Trip Report
Goodrich Pinnacle, right side
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Tuesday May 7, 2013 12:26am
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Climbed Goodrich Pinnacle, right side on the Glacier Pt apron with an old climbing buddy Eric Collins on Sat May 4, 2013. Eric and I shared many climbing adventures in the Valley, Tuolumne, Pinnacles, Joshua Tree, High Sierras, etc throughout the 80s. It was great to get back on a route in the Valley with Eric. Since he's still young & fit, he was willing to be rope gun for the day.
In addition to encountering a snake on pitch 3 that startled me until I realized it was a harmless king snake, the H2O-polished section on pitch 6 with the 3 closely-spaced bolts was quite adventurous and felt like climbing with roller skates.
Pitches 3, 4, 5 & the chimney were classic, high quality. Really enjoyed those pitches. Hadn't done a chimney like that in a long time.
Eric leading pitch 2.
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Eric leading pitch 4.
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Eric setting up the belay at the top of pitch 5.
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Looking up at the chimney pitch
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In the chimney.
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Eric topping out.
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Rapping off.
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Nothin' better than having a brewsky after a fun day of climbing with an old friend. I'm just happy I can still do this sh*t at my age.
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tuolumne_tradster
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About the Author
tuolumne_tradster is an aging trad climber from the leading edge of the North American Plate |
Comments
Peter Haan
Trad climber
Wyoming
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Good for you characters!!
It is an incredibly pretty route and in its day, a big test piece as well. I did the left side before the gigantic white flake fell off (about 1965), making it quite a bit less adventurous subsequently and then I guess in 70-71 Mark Fielding (or Feldman from Oregon and an acquaintance of Kim Schmitz my then climbing partner) did the right side the day before we did a very early ascent of Crack of Doom. Mark was a wonderful partner too; Goodrich glistened, the climb was novel, subtle and awfully fun.
Let's remember too, the pinnacle is named after Don Goodrich, tragically killed by a loose block on Mt Conness back in the earlier sixties. Conness does bear a plaque to this effect, as well.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Thanks for a fine trip report of a great Apron classic.
John
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Some Random Guy
climber
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nice to see the top of that. i only attempted it once and took about a 40 footer on the 5.9 runout variation. after seeing me "slide" past them at the belay and continue on for another 20 feet my followers were too scared to continue and made me rap off. actually, the party behind us at the lower belay also turned around after seeing me "slide"...ha ha ha....
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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So cool.
Awesomeness is upon you!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Very cool! I want to check this one out soon
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Wyoming
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My recollection of the crux pitch for the Right Side, is there was a kind of misleading and subtle routefinding problem amongst the couple of seemingly possible sequences, and that if not solved right and you simply gunned the section, it would lead to harder climbing than necessary while missing some cool devious and unobvious solutions. I remember finding the crux to vanish, actually, with the path I took. So don't get tunnel vision there.
I wonder if finding a good-sized king snake suggests there are rattlers as well. Likely, though they also eat all kinds of vetebrates. The pictured snake does not completely conform with a California King Snake in that it has some red rings as well. I wonder if it is a crossbreed or??
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Dirka
Trad climber
Hustle City
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Nice!
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Brings back great memories, thank you
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sheepdog
Trad climber
just over the hill
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Awesome report TT, brings back the memories. I remember doing it and trying to finagle the leads so my partner would get the runout pitch...but miscounted somehow...
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Newbury Park
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Thanks for sharing. Looks like a great day
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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The pitch with three bolts is actually a relatively new variation put up by the Galactic Hitchhiker team as an alternative to the full rope run-out straight up version.
Technically it's not a full rope run-out as there is a rusty pin-stack you can clip after 30 feet but it doesn't inspire confidence. Although I've done Goodrich right dozens of times, (and Hitchhiker a bunch of times) I've never tried the new variations because, while the old variation can be very scary, I've got it wired now so it's the devil I know. I did manage to take a fall on it one year early in the morning while starting Hitchhiker when i got a bit off route and skated on some ball bearing granite dust. Oh the apron adventures
peace
Karl
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Awesome report, thank you for sharing. Hope I can climb that pinnacle some day, it looks cool. Spires and pinnacles are awesome.
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BMcC
Trad climber
Livermore
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Very cool!
Adding this one to my list of routes to do. TFPU!
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couchmaster
climber
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"The pitch with three bolts is actually a relatively new variation put up by the Galactic Hitchhiker team as an alternative to the full rope run-out straight up version."
Is the 3 bolt variation to the left of the 5.9 runout Karl? Cause there is a mellower variation going to the right already I believe. Isn't there? Been a few years but I think I've done it both ways going back a few years. Or is the GH the variation to the right you are saying?
