Page 25 - 1996 AMA Spring

It had taken over half an hour to reach my high point and to reach it I had been leap-frogging the SLCs up the crack as far a part as possible. Below me I had to leave two in the crack; one 30’ out from the belay and another at 60’; insurance should those my weight was on failed. I was now a long way above the last piece. It was scary work and my nervous tension could be felt through the rope by Scott below. His situation was probably worse than mine; while I had the technical difficulties to focus on, he was for the moment a passive participant who had all the time in the world to ponder our situation, the storm, receding daylight and the void between his toes. He rightly perceived that should the gear I was on fail, then there was scant chance that I would fall less than 60’. How the protection and the belay would react to such forces was the main course for a hungry imagination. In addition, the dawn­ ing realisation that seconding this pitch could prove more scary than leading it. With tremendous relief I hit the belay. It was here that Scott’s problems would begin.
Scott: When I cut the haulbag loose it spun out in a dizzying arc 15’ from the cliff and 40’ to the right. It was really difficult to take the stretch up in the rope because the first piece of gear was 20’ to the right and 30’above me. I managed to get a left hand jam in the crack and took the friend out. Releasing the jam I plummeted down, swung out and to the right all at the same time. It was the most terrifying roller coaster ride of my life!
Steve: Above I was engrossed in hauling the sac and sorting the gear, oblivious to the drama below, although 1 thought I heard the faint cry of an eagle in the distance. By now Scott was approach­ ing the next piece and emboldened by his experience below repeat­ ed the process - but kept his eyes open! This time the noise was clear - we must have roused a sleeping Pterodactyl, or giant bird of prey, for the hullabaloo wasn’t human. Scott cleaned the rest of the pitch at record speed fuelled by adrenaline and a desire to return to the merely vertical! A wide-eyed partner whooped onto the belay and we quickly sorted and exchanged gear ready for him to lead the last pitch.
Scott: I thought the last pitch was only a short bolt ladder. As it was I had to make a couple of free moves to get up onto a ledge. I looked down from the ledge that was only 18 inches thick and can- tilevered out with a 1000’drop straight beneath it. It was exposure such as I had never experienced before. I followed an overhanging line of rusting bolts and drilled pegs. At the top I was forced to leave my etriers and make a couple of awkward and shaky free moves, including a 10’ layback, to make the final ledge. When Steve cut loose the haulbag it swung straight out from the cliff some 40’. Alarmingly for Steve the same thing happened to him when he started jugging up! We spared a few seconds to congrat­ ulate each other before making for the top of the descent. The description was accurate and following some serious downward bushwhacking through 6 full abseils we finally got down.
Overall we took 14 hours to complete the route, a good time as many parties are obliged to bivouac on the rim and descend the following day. We had managed to get a big wall route at our very last opportunity before travelling home. Zion is well worth a visit for the aspirant big wall climber, especially if you get washed out of Yosemite!
ARMY MOUNTAINEER
ZionValley
A view down the valley taken from the route.
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