Tenaya Peak, Northwest Buttress (15 Sept 2012)

Spark Notes: Northwest Buttress, Tenaya Peak (Guide: Tuolumne Free Climbs by SuperTopo)

Song of the Weekend:  Tribute - Tenacious D (Spotify)

I don't often make daytrips to Tuolumne, but Bennet was looking to extend a daytrip of his, and so I was lured up for a trip up Tenaya Peak. Both of us were afraid the day would be long and that we might take too long on the route. Turns out the pitches go fast when you simul-climb.

The day went something like this:
21:04 - burrito, 1st half
12:03 - arrive porcupine flat
12:15 - fall asleep
6:45 - open eyes
7:15 - get out of the sleeping bag
8:45 - begin hiking
10:00 - begin climbing
14:00 - top out
14:05 - burrito, 2nd half
14:50 - leave summit
16:30 - back at the lake
17:00 - swimming in the lake
18:00 - on the road
22:30 - back in the city
02:00 - burrito in the Mission

(check it out fullscreen)

Overall, I thought the route was a ton of fun.  Bennet led the whole day, while I practiced simul-climbing as a follower.  We started a bit higher than the SuperTopo-described start, and finished on something that felt like a 5.8 variation that finished about 150 feet left of the summit.  Except for the very finish, and a short slab section with thin cracks, the climbing was all easier than 5.4, and I found myself managing large loops of slack. The approach and descent weren't that bad at all (somehow we got lucky), with the notable exception that I had to hike in Wallabees, which proved to be better than the alternative: flip flops).  The other highlight of the day: an ice cold swim and relaxing by the beach of Tenaya Lake.  It seemed every other party on the peak had the same idea, too.

Ticklist:
Northwest Buttress (5.5) - long, easy grade, spectacular position, great intro to trad leading - 14 guidebook pitches, climbed in 3 simul-pitches (highly recommended) + 2 ropelengths (would've simuled if we didn't climb into a bottleneck)

Mt St. Helena, The Far Side (9 Sept 2012)

Spark Notes:
Sunday: cragging at the Bubble and the Far Side, Mt St Helena (Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Calistoga CA

Song of the Weekend: Beautiful Day - U2 (Spotify)

Not much to write here...just a day out cragging with friends.  Campo just got to town, and Eddie was in town for work.  Galina also came out, as did Bennett, Maia, Dan and a few others that I was meeting for the first time.  I think Mt. St Helena's a great place to climb, but the funky pockets, occasionally sharp rock, and sometimes difficult to solve sequences make the place a little harder on beginners.  This is offset by the fact that it's a beautiful setting in the hills above wine country.

So, make your own choice, definitely better to climb than just sit around for a day right? The lower toproping area also might be more friendly.

The only actually useful beta from the day:
- if you're a hang glider, this is apparently a popular launch spot (driving up the fire road)
- watch out for poison oak on the trail from the Bubble to the Far Side
- there are several routes not mentioned in the SuperTopo at the Far Side, they were somewhere between 5.9 and 5.10b and were fun.

We'll see if I can stay current on my posts, and maybe even work back to posting a bit about the (surprisingly active) summer trips.

Ticklist:

Guidebook: Bay Area Topropes (Supertopo)
Shute-Mills (5.9) - very fun
New Tradition (5.7) - okay, little cruxy at the 2nd or 3rd move
Mystery Hole (5.9R) - manageable runout, on easy ground
Feelin' Your Oats (5.10aR) - manageable runout, not too bad
...and 2 5.9-10b routes not identified in my guidebook