[photoid=420836]So I pretty much don’t even really know where to begin. This whole event and how it unfolded for us I still can’t even quite put into words. I guess I can start by sharing that from a relatively early age I fell in love with a certain chunk of rock through a drive for adventure. Shortly thereafter I learned that this place had held a strong place in many adventurer/ pioneers hearts before me. People like Mendenhall/ Wiltz/ Robbins/ Chouinard/ Frost and many many more from an era not so long ago. Then the next generation to follow in the footsteps of these giants (the Stone Masters) I don’t even need to name drop there! The name of such a mythical and legendary place I speak of that has become such a part of who I am, would be Tahquitz rock, of course!
Wow, if only to be around to see the sh#t they were pulling off back then, it blows my friends and me away every time we go up there. Then, obviously these stories and the people that go with them are even richer and stronger in the alpine wonderland that is Yosemite Valley. I don’t have nearly the relationship with the spirit of this place as Tahquitz. None the less, like many of us, I cannot help but be drawn to the valley, its giant walls, rich history, climbing lore, and legend that will forever echo and resonate in the hearts of people like myself.
At this point in the game let’s just say I’ve done my fair share of suffering high above the Valley floor. Why we keep coming back for more is beyond me. I always come back to Warren Harding’s famous quote when topping off the Dawn Wall “Cuz we’re insane!” Really though, it has always been about the spirit of the adventure and just how far do you have to push your spirit for them both to coalesce and you are able to make the impossible possible!
Two weeks ago, like many of us, I was in shock to hear part of pitch 11 on the most historic big wall had fallen, and might no longer be passible. This route out of most in the valley is very special to me. It was my brothers and my first Grade VI in a day, (nothing new there)! As news quickly spread about the monolithic flake that fell off, I became possessed with the possibility of the unknown and what was to be newly discovered across this blank virgin section of one of the most historic routes on the planet. I quickly put together my arsenal of gear and was soon putting my feelers out there for someone crazy enough to join me on such a mission. I soon learned one of my climbing acquaintances Scott Sinner and his partner were the first to discover the ledge/ flake system had fallen. He gave me some beta but still seemed impossible. To top it off, on such a historic route, I knew we had to keep it as real and true to the Robbins’ ethics of climbing as possible. So who did “we” end up being, you ask? One of my super motivated Tahquitz partners, Howard Ballou. Howard is the type of partner that will go for anything. To top it off he has a great attitude, no matter how bad the suffer-fest gets. Out of all the years I have been into this, Howard is one of only a few partners I have ever had that fall into a much different category. The rest of you know who you are and know how much you were with us on such a magical journey.
From the moment it was decided that two average Joe climbers from SoCal’s Tahquitz rock would be the first stupid enough to try and link together the fallen sketch pitch on one of the most iconic routes in the world, we knew that not only living up to Robbins and Golden age ethics and style of climbing would be one of many cruxes. We also knew trying to make it as safe and proud as possible was one of infinite unknowns. From the beginning we both really emphasized not trying to force anything. If it ever did feel forced it probably was not safe and was just not meant to be. This we were okay with and went into it with the mindset that it was all about the adventure and not the destination itself.
And so it went on Sunday, July 19th we drove to the valley and organized our kit at the Happy Isle Trailhead. Weather was forecasted to be lightning and thunder storms for the next 3 days, but knew then we would have a window. The following day Howard and I hiked up the Mist Trail around the back 7.5 miles of suffer-fest with 75 lbs. loads, toting the porta-ledge between us. Typically we would take the Death Slabs but chose this option to mitigate the risk of death by rock fall, and to follow in the footsteps of the FA party, as this is the route they followed. We arrived at the base just in time before getting hit by what sounded like Megatron coming over the mountain and all hell and hail broke loose. Typical afternoon Sierra thunder storms I have dealt with my whole life. It was then apparent that where the established 5-6 bivi platforms at the start of RNWF had all but pretty much been obliterated by the fall, we decided to build a new bivi platform higher up on the shoulder in the trees. It ended up being quite a nice spot with a better view of what lie ahead for us for the next several days. Howard and I decided we had to go ground up “obviously” no fixing to the ground. We also planned on 5 days of rations, set a high camp right at the Robbins Traverse, and see how many days it would take us to put the pieces together. We did the next two days of exactly that; getting into position, inspecting what it might take, and experiencing the super eerie phenomena of raining gravel on us nonstop every night, even though we were to the left of the fall zone. The fear of it all was definitely very real and prevalent in our minds the entire time, but still everything was going smooth and nothing had felt forced. On the second night knowing there was a new passage way out right we couldn’t sleep a wink, anticipating how the next day might unfold, combined with the constant bombardment of gravel, around 1am Howard, probably sensing I was not asleep, says “Holy sh#t bro, do you feel that?”, “What is it?” I ask, hearing the fear in his voice. “The whole wall is vibrating”, he points out. Sure enough in the midst of raining gravel the wall did seem to be vibrating in a rather unnerving harmonization. Holy sh#t that is scary and about puked as it vibrated through our porta-ledge. Out of nowhere *POP*, our ledge flips sideways and all about spits us out of it. I think we both about sh#t ourselves and decide it had to have been loaded slightly off center and just fell back asleep sideways in the ledge, rather than climb in the dark and try to fix it.
