Go Hug a Hot Rock!

[danking]

It was on my first trip to Yosemite Valley as a Sierra Club RCS climber in 1975 that the following epic occurred:<p>It was Memorial Day, 1975. My parents had taken me from Garden Grove to the Valley so that I could participate in my first big climb with the RCS. I was just 16. Everybody in the RCS was much older so, my climbing partners were also: Don Pies from Hermosa Beach and Dave Erskine from Redondo Beach were late 20's ish I guess. They were learning ropework the same as me and we seem to work together pretty well. We had been pouring over the Sierra Club Guide of the Valley for months and the route we chose was a classic but a not often repeated one: the Leaning Tower Traverse 5.5, II. It was well within our technical grasp. We had all climbed 5.8 or better.<br><p><br>We arrived in the Valley Friday night and and checked in with the trip leader Leroy Russ (the only black man I ever saw in climbing circles back then). We signed out for the route (just so everybody was accounted for the next night). We hit the approach about 8 the next morning and made it to the base of the sweeping Leaning Tower by 9.<br>We had planned to warm up on a one pitch 5.5 at the base before tackling the traverse. The "warm up climb" seemed like it took a long time for everybody to get up and down, and it wasn't until 12:00 noon that we found ourselves at the start of the Leaning Tower Traverse and the grade V regular aid route. The traverse follows the intersection of two rock faces: the lower one is 600-1000 ft but less than vertical and the upper one overhangs for another 1200ft. The route begins about 600ft off the deck and continues to the point where it overlooks Bridalveil Falls, 7 pitches later. The route was just beautiful and very exposed. Belays were from small ledges where often the face above the ledge overhung and pushed you out into space. We ahd taken a party of three for safety and because it was a traverse (a rope before and behind makes less chance of huge pendulums), but three on a rope is twice as slow moving. The wind kicked up and made communication impossible but, we finally topped out just as the sun was setting.<br><p><br>We had planned to descend by crossing Bridalveil Creek and downclimbing "Gunsight" a class 4 route between Middle and Lower Cathedral Rock. As we looked down at the creek though, it was obvious that this wasn't going to happen. There was snow still covering most of the swollen creek. Our other options were to: bushwhack 6 miles to Glacier Point Lodge -or- descend the "bowling alley" Leaning Tower Chimney on the opposite end of the crag. we began circumnavigating the South face of the Leaning Tower (it's just a class 2 hillside), and even though the moon was out it became apparent that we wouldn't even make it to Glacier Lodge if we hiked all night. We decide to bivy on the back side of the Tower until morning and take our chances rappelling. <br><p><br>We were dressed in cotton shirts for a summer's day climb. At about 8000 ft above the rim of the Valley, It was in the 50's, the wind was blowing softly but steadily. We dug in to the side of the mountain and quickly reasoned that most everything was still wet from snowmelt. THEN I REMEMBERED! For no particular reason I had stuck a book of matches in my knickers when I had gotten dressed. I often smoked pot when climbing back then but didn't have any to bring this trip. (I have been clean and sober 12 years now).<br><p><br>With no cool weather gear, bags or tents we would be very uncomfortable but if we could kindle a fire we would not be too bad off.<br>We took great care with those matches and got a fire going, taking turns leaving the fire in shifts to gather wood all night long. We found that, while the wind sucked the heat out of us, we could stay pretty warm by taking bowling ball sized granite stones and heating them by the fire and removing them we would curl up around them fetal style and gain heat by conduction. It got to about freezing at sunrise, but we were ready to get out of there.<br><p><br>There was a regular rappel station at to Leaning Tower Chimney, and it was very, very loose. We rapped 300 ft to the base of the chimney but missed the walkoff to the west and continued down the lower face<br>of the Tower ending in mountain mahogany trees (bushes). At one point a huge helicopter came around and surveyed the face, looking for us but, they were looking too high on the face and we were, all three of us, dangling from limbs in these little trees. My Mom and Dad were really freaked. Mom had sent Dad to survey the base of the cliff to see if we had met our maker. Anyway, about 5 double rope rappels later we were on the ground and headed back to Wawona were my parents were camped. Mom fixed us a huge brunch and I think I slept the 10 hour drive back to Orange County. The trip taught me many lessons!