Saturday 18^th.

The plan ... take three friends with little or no outdoor rock climbing experience and lead climb with them to the top of Whitehorse Ledge (New Hampshire, White Mountains area) using the Standard Route. Nine pitches, 5.4 rating max, 700 feet, one day.

I was totally looking forward to the climb. I was so excited about the prospect of actually finishing the Standard Route (on Whitehorse Ledge near North Conway in New Hampshire) that I could hardly sleep the preceding night.

In September of 2000 I had first attempted to do the Standard Route (5.4) with Leon and Leila. It is a friction climb, meaning that one ascends a very steep slab with few of the more usual cracks and ledges. We managed to follow Standard up to Lunch Ledge, then used Direct Finish (5.7) under a light rain as a short-cut, before heavier rain forced us to bail and walk off with three pitches unclimbed. It had been a great day, but we all wished that the weather had been kinder.

Just under a year later and I manage to get back for another assault. Leon is gone, far away on the West Coast and now entertaining himself in the famed Northern Cascades of Washington. Leila, no longer enamored of rock climbing, instead chose to spend this day exhausting other friends by climbing Mt Jefferson. So I have three new partners for this trip. Very new. Let me describe them a little before we begin the story.

Luciana Andrade, the Brazilian. I met her through James Rush (my current outdoor climbing partner) and she is now a very good friend. Luciana climbed on real rock for the first time only fifteen days ago. She is small and very light. In the gym (four visits so far) she is a highly motivated dynamo of pure energy, and is improving her technique by leaps and bounds. I am certain that she can do the Standard Route, I expect her to belay my lead.

Giovanna Serino, the Italian. I met her at the gym through Luciana and she has also become a good friend. She too joined us for Luciana’s first rock climb. That day had been her first outdoor foray in about four years. She asked if she could join us for this trip and I thought that she would also do fine on the route I had in mind. I also liked her attitude, contrasting the passionate Luciana, Giovanna is a model of calm serenity.

Wolfgang Rubin, the German. Another friend gained through James. Wolfgang has never rock-climbed before and he has been to the gym only once. But Wolfgang is cool, laid back and totally unafraid. Excellent qualities in any budding climber, so I'm sure that he’ll make it up too.

Wolfgang says: I think I made a good job in making you this belief!

Saturday morning and we drive south from the campsite just outside of Gorham (NH) for about 35 minutes, reaching the Hotel beneath the slabs at a few minutes before 10 am. Overhead the sky is filled with big fat clouds, but sunlight pokes through from time to time. My companions stare up at the wall and they quickly see that it is very very big indeed. There are many cars in the climbers lot, which means that the wall could be busy. A short hike proves that it is indeed very cluttered. There are several groups making their slow way up the Standard Route. Damn, damn, damn. What do we do now? Off to the right is Beginner’s Route (5.4), my fall-back plan, and it is also very busy with the bumblies. This is bad.

I turn my gaze to the empty and uncluttered center of the wall, home to a route called Slabs Direct that is rated at 5.7 and may be too hard for us. Looking away I mutter obscenities at myself for being too slow in rising, too lax in my assumptions, and too lazy to do my homework properly - we’re here for the Standard dammit! I look up at Slabs Direct again and do some deeper soul searching. I’ve been feeling really strong in my climbing lately, stronger than I’ve felt in a very long time. Suddenly I’m convinced that we can all do this line, that I can help my friends up if they need it. I ask a young nearby guide for some beta and he is very helpful in getting the route crystallized in my mind. The others trust me completely and don’t question my alternative plan. I was aware of the responsibility of getting my friends up this wall safely, and I knew that taking three people up with me is probably right at the limits of what I can reasonably expect to handle on something of this size. I reconsider for a moment and ask them if they feel strong, silently willing them to give me the answer I want. They do.

Wolfgang says: Well, we were that fully trusting because we didn't know what was expected of us!.

I turn to Luciana and mercilessly tell her of the responsibilities I want her to bear. You will belay for me. You will climb trailing Wolfgang’s rope (my new red 60m Sterling). You must be strong for me. She accepts this with upturned chin and devilish grin – of course! So then I heap upon her my hardest test. I ask her to lead the first pitch.