At first light it was game day. I was to climb up through pitch 9 to do what is left of 10, try to analyze if the frightful, but clean splitter system works out right. It definitely looked intimidatingly loose and could definitely go free. As I climbed back up and left towards where the existing free variation came down to the missing ledge at the start of pitch 11, two huge microwave size blocks dislodge out of nowhere below me off into the abyss, exploding on the talus below. It was close, but not that close. As I mantled up through 20’ of new terrain I notice what looks to be a new anchor that I did not remember from before. Coming off of this anchor was a rivet ladder, 7 rivets deep, top steppy as sh#t and trended up and right into nowhere land. They did however lead you close above the existing anchor of pitch 11 now out in space on a never ending extremely blank section of rock. I knew that if I could get up the rivet ladder and investigate this could be the cleanest safest option. I yell back down to Howard to take as he lowers me and I tram my way back across the Robbins Traverse to camp.
At this point it’s 9am, I tell Howard the game plan which is to blast back up to said new mystery anchor, fully loaded with our arsenal of everything we could need, climb the rivet ladder, and see where it takes us. As I carefully top step my way up the suspiciously new ladder I see I can pendulum from the last rivet to the old anchor way out in space, I also see that the ledge coming off the bottom left of the 5.11 corner is even closer. Howard and I discuss and decide it was pointless to pendji over to the old anchor and then pendji out right to the new death flake of a ledge. I had just climbed over there and saw how death defying it seemed. What did seem very obvious and not too over the top was to top step that last rivet and start drilling. This was my first bolt I have ever placed in the valley and to be honest did not feel wrong nor right but did make me want to puke. An hour later it was done. Howard and I took turns all day, but Howard really shined being able to hammer ambidextrous and could bang a bolt out in 20 minutes. With a small number of four bolts now in place off the sketch rivet ladder. Howard lowers in place for what became one of the coolest pendulums I have seen next to the King Swing. Left then right again Howard tries to slam dunk dyno off the high point of the pendji to catch the ledge that makes up the start of the 5.11 corner, and then back on route. But he misses, and misses again, then lowers down. By this time we are both cooked, we are running low on rations and if we can’t just link this one section that seems to be perfectly set up for us, it would still have been an amazing adventure. The bolts however would have been in vain. Howard and I decide one more bolt will get us there for sure, investigate to make sure all still looks safe and bail back to camp. Howard the Hammer goes back up and puts in the 5th bolt and sends with the air Jordan dunk to the 5.11 corner off the end of the pendulum.
So basically what links the missing blank section is a 7 rivet/ button head bolt ladder, 5 additional 3/8” bolts, total of 12, to a rather ridiculous pendulum. We did not climb the variation way out right but investigated and concluded it would be 3 more pitches compared to 1. Only a bit more difficult than what the existing rating is, but definitely sketchy loose in some sections and super solid splitters in others. The two main hazards, being a large death flake to start off of and a large hanging death flake where you would finish back into the chimney.
I have included a topo of the variation that Howard and I bolted and the variation we investigated out right. I feel we investigated both pretty thoroughly and made the safest choice. The climb is still rad and although does not have the chimney keyhole pitch anymore, the new path is quite fun and we tried to keep it as true to the roots of this route as possible.
I hope everyone enjoys the work we did up there. The route felt as if it definitely lent itself to us and hope all can share in the adventure of the spirit of the stone that we have embraced for so many years.

Joshua Reinig


Post Script
As the story, myth and legend of this route goes I apologize for not having more photos. Basically the camera we were using was lost to the Merced. Overall it was an amazing adventure and cannot wait to go back up the Big Stone already.
Now somebody get up there and work that free variation! 