Trip Report
60th Birthday SDIAD celebration TR
Wednesday May 9, 2012 8:53pm
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Frank Baker and I on the summit
Frank Baker and I on the summit
Credit: Bill McConachie
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Spent my 60th birthday with a couple of old climbing buddies, Bill McConachie and Frank Baker and climbed Snake Dike. Our combined age = 174. What a spectacular day it was with Vernal and Nevada Falls roaring and the clouds coming in as we topped out in the afternoon. Coming down the mist trail in headlamps was a great way to end a fantastic day in a magical place.

Frank and I at the trailhead.

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Grandeur of the Mist Trail

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Vernal Falls approaching peak runoff for this season

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Looking down Vernal Falls

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Reflection of HD in Lost Lake

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View of the route from the approach...hardly any snow.

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Frank Baker following pitch 3

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Bill McConachie belaying Frank

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Sea of clouds in the afternoon

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Cohorts Bill and Frank snacking on the summit

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Summit surrounded by clouds

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Sunset as we start the descent.

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  Trip Report Views: 7,779
tuolumne_tradster
About the Author
tuolumne_tradster is a trad climber from the leading edge of the North American Plate

Comments
zBrown

Ice climber
  May 10, 2012 - 12:46am PT
verah nice and I swear, you don't look a day older than 59.

EDIT: kept thinking about those photos. couldn't choose amongst them if I had to. all +++++
michaeld

climber
Beta Sprayer at your Gym
  May 9, 2012 - 09:06pm PT
Amazing last picture... Nice TR!
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  May 9, 2012 - 09:13pm PT
Welcome to the ranks of the plus 60's crushers. In 15 months I'll be putting together a 70's brigade....sigh!
rhyang

climber
SJC
  May 9, 2012 - 09:38pm PT
Nice work guys !
Dick Erb

climber
June Lake, CA
  May 9, 2012 - 11:01pm PT
Way to go Vic. A great long day. I like the sea of clouds from Half Dome photo.
WBraun

climber
  May 9, 2012 - 11:31pm PT
I love the "Summit surrounded by clouds" photo ......
micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
  May 9, 2012 - 11:41pm PT
Proud day in the hills gents. Way to keep the knees moving and the camera shutter clicking. Sound like a great day in the company of good friends. That last photo is a rare sight. Thanks for sharing. Did yall lug an SLR up there or are those shots on a point and shoot? Nice color.
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Author's Reply  May 9, 2012 - 11:44pm PT
I didn't lug my SLR. Used my Canon point & shoot on Auto setting. All photos post processed using Photomatix.

Thanks everyone for the positive vibes.
RyanD

climber
  May 10, 2012 - 12:08am PT
Beautiful photos, looks like a very memorable day. The one of the summit with the bed of clouds below is spectacular. Thanks for sharing.
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
  May 10, 2012 - 12:23am PT
"Summit surrounded by clouds" and "Sea of clouds" - both incredible, as if the formation itself were floating somewhere off-planet and weightless. What a killer TR.
guido

Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
  May 10, 2012 - 12:26am PT
Classic!
FBaker

Trad climber
Concord, Ca
  May 10, 2012 - 12:30am PT
Had a great time! Nice trip report. Happy B-day.
[photoid=247441]
FBaker

Trad climber
Concord, Ca
  May 10, 2012 - 12:32am PT
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
  May 10, 2012 - 12:35am PT
Those cloud pictures are amazing man! I've never seen it quite like that personally. SUPER!!!
PAUL SOUZA

Trad climber
Central Valley, CA
  May 10, 2012 - 12:38am PT
So that's what Heaven looks like!

Well done guys! Amazing photos!
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
  May 10, 2012 - 02:50am PT
Outstanding, thank you for posting up. I am taking my 11 year old son up Snake Dike in two weeks, I'll have to show him this when i get home from the fire station tomorrow.