A monster!? No I am no monster. I have looked at the first pitch and made deep consideration of what I have asked her to do. Luciana is confident and strong, and I will be right beside her – also leading - on this the easiest of the first pitches. She can do it, I know she can and I know that she will value the experience and learn something internal of what I am doing at the sharp end. Of course Lu has enough personal fortitude to tell me to just go to hell, perhaps even enough to send me there, but she has her pride too. Poor girl.

So Lu agrees. I can already see in her eyes a little of what she is going to feel. That most proper fear which all leaders must use and overcome. I will trail Giovanna’s rope (on lone from John Peterson), and carry all my gear and a backpack. Giovanna carries the gold rope on her back, and Wolfgang carries a second pack. We have ropes, water, food and all day to do this climb. It is 10.15am and time to get moving. Together, under graying skies, Lu and I begin to move up the low angled slabs.

Pitch One (5.3) – Slabs Direct.

Lu is definitely feeling scared. From time to time she experiences that touch of terror when a foot suddenly feels not so good or when a handhold is not so secure, those moments when one feels sure of an imminent fall and panic threatens to overwhelm. But each time she steadies and listens and follows my directions, her eyes bright with concentration. I am climbing a slightly harder route just below and to her left, trying to give her the best and most positive line. Staying very close in case she does lose control. For myself I feel very strong, very confident. The angle is not too steep, the friction is good. Below us the other pair continue to feed out the ropes through their belay devices, there’s no point really because there will be nowhere to place any protection until we reach the anchors 40 metres away. At halfway the angle reduces slightly and Lu relaxes enough to smile as we both reach the anchors together. I clip her into one of the bolts immediately and give congratulations on her first lead. However the stress was quite strong, and I will not ask her to do this again today.

I put together a cordalette belay station and we both belay up the other two. I start with Giovanna first and then Luciana brings up Wolfgang a little later. Soon all four of us are there at the top of pitch one and Lu gains further accolades from the other two. We are all happy (particularly Lu who has put the lead behind her) and feeling good. I take the gold rope from Giovanna and tie myself and then Lu onto its ends. I will lead trailing two ropes from now on, Lu will continue to trail Wolfgang’s rope. Wolfgang learns that it will be his job to come last and clean up all the anchor gear and any pro that I place during the ascent.

Pitch Two (5.4) – Slabs Direct.

Lu puts me on belay and I move up and continue frictioning up the medium steep face, aiming for a pair of bolts situated below the main bulge of the lower slab. Again there is nothing for pro, so I place no gear on this pitch. To my left there are several people on Launch Ledge (the start of the Standard Route), down and to our right at the base the young guide is explaining to his top-rope clients that they are watching (us) multi-pitch lead climbing and that he would give them a taste of that too if they wanted. Up ahead I see climbers moving up the Standard Route arch and either continuing up and right towards Lunch Ledge or climbing straight up the big fold to harder routes above. There is at least one group on Lunch Ledge. I reach the bolts and whip out my second cordalette to make another belay station. The pack is heavy and the weight of the ropes is just beginning to make itself felt. Using the gigi I simul-belay Giovanna (first) and Lu (a few metres behind) up to my position. This is hard work and my shoulders warm up very quickly. Lu belays up Wolfgang using her ATC. Nobody has had any difficulty with the climb so far and we are moving relatively quickly, but the crux pitch is next. Wolfgang returns the gear from the lower belay station.

Something should be mentioned here. Everyone has by now realized that keeping the ropes tidy and untangled is very important. Giovanna borrows from her knowledge of sailing and is particularly concientious about keeping the ropes in good order. It is only later, when we were all getting tired and rope management began to deteriorate, that I realized just how much her efforts helped us finish this climb in good time.

Pitch Three (5.7) – Slabs Direct.

The crux starts almost immediately and may be described as a sudden steepening of the wall (the bulge in the slab), there is a single pin about twelve feet up. There are no handholds and no footholds, only friction. Lu puts me on belay and I head up, straight for the pin. It is really steep and I have to concentrate as I maintain downward pressure against the rock with my feet (there is a tendency to want to lie close to the stone, but this will reduce your capacity to apply maximum friction, so you have to almost stand up). I manage to clip a draw into the pin and then move delicately up over the bulge. Beyond this is a shallow angled flake amenable to careful lay backing which leads to lower angle frictioning above and a big crack. Stopping at the crack I place a #2 camalot and clip it into the ropes with a draw. This is for Wolfgang to play with. He had earlier expressed an interest in how they work. I friction upwards to the next pair of bolts and set the belay station. I belay up Giovanna, who finds the crux hard but eventually passes it and moves (still smiling) onward and up to me. Clipping Giovanna into the anchor I take up Lu’s slack and put her on belay. Not long afterwards she stops moving, I cannot see over the bulge from my position and I don’t know what is happening. I few moments later I hear Luciana call “keep me tight!” and then she works her way up over the bulge and into view.

