First trip report, so here goes nothing. A while ago I bid enough to win a day of climbing with Chris McNamara. This was an incredibly exciting prospect, as I was just crawling out of a long hiatus from the "big stuff". My friends told me I should have him take me up Royal Arches, bivying half way up, wisely I ignored them and we chose Zodiac. A few months and phone calls later, and we were racking gear at the pullout.
We hoped that we would only have Joe the soloist to pass around the 6th pitch; but as we hiked up we found Scott and Cruz on the first pitch. They graciously allowed us to pass on the alternate route, "so long as we moved like ninjas". We had our marching orders. Before I knew it Chris had linked the first 2 pitches and we were off and running.Most of the day is kind of a blur to me, so I'll let the pics and videos talk for a bit.
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[Click to View YouTube Video]
This is where the climb got a lot more fun and exciting for me. We were far enough ahead of everybody to where Chris felt comfortable letting me lead for awhile. It felt great to know that Chris was confident enough to let me at the most exposed pitch on the route; and I blasted off with a sh%$#-eating grin on my face...only to turn around and see him setting up the porta ledge. Thanks. I know that speed records were not going to be broken, but I'm sure there was a more subtle way of expressing that :)
I gotta say, it felt pretty good to cruise past pin scars with only cam hooks and the occasional small alien. Not bad for a once every 2 month climber. The pitch had no fixed gear, and even though I had discussed this with Chris before I led out, there was a small moment of panic as I looked back to protection I had placed every 12-15 feet. After checking with him a second time, I remembered The Girdle Traverse, and promptly shut up.
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I don't remember too much about the Mask of Zorro Pitch, other than it was very steep.
Chris set up the ledge about 7:30, and I was thinking "great, this is where I get to tell him of all my past exploits, and future aspirations", you know that oh so cool big wall bonding. Nope! He ate a bagel, commented on how tasty it was, and passed out. When you think about it, thats probably how it should be. The last time I was on the Big Stone was 20 years ago when my climbing partner and I did the Nose in a epic 4 day battle. The last time for Chris was 4 days previous (Lurking Fear). What was a relative sleepless night spent trying to grasp the enormity of my situation, was just another day in the office for ol superman. He didn't even eat my Mariposa pizza that I so carefully packed.

One of the great things about this climb was knowing that I had a support crew cheering us on from the meadow. My very nervous but excited wife, my twin boys, and my mother who drove from Vegas to watch.
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What an incredible feeling to have my family meet us as we painfully trudged into Manure Pile. My beautiful wife even had a couple of cold beers for us. Chris had some family obligations and had to get out of the Valley pretty quick; but made enough time for the obligatory meadow shot.
Some final thoughts. Thanks to Tom Evans for all the great pics. Again my sincere apologies for my horrible choice in colors. I will try to do better next time. Sir, yes Sir!!
A final thanks to Chris, who by the wording of the auction, only had to spend 1 day climbing with me but graciously agreed to 2. I would say that this was a once in a lifetime adventure; but I hope there will be many more.