The High Sierra - Temple Crag

The Final Hurrah - Sun Ribbon Arete on Temple Crag

(last in a series of posts about my 2012 trip to the High Sierra)

By this time the altitude wasn't affecting me much, and we could really tear up some trail on the approaches.  Yet another predawn start.

Neale busts a move up the first 5.7 corner.  We started this route the day after the Temple-Sill Traverse but bailed due to a late start and some threatening looking weather.  We also must have been tired, because I led this pitch the first time and thought it was really hard (5.7 is usually quite easy for me).  Neale thought it was a bit stout for 5.7, but as usual indicated quietly that he thought I was a pussy.  I still think it was hard.

The route has a Tyrolean Traverse.  Its a bit of a party trick, but neither of us had ever done one before, so it was a bit fun.

It was worth smiling about.

Sun Ribbon Arete was really fun.  For whatever reason we didn't have that high of hopes, but there was some really quality climbing and lots of cool traverses like this one.

That's a cloud.

There was another party on the neighboring route, called Moon Goddess Arete or maybe that is the next one over.

Big exposure, big terrain.

At the top of the Arete, scrambling to the summit.

LOOK AT THOSE GUYS! I MEAN JUST LOOK AT 'EM!!

Walking back.  When California makes a lake it really doesn't fuck around.

The next day we drove back to Las Vegas.  We braved another hour or two in the desert heat to spend a few minutes enjoying this off-road truck race we happened across (driving the wrong way onto the course, accidentally, which a race official got his panties all bundled up about).

The Subee, she didn't really fit in among the lifted-up and all fancied-out pit trucks, but I'd like to think she held her own.

That night we partied until the wee hours with the cast of one of the Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows, then I took Neale to the airport in the dawn hours after about 3 hours of sleep.  I downed an iced coffee and busted a move 8 hours across the desert back to Tucson.

Thanks as always to Neale for another great spree of sending that shit and for leading the hard pitches!