Nose In A Day!

     Finding a competent and fast partner for a Nose In A Day attempt is probably the crux of the entire process.  The required fitness, risk tolerance, and mental fortitude make this challenge so difficult. I was running short on time in Yosemite Valley and I was beginning to accept the fact that I might not get to climb The Nose this trip. Emotions of frustration and disappointment flooded my mind until I came across a perfect partner! His name was Tatsu and he was a very quick learner.
     Tatsu and I did a practice run to Eagle Ledge the next day. We started climbing at 9am and made it to Eagle Ledge in 6 hours! This was our first time climbing together and we had many hiccups along the way. We knew that we could easily move faster. One of my biggest worries was how we would pass other parties. While discussing strategies, we agreed to fully commit and ditch the tagline. We would bring water and food for 16 hours of climbing, with a goal of finishing in 12 hours.

     We left Camp Four 15 minutes behind schedule, well, because I was born late and can't seem to be on time for anything! As we parked, there were already 4 headlamps on The Nose, so it was time to make some friends! We motored up the 4^th class and met a party from Spain on the first pitch, the leader had not yet reached the first anchor. I was already racked and ready to climb, so I put my shoes on and asked the belayer if we could climb through. There was a bit of a language barrier, but we assured him that we would be fast. This was my 4th time on the first pitches and it felt like cheating. I had the moves and gear placements dialed, and we passed the Spanish party in a matter of minutes! Tatsu and I reached sickle ledge in 1:05, the fastest and smoothest run up to sickle ledge I had ever done. The real crux of the route lay ahead: there were 4 or 5 different teams between us and the stovelegs. Tatsu took the lead and passed a party on sickle ledge, followed by two more teams on the way up to the first pendulum. Tatsu floated through the 5.9 bulge and reached a portaledge where the inhabitants were still sleeping! He clung to the bar of the portaledge, begging for something to clip into. The team was disoriented and caused quite a clusterfuck until Tatsu finally circumvented their ledge and found something to clip. Two carabiners were a small price to pay to get away from that mess! I was simul-climbing the easy 4^th class below as Tatsu called for tension and lowered for the pendulum. The pendulum was so much harder than either of us remembered!

     We met at an anchor where I put Tatsu on belay, threw out a bunch of slack and started pulling the rope through our leaver biners above. I continued to throw out slack and readjust my backup knot as Tatsu cruised the loose corner above and began the face climbing traverse to the stovelegs. Tatsu reached the stovelegs belay, pulled up the remaining 100 feet of rope, and continued on a HUGE PDL (Pakistani Death Loop). I jugged my heart out, free climbed the traverse, and found a lovely present waiting at the base of the stovelegs. There was shit, literally human feces below a portaledge at the anchor. What where these guys thinking? I considered pooping all over their portaledge for revenge, but I just couldn't make it happen before Tatsu was at the next anchor. Mental note, bring laxitives on long climbs. Elated to get away from the poop, I sprinted up the rope while Tatsu continued on another PDL. I'm working my ass off, happy that my jugging technique has improved a ton since my last wall. Breathing hard, I hit the next anchor as his rope went tight. I quickly set up to belay and watch Tatsu run out the entire section above so that I wouldn't have to jug in the chimney. He motored through the fist crack and fixed his way to the top of Dolt Tower. I started jugging my face off knowing I would get a nice rest at the top of Dolt. Two friendly guys were just waking up on Dolt Tower I arrived. I passed gear to Tatsu and we delayed here for a few minutes to watch the glow of the sun crest the mountains to the east. Tatsu tensioned off of dolt tower and crushed the squeeze chimney. He fixed at the next anchor and continued up the fist crack towards El Cap Tower. I attached my ascenders and prepared for one of my favorite parts of the whole route! I pushed the ascenders up as far as they'd go, and jumped to the right. I howled with excitement as I swung 40 feet into space, trying to hold back an uncontrollable giggle of excitement.  This swing was HUGE, but clean and I jugged the steep terrain right away. I reached the anchors and barely had time to take off the pack when Tatsu was ready to fix at El Cap Tower. I did another exciting swing on my ascenders and jugged to El Cap Tower as Tatsu pushed the rope up to the base of Texas Flake. I passed the last party we would see on the route, and met Tatsu at the base of Texas Flake. I slamed some energy chews as Tatsu helped me organize the rack. I left most of the gear behind since it would only get in the way during the unprotected chimney.

     The transition took a few minutes, but I was stokered to lead again! I told Tatsu that I didn't need a belay in the chimney and that he could refuel and chill. Call me weird, but I like chimneys. I used breathing techniques from yoga, and found myself completely in my element. At the top of the chimney, I flipped the rope outside and fixed so Tatsu could jug. I charged up the bolt ladder with a massive PDL. At the last bolt, I tied in short to protect the scary section before the boot flake. I aided a few moves until I could reach positive holds, left my aider behind and started free climbing the flake. This was my favorite pitch of the entire route! I ran it out through the amazing, steep hand crack placing only two pieces and clipping a fixed cam. Tatsu jugged while I threaded my end through the chains to prepare for the King Swing. He passed me more gear and lowered me for the swing. I sprinted to the right until the rope launched me back to the left, then I jumped over the big trough and stuck landing. Tatsu cliped into my line and tramed over to Eagle Ledge. We met at Eagle to exchange more gear and I was ready to start leading into unknown territory!  We were 5 hours into the adventure, moving a full hour faster than our practice run.

