TOWER TALES TRILOGY / BOOK 3

TOWER TALES - BOOK 3 / CHAPTER 1

7OCT03 (8th Attempt):

Got up at 0245 thinking I'd be on the road in less than an hour. WRONG. 2 1/2 hours later I'm outa here. Wanted to be on the trail by 0530; started off at 0700 instead. It was already daylight. Fool. And, I left my hat in Gillette. Sliced the back out of a spare T-shirt, left the bottom seem on for a tie and used it as a Do-Rag. I may have looked like Black Scull the Pirate.

Scrambled the approach, set up my anchor, climbed the first pitch, rapped back down and there's a Guide and a girl waiting and he asks if they might pass. Well, by this time I'm already a couple hours behind schedule and not expecting to summit, so I said: "Go ahead." Well, it turned out that this other joker who comes up behind them is in their group too. Needless to say their Guide walks on up to the top of the Leaning Column, but his greenhorns took an hour and a half. So I cleaned my pro from the crack and waited another half hour atop the leaning column for the last of them to start the 2nd pitch. By now it's past noon. So I called Dan on my cell and he says there could be a job later and I'm thinking a little pay might make a good consolation prize for a no summit day. Then I dug through my pack realizing I'd left my headlamp back in the truck, cause I was going to wear it on the approach so I didn't pack it and I started after light so I didn't wear it. I had a little handheld in the pack for backup (not good for rapping down in the dark, and then no backup). And I was late and I forgot my hat. Get off the rock Crews. I ran from the Devil with my tail between my legs.

Then as I was hiking fast back to the truck so I could get back in time for a job, I had to field questions from the Japanese and German tourists. Actually, I was reminded of the comment Tim made on my 3rd attempt when I teamed up with the paramedics. He said: "Look at the bright side; coming down after dark we don't have to field questions from the Japanese and Germans." Although I wasn't sure how to take that crack when Tim made it, I think the old guy that was double stepping to keep up with me (while grilling me about how you get up there) was German. GAC

TOWER TALES - BOOK 3 / CHAPTER 2

12OCT03 (9th Attempt):

No work on the books for Sunday; I'm climbing. I felt good after that aborted climb on Tuesday, even with the short days I can still make a summit. I'll climb to the bolts above the Flake Crack (#4 location on attached diagram) and Conn Traverse to the Meadows, then it's just a half hour scramble to the Summit. Got packed before going to bed. Was only 15 minutes behind schedule leaving the Tower parking area at 0545. Scrambled the approach in semi-dark; there was a good Moon. Daylight by the time I was setting up my anchor. Should have planned on doing it in the dark. Being Sunday, there were a couple early birds waiting when I rapped back down the Leaning Column. I said: "Thanks for not asking, cause I'm not going to let you pass because I'm no slower than slow people." (Names were Dave and Christian.) Dave raises his hand and says: "That's us. You go ahead, we're in no hurry." I said: "If I'm holding you up, you can pass on a shorter pitch later on." When I was part way up the 2nd pitch (Durrance Crack) I noticed they hadn't started yet and hollared down: "You guys can get on with it. My pack's still on the Leaning Column but there's plenty of room for you."

So I got to the bolts (#2 location on diagram) atop the 2nd pitch, hold on, I almost left something out. I should expound a little on a thrill I had at the top of the Durrance Crack. If you recall my 5th attempt (Book 1) when I joined up with Bill and Jim for a team summit; I was somewhat humbled when I found myself turned the wrong way at the top of this same crack (and wore myself out trying to get a grip) then grabbed the rope rather than downclimbing and repositioning. Well, at that same point in the crack, I was reaching up to where the crack tapered small enough to set the biggest SLCD (spring loaded camming device) I had left on my rack and I couldn't reach (or climb) any farther because my Silent Partner was locked against a safety knot I had failed to remove before entering the crux. Fool.

