Tuolumne Meadows

Tuolumne Meadows is located in the eastern part of Yosemite National Park. At roughly 8,600 feet in elevation, it is a great place to go to escape the summer heat of Yosemite Valley. Tuolumne has lush meadows, numerous rivers and lakes, and large granite domes. These granite domes offer many climbing opportunities with exceptional rock quality and spectacular views. Most climbs are from four to six pitches in length, typically less than 600 feet high.

The first week in August Joe and I drove to Tuolumne from The Needles in the southern Sierras (see previous post), where we planned to meet Megan for a week of climbing. Our first order of business upon arrival was to find a camping spot. This can be a difficult proposition because Tuolumne is so popular with hikers and tourists. The main campground was indeed full but we managed to get the last spot at Porcupine Flats, which is about 10 miles away. The spot we nabbed was right next to the bathroom, a pit toilet. I wondered if we'd be plagued by the smell during our time there but it turned out to be just fine. We wrote Megan a note at the main campground as to our whereabouts and headed out to do some climbing.

Tuolumne climbing is different than The Needles even though the rock in both places is good, solid granite. Many of the domes in Tuolumne include lower angle slab climbing. Slab climbing relies primarily on friction with your feet rather than comfortable sized hand and foot holds. There is a mental adjustment that a climber must make when switching from crack to slab climbing. In some cases it seems like there are no holds at all but the rock generally has very good friction properties. You just have to trust your feet. Many of the slab routes are run out, meaning that it is a considerable distance between points of protection (bolts or gear). This is quite different from climbing a crack where you can typically put in gear as often as you like.

We chose a classic climb called South Crack as our first climb. This climb has two good pitches of crack climbing and the rest is run out slab; a perfect introduction to Tuolumne.

Joe looking at pro options on pitch 1

Joe following pitch 4

Brian enjoying the summit view

Joe finishing lunch at the summit

It took us several hours to complete the climb. We enjoyed the view at the summit and then headed back to the campground to set up camp. Megan pulled in just as dusk was coming on and we were able to get everything situated before dark. We had a fine dinner of Mountain House cuisine and discussed our plan for the next day.

We decided to get up very early the next morning and make an attempt on Matthes Crest. Our Matthes Crest adventure will be covered in a separate post. It was a long day with lots of hiking and incredible views. It definitely lived up to its reputation as a 'must do' climb!

After our long day on Matthes Crest we decided that we needed a pseudo rest day, with an easy approach and a shorter climb. I had been considering climbing Aqua Knobby for a couple of years and it seemed like a good option. The approach was short, about 10 minutes, which sounded pretty good after the 2.5 hour approach the previous day. Aqua Knobby has a reputation of being run out and a little scary. It gets its name from the many knobby protrusions in the rock, which make for good hand and foot holds. It is also a watercourse and would be a nightmare to be caught on in the rain.

Since we were a party of three we decided to climb with Joe's twin ropes. These are smaller in diameter (between 8 and 9 mm) than a typical single rope (9.3 to 10.5 mm). They feel sort of like dental floss to me but they do offer advantages over a single rope. Weight was the major consideration for us. Climbing with three people typically requires two ropes and smaller diameter ropes are lighter. How does climbing with two ropes work? The leader ties in to both ropes and each follower ties in to a different rope. After the leader has finished the pitch he can bring up the followers one at a time or have them climb simultaneously, separated by some distance. I like to have about 20 feet of separation to ensure that the first follower doesn't hit the second follower if they fall.

We didn't start early but we were still the first party on the route; an enviable position to those who would arrive later. Joe led the first pitch, which was a low angle run out slab. It wasn't hard, going at 5.6R (R = run out), but a fall in the wrong place would have been unpleasant. He did an excellent job of keeping his head in the game and completed the pitch without a hitch. Joe brought me up on one rope and Megan followed on the other rope once I had reached the anchor. The anchor was in the shade and it was still a bit chilly. I accepted the challenge of leading the second pitch, recognizing that my climbing partners would be happier if I moved quickly because they were cold! The second pitch was pretty steep with thin fingers and layback moves here and there. There were several 5.9 moves on this pitch but it was mostly 5.8. One section above the second (small) roof was run out but there were a reasonable number of small knobs for holds. I brought up Joe and Megan in similar fashion as the first pitch before they turned into popsicles. We enjoyed basking in the sun at the second belay, as Joe prepared to lead the next pitch. Joe made quick work of the third pitch, combining it with some of the fourth pitch. I finished off the climb, which had a 5.8 move or two remaining and then it was an easy run to the top. It was an enjoyable climb with just enough spice to keep it interesting.

