DEVILS TOWER REVISITED

Early Summer 2004 was spent logging coal in Tumbler Ridge, BC Canada. I biked and hiked and saw 7 different waterfalls in the area. Saw 14 moose, 4 black bear, 2 griz, 1 wolverine, deer, etc. There were places to climb, especially near the falls but I never got done seeing all the falls. Got to Gillette late August and there was too much work to get any climbing in till October. Did the wall a little but there was no time to get in shape for a 24-hour climb this year.

1OOCT04
Windy and chilly today. Wind out of the northwest and I was planning a work out on the Northeast Face, just below the "Teacher's Lounge". So the wind is across the face and the Sun is around the corner, but it wasn't too bad with a sweatshirt and windbreaker. I started with a route called "Do Betters", first assent by John "The Sloth" Arnold according to a climbing handbook. John was the leader of the paramedics I teamed up with in 2001. He said he'd just gotten divorced and wanted to "do better" next time and hence the name. So I set my pro climbing this first pitch then tied into the bolts a column and a half to the right. I cleaned my pro on the way back down, then did laps on 3 other routes that were assessable for top roping from the bolts. The last one (farthest right, probably "Broken Tree") got tougher as the crack thinned down at about the height of the bolts. I figured I'd have to climb 10 or 15 feet higher then traverse left and back down to the bolts. Well, I let my right fingers slip out of a crumbly slot and swung out like a barn door; which jerked my left fingers loose and I aired it out with my back to the face. Swung in under the bolts looking out at the view. This was new. I never fell on the Durrance route in 10 climbs. At least I was tied into anchor bolts. Rapped down and headed back. Turned out my camcorder got the fall on tape.

23OCT04
Called Frank Sanders about climbing on Saturday and he already had a partner but said come along; 3's OK. Met Leigh Lassle at Frank's "Devils Tower Lodge" at 0700 and the 3 of us waited for the ice to melt off the porch, then headed out. First thing Frank got another group of 3 climbers set up on a couple routes on the Southwest Shoulder climbing area. I climbed one for warm up then we headed up the Southeast Buttress approach to do "Bon Homme". Frank led and I followed up, then Leigh. The lower part had a section where you had to traverse left a column and I found myself working my way along a ledge with my hands, feet dangling with no footholds. I forgot to ask Frank later if that was right because once I got up high enough for him to see me, he kept advising me to stop climbing with my arms when there are adequate footholds. The upper part was a good size right hand crack which was nice climbing. On the belay ledge, I pulled the packs up a column over while Frank belayed Leigh. Leigh said he lost his footing once and caught himself on a solid fist lock in the crack, but it did some abuse to his hand. Another short section and we made for some rappel bolts and rapped down.

We were near the start of the Wiessner route and did that next. Frank skips on up to the next belay bolts and I'm following up about halfway when he says: "Go back down a little and traverse one crack to the right, across that ledge." "What ledge is that?" Of course, being half goat, half lemur, Franks sees things overlooked by a crude human. So I work my way across to another right hand crack but Frank says put your left side in the crack with your back to the face. Well, this is an excellent technique in theory but it's not working for Greg and while grabbing for my hat, I fell. Hanging by the safety rope I thought: dead again. Got back into the crack and the rope caught the brim of my hat and knocked it off again. Death plus I lost my hat this time. That's 3 falls in 2 weeks. Am I getting careless because of being top-belayed and/or being tied into anchor bolts?

Next I turned around, climbing to the belay right side in the crack and Frank just looked at me like I was a belligerent upstart and said: "I haven't seen it done that way, but whatever works." So I'm top-belaying Leigh and Frank just takes off climbing. I'm like… wait… "don't you want a belay?" He says: "You just take care of Leigh. I'll be fine…" and climbs on up to the next belay at the Meadows. Frank has more experience than I ever will and knows this Rock like his basement stairs, but I've said it before; I've stumbled on my basement stairs. I think Frank's probably crazier than he thinks I am. We rapped down and I worked my way over enough to retrieve my hat on the way. Rating systems aside, it's interesting how some routes just fit some people better than others. Leigh found Bon Homme to be tougher than Wiessner and my experience was just the opposite.

Last year Frank said that the most summits in day that he knew of was 5. Early Summer 2004 he had emailed that he'd done 6. He had really taken the marathon plan to heart and had chosen Walt Bailey Memorial as the most efficient route to leave your ropes and do laps on because it starts the highest of any route on the Southeast Buttress and finishes the lowest on the Meadows; a one pitch technical climb. A few days ago he did 10 summits in 6 hours. Whoa… I had thought that an hour per lap would be a bare minimum; under perfect conditions after the ropes are bolted in for top-roping with no need to set protection while doing laps. I'd have laughed if anyone else had made such a claim. But then I don't know anyone but Frank who would have done the first summit free solo with no protection, on Durrance route, just dragging rope along behind. He said he didn't think much more was possible in 24 hours. I suspect his fingers and toes were pretty much played. If we do this 24-hour marathon, I expect to be the tortoise to Frank's hare.

2000

TOWER TALES TRILOGY

2001	2002	2003

2003

2004	2005

2006 - 2009