She had slipped on the crux and gashed open her elbow (although it would be some minutes before she even realized that she was injured). The experience was frightening and without Wolfgang somehow moving up to give her a helping hand (literally … he allowed her to use his hand as a foothold) Luciana claims that her climb would have ended right there.

Nevertheless Luciana reaches us and clip herself into the anchor. She is definitely most shaken and we are all very worried by her injury. But Lu says she can go on, and emphasizes this by belaying up Wolfgang.

Down below and to the right, on Beginners Route, the young guide is giving his clients (which include two small children, a boy and a girl) the multipitch experience. One of the children is terribly afraid and cries angrily at what the adults are making her do. It is a pitiable thing to see and hear as she hurls imprecations at them and begs to go back down. I tell Giovanna that we are observing something which approaches child-abuse, we think they should take the child back down.

Wolfgang has trouble at the crux. He calls out that he cannot see where to go and I shout back down that he must use only friction. With some difficulty he manages to perform the necessary moves. We force him to stop a moment so we can take his picture, he is very tolerant. The #2 camalot comes free and Wolfgang gains a working insight of its function. Joining us at the top of the pitch he returns some gear to me, clips in and sits beside the others. I ask them how they are feeling, particularly worried about Luciana who is clearly unsettled by her fall. I promise them that this was the most difficult pitch, that the rest is easy by comparison and that in one or two pitches we will be on the famous Lunch Ledge.

“Big enough to park a small car.” I say. “There have been dozens of people standing on it at one time.” I claim. “Huge.”

We decide to continue.

To our left at least two groups are moving up the arch-wall of Standard, but it is apparant that only one of them intends to go to Lunch Ledge ... this is a relief as I was not looking forward to the congestion up there.

Pitch four (5.4) – Slabs Direct.

Lu puts me on belay and I start frictioning up and right, using an early bolt at a small bulge to place a draw before heading on up (otherwise unprotected) towards the next set of bolts. To my right there is a party at an anchor on a neighboring route, if they are climbing too it looks like we might be aiming for the same bolts. Stopping briefly I hail them and ask if they are going to use these bolts or if they are descending. They thank me for my courtesy and indicate that they are descending, the bolts are mine. I reach them with little difficulty and set up the next belay. While I belay up Giovanna the ends of some descent ropes, tossed from Lunch Ledge directly above, just miss sliding into me. The guy above apologizes and raps down and then to the right. Giovanna clips in and I bring up Lu, neither have any trouble with the pitch. Lu is finding that unclipping her line from pro and then clipping in Wolfgang’s rope (which she trails) is a little challenging and requires me to be a little flexible with the belay. Giovanna, at my suggestion, tries to belay up Wolfgang on an ATC. She has never done this before (belaying from above) and has trouble maintaining a constant break hand, I keep watch as a secondary break so Wolfgang is really in no danger. But the going is slow and Wolfgang grows a little nervous. I finish the belay and promise Giovanna that we will conduct some lessons in this technique some time in the future. I ask how everyone is feeling again. All are ok, Lu in particular is feeling better but blood continues to flow slowly from her wound and I am concerned that she may injure it further. We have to wait for the group above to finish rapping down to our right. They pull the rope and I sit above our anchor to catch it before it can slide into the others. There is little trouble, the descenders are apologetic and friendly. To the left a lady guide is taking a father-daughter pair from the top of Standard's arch-wall up to Lunch Ledge. I ask if it is ok for us to soon join them up there. It is.

Pitch five (5.5) – Slabs Direct.