Aqua Knobby with approximate route shown

Megan following pitch 2

Megan following pitch 3

Joe and Brian at pitch 3 anchor

Brian leading pitch 4

Brian, Megan & Joe at the top

We celebrated another successful day by driving out of the park to eat at The Mobile station near Lee Vining (aka Whoa Nellie Deli). This isn't your typical Mobile station; the food is unbelievable. It's a popular place and is usually packed on evenings, when they play live music out on the lawn.

The following day we got our courage up and set off to do OZ (pronounced "ounce" or "oh zee"). The steep dihedral (corner) on the third pitch is what initially drew me to the climb. It is such a compelling line! OZ is described by SUPERTOPO as a clean, steep line with the longest, most sustained 5.10 crack in Tuolumne. It's harder than anything I've done here, going at 5.10d.

OZ with approximate route shown

We got a decent start that morning and completed the short approach hike in about 15 minutes. We were the first party at the base of the route, a good trend that I was trying to maintain. As we were gearing up for the climb another party approached us. One of them looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place him. The other one asked if they could go ahead of us. Since there were just two of them and we were a party of three we agreed. There was some risk in this because you can't tell by looking at someone whether they climb fast or not. You don't want to get stuck behind a slow party and spend your whole day waiting on them. As I watched the familiar looking fellow lead the first pitch I knew that he had to be a well known climber. He flowed up the wall with seemingly no effort, putting in only three pieces of protection that I could see in 120 feet. I turned to Joe and he confirmed; it was Peter Croft. I was relieved. We wouldn't be waiting long on these guys.

We chose not to use twin ropes for this climb. One of the negatives of using twin ropes is that the leader has to expend more energy clipping the ropes into the carabiners. It's quite simple; two 8 mm diameter ropes weigh more than one 9.4 mm diameter rope. You might think that this sounds like a trivial difference, but it is noticeable on harder climbs. When you are close to your limit every little thing matters. Our approach was to use my 70 meter, 9.4 mm diameter rope for the leader and the first follower. The third person would follow on one of Joe's 8 mm diameter ropes.

We waited for about 45 minutes to give the party ahead of us some space before starting the climb. I led the first pitch, which has a delicate, exposed 5.10a move in the first 20 feet. I was able to protect this move with one of my smallest cams (a black alien). A short distance higher there was a tricky 5.9 section to transition from a left-facing flake to a ledge system. The rest of the pitch was straightforward. I belayed Joe and Megan as they followed the pitch one at a time.

Looking down pitch 1

Megan & Joe at pitch 1 anchor

The second pitch is the crux, going at 5.10d. It consists of steep face climbing with some delicate, balancy moves. It does wander a little but is well bolted. This type of climbing is right up Joe's alley so we gave him the honor of leading the pitch. He did a great job, coming off just once at the crux. He certainly could have gotten it clean; it's a difficult onsight though. I followed next and fell at the crux, misreading the moves and getting slightly off route. I didn't fight for it like I normally would, since it was a forearm blaster and I knew I'd need all the strength I could summon for the next pitch. After I reached the bolted anchor Megan followed the pitch. She did great at the crux, nearly getting it clean. She did grab a quickdraw to pull through the crux section but I'm quite sure this wasn't due to any difficulty with the climbing, but was rather a salute to the French (i.e., 'French freeing' involves pulling on draws to get through a hard section, rather than using the holds on the rock). Regardless, she deserves credit for carrying our pack with water, food and extra clothing on this difficult, technical pitch.

Joe leading pitch 2

Joe leading pitch 2

Looking down pitch 2

Megan pulling hard on pitch 2

Megan pulling a crux move on pitch 2

I had the privilege of leading the third pitch, which ascends an amazingly clean, thin-hands corner crack that is slightly overhanging. It has the aura of a fearsome, burly pitch but it turns out that there are plenty of good rest stances. I was able to get this pitch clean by strategic use of the rest stances for placing gear. The pitch was somewhat easier than expected but still plenty hard for me; it had my full attention. The guide book indicates that many 1" cams are needed for this pitch. If you make the mistake of interpreting this as #1 BD cams you will be very unhappy on lead. I was glad to have triples in the size range of #0.5 and #0.75 BD cams. By careful use of these cams I was able to sew up the pitch. The crack narrows near the top, where it is very steep. I was able to use a yellow and grey alien in this area. The pitch ends at a bolted anchor under a large roof. Joe and Megan followed this pitch without difficulty.