Nice TR, thanks!!! Great looking snake too.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Author's Reply
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May 7, 2013 - 12:55pm PT
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We were following a topo that showed multiple variations for that pitch. The variation that Eric took showed 3 bolts then traverse down and left from the top bolt before climbing up. I skated up and surprised myself because I didn't even know I could speak French. Long story short...I did a pendulum and arrived about 10 ft below where the topo shows to climb straight up. I was forced to execute some "imaginary friction" moves until I reached non-H2O polished, coarser-grained granite richer in dark minerals (hornblende), where my feet started to stick again. We both joked that it was too bad we didn't have a pair of EBs with us. Above that it was smooth sailing on classic apron friction and micro-edges.
RE the king snake, Greg Stock reported that he encountered one in a crack on Braille Book recently. Sure glad it wasn't a rattler.
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nutjob
Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
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Excellent! I recall a king snake at the base around there somewhere, never seen one actually up on the apron! Pretty cool.
Here are some other angles on that climb, from a fine November day a few years ago:
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50
climber
Stumptown
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he's still young and fit yeah, right. Your selling snake oil, dude.
Great trip!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Author's Reply
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May 7, 2013 - 10:50pm PT
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Dude: no snake oil sold here...you're younger and a lot more fit than I am...
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LuckyJack
Trad climber
Novato, CA
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My partner and I were totally baffled by the polished section with the three bolts. We ended up doing a tension traverse over to the original line. Beautiful fun climb though! TFPU!
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karodrinker
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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I led that 3 bolt section free, it was tough but doable. Felt 5.10+
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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This topo fragment?
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/578909/Goodrich-Pinnacle-Right-Glacier-Point
I led that 3 bolt section free, it was tough but doable. Felt 5.10+
It helps to be tall. There are good positive edges just a little above the top bolt.
The pitch with three bolts is actually a relatively new variation put up by the Galactic Hitchhiker team as an alternative to the full rope run-out straight up version.
Not correct.
Check any of the topos (1982, 1987, 1994).
All show that pitch to the right with one protection bolt.
All the Galactic Hitchhiker lads did was to add bolts to this existing climb.
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sheepdog
Trad climber
just over the hill
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Clint, thanks for that topo. That's what I remember about our pitch 5, straight up, one clip off the belay, then run it out on (mostly) 5.7.
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ZachW
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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I watched my partner take a four-points slide about 6 inches before miraculously stopping on that slick 3 bolt section.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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My GF at the time and I tried this route back in the 1980's using only the Green Roper Guide; got pretty lost. Failure.
Re: King Snakes; saw one like the one in Clint's picture right at the base of Sunnyside Bench Regular Route many years ago. Pretty colorful little guys, so leave them be...
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Author's Reply
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May 11, 2013 - 12:03pm PT
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The topo that Clint posted looks like the same topo we were following. When following pitch 5, I did a pendulum from the 5.9 3-bolt smooth section after unclipping the top bolt over to the 5.7 no pro section.
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nutjob
Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
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May 10, 2013 - 06:13pm PT
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Thanks for the topo Clint, it jogged my memory. I remember that part being pretty stout up and right of the belay... and a left traverse about 10 feet above the belayer with no pro right there, and I had to step through a wet seeping section hoping I didn't skate onto my belayer. That's a little frozen memory embedded in my brain for a long time to come.
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Wayne Campbell
climber
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May 11, 2013 - 07:20pm PT
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So good to see you two dudes, miss you all. Let's plan a reunion climbing trip soon!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Author's Reply
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May 11, 2013 - 11:12pm PT
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yes lets plan for a reunion this summer in tuolumne
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Wayne Campbell
climber
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May 12, 2013 - 12:35am PT
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On my birthday, 1989, top of Crest Jewel!
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50
climber
Stumptown
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May 12, 2013 - 12:57am PT
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Wayno - Glad you weren't wearing a red coat in the Crest Jewel photo. That would have looked too weird. Tuolumne Meadows this summer, for sure.
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sheepdog
Trad climber
just over the hill
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May 12, 2013 - 06:44am PT
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Crest Jewell, TT we did it when, in '87? The "reverse sandbag".
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Author's Reply
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May 13, 2013 - 04:59pm PT
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sheepdog...1987 sounds right for our ascent but I thought it was after the photo taken above that Wayne says in 1989??
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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May 13, 2013 - 05:17pm PT
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Way to go gents. Bravo. We did the first four a while back, but had heeby geebies about the route finding beyond. Would like to go up there again someday though. Iconic Apron business for sure. You guys should be proud.
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Scraptee
Trad climber
Tacoma
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May 13, 2013 - 05:37pm PT
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What Eric aka '50' isn't saying is that he was on crutches at this time a year ago with a badly broken ankle from a fall at Red Rocks. Now the old fart is back out rope-gunning polished slabs... Great job guys. Looks like fun.
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Leggs
Sport climber
Made in California, living in The Old Pueblo
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May 13, 2013 - 07:40pm PT
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Too goooood not to BUMP!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Author's Reply
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May 14, 2013 - 12:33am PT
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Micronut: it helped that Eric had done the route BITD.
Here's sheepdog lookin' cool in those shades during one of our apron adventures back in the late 80s
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