Lu has me on belay again and I move straight up to the big headwall just below Lunch Ledge. The easier ascent line onto the Ledge is being used by the lady guide and her group so I opt for a harder alternative to the right, placing a tri-cam at the base of the headwall before stepping up. The move is a high leftward step into a sloping dish and sloper holds for the hands … ostensibly its not real secure, but I’m still feeling really good and manage to move up towards better holds without trouble. I follow a thin chimney crack system (placing a second piece of protection) up onto the rightmost end of lunch ledge. Once there the lady guide points out three pins I can use to set up my anchor (she has the main bolts for her group). Luciana comes first, she disappears from view as she reaches the headwall. Her small size really interferes with her ability to follow my difficult line. She is frustrated and frightened, however if I can keep her tight she is determined to find a way up. She falls once or twice, remains unhurt, but by the time she works her way up to me her smile is gone. Now she wears an expression of worry and I am feeling some regret about forcing her to climb this wall on a hard line. Lu sits down into a very secure position and does not move for a long time.

The above are my interpretations of what I can remember from the climb, and therefore do not necessarily reflect Lu's actual feelings. She told me later that she was getting really tired by the finish of this pitch, having had to combine climbing with belaying for me, so her expressions were actually reflecting building exhaustion. I wanted Lu to belay for me because, for one thing, she has done so in the gym and is familiar with catching me while anchored in place (as here at the belay stations). Another reason is that I'm not so familiar with Giovanna's and Wolfgang's belay, so I went with the one I knew best. However, belaying a leader is harder work than belaying a top-roper and by pitch five she was really tired ... at the same time she was not going to let anyone else belay me either ... so in reflection I perhaps should have realized what was happening. It was not fear here, it was fatigue.

Giovanna comes next, also has the same problem at the base of the headwall and requires some advice from Wolfgang who can see her. Eventually she makes it up. Her smile is still there, but now it is uncertain. Sitting Giovanna on the slab in front of me (secured by a clove hitch to the anchor) I put Wolfgang on belay myself and bring him up. He takes a long time at the tricam (traditionally a following climber’s nightmare) but eventually is able to wrench it free. He is also baffled by the complex high-stepping friction move my line demanded. Nevertheless he too reaches Lunch Ledge. We have finished Slabs Direct.

“There is no room for a car!” He states, putting into voice what (no doubt) the girls where already thinking. Actually they were probably thinking a few things about me now, and not very savory things at that. We wait for the lady guide and her pair to rap down off the ledge before moving onto the larger and more comfortable left side of the Ledge. I keep everyone tied in with clove-hitches to the anchor on long lines (despite the obvious security of our perch) while we relax on the Ledge for a good three-quarters of an hour. Giovanna and I remove our shoes (Lu and Wolfgang weren’t sure they would be able to put theirs back on again, and so did not take the risk). We all eat and drink food and water, and just rest and try to relax. Lu retrieves something from Wolfgang’s pack and uses it to wrap her bloodied elbow. The view is fantastic, way off to the left is the majestic Cathedral Ledge and straight in front we can look down over Echo Lake. The girls express a keen desire to be right now lying on the sands by that gorgeous looking body of water. We talk about a few different things, just passing some time. I want everyone to regain their mental strength and watch them carefully for signs which would determine whether or not we would continue up or make a descent.

Unfortunately I had told them all about my previous visit and how Leon, Leila and I had to bail at the end of the very next pitch. They know that I badlywant to finish the entire climb this time. So they all guts it out and agree to continuing upward.

A trio of young fellows come racing up towards us, so I get everyone packed and racked and return to our positions beside our pin-anchors. The leader gets up, in a light-hearted mood and returns our greetings with polite humor. I think that these guys are moving fast enough to warrant letting them “play through” and go before us. I was still trying to decide on whether I should risk taking my group up the difficult Direct Finish (5.7) or through the tiresome Brown Spot (crux of the Standard Route) where we would suffer rope drag (and I’m trailing two ropes!). The young bloke waved me off and said that he and his friends wouldn’t mind hanging about on Lunch Ledge while we went up before them. I mentioned my internal debate about which way I should go.

“Direct Finish, dude, definitely Direct Finish. The Brown Spot is just not worth it. Direct Finish is way cooler.”

Right. Done. Sold. Direct Finish it is. Besides, I’m not letting this young tearaway snicker at me while I wade through certain rope drag on a line beneath my capabilities. The Brown Spot can go to blighty. I look at my three charges who appear refreshed by the lunch-break. They managed the crux of Slabs Direct, they can do this one too.