[I must enter a footnote here about my Silent Partner self-belaying device. The Silent Partner is a clutch mechanism attached to your harness that allows rope to feed through but locks up if it feeds too fast, as in a fall. For backup, you have 2 or 3 knots clipped into your harness at 15' intervals along the loose end of your rope. If the clutch fails to lock, which is highly unlikely, you would fall the distance to the next knot plus twice the distance you have climbed above your last Pro (Pro=protection: SLCD, chock, nut, or whatever). Hopefully you wouldn't hit the deck. But the clutch doesn't fail as long as you foil Murphy with backup knots. Theoretically, you keep track of your knots and untie them before they reach the Silent Partner. You might wind up with 20 some odd feet to the next knot if you drop one early; but better that than having to untie one at a crux, when your hands are busy holding on or worse yet if you pull the knot into the mechanism and have to downclimb to get enough slack to untie it (like some fool I know).]

So here I am back at the Crux, and I'm not in the "rocking chair" with a belayer above me this time; my last Pro is about 5' below me, no rope to grab a hold of because it's pulled tight below me, holding me back. But it wasn't that bad... I was feelin' strong and kinda chuckled at myself. Downclimbed to where I had enough toeholds to free up my hands and drop the knot. Then onward to the bolts.

At the #2 bolts; I start hauling the rest of my rope up and it stops when my second rope should be lifting away from atop the Leaning Column (#1 location on diagram). I had broken the first rule: always make a final check before climbing on. I pictured the knot I had clipped into the bolts to keep the 2nd rope from getting away while I laid it out. Fool again. So I had to use my climbing rope to rapp down and used my Petzyl Ascenders on it to re-ascend the pitch, which I didn't like doing, because it's much wimpier and stretchier than my 2nd rope. Also, I had to leave the biner and sling behind that my rope was hung in. I ask Dave and Christian to bring it along and if they didn't catch up it's booty. They said they'd just leave it at the Ranger station and I said: "OK, thanks, but leave it on the hood of my truck cause I won't be in till after hours." Back at the #2 bolts, I hauled up my drag bag (pack), set up my ropes and climbed on to #3 bolts.

From #3, I hauled my pack up, rapped back down, then cleaned my Pro from the Cussing Crack on the way back up. Before I lost sight of them, Dave was still behind the Leaning Column, calling down to Christian that he was getting psyched up for a runout. So I got my ropes set for the Flake Crack pitch and sat down to chow some jerky and nuts. The time was a little past 1400. I figured an hour up this pitch, an hour across the Conn Traverse, half hour Meadows scramble to the Summit, hour on top, hour back down to the Meadows; I'll be rappin' off the Meadows before dark. Relax. Everything's cool. Heard a couple girls (Dawn and Christy) on the Durrance Pitch and thought: "Sounds like they'll be catching me soon enough." Set up my camcorder to shoot this pitch and climbed on to #4.

Rapped back to #3 and the babes were already there. Sooner than I thought. They had combined Durrance and Cussing Crack into one pitch (nice move), which certainly saves times although I've never considered it an option solo. I'm thinking Dawn is a Guide (and needless to say prime cut) and Christy appeared to be lean beef as well. Dawn had my biner and sling from the #1 bolts and asked if it was mine. I asked: "Was that in the corner there? I don't remember leaving anything here." She says: "No it was clipped on the bolts at the Leaning Column." "Oh yeah. The guys down there said they would drop it off at my truck. What happened to them anyway." She says: "I ask if this was their sling and he said he didn't know who's it was." I said: "You kiddin'? I told them I was leaving booty and they assured me they'd return it." She said: "He was all frustrated and flustered when I ask him, I don't think he knew what I was talkin' about. They turned back." I think these girls ran right over the top of them dudes. They must of decided to go back to the drawing board. Anyways, I got the hell outa there before they could climb over my back.

