Snake Dike--Yosemite Valley, June 2001
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The alarm set for 6 hadn't gone off yet but it was light out and I was 
already worried we were late. Rousing Douglas a little early and chatting
briefly to Jeremy--I thought that was his car next to us--we were soon 
out of Hardin Flat. A quick breakfast at the entrance station then shortly
after 7 D and I were taking the trail out of Happy Isles midst throngs of
hikers while Jen Y went to secure a site at Camp 4 (Thanks Jen!). Blitzing
up the faster and prettier Mist Trail--too fast to really admire the view--we
were above Nevada Falls shortly after 8. After my third time up Snake Dike
I'm still not sure of the best way up the final steep part of the 
approach...but after some initial bushbashing we came across a well marked
and used route and a ramp through the slabs put us at the base of the climb.
"Hey kids!"--Chris W and Karla were there ahead of us--I thought they might
have been the car leaving Hardin Flat at 4:15--but my worst fear had 
certainly not been realised, there were only two parties in front of them
and one was a pitch up, the second just starting. Trying to skip one too 
many belays on their second pitch they caused a brief holdup, but extending
their anchor with the help of Chris's cordelette they made it and soon 
I was padding up the slab to the crack in the left side of the roof then 
zipping up the corner above. Perhaps a little too early...K hadn't quite
left the belay when I got there, but after a brief wait 60m up and by doing
a long second pitch to the base of the dike and a short third to the next
belay up where they'd done a short pitch right and a longer left then up
we got the spacing right. Standing palm on rock looking left for the bolt
on the traverse left to the dike I had a sudden memory of having done this
before, of having looked in vain for the bolt only to eventually find it right
next to my hand. Looking down sure enough there it was...Soon D and I were
at the base of the dike, its great bumpy ridge stretching up the face above
us; then, concentrating on my footwork! footwork! footwork! almost to the
exclusion of my hands (oh, here's a jug, I didn't see that coming) I was
racing up it, half a rope length clip! half a rope length anchor, solid and
secure enough on the easy terrain not to have a feeling of running it out.
But maybe not secure enough to copy the soloist who breezed by us...It's hard
to get far enough away from each other to take a picture when you're both
tied to the same anchor...but I got a couple of pictures of D with Mt Starr
King behind then took the camera up with me to get some shots of him arriving
at the last bolted belay on top of the dike. Two more roped pitches--one not
strictly necessary--then we unroped for the "class 2 friction forever" walk
to the summit, arriving 1/2 an hour later at 4pm. After an hour spent 
enjoying the summit we headed down, Douglas zipping ahead in a reversal of
our earlier positions. Radio contact established with K and C as the shuttle
bus passed Curry Village led to a hurried exit from the crowded bus as
it started to pull away then a dinner of pizza and beer before a lazy day
spent hanging out in El Cap Meadows.

on Escher's "Drawing Hands"