     The rock quality in the Grey Bands slowed me down a bit. I reached the "Lynn Hill Traverse" and was happy to have a real belay. Face climbing? I thought the nose was all about cracks! The traverse was difficult, but could be french freed to avoid 5.12 moves. Tatsu and I took extra care with rope management to avoid the numerous rope snagging flakes. The route finding was a bit tricky, but I eventually groveled into the correct 5.11 crack. Leaving Camp IV, the only gear I had left was 3 cams and a quickdraw. I placed a cam early, which proved to be a mistake. The rope pulled into a crack below me and was hopelessly stuck. I was forced to downclimb, with a big loop of slack out and traverse back to flip the rope. At this point, I couldn't wait for my lead block to be over! There was 30 feet of 5.9 terrain separating me from a ledge at the base of the great roof. It looked improbable from below, but all I could do was take a deep breath and commit to the moment. Holds began to appear and I face climbed to the ledge. I quickly fixed the rope and enjoyed a huge mental break as Tatsu's lead block was about to begin! Taking my feet out of my climbing shoes felt like being reborn!
     Tatsu started up the hardest pitch on the route, freeing and french freeing as far as possible. We both knew that this was the slowest pitch on the entire route. Checking the sun's progress across the sky, it must have only been 9 or 10am! He built an anchor in the corner of the roof and fixed the rope for the horizontal traverse. This was the only section on the entire route where I saw him put himself on belay! I couldn't even tell if he was nervous; he did very well and completed the great roof without much difficulty. He pulled up most of the rope and went for it all with a 90+ foot PDL up the pancake flake! I self belayed through the great roof and re-aided it. When I reached the anchor, there was still 20 feet of slack hanging below the bolts. 

     At Camp V, it was my turn to take the lead, so I pushed the rope up to the base of the scariest pitch on the route. The glowering spot pitch has a reputation of hard aid climing with a potential ledge fall. I set up a tight self belay on the grigri and moved at a snails pace, not backcleaning at all. Tatsu put me on belay just before I started getting into some really marginal placements. I was top stepping but I couldn't get a cam to stick, so I fiddled in a small stopper. As I weighted the shallow stopper, I realized that I should have been using a cam hook. The instant I verbalize this thought, PING! The stopper ripped along with the next small cam below. Thoughts of a decking rush through my mind until my 15-20 foot fall is arrested. I look down and I'm still 20 feet above the ledge. I quickly yard up the rope and am pleased to see the cam is bomber. I was a little embarrassed, because Tatsu and I agreed to make sure not to fall. At least it was a safe and short fall I suppose. This time I top-stepped to place a hook, then reached the finger crack on the right.

 I french freed off another small cam and finished the lieback to the anchor. The next crack looked like fantastic thin hands, so I shortfixed and went for it! My fall on the previous pitch messed with my head a little, so I french freed a few moves until the crack opened up to glorious hands. I ran it out to camp 6, shortfixed and used what was left of the rack to reach the end of my rope. I found a piton exactly where I needed it and hung on the piton and a cam until I could have more rope. Once back on belay, I cruised the perfect flake with awesome hand jams to the bolt ladder on changing corners. Out came the aiders, and I was reminded that aid climbing sucks!  There was enough tat on the bolted line that I could take the A0 variation until a committing and reachy move around the corner. I backcleaned as far as I could to keep the rope off the sharp edge and placed my last #1 camalot before running it out to the chains.

     The next pitch was pretty much all red camalots and I didn't have any left!  I started to think about how nice it would be to relax on the summit and be done with the route! I leapfroged a small cam in the finger crack while climbing the thin hands in the corner.  I hit my rope end just before turning the roof, and Tatsu put me back on belay.  From here, I had the confidence to pull the bulge while on belay and run it out to the anchor. I was stoked to be done leading for the day!  I took a moment to enjoy the surreal view and look down at the immense exposure. Somehow I didn't notice the exposure until now! I could see a gang bang of parties on sickle ledge, and was very happy to not be part of that mess!  Tatsu arrived and we took our time during the changeover. We knew that we would easily top out before the sun set. After a short break, Tatsu blasted through the final two pitches to the bolt ladder. I allowed him to put some space and lots of pro between us before I began simuling the bolts. Just as I was pulling through the bulge, the rope was fixed. I busted out the ascenders and raced to the top. I lunged for the iconic tree as if we were record breaking heros, then gave Tatsu a high five. We'd done it! And I felt great! Our time was 13 hours, 40 minutes. We took at least 10 seconds to enjoy the view before beginning relentless descent.  We had extra water, but both of us started to bonk after the rappels as we stumbled down the remainder of the east ledges descent.