First Elevator, Ground Floor

I finally see the approach for the first time. We determine the rim team headquarters. Big Rob Heineman in charge, fresh from belaying us out of Shenanigans, radio in hand, book in the pack and dog buddy Gemmie for company. He joins the stroll to the canyon head. I go around a corner and there is the wash, easy to enter and I feel a lump in my stomach. So soon? Ah well. I armor up. I don't know what others are doing. Some are a ledge lower and conversing. I ask Aaron for some cookies and he gives me some. Being the owner of one of the worlds most fear-based, responsive digestive tracts, I expect to be running off to smear on the hill side, but this fear is a little more than the usual. Aaron has seen it before, as have many of my mountain buddies. I start to gag. The dog come close, hoping for a partially digested meal. I wretch 5 or 6 times, but hold my calories down. I look up, some tears in my eyes, to the look of wonder and concern from my canyon partners, who have never seen this dance before. Aaron shrugs. I take a deep breath. All have been loitering at the head. For me, it is now or never. I take the lead. I concentrate on good angles and form, for it bears the fruit of increased confidence, when all is right and thus it is today. I feel great. A short entry rap comes in a few minutes and I think too much again. Once down the drop, Dave says to Aaron...."We are in it now!"

The stemming is fairly straight-forward. One must find one's level. We use the parallel bar hop to make fast progress and the feet and back sideways motion for rest and more controlled progress. The best height to travel is unusually level. Usually more gradual ups and downs are called for. We reach a corner. A stem move is taken up a nose, or a physical ascending squeeze is taken by some. It goes at about 5.7 for either. Then the elevators and up again and suddenly we are 60 feet above the canyon floor, the walls flaring steeply up another 100 feet to the rim. I am relieved to see that mostly, it is narrow enough 15-20 feet below, to impede a fall to the canyon floor. A nice theory, better left untested. Aaron is on point and he comes to a spot where he is not sure whether to go up or down. The wrong choice can result in the massive use of energy reserves or danger. Spiderman, moves from last to first, he having descend the canyon only months ago. In rapid order, going very high over our heads, he is there and gone in what seems like an instant. The route is discussed and down this time. Up at the next meeting of route finders. I am feeling great. Feeling strong and moving confidently. It is an "on" day. Bucky has all the moves, but needs to rest often. Hank too. Dave humors us and keeps the rear company. He could be gone in a flash if he wanted to.

Making time through the huff 'n' puff.

"Kill me, Jonathon,..."

"... but don't leave me HERE!!!"

Soon the canyon bows ahead in a silo too wide to stem, forcing us down to a ledge, just 30 feet from the canyon floor. The climb back up is an awkward move into a full body off-width. I go knee and back and take the physical moves slowly, arriving up top, without emptying my tank too much. Hank, who is last, bonks and must calorie up. We await him up top and I suddenly realize that I am on the chockstones that Hank, Shane and Chris had bivied on, some 5 plus years ago. The walls above are steep. I marvel at their being able to exit from such a spot. I shiver thinking of a late October night, one man to a boulder, careful not to nod off and fall to their deaths. It is a haunted spot. And a pretty one, although the beauty probably escaped those fellows, 5 years back.

To this point we have moved crisply, if you can call the standard quarter mile per hour stemming speed crisp. The temperature is perfect for moving. Not so for standing around....errrr, I mean stopping in stem position. Some get cold and proceed....with the rope. Bucky reaches a silo of frightening dimensions. A wide stem with seemingly easy ledges, but wide extension, the canyon bottom, staring at us 45 feet below. How about a belay? But the rope is below, just 50 yards ahead at the canyon crux. Bucky calls for the rope. I am not displeased. I think that had the momentum of movement not been interrupted and had a modeling of the stem over, been seen, we likely glide over this spot, with a quick gulp and a careful 7 step move, over the abyss. The bad news is that to get the rope back up to us, is epic. A 50 foot elevator must be reversed. Spiderman and Aaron eye each other. Neither wants any part of this. Aaron sighs and volunteers. After an epic climb up, he provides us with an 'in-canyon" safety line. But how to get the second end over for a fixed line? Aaron says tie the biner to the rope and clip to the second rope and slide it. Doh!! All these experienced guys shown the way by the youngster.

After a heroic upclimb, Aaron delivers a rope to protect the crossing of a deep and frightful silo.