The last time I did SD was 1984, how is the trail from Lost Lake to start?
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
  May 10, 2012 - 03:03am PT
Good on you guys - my 60th is coming up in August and have been toying with the idea of the Diamond, but we'll have to see how the training goes...
bergbryce

climber
East Bay, CA
  May 10, 2012 - 03:09am PT
Nice dude, like it!
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
  May 10, 2012 - 08:53am PT
Excellent pictures.
Dos XX

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
  May 10, 2012 - 09:37am PT
Happy Birthday! Thanks for sharing a bit of it :-)

Your photos got me stoked for Snake Dike -- I'll be introducing it to a couple of my kids next week.
PhilG

Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
  May 10, 2012 - 09:54am PT
Stellar trip report.
Awesome pictures.
Welcome to the over 60 climbing club!
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Author's Reply  May 10, 2012 - 10:07am PT
Batrock: here's what the Lost Lake area looks like...


and here are the cables...
can't say

Social climber
Pasadena CA
  May 10, 2012 - 10:29am PT
Very cool TR, more about the overall visual experience then anything techicnal. I'll join in the chorus for the clouds and summit pics and for some reason the Mist Trail steps shot grabbed me. Chapeau gentlemen!!
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  May 10, 2012 - 11:37am PT
Very nice,
no better way to spend your Birthday!!!!
Chris McNamara

SuperTopo staff member
  May 10, 2012 - 02:02pm PT
Best Half Dome summit cloud photos i've seen. awesome. just posted it here http://www.facebook.com/SuperTopo
briham89

Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
  May 10, 2012 - 02:09pm PT
those pictures are incredible!
Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
  May 10, 2012 - 02:50pm PT
Great pictures, especially the summit clouds. Happy birthday.
snowhazed

Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
  May 10, 2012 - 02:57pm PT
wicked!

and yeah- wait- hand jammies?
Mighty Hiker

climber
Outside the Asylum
  May 10, 2012 - 05:04pm PT
TFPUAC - a nice report, and kewl summit photos!

What does "SNIAD" stand for?

edit: Thanks For Posting Up About Climbing. Nothing to do with "TwoPack".
Starman

Trad climber
Sterling, MA
  May 10, 2012 - 04:06pm PT
eKat,

I'm guessing "thanks for posting up about climbing"...

Great stuff, lads! Wish it were me and mine... (Well, the "60" part can wait lol)

Steve
zBrown

Ice climber
  May 10, 2012 - 04:57pm PT
Bump for this should get greater attention than it's getting.
TFPUAC -> I think it's Samoan.

OldEric

Trad climber
Westboro, MA
  May 10, 2012 - 05:21pm PT
Great pics.

I soloed it on my 35th b-day. That was 27 years ago. Getting to be time for a repeat.
ec

climber
ca
  May 10, 2012 - 06:07pm PT
Nice post.

WTH is McConachie wearing handjammies for?

 ec
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
  May 10, 2012 - 06:08pm PT
Good job! Happy Birthday!
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Author's Reply  May 10, 2012 - 08:29pm PT
Mighty Hiker: whoops...I meant...SDIAD = Snake Dike in a day.

Thanks Sheepdog!


McC wears the jammies to protect his delicate hands from intense photons at high altitude...he's saving them for ice climbing.
the Fet

climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
  May 10, 2012 - 07:13pm PT
Thanks for putting you pics where they belong in a TR!

They'll get a lot more view over time than in some thread that will get buried soon.

I'll repeat:

The clouds shots with the shoulder and especially the visor rising above are magnificent.

The mist trail steps also moved me. Some cool old school trail building evident there.
sheepdog

Trad climber
just over the hill
  May 10, 2012 - 07:40pm PT
SDIAD, SNIAD, Aw give 'im a break, the old guy's over 60. Hey Vic great to see you getting out there! Happy birthday, John
looking sketchy there...

Social climber
Lassitude 33
  May 10, 2012 - 07:45pm PT
Happy B-Day and congrats on getting out there and having a great adventure.
ec

climber
ca
  May 10, 2012 - 08:20pm PT
Yeah, I survived plenty of McC ice salvos. You make it sound as if he's climbing gloveless. Bad Ass...LOL

 ec
50

climber
Stumptown
  May 11, 2012 - 12:43am PT
Happy Birthday, Vic! Way to go on SDIAD and great photos.
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Author's Reply  May 11, 2012 - 12:54am PT
Thanks Eric. Wish you could have joined us.
BMcC

Trad climber
Livermore
  May 11, 2012 - 03:28am PT
Nice TR, Vic.

Fun times climbing (and hiking and hiking and hiking) with Frank and the birthday boy, tuolumne_tradster!

A few more pics from the hiking...
Les

Trad climber
Bahston
  May 11, 2012 - 08:44am PT
Beautiful.
BMcC

Trad climber
Livermore
  May 11, 2012 - 05:55pm PT
Malemute, EC, and Snowhazed --

Virtually every time I'm out climbing, I get asked about the hand jammies; some of those who don't ask, stare and smirk.