So back at the #4 bolts; I'm arranging my rope and trying to figure out where to put my drag bag where I won't have to try to drag it around a column and down and up and down and back up again without hooking it in a crack somewhere along this Conn Traverse. In the meantime, Dawn runs right past me and climbs on, to the #5 bolts, (where I turned back on my "epic without water"; 6th attempt / Book 2) and she top belays Christy up the Flake Crack and the Chockstone Crack as one pitch. Nice move again. (I'm reminded of the sticker Valerie got at Copper Mountain that says: "Some girls chase guys, I pass them". I would've stuck one of those on Dawn's helmet as she headed for the Chockstone.) So I've decided to try my luck at throwing my pack 1/3 of the way across the Conn Traverse landing it on a little notch on a ridge atop a column. OK: look at the 2nd Diagram and you'll see the Conn Traverse going right from #4 then turns down the right side of a column. Just before it turns down is the ridge I was aiming for. Well, I was going to try 3 throws but the 3rd one almost stuck, so being encouraged I tried a half a dozen more. So every failure comes swinging back, crashing into the right side of the column straight below me and Christy is climbing the Flake Crack on the left side of that same column. Well, eventually she nervously hollars: "What is that bashing noise I keep hearing?" (Probably wondering if this maniac is trying to tear the Tower down on what began as such a peaceful afternoon.) I apologized: "Sorry, I should have told you what I was up to...etc...etc."

At this point, I notice my bag is leaking water so I pull my gear out and at the bottom, my reserve 3/4 gallon Clorox jug full of water has several punctures and is half empty. (And those jugs are tough plastic.) I transferred the remaining water to my camelback, turned the pack over, pouring the rest of the water out and repacked it. Of course my camcorder was in the pack because I didn't want it bashed up like the last one I hung on a carabiner scrambling to the Summit. Well, now I have a 2nd camcorder exhibiting the "Terminator dragged by a semi syndrome". Now... at some point during this Conn Traverse ordeal I became victim to a time warp. I always said I didn't want to do traverses solo and now I'm finished with the Conn Traverse because somewhere within its borders exists a portal to the Twilight Zone. Anyway, I wound up climbing out on the column ridge and hauling the bag over, setting it in place, climbing back to the bolts, laying my ropes out, oh so carefully, then climbing on.

The last time I did the Conn Traverse, I had Jim belaying from the Meadows and I just skipped right across as I recall. I forgot you had to climb back up to where it ties in with the Jump Traverse trail. Now I find myself setting multi-directional anchors cause my rope goes down and back up again and the rock is crumbly and rotten here and etc... etc... etc... So when I clip into the bolts on the Meadows side, I start hauling my rope in, but as the knot to the 2nd rope drags across the delicately placed bight tied into the pack out on the column, the rope starts feeding down into the crack between the bag and the coil at belay station #4. While I frantically pull in as much rope as I can, half the coil runs down the crack and naturally gets hung. So, now I'll have to climb back along my climbing rope to get the 2nd rope free again.

Hello... Dawn and Christy are back at the #5 belay station asking if I have any problem with them rapping over the top of my pack and ropes that are strung across their path. "No problem. I'll be climbing back over to get my rope free, but you'll be past by the time I get there." Dawn says: "Oh I can untangle your rope for you on the way by." My first thought was that I can't let her do that or my summit won't be solo cause I had help. But at the same time I'm realizing it's getting darker because the sun has already set and I don't have a half hour left to scramble to the Summit. In fact it will be dark by the time I can get my pack, unclip from the #4 bolts, and clean my Pro out of this miniature canyon on the Meadows side of the Conn Traverse. Of course, these thoughts all occur in a split second along with the conclusion that hits me like a slap in the face: "I don't believe the Devil has whooped my ass again." No summit, no cigar, time to bail offa this rock: "Yea, if it's not much trouble, go ahead and throw the rope over to this side of the pack." Then Dawn says: "What about this gear over here on the bolts?" "Sure, if you can reach that too, just clean the bolts and clip it all on the end of the rope." She says: "Why don't I just leave these biners and slings down below and you can pick them up when you come down?" "That'd be great... thanks." So I hauled my bag over, then rapped back in to collect my Pro off the walls of the "mini-canyon".

As I'm putting the shoulder straps and such on my drag bag to turn it back into a backpack, I hear Dawn hollaring from quite a ways down: "Doooode... Hey dude... we've got a knot hung. Do you think you could free it?" "Sure, if I can reach it. But it'll be half hour or so before I can get there." We were both shouting our messages several times to understand each other and I got to thinking they're way down there. If I can even reach their rope from the Meadows Rappel route, it might not be till after the 2nd set of rappel bolts; which is more like 2 hours away for me. Then she yells that they got it free. That was a relief; I hate being rushed. And I hadn't figured out how to say: "Just stay right there till a couple hours after dark and I'll be right with you."