Pitch six (5.7) – Direct Finish.

I’m rushing it a bit. I take off and forget to properly arrange the ropes before departure. Lots of time will be lost because of this. I move up confidently into that same dihedral that frightened hell out of me a year ago, I note the crack which snagged my ropes on that long ago occasion and deliberately place no pro until the bolt to avoid a repeat. I place a long draw on the bolt in the dihedral. The next moves are the crux of the pitch. Across an open and steep face one must traverse up and right for several meters on friction alone, these moves are protected by a single bolt in the middle of the face. I move up onto the face and steady before reaching up and placing a draw through the bolt. The moves continue to come cleanly, although slowly, and I reach the ramp on the other side. I get to a hard corner (well, it’s really only a 5.5 corner, but it certainly looks intimidating) and place a tricam before stepping up towards the pin at the top. It’s only a couple of metres up so after I get to the pin and place a draw I hang from my right hand and reach back down to backclean the tricam (to save Wolfgang some trouble). The rest of the pitch is run out, I follow a second ramp then up a short crack to a big tree wrapped in many slings. I haul myself up and recognize that I am nearly exhausted, but the pitch went completely clean (unlike last year) and I am very pleased with myself. Quickly I set a belay station and a separate anchor for myself. As I pull up the slack on Lu’s line they yell out to me from below. Stop. The ropes are tangled. Wait.

Giovanna says: The guys from Syracuse University were nice with us, and also they cheered us up a bit, since we were really feeling exhausted after the lunch. The thing was that we probably relaxed too much and then it was really hard to think of climbing again ... but this was just in the back of our mind. We all wanted to go up. I wanted to see what was on the top too! While we were dealing with the tangled ropes, one of the boys said "I don't want to interfere, but do you need some help?". But we're stubborn, and we want to deal with that by ourself. Meanwhile Keith is waiting for something that feels like a long long time.

From above I watch them try to sort out the mess, it takes a long, long time. The three guys who let me go up ahead of them seem very patient and make no disparaging comments. Although one of them half-challenges Giovanna’s assertion that all of our party will be able to climb Direct Finish. Eventually the lines are untangled.

Lu follows my line. She reaches the crux face and finds herself in trouble. The moves are very difficult even for someone taller and require much concentration. She tells me to keep her tight and I call down with as much encouragement and advice as I can. Lu works hard to maintain her composure, clipping Wolfgang’s rope as she passes the draws and moves across the open face. The corner is real trouble, again because of her slight stature. I keep her tight on demand and though she falls twice, Lu makes it over the top. Once more she is feeling very frightened. I guide her along the last ramp and up the last crack. She goes behind the tree and right to a very safe platform area (from here many parties, eschewing the final pitches of the Standard Route, walk off into nearby trees and make the long return to the base following a trail) where she can finally rest without having to clip into an anchor. Lu lies down and continues to fight back her discomfort.

Again Lu tells me that I have misinterpreted fatigue for fear, and thinking back that does make more sense. I'm a worry wart sometimes!

I turn to belay up Giovanna, but again the ropes are tangled. While they continue to sort it out I talk to Lu for a while. I show my teeth in a circus-clown grin and force her to return it. She is defiant. She isn't giving up.

With the ropes finally arranged Giovanna comes up, she is also troubled by the crux and the corner. She is scared and occasionally asks for advice, but she remains cheerful. I keep her tight and catch her on a single fall at the corner. She reaches me and then moves up to sit beside Lu.

Giovanna says: When is my turn to climb, I feel tired and, most important, not very concentrated. part of it is because Keith is keeping my rope really tight and I feel so safe that I allow myself to fall.

Wolfgang cleans up the belay station below and then starts up along my line. He reaches the dihedral, cleans the first sling and then considers the frightful face.

Wolfgang says: I would propose helpless, adviceless, overstraind face, without any inspiration.
Keith replies: I'm talking about the rock face mate, not yours.
Wolfgang: Oh.

“How to do this?” He asks me. “Just friction, mate.” I shout back.

Wolfgang says: Yes, one of the 3 guys also said "just trust in your shoes". Is this really all?.

