Royal Arches Route--Yosemite Valley, New Years 2001
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I always pack at the last minute--why fight it? Accepting this freed me
to pack calmly and unhurriedly late Friday night; a Ben Harper CD and a spot
of guitar later I was in bed. Blessed in equal measures by my night owl father
and early bird mother I experienced only a brief grogginess on rising early
to be picked up by Jeremy and Josie to set sail for the Valley. Richard,
Kelly and Karla joined us as we ate lunch in the sun at Camp 4 and soon we
split in 3, Jeremy and Josie and Kelly and I heading for the Five Open Books,
K and I joined by Hugo, an itinerant Quebecois climber who'd approached us
looking for a partner. Commitment (5.9,**) required just that and red 
Camalot placed, left hand locked in the crack and feet smearing on the blank
face I reached round the end of the great roof, found the jug and carefully
moved through. Phew! Hugo's appearence gave me a more interested partner for
the Royal Arches Route the next day and after a ranger talk on mountain lions
(a.k.a. puma, catamount, panter and many more) we'd gone to thinking it was
a free climbing movie we conferred and laid our plans. Gear sorted and alarm 
set for the dark hours once more I retired, only to have my 
mustn't-sleep-in-and-miss-my-early-flight reflex kick in and keep me awake
much of the night. As we loaded the car a jet trail cut a pink line across
the sky...
Scissor-paper-stone gave the lead up the chimney to me; packs hauled up with
help from Hugo beneath them we set off along the long terrace system. Is this
where we head up...? No...here? No...Finally there was no more terrace, the
topo fit and up it was. Unwilling to simul climb we began pitched climbing
once more, somehow the awkward sections always seeming to fall to me to lead...
A brief snack at the pendulum then on; on my third attempt I ran hard enough
to grab a good enough hold to stay put. A route finding snag--one of the
more difficult aspects of the 5.7 route--had me experiencing the helplessness
of being tied in place, my climber out of sight but clearly making no progress,
but eventually I was climbing once more, looking past the sweep of the Arches
to 1/2 Dome. At last the shiny bolts of the rappel route--hooray! Photos!
Food! Now let's get out of here! The surprisingly tiring job of descending
went smoothly until about the 7th rap when the rope wouldn't pull, forcing
Hugo to prussick up to untwist it as darkness arrived. 4 more raps, by 
headlamp and moonlight, watched over by Pleiades and Taurus, then we were on
the ground at last, about 11 hours after leaving it. Salt and vinegar chips
never tasted so good! As midnight rolled around the New Year could be heard
gradually visiting each part of the campground; shortly after we were in bed.
My first climb of 2001 was the beautiful Church Bowl Lieback (5.8,**)--sweet!
Then once we'd all practised finger locks in pinscars up Church Bowl Tree (10a)
it was time for home.


Picture: "Der Tisch des don Cirilo"--a chalk outline of a table is drawn
on a wooden paling fence so that the lit candle and tumbler of red liquid
sitting on the fence appear to be on the table. The sky behind is blue fading
to grey.