My First Trip to Yosemite With the Loobster

e got a lackadaisical start on Saturday morning and didn't start heading into the Folly until 9 a.m. The approach is short and we saw a couple other climbers heading the same direction. We hiked in with them (both headed for the same climb) and on the way in we saw a large bobcat! I had never seen one before (except in the zoo) and they are extremely rare in Yosemite Valley. He was just stalking around the base of the cliff.

When we got to the base of the climb (our route is known as the Right Side of the Folly or the Good Book) there already was a team roping up! I guess this is a pretty popular climb. The other two we hiked in with decided to go somewhere else and we decided to follow this team up.

Lou wanted to lead the first pitch (5.9) and had trouble with the crux which is about 10 feet off the ground. It is a very slimy layback move. The other two climbers both had trouble with it. Lou fired up to the crux without any pro and then tried to get something in. Unfortunately, as it usual is with liebacks, it is very difficult to see where you are putting the pro. He was pumping out fast and starting to look unstable. He couldn't get the Camalot to seat well. Finally, in desperation, Lou grabbed the Camalot to rest and it promptly pulled! Down he came. He crashed into the ground and appeared to be fine. He did a great job of landing the fall. His fingers were a bit bloody from a cut, but other than that he was okay. After taping up the cuts, he started back up again. This time with the proper piece all prepared. He got up there and barely got the piece in before hanging on it. He decided this wasn't for him and lowered off. I knew he was apprehensive about this climb to begin with.

I took over the lead and led us up the first two 5.9 pitches. Now we are at the base of the awesome crux dihedral. The party ahead of us was hang dogging up this perfectly smooth, very steep 5.10d lieback. The guy hangdogging the pitch leads 5.11 so I knew I couldn’t lead it even by hangdogging. I anticipated this situation and out came the aiders. The pitch was very straight forward aiding (but I am a slow aid climber) and it took me about an hour to do the 140 foot pitch. It ends on a stance big enough for one foot. Lou jumared up and I started up the next 5.9 pitch. The topo calls this one "wild" and it was. You have to do this pumping hand traverse right into space and then through this overhang via a squeeze chimney. Difficult to describe. I was really pumped when I reached the hanging belay. Lou followed and told me he was beat

and wanted to retreat. I could have talked him into jumaring up the remaining two pitches (we were only about 120 feet from the top -- short pitches), but looking at the overhanging 5.10b crack above (which was too big for my hands) I decided that if Lou wants to go down, down we will go.

We rapped off and went and did Maple Jam. This is a two pitch climb with the crux being a 5.10b hand jam over a bulge. I had attempted this route once before but backed off the crux. I wanted to clean up this black mark on my climbing record.

Loobster led the runout 5.8 lieback on the first pitch and belayed in a tree below the crux. I found the crux to be extremely difficult and I barely made it. Luckily the crux was very short. Then we did another pitch called Fuddy Duddy (5.10a) which I struggled up in the ugliest style imaginable. I almost took a 25 footer off of it, but barely managed to get in a piece before collapsing on it. I was done for the day.

Sunday we decided to do the recommended Arrowhead Arete. This was the Loobster’s suggestion as he had attempted it once before without any luck. I think he got lost on the approach. We slogged up to the start, gaining 1600 feet of elevation (I got an altimeter for my birthday!). The climb was great: steep, very exposed, and quiet (we didn't see another climber!) It was fairly moderate (5.8), but eight pitches long. The top is striking! It is a serrated ridge three feet wide that runs back to the main cliff. We had to traverse along this 150 foot ridge with drops of 800 vertical on each side!! Scary! But very moderate (5.4).

The down climb is amongst the worst I have done in Yosemite and very dangerous! Lots of loose rock. Upon reaching the descent gully, we had to make three 80 foot rappels over chockstones. Just as we reached the first rappel, at the edge of an 80 foot, totally free hanging rappel, Lou started a rock slide while above me. I looked up to see a 400 pound boulder sliding right at my legs! Instinctively I leaped up over the boulder as it slide by and over the edge causing a major rock slide below. I landed and slapped my hand against another rock so hard that it still hurts. Lou’s hand shot out and grabbed my other wrist and the danger was over inside of two seconds. My heart was beating like a jack hammer as I listened to the tremendous crashing or rocks down below. Descending this gully with a party above you would be suicidal. If multiple parties did this climb they would all have to come down together. The gully is so narrow with such steep walls that there is no place to escape the rocks except under the chockstones and there are only three places to do that.

We completed the rest of the descent back to the car reciting our favorite passages in the Monty Python classics Holy Grail and The Life of Brian! The entire weekend was marked by, as a friend of mine says, "clear skies and a hot sun." If someone says that Yosemite's climbs are over rated take them to the Folly and tell them it is 5.10.