The time was almost 2000, my gear was packed and ropes were ready to rappel the 1st pitch. Mom and Dad phone me at precisely 7:30PM every Sunday and that was a half hour ago. They'll probably ring every half hour till they go to bed, thinking I'll be home from a job any time. So I phoned them with the company cell. Dad said: "Why don't you get off of there before it gets dark, we'll talk to you later." Mom says: "And be careful." I said: "Actually, I only expect it to get lighter as the moon comes up. I'm on the Southface and it's still around the edge of these columns to the east."

So I rappelled the several pitches down. Had to untangle the ropes a few times as I descended, but no big deal cause there was very little wind so they didn't get blown off course anywhere. It was actually quite a pleasant evening for a quiet rappel off the Meadows. Beautiful view and I only flipped my headlamp on a couple times to spot bolts, although the moon didn't come into view till I reached the Bowling Alley. Changed to my comfy tennis shoes, called Dan to let him know I was down and to see when the next job was up, pulled my ropes down, coiled them and slung 'em over my pack, then started looking around for the gear that Dawn was to have left here.

I had noticed some lights coming up the trail and figured these would be some commandos starting a night climb at 11:00PM. Turned out Dawn had left my gear on the truck; she noticed it was still there at 10:00 and had come back out to check on me along with a Norwegian friend and this legendary Tower guru, Frank Sanders. I knew his name because about 1 in 5 climbers that catch me soloing on the Tower ask if I know Frank. Which is why I recognized his name listed next to about 30 different first ascents in a Devils Tower climbing handbook. Frank lives right here in the shadow of the Tower. In fact, Bill and Jim (team summit; 5th attempt) had told me that I may not know him but he probably knows of me, because he keeps track of everyone who climbs here. (You do have to sign in after all.) Bill said he will know of me because they would tell him how we'd helped each other make that summit. (Dawn had asked if I knew Frank as well, back at the Flake Crack.) So as we beamed each other in the face with our headlamps, I knew this had to be Frank: snow white hair, long flowing mustache, piercing eyes (of course, I guess eyes would have to be piercing, to out beam each other's headlamps); I was thinking "First Wizard"... or like having Obewan Kenobe come out to see that the Sand People hadn't shot me down. As he offered his hand I said: "You must be Frank. I've heard about you." He said: "That thing about the goat is not true. I don't know who started that story." He asked how I liked my "Silent Partner" and talked about another routine he uses for solo climbing. Back at the parking area he gave me his number and said to visit some time. I hope to get a chance, I know he's got a backlog of stories to tell.

EPILOG:

OK. August is the deadline for long enough days to make it by current routines and schedules. I could change the schedule by actually climbing the 1st pitch in the dark. This would be a little more dangerous and the low temps at night are 20's and 30's now, which I don't like. If I get another Indian Summer day with no work the new routine will be: combine Durrance and Cussing Cracks into one pitch; combine Flake and Chockstone Cracks. I had never considered doubling up pitches as an option because of the risk of hanging my rope or drag bag in the crack at the edge of the skipped belay station and because I would be monopolizing 2 pitches while someone might want to pass (but I'm beginning to think that's not my problem). What I'm thinking is I'll just pull up enough slack to the skipped station so I've got enough rope for the 2nd pitch. Then if I hang the drag bag, I'll just have to go get it and clip it to my harness for re-ascending. Last year a Guide told me Bailey Direct was not so good for solo but when I mentioned that to Frank he just shrugged and said: "Well, there's only about 4 places to set Pro." So I'm thinking Bailey Direct. Then rather than drag my bag up and rapp back to #5 bolts, clean gear on re-ascent, visit Summit then rapp back from different bolts to Meadows; I will climb, leave bag at #5, visit Summit, rapp back down Bailey, cleaning pro on the way down, then depending on time either take Jump Traverse to Meadows or return via Durrance route. If it takes me 20 years, I will make a solo summit. GAC

ATTACHMENTS:
B1C4-2DTSWF.jpg (Diagram 2 - Southwest Face)
(Video snap):
B3C2-1GAC.JPG (I dumped a couple spare parts out of the camcorder, but it still locks up after about a second of playback, then I have to eject the film to get another second. So I couldn't get it to the climbing scene. I'm going to have to find an armor plated model.)