He gets frustrated, I’m not keeping him as tight as I had the girls … so he has to do it himself. The girls have found some sort of gallows humor to keep up their spirits and reawaken an in-joke between Wolfgang and themselves. Occasionally Wolfgang’s friends call him schatzi (German for "darling"), just to try and get under his skin … it’s possible they are maddened by his constantly cool composure.

Wolfgang, hearing them, calls back up. “I need the schatzi! So I can do this!” So I start haranguing him with the few German insults I know, tossing in the occasional schatzi for good measure. He gets “angry” enough to commit to the friction and surprises himself by not falling. The corner crack is also overcome with an additional bout of schatzi-ing and suddenly he’s up with the rest of us. My shoulders are a pair of burning chunks of lead, hurting and heavy. I feel dead tired. I take the opportunity to climb up behind the others and spend a long time sorting out lines, talking and cajoling and encouraging them. My words do not appear to have much obvious effect. Nor do they need to. All of them are determined to finish this climb, and this they’ll do not so much for themselves as much as for me. I wonder if I really deserve such amazing friends as these?

The first of the young gung-ho trio makes it to the tree and starts work belaying for the others. I move everyone further up and away onto safer ground and out of their way. I again ask this guy if he and his compatriots want to go on ahead of us, but they have no intention of climbing the last pitches of the Standard Route (they’ll walk off from here). So I take a deep breath and get the whole show rolling again.

“The last pitch was the hardest,” I say (mindful that I have said this before), “The rest are easy and it’ll be quick. Two pitches max and we’ll be out of here.” My voice is ragged and weary. Before I go I switch Wolfgang’s rope from Lu to Giovanna. Lu protests bravely, but I know the fight she has fought and it is time to give her a break.

Pitch Seven (5.4) – Standard Route.

I track left back out onto the middle of the beginning of the upper slabs, placing a camalot under a handy flake on the way. It’s back to frictioning again and the pro opportunities disappear once more. I reach a low overlap and get over it with only a couple of thoughtful stretches, as I pass I realize that Lu’s going to hate this one too. I put in another piece just after the overlap and move straight up a steep face towards a headwall that stretches halfway across (the right side) the slab. I am aiming for the small tree there but I am brought up by a sudden tension in the rope. Yelling from below tells me that I have reached the end of my rope, they have no more to give. I yell down for Lu to move up towards me just a few metres, she should still be on safe ground.

It is here that Lu said that she felt real fear, but it wasn't fear for herself. She was worried about my security and recognized that she had to be strong and climb with me (something that is perhaps considered routine for the experienced, but definitely frightening for a beginner).

It’s unnerving to be stuck on this slope, feeling each crystal beneath the soles of my feet and trying to maintain balance with nothing to hold onto. After a while I steady my balance enough to stand straight up and look back down. One of the guys from the other group of three appears to be lending some assistance. Soon I had a little more rope to play with. I move forward, reach the headwall and quickly set up three anchor points and a belay station.

Giovanna says: Everybody is tired. One of the three guys (from Syracuse Uni) give us some help with ropes. We don't say no, this time! I even give him one of my precious milky ways, and he likes it so much that he shows it to his friends. Now I am afraid I should give all my milky ways away (to the trio) and nothing will be left for us. Hopefully, they don't ask and once the three of them are all together they decide that the rest of the climb is not worthed the effort (or may be they are tired too), one says that his grandmother is waiting for them with tea and cookies and they leave the same way Keith and Leila left the last time they tried this climb. We are exhausetd, but we know that Keith wants to go up. Now I am taking Wolfgang's rope with me and I am really happy about it, I am finally doing something, like everybody else.

Lu first, and as I thought that bloody fold played merry hell with her. She is still scared, but still moving. Over that fold and she’s following a line of cracks that I hadn’t used to the right. But the last five metres are across steep and featureless friction. I’m thinking that if she cries I just might cry along with her. She makes it to the anchor, clips in and then takes a hold of some secondary slings I have also clipped to one of the anchoring pieces. She lies on her back, closes her eyes and tells me that one of the guys below said that we have three pitches – not two.

“I guess you’ll never believe a word I say again.” I say to her, but it is great to see her smile ruefully back at me.

“No.” she says with an improbable grin.

Lu told me later that she really was frightened here. I had set a belay station using only my protection ... something I hadn't done on any of the previous pitches. It was a hanging belay too. This is a set-up which is evidently less secure than the bolts, but the nature of the setup with it's multiple redundancy gives it a satisfactory level of security for a typical lead. However, if you haven't had to use one before ... well I can certainly understand why it would make Lu nervous!

