A return to climbing at Pinnacles National Monument, oops, Park.

Monolith 

Got out climbing yesterday with my brother and nephew at Pinnacles.  Short winter day and a comfortable start from my house didn't see us there till a touch before 10am.  Then with some screwing around trying to get change for the entry fee as the ranger station isn't open on weekdays we didn't start climbing till 11ish.

The first climb of the day was Portent.  A climb I haven't done in over a decade.  It seemed a little harder than the original 5.5 rating and I suspect some of the bigger holds have likely broken off around the crux.  It was a pleasant lead though, really enjoyable with long run outs between bolts.  In a newer guide it now lists as 5.6R, a fair rating.  The start and end of the climb were just as I remembered, it was just the stuff in the middle which had become a bit foggy.

The other climbs to be ticked off were Swallows crack and the Regular Route on the monolith, 5.6 and 5.7 respectively.  I laughed going up Swallows when I recognized a couple of old pitons I had clipped 30 years ago were still there, still being clipped.

Somewhere in there the wind started to pick up and it was cold, cold ( I know, a Californian complaining about cold in winter ).  So, when we hit the Monolith and the route was in the shade, the rock sucked the heat from our hands and left my brother and nephew shivering on top while I hurriedly ran up the climb.

Once, on an American Alpine Club outing, I met Allen Steck who was in his late 60's or early 70's and his climbing partner seemed even older.  It was a pleasant surprise to see these older climbers still at it, not trying to prove anything, just out and climbing.  We were at the Leap and they were turning some 5.9's, maybe 10's, but were mainly just climbing what they wanted.  My first Yosemite climb after becoming a father saw me on Nutcracker.  The second belay isn't the most comfortable or secure as a I recall.  I remember contemplating my motivations for climbing and the possible impact on my young child if there was an accident.  Don't misunderstand, accidents are entirely that and I feel driving a car in Bay Area traffic is more hazardous than most any day out climbing.  Still, there I was thinking about my little girl ( a baby at the time ) and it sucked some of the nerve, some of the commitment and confidence out of me.  We finished the climb off in good form, but that saw me take a hiatus from lead climbing.

Now, I am back at it and climbing mellow with nothing to prove. My hard climbing days appear behind me, but just the act of getting out is enough and if I am lucky my daughter comes out sometimes as does my brother and nephew.