TOWER TALES - BOOK 3 / CHAPTER 3

22OCT03 (10th Attempt):

Tenth solo attempt to summit the Devils Tower. If this were fiction I might consider that excessive. Almost as obsessive as 13 years (1986-1999) of life devoted to the Heather bronze project: years of self-deprivation, no snowriding and minimal summer sports for over a decade (occasional 1 and 2 day "vacations" and one 3 day vacation during that entire 13 years). Then in 2001 I found myself clinging to the face of this massive pedestal of rock, (in what could have been the bitter dregs of defeat), looking out across that beautiful Belle Fourche River valley thinking: "I'm alive again. This is what it's about. This is great. I'm back. And I'll be back." Should have listened to my brother a long time ago... Steve always said keep your life in balance between work and entertainment. That first Tower climb was when I embraced my motto to work hard but play harder... And the occasional 2 day snowriding trip would no longer suffice; I would join the snowriding Crews clan whenever possible. It was time to live by Alex's motto that it doesn't matter how many days of snowriding you get in each year, as long as it is the maximum you can possibly manage. So... the Tower was a major force in drawing me from my self-imposed exile, to do battle with the Devil in the world of the living. I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed every assault I have mounted against the monument. Time to end the war and become one with the Tower. Three years. Nine solo attempts. Two mid-climb team-ups; resulting in 1 team summit. And now, the 10th solo attempt...

Last Friday-Sunday were 3 perfect Indian Summer days. But I had my most lucrative contract of the year on those 3 days; 5 wells a day, all good ticket jobs, definitely no time for play. Got cool and stormy on Monday and looked like Winter was here. But no; on Tuesday the report for Wednesday was 80 highs, 40 lows and clear. And so far, no work dat dem udda boys can't handle. Dan says: "You might as well plan one, all I can do is try to call before you take off if something comes up." I've got the plan and the Tower's mine.

Literally mine. Never saw another climber all day. Parked at the Ranger station and it's closed for the season. I mean it's always closed at night, but the climbers sign in sheets are on the door and the restrooms are open. Nothing. So I wrote my starting time and routes to be climbed on the back of a Century business card and slipped it under the edge of the closed sign, where the sign in cards usually hang. So I was on the trail at 0445, only 15 minutes behind the new schedule. The waning crescent Moon had only just risen and was on the far side of the Tower, so I made the approach by starlight. The scramble was a little slower than by Moonlight, but I wanted to conserve my headlamp for the evening descent. I only cracked the light on for a few seconds twice, once where I wasn't sure if it was time to move down and along the edge of a cliff face (Southwest Shoulder climbing area) for a short ways. Nope, the trees would have pushed me over the edge that way.

Set up my ropes and anchor in the dark for the first time. Began the first pitch in first light and was rapping back off the Leaning Column with the Sunrise. I'm on schedule and feelin' good. I've already peeled my wind breaker cause it's already warming up. But something had come over me on that first pitch that I'm now rolling over in my mind as I stand atop the Leaning Column, carefully hanging my ropes from the #1 bolts in preparation for the 2nd & 3rd pitch combo...


In the past, when I told someone I was climbing rope solo, they usually said: "Oh, aid climbing." Because, I get the impression, most solo climbers use the pro (protection) for climbing assistance. And I'd respond: "Yea, sort of. I hangdog on the pro and sometimes use it to pull myself up. But I mostly climb freestyle." My first few solo attempts, I was idealistically thinking "freestyle", but readily converted to an "anything goes; I just want to get on top attitude". And people have sort of encouraged this sense of "hey, you're by yourself, just do what it takes". And quite frankly, when you shove an SLCD into a perfect spot for your fingers and then claw around for some other chickenshit grip, it's easy to just cuss the cam and say: "You took my hold, now I'm just grabbing a hold of you and moving on." Well, on that first pitch my hands had rejected the pro; no hangdogging, no aid, I can find my own holds. Fact is, in the back of my mind was this little voice waiting for me to make a solo summit to say: "But you didn't climb it freestyle, you used the pro, you had help, now do it again right." So I'm feeling strong and I'm on schedule. I can beat the Devil today and I can do it freestyle. Two birds with one stone. Now that I got that straight, climb on...

