a
rope on a sporty route would add up to the same thrills, plus, with Dan
along, I would only have to endure half the thrills.
In fact, I scanned the topo to determine if there was any strategy that
I could employ to allow Dan to enjoy more than his fair share of the
thrills. Dang! The scary pitches were equally divided between even and
odd leads. As we racked up I asked Dan about his Boreal shoes, "Did ya
resole those with C4 or is that original Boreal Rubber?" He said he was
waiting to wear down the original rubber before he resoled them. We're
both wide-footed and Boreal lasts seem to fit us best. My experience
with Boreal rubber though, on granite anyway, is that Boreal rubber
skates and Stealth C4 rules!
We skipped the first 5.7 pitch to climb the nice 10a fingers of Pee Pee
Pillar, and then lowered down to the first belay. I took the first face
lead since, unlike the next pitch, the "poor pro" annotation came after
the crux rather than at it. I fiddled with a tiny brass nut about 15
feet off the belay but it pulled when I yanked on it. The climbing
wasn't that hard so I determined to take my medicine and just climbed
to the first decent pro.
There was pro before the crux, which was thankfully soft, and then
climbed past some expando flakes to the belay. Yahoo! Dodged a bullet!
It just wasn't that hairy! Dan took the next lead and I was more
gripped at the belay than I was on lead. There was no pro for the
first 30-40 feet. Dan was directly over the belay most of the time and
said that some holds were loose. He climbed very slow and methodically.
Who wouldn't with a lead out like that? The result was that I really
didn't know if he would fly down and smash me like a bug. I was
relieved when he clipped the 1/4 inch bolt to protect the second crux
and traversed to the belay. I was feeling more confident now we were
in the swing of things. Following the pitch was fine and my next lead
was fun.
Dan started leading pitch 5 and things got weird. He stepped in a wad
of slippery goo on a horizontal traverse and couldn't get it off his
shoes! After much fussing and fiddling, he managed to get back to the
belay with some tension and a short fall. We pulled some medicated
handy wipes out of the first aid kit to clean off the shoes but they
were never the same. They smelled like coconut! I guess somebody must
have dropped sunscreen from higher up and it exploded on the tiny
ledge, or something?
He couldn't risk leading on a dicey route like this with jizzed shoes,
so Homey had to lead everything on up or it was bail time. I was
feeling cocky about the route by now but the next pitch looked
desperate. There was steep crack about 40 feet to right and 20 feet
up, and little hope of pro in-between. I always notice the steepness
of pitches that I've never climbed before. Everything looks like an
impossible sandbag until I'm committed on it.
So I committed to it, avoiding the coconut splooge ledge, and, like the
rest of the route, holds appeared as required. I was particularly
grateful for a fixed pin hidden 15 feet below the crack.
The 6th pitch held the last real obstacle, a 10a traverse with some
other 5.9 thrown in. The 10a was tricky. The pro wasn't bad, a cam 8-10
feet directly left, but a fall would have been a blind, forceful swing
that I felt an aversion to experience. After dancing around on good
holds and moving up and down for awhile, I went for it and was
redeemed! I felt a twinge of secret satisfaction when Dan fell on the
move and took a wild swing. He was the hero who had lead 11a off-width
for me. It was a fantasy though. His shoe was greased after all!
Paradise Lost meets the DNB after pitch 7. We rapped from the pitch 7
anchors. The helicopter that failed on a Braille Book rescue the day
before was sitting in EL Cap meadow all day while we climbed. We
observed it periodically without knowing that an unfortunate soloist
had been killed in the chopper accident while Navy corpsman Jason Laird
was injured while dangling from a safety rope when the main hoist cable
snapped. My girlfriend and I had been rafting on the Merced while the
rescue was unfolding. Dan and my adventures on
less-than-well-protected territory seemed like pretend adventure
compared to the efforts of the folks who come after us when we flail.
My thanks and best wishes to SAR and the military folk whose adventures
save us from our misadventures.
Peace
Karl
--
Guide Guy
http://member.newsguy.com/~climbing/
> Tr; Paradise Lost 10a, R, Middle Cathedral
>
Thanks for the TR. One of my all time favorite routes. Its relative
obscurity adds to the mystique for me. I gotta hand it to you though,
leading it knowing that the pro is scarce is one thing. But knowing how old
those 1/4 inchers are, and that you may have to test them, is another. Hey
Greg! Please put this one on your list.
JKVawter
Great TR, Karl. I really enjoyed this. Maybe I'll have the guts to
give it a try sometime...but when your stud partner is falling on it,
I should probably steer clear.
> In fact, I scanned the topo to determine if there was any strategy that
> I could employ to allow Dan to enjoy more than his fair share of the
> thrills. Dang! The scary pitches were equally divided between even and
> odd leads.
Dude, this is why BLOCKS were conceived! :-)
Bill> rescue was unfolding. Dan and my adventures on
> less-than-well-protected territory seemed like pretend adventure
> compared to the efforts of the folks who come after us when we flail.
> My thanks and best wishes to SAR and the military folk whose adventures
> save us from our misadventures.
Well said! I agree. These rescue guys are studs and studettes.
Unfortunately, I've had cause to need them twice in Colorado. Bless
RMR...
Bill
Thanks! You can bet there are a screamer on every bolt and many peices.
Greg emailed me at first mention of the route for more bolt beta. He
can't promise when or if they are going to get to it, but I hand it to
him for being on the ball.
Scott Burke told me Pieces of Eight 10cR (his route) is a quality route
but needs rebolting and maybe more bolts.
> Karl Baba <gu...@NOSPAMnewsguy.com> wrote in message
> news:<160620022059205216%gu...@NOSPAMnewsguy.com>...
> > Tr; Paradise Lost 10a, R, Middle Cathedral
> >
>
> Great TR, Karl. I really enjoyed this. Maybe I'll have the guts to
> give it a try sometime...but when your stud partner is falling on it,
> I should probably steer clear.
I think it's less scary than Stoner's. You'd flash it.
>
> > In fact, I scanned the topo to determine if there was any strategy that
> > I could employ to allow Dan to enjoy more than his fair share of the
> > thrills. Dang! The scary pitches were equally divided between even and
> > odd leads.
>
> Dude, this is why BLOCKS were conceived! :-)
Dude, I thought of everything! there was no slick way to pass the buck!
>
> Bill> rescue was unfolding. Dan and my adventures on
> > less-than-well-protected territory seemed like pretend adventure
> > compared to the efforts of the folks who come after us when we flail.
> > My thanks and best wishes to SAR and the military folk whose adventures
> > save us from our misadventures.
>
> Well said! I agree. These rescue guys are studs and studettes.
> Unfortunately, I've had cause to need them twice in Colorado. Bless
> RMR...
>
> Bill
Man, I can only imagine hanging with a victim from a cable hanging from
a chopper and the cable breaks and I go flying to the end of a rope
where I get dragged through trees! Talk about traumatic stress! Ouch
Well, maybe...on a tight toprope! I haven't got on Stoners for the
same reason. Sounds like, if I dare, I should start with this route
and then, only if my shorts are still clean, will I contemplate
Stoners.
I was just out there for a week climbing on the other side of the
Valley, but I hope to return in October and I'll give this route some
thought. I know a few rope guns out there...
Thanks for the info,
Bill
> I know a few rope guns out there... [the Valley]
Bill,
Once again you get the understatement award!
kreighton, still smarting from the Royal Arch shelling