Wolfgang says: Yes, yes, it was also quite good for my mood (not) that I saw this first when I had to clean the place!

I start to haul the belay for Giovanna and I find that I am finally beginning to run out of breath. I can see Lu looking at me and she’s probably wondering if I can keep up the belaying. God damn it’s definitely hard work now. Giovanna works up over the bulge, but when she passes that I find it nearly impossible to keep the belay up to speed and she has to wait for me from time to time. With Wolfgang, who is faster, it is even worse. My arms ache, my lungs are burning, egads I need to get in shape.

Giovanna also has something to say about the hanging belay on top of pitch 7: We all were a bit scared here! we did not feel quite confortable hanging from a crack in the wall. Once again, this has more to do wiith the psychology of each of us. We did not feel safe, even if we were!

They lie there, on the slope, clipped into the anchor. I look ahead and promise them the next pitch will be easy. It had better be. Lu’s right, the end is near but it looks more than one pitch away. I get Wolfgang to belay me for the next push.

Pitch Eight (5.2) – Standard Route.

I follow a natural dike in the rock and the going is really easy. I realize that I have forgotten my sling and all of the cams. I call back to Wolfgang and ensure that he wont forget my expensive collection of camalots. I stand and walk upright for most of the pitch. The end of the pitch is marked by a single bolt on a very low angle slope. I set up the belay station again and bring them up, one after the other. Belaying is nearly impossible and my concentration wavers as I work at it. It is getting late, long shadows draw across the valley below. Lu is happy because the pitch was very easy. Giovanna is also pleased by this. Wolfgang … well … I get the idea that Wolfgang could follow me up anything. His humor was still well and truly intact. He gets up to us and says that with all the camalots and whatnot he feels like Reinhold Messner (world famous German mountaineer). So we play the schatzi Messner card to make the girls giggle a bit. Then as he returns the gear to me he states that he feels naked without it. We get ourselves a little hysterical by repeating “naked schatzi Messner” a few times. I look up ahead and see that there was a line of trees just over the next low bulge. The end is in sight.

Giovanna says: We asked Keith to find the easiest way to the top! We really want to go, but we are tired! I don't know how, may be is just luck, may be Keith knew it already, but pitch 8 and 9 are really easy and we all go through them fairly quickly and safely.

Pitch Nine (5.2) – Standard Route.

What’s to say? I walk up and over the last bulge, hardly using my hands at all, very easy finish. At the top I let out a weak yahoo, I doubt if anyone hears it. I reach a tree, sling it and set up an ATC belay … too tired to use the energy sapping gigi anymore. Lu comes up and at the top lets fly with a disturbingly loud scream of victory. The other two follow, quieter, perhaps somewhat dazed that it is finally over. Each one of us is feeling truly rewarded to have reached the top.

We have spent eight and a half hours on the wall.

We get back to the car at 8pm, everyone is totally wasted and twenty minutes later it is completely dark.

FINAL NOTES:

Luciana
"Well, before anything else I really would like to tell that although I seemed a lot scared for you all the time, I wasn't. At least not all the time ("hehehe"). I was feeling safe but a lot concerned all the time about being able to overcome the obstacles so that you didn't have to give up because of me and we could all reach the top."

"I have to say that I would like to go back again if I have the chance."

Giovanna
"I did not talk to the other friends too much after the climb, but in many cases what I think was more difficult for us was the psychological side. We had to learn how to spend all thise time on the rock and to manage our physical and mental resources. What helped me a lot and made me smiling most of the time is that I was completly confident in Keith. He was psychologically (and physically) strong enough to support all of us. Also, I have to say that sometimes I felt useless. I would have loved to do more, or to help Lu or Keith more, and while I was climbing up, I decided that what I was goiung to learn next in the gym would be how to handle the rope and how to belay from the top. I am pretty sure that the climb would have been more enjoyable for Lu and Keith if Wolfgang and I could do more work. I was actually really happy of being useful in untangling the ropes and bringing up Wolfgang's rope when Lu was too tired to do it."

"Bottom line: I believe we all would like to do it again!"

Wolfgang
"We were the last ones off the rock and looking for the next bar with "thirst aid".