So, the Durrance Crack was almost a breeze. Didn't set as much pro cause I wasn't using it and just wanted to get the hell off the wall. Didn't even feel like the crux. Pulled my drag bag up to the #2 bolts and laid out the remaining portion of rope. Climbed on to the #3 bolts. Pulled the bag and it hung in the Cussing Crack. Rapped down to the pack. Turned out it was hung on the climbing rope, under a piece of pro. If I had known, I probably could have got it to pull past by letting slack out in the climbing rope before hauling the bag. But I only lost about 10 minutes anyway, and I was still ahead of schedule. Rapped back down to the Leaning Column and cleaned both pitches coming back up.

Same trick for the next 2 pitches. Climbed the Flake Crack and hauled the bag. Climbed the Chockstone Crack and hung the bag. Only this time I dropped it back, got myself as far east on the Jump Traverse as I could, pulled it out of the crack at an angle and then on up to the #5 bolts. Rapped back down to #3 bolts and cleaned both pitches back up to #5. Time is about 1600. I'm looking at 2 hours to get my ropes laid out, climb Bailey Direct, visit the Summit, rap and clean back to here and get over to the Meadows by dark. I'm on schedule, but there's no time for anything to go wrong and this last 150 foot pitch needs to be a breeze. At this point I realize I'm livin' ina fool's paradise. I'll be lucky to be back here by dark. But the Devil can kiss my butt, cause I ain't turnin' back now. I've got half my water left and the weather is beautiful. Climb on...

Of course, now there's the question "where is Bailey Direct." I mean, here I am at the base of Bailey, at the Jump Traverse bolts right here on a fat column, with a crack on the left and a deeper crack on the right. I remember there is a variation of Bailey one crack to the left, but is that the one on the left, or the next one left of that? Why didn't I look at one of the Tower climbing manuals last night? I haven't done that in 2 years; cause I know where I'm going. How often do you get out the map in Gremp once you know where to turn for the Canyon Room? Well... I've never actually climbed Bailey and although I've been including Diagram 2 (B1C4-2DTSWF.JPG) in my Tower Tales, the view of Bailey is chopped off and I hadn't been paying much attention to it. I went with the big crack on the right because that's where I needed to lay my ropes out and I figured less chance of a tangle if I went straight up from there. While writing this tale up, I've studied the original copy of Diagram 1 (B1C1-1DTSF.JPG), which I've included with past tales, (although I've always sent a degraded file that would email faster). I've also scanned in Diagram 3 (B3C3-1SWF.JPG); Route 4 (black 4 in whited out circle) is Bailey Direct and Route 8 is Psuedo Wiessner. So what I climbed was the big crack between them and it was like a drawn out Cussing Crack. Since it's unnamed, I'm callin' it: Cussin' Direct.

So about 40' up Cussin' Direct, it's bad enough I've got this load of ornaments binding me up in this crack, but I've also put my headlamp in my left side thigh pocket and it keeps hanging up and I can't get a good leg wedge against the wall. And hence the cussin' begins. So I crawl out of the crack onto a little ledge to the left, got the headlamp out of my pocket and I'm looking over at what I now know to be the Bailey Direct route, thinking: "It looks to be not much more than a scramble over there". Then I traverse across the column, flattened against the face and feeling my way along with my feet and thinking if anyone's watching from below they're probably saying: "What's that guy doing out there, scratching his name on the wall?" It looks like easy climbing over here on Bailey, but I can't see over the next rise and what if I have to zig-zag back and forth. I don't have enough extra rope for traverses, this being a long pitch. And then I'm thinking about how I had spontaneously tied the tail end into the bolts, since I wasn't going to haul the bag up like usual. What the hell did I do that for? Now if I would use up all the rope before reaching the Bailey bolts, I'd have to set a bombproof anchor and leave a heap of booty behind. "Get your ass back in that crack and climb, you animal."