Brian leading pitch 3

Brian at mini roof on pitch 3

Brian placing pro at a rest stance

Brian nearing the crux on pitch 3

The fourth pitch involves a tricky, exposed traverse left to a steep arete, which is thought provoking and committing. Once on the arete the climbing is pretty straightforward. Joe led this pitch, making the traverse look easier than it was. I followed, leaving gear on the traverse, and Megan cleaned the gear when she followed.

Joe finishing the traverse on pitch 4

What a great climb up an amazing line! We thoroughly enjoyed the route and celebrated by eating our PB&J sandwiches on the top. Joe was nursing an injury so he decided to take the 8 mm diameter rope and head back to the truck. Megan and I took stock of our water, food, remaining daylight, and the weather and decided continue up to do a climb called Hobbit Book. We figured that we had plenty of margin with daylight as long as we didn't get lost finding the climb or have some sort of difficulty route finding during the climb.

We found the base of Hobbit Book after about 30 minutes of hiking and scrambling. Hobbit Book is a classic, moderate climb that follows a huge left-facing corner up Mariuolumne Dome. It is much easier than OZ, going at 5.7, and is a compelling line that begs to be climbed!

Hobbit Book with approximate route shown

Megan was in following mode so I led all of the pitches. The first pitch isn't that straightforward but is still fun. The second pitch ascends a steep 5.7 crack for a ways and then makes its way into the base of the huge left facing corner system visible in the photo. The third pitch is the money pitch. Although the climbing isn't difficult, there is a long section that offers no protection.

Run out pitch 3 of Hobbit Book

The first part of the pitch continues up the left facing corner with fun climbing and good protection for about 20 feet or so. The climb then traverses out left onto the face to a bolt. From the bolt it ascends the face on a sea of chicken heads with no protection for what seems like an eternity. The guide book says the run out is about 60 feet but I think it was less; more like 30 to 40 feet. Either way, a fall would be unpleasant. I'm not sure if you'd hit anything if you were to fall, but I wasn't keen on finding out! The chicken heads make great hand and foot holds but they are spread out all over the face. Good route finding is crucial. There is no bolt or gear to hang on and rest if you get stranded. You'd have to down climb or fall a long way. I managed the head game just fine by focusing on the movements and flow of climbing rather than thinking about falling. I will have to admit that it felt really good to get that next piece of pro in though!

A great piece of pro after a 40 ft run out

Looking down pitch 3 after placing pro

Pitch 4 was a great pitch with awesome 5.7 layback moves, along with a short 5.8 section near the end. It was a fabulous way to end the climb. This climb is certainly deserving of the high praise that it receives. I recommend it. Just make sure the person leading it is comfortable with run out face climbing.

Megan following pitch 4

We reached the summit with plenty of daylight left. It was slightly overcast but no rain was imminent so there was no pressure to move quickly. We took a few photos at the summit and began the next part of our adventure; finding the way down!

Megan & Brian on summit

Brian on summit

Neither one of us had spent much time looking at the guide book description of the descent. However, we knew the general direction that we needed to go. There were a few cairns here and there marking a faint path down the back side of this huge granite dome. I followed my nose and we were able to work our way back to the truck in about 40 minutes without any bushwhacking. We met Joe at the truck and went back to...you guessed it...the Whoa Nellie Deli for a warm dinner. Man, that place is great!

This was to be our last climbing day of the trip. Megan left the following day to drive back to Phoenix. Joe and I took a rest day and drove down to Yosemite Valley to hang out and catch the views. We ended up fighting our way through several gazillion tourists. It felt more like a city than a national park. Man, that place is crazy! The following day we attempted to climb on Lembert dome but rain intervened. Not a big deal. We were still pretty tired. We packed up camp the next morning and began the long drive back to Phoenix.

This was one of the better trips that I've been on. We managed to climb 45 pitches in 9 days (not counting driving days) and drove about 4,500 miles! We were both pretty well shot physically and mentally when we arrived in Phoenix, but we were happy!

Stay tuned for the next post detailing our big day climbing Matthes Crest.