Tuolumne_Tradster has it right: "McC wears the jammies to protect his delicate hands from intense photons at high altitude...he's saving them for ice climbing."

Despite using various sunscreen products during my several decades on the planet, my hands have received lots and lots of that nasty, nasty skin-cancer-causing radiation (UV) from years of surfing, beach life guard employment, swimming, sailing, some fishing, cycling, hiking, and climbing. Yard work, too. For my climbing, the hand jammies provide higher SPF without the greasy feel and need for reapplication...

EC - as of the last several years, instead of climbing ice with leashes, wearing mitts, and slipping a bare hand out for placing screws and clipping draws, I have gone mostly leashless and to wearing relatively thin windstopper fleece gloves... or, when the temps are mild, light leather gloves. Oh yeah, partners beware!! I can, and still do sometimes, knock off huge chunks of ice.

Cheers!
ec

climber
ca
  May 11, 2012 - 02:23pm PT
Bill,
Didn't realize you'd taken the big UV hit. It just seemed weird to have you wearing those on a route where the crack is on the first lead and that part is easy.

Too bad we didn't have those on Nowhere to Run, but I think they woulda been too thick for that 1-1.25" crack. Brutal size.

 ec
roy

Social climber
NZ -> SB,CA -> Zurich
  May 11, 2012 - 02:36pm PT
A great trip and a great trip report.
Cheers, Roy
Fletcher

Boulder climber
Institute of Better Bouldering-DirtbagDad Division
  May 11, 2012 - 02:39pm PT
Superb! Thanks for the awesome share. Agree this captures the spirit of the trip in an nicely ethereal way.

My b-day Just a week or so past yours. Will have to do this meself one day for a celebration.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Eric
BMcC

Trad climber
Livermore
  May 11, 2012 - 02:52pm PT
EC -

No really big hits, yet. Regular trips to the skin doc for inspection and the occasional application of liquid nitrogen. My skin (I think) is no where near and won't ever get as bad as this guy's, but I have never really been into lying around in the sun:


As I remember the route, I could barely get my rather thick fingers into much of the crack on Nowhere to Run. It was PDH (pretty damn hard). You've always had a great eye for picking and putting up new routes!

Bill
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  May 11, 2012 - 04:16pm PT
gotta go with Chris Mac. I don't know that I've ever seen that kind of clouds shots under Half Dome's summit. Awesome!


Good point about the hand jammies. I apply face, neck, ears, butt cheeks, but always forget the back of the hands.
Zoo

climber
Fremont, CA
  May 11, 2012 - 06:32pm PT
inspiring report. Love the pics.
Rick A

climber
Boulder, Colorado
  May 12, 2012 - 11:35am PT
Phenomenal!

What a great day out. I really need to get up there.

Rick
Dirka

Trad climber
Hustle City
  May 12, 2012 - 11:58am PT
Great way to send/spend your birthday! TFPU.

Mark Hudon

Trad climber
On the road.
  May 12, 2012 - 12:41pm PT
So Freakin' Cool!

Awesome photos!
Captain...or Skully

climber
Boise, ID
  Apr 17, 2013 - 08:20am PT
HOW did I miss this TR? I must've not been around, or some such.
Super TR, with transcendent pics.
BMcC captured the endless slabs at the end quite well, too.
Woot!
Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
  Apr 17, 2013 - 08:46am PT
Missed it too, great photos.....and happy 61st b-day coming up! Thanks for posting and the friendly bump.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Apr 17, 2013 - 08:58am PT
Me three!
Great shots! Happy belated birthday!
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Apr 17, 2013 - 10:30am PT
Well done young man.....stunning photos!
tuolumne_tradster

Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
Author's Reply  Apr 17, 2013 - 10:23pm PT
Thanks all...appreciate the good vibes.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
Wyoming
  Apr 18, 2013 - 12:57am PT
Yeah. Some really good images. Thanks much.
Nohea

Trad climber
Living Outside the Statist Quo
  Apr 18, 2013 - 03:27am PT
Beautiful TR, and big upps for haring such a fun SDIAD time with us.

A big whooot!


Aloha,
Will
Johnny K.

climber
  Jul 16, 2013 - 07:11pm PT
up
Blakey

Trad climber
Sierra Vista
  Nov 12, 2013 - 11:55am PT
Great climb, great photos great tale,

Steve
dkny

Trad climber
Boston, MA
  Nov 12, 2013 - 11:57am PT
Beautiful photos!
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