Well... back in Cussin' Direct; I'm looking at a 15' drop to a ledge and my last pro's just below that. Thinking I need to set an SLCD because this feels like a crux that I'm not past, I'm having trouble finding a solid set for my biggest cam (#6 Friend). I got it set, but if the pull direction is any way but down, it's going to walk away. So I clip the rope to my big green Friend with a Quickdraw and note that I should tie the slack out of the rope on this one...

[A footnote about the Silent Partner self-belaying system. When you start getting too much rope length between yourself and the anchor, the weight of the climbing rope will cause an accumulation of slack near the anchor which will increase the length of a fall as the slack is taken up during a fall. The best way to prevent this is to tie a loop of shoelace to the rope and clip it into the pro. This will hold the rope up without slack, but will easily break during a fall, allowing the dynamic stretch of the rope to cushion the stop. It also reduces the yo-yo action of the rope dragging through the pro. I've always used these on the first 2 pitches.]

But I didn't tie one on because I was squirming in the crack like a snake. And I looked at that cam and considered using it for aid, just to get past this crux. The little voice said: "You hangdog on that pro and I'll make you solo this route 10 more times. You just keep snakin' till you get there." So about 5' above the pro, I look down to see that I should have tied it, or maybe a longer sling than a Quickdraw might have helped. Anyway, I'd drug it loose. No pro there, just a useless ornament. Well, I worked myself into a fairly solid snake perch and set a smaller SLCD in a deeper crack, tying if off this time. Then I moved on and it got better from there, although now I know how them snakes got up on top. At least Dan says there's rattlesnakes on top; maybe he's just trying to discourage me from sleeping up there, so I won't miss a job in the morning.

There was a kinda tough spot right below the Bailey bolts, but mostly because I was nervous about doing it without pro, since I'd hit rocks before I rolled past my last pro set. So I backed off and pecked around till I found a place to set a nut, then got on with it. Left my gear at the bolts and scrambled up to the cairn. Summit. Rope solo. Freestyle. Have a cigar Ward. Have 2 cigars, cause I killed 2 birds today. I hurriedly signed the register and returned it to the cylinder. The Sun had already set, leaving behind an orange cloud streaked horizon. I would have loved to have hung for a while, soaking up the view, but time was short. Returning to the bolts, I hurriedly lost my head and thought I'd have to leave a locking "D" behind, since I'd tied both ends of the rope into the Jump Traverse bolts and couldn't pull an end up to run through the Bailey bolts. So I clipped the rope into the "D" biner and rapped back to #5, cleaning pro as I went. At some point I said: "You chickenhead, you didn't have to leave that locking "D" behind, you could have untied the knot between the ropes, ran one through the bolts and retied them. What the heull were you theenking? Booty for the wolves." Next time I see Frank (the legendary Tower goat) he'll probably hold up my biner and say: "Ah ha."


There was very little light left and I coiled the orange rope as I pulled it down. When I felt the knot at the green rope, I was relieved that it hadn't hung and I started pulling slack as quick as I could when the other end fell free of the Bailey bolts. Half the rope piled up in the big crack where I'd laid them out for the climb, then it stopped. I pulled down another 20 or 30 feet and it pull tight. I visualized a small chockstone that I had pulled a bight of slack out from behind while rappelling down. I visualized the pile of rope behind the chockstone, with a tangle knotted up against it. No... I don't want to climb Cussin' Direct again. In the dark. So I started flipping the rope with a sort of bullwhip snap. Didn't come loose. Well, might as well put all my weight on it and start tugging as hard as I can. If it's hung, I'll have to climb. As I kept tugging, it was coming hard, jerky and slow, but it kept coming, pulling hard for about 15'. Then it loosened up and fell free; the rest of the rope piled up at my feet. Life is good. It's Milla time. Well, not quite.

At this point, the headlamp comes on, the waning crescent Moon won't be up for another 8 hours. Put my sweatshirt back on, it got into the 80's and was T-shirt weather right up to rap time. I wanted to be at the Meadows rappel bolts by now, but then I'd like to sit down to Mom's Wednesday beef roast and potatoes about now too. Alright, the top of the Meadows is about 30' over, along the Jump Traverse. But I ain't doin' no Jump Traverse with my pack on, in the dark. The bolts are about 20' down, on the lower edge of the Meadows, with a nice platform this side of them (where I sat down to ring Mom and Dad last time out). My pack loaded and strapped on, I'm looking at a rappel of 20' down and 30' across. The trick is going to be getting past the apex of that 3rd column over, particularly since there's a big crack between the 2nd and 3rd columns. There's going to have to be some serious pendulum action going on here and I'll need to have just the right length of rope to put me on the Meadows at the crest of my swing. I got my ascenders ready to clip onto the rope at swing time, so I could work hands free. As I rapped down from the #5 bolts, I made things a little more difficult by pulling my ropes down on the left side of a projecting rock (rather than the Meadows side), because my contingency plan was to swing left to the #4 bolts, if I failed to reach the Meadows. (From #4, I figured about a 90% chance of hanging the knot in the far crack, then reclimbing the Chockstone Crack to free it.)

So I rapped to a point a little below my target platform on the Meadows, locked my ascenders (one on each rope), then made like a pendulum. When I reached the Meadows, I was high of my target, but I latched on anyway cause there was a nice flake crack grip. Then I started working my way over and down, backwards, as I held on with my right and worked the ascenders down the ropes with my left, one at a time, one foot at a time. Ascenders are designed for ascending, so I had to pull the slack end of each rope with the same hand I was holding on to the rock with, in order to get the tension off an ascender so I could release it with my left hand. Made the platform, pulled the ropes down, ran one through the Meadows bolts, coiled 'em, threw 'em, sat down and had a drink. Time was 2000, same time I started my last Meadows rappel.

The 3 pitch Meadows rappel was as uneventful as the evening was peaceful. The wind was mostly calm, but gusted up now and then. The view of the landscape was mellowed by starlight, but not so dark as the monument itself. I feel I should write a piece of prose about rappin' off the Tower at night when there's this magical tranquility in reflecting on a full day well spent. Like a victory lap. Summit or not. You're headed for the barn.

Rapped into the Bowling Alley, coiled my ropes, killed the last of my water and headed down. Met a climber along the tourist trail. Well, he was planning on climbing tomorrow. Said from his campgrounds he saw only one light coming down and just came up to see that I didn't leave a body on top. Got back to the Ranger station at 2230, almost 18 hours round trip.


EPILOG:

So now what? I don't even have to come back to make it freestyle rope solo, because it's been done. Of course, I've been thinking all along that once I get this first solo summit out of the way, there's lots of other routes that are not so congested with climbers. Funny thing is, I called Frank Sanders the next day to tell him I'd made it and he knew exactly what I was thinking. He says: "I can understand personal challenges, but now that you got that out of the way, we've got some serious aid climbs to do up there. And not just that, thousands of people have summited the Tower, but only a few dozen have summited 3 times in one day." Frank claims to have summited 5 times in a day. Now this is intriguing. I wonder just how many times is humanly possible in one day. With somebody like Frank, who knows the fastest routes and exactly what pro you need and where, minimal equipment is necessary. With a partner there's no setting up ropes, just pile 'em up and climb, belayer sorts it out. Use a static rappel rope so you can fly down, no snaking your climbing rope on rappels. Now this sounds like a challenge. Start at midnight and finish 24 hours later. I'll be back. G.A.CREWS

ATTACHMENTS:
B1C1-1DTSF.jpg (Diagram 1 - South Face)
B1C4-2DTSWF.jpg (Diagram 2 - Southwest Face)
B3C3-1SWF.jpg (Diagram 3 - Southwest Face; view angle farther west.)
B1C6-2CIGAR.JPG (Have 2 cigars Ward; off the bet.)

2001	2002	2003