Sunnyside Bench
Climb Review
I climbed this route last year in the same manner (led all pitches). This year, I remembered my harness, so it’s great to see that I’m becoming less forgetful :p
Unlike last year, there were lots more people this year. There were two parties behind us (as we found out at Middle Earth), with one pair who simul-climbed most of the route.
Sunnyside Bench (5.6; Sunnyside Bench)—I led this in the same fashion as last year (combined first two pitches, belayed the last pitch from the trail, etc). On the first two pitches, I soloed it with one redirect I put in for rope management. On pitch 3, I used 5 pieces to protect myself. On pitch 4, I used one piece to protect a reachy foot move. The rock was just as good as it was last year.
What I Learned
I had stored the cordalette I wanted to use at the second anchoring station on Cassie’s harness to distribute the weight. After she came up to the pitch two anchor station, we were a little hurried by the party below us, so we forgot to transfer the cordalette. Due to this, I had to set up a less ideal anchor at station 3. Next time, I just got to carry that weight!
I body belayed Cassie on pitch 4, as it’s a pitch with a single 15’ stretch of rock climbing with the rest being a class 3 hike. I did it just like the Mountaineering bible and I’m sure Cassie appreciated how fast I could take rope.
I started using my snow backpack as my climbing backpack and it has been a revelation. This backpack has two gear loops along the waist strap, and I used them to carry my cams. It worked pretty well as it was so much better than carrying the cams on a sling around my neck. Next time though, I want to try carrying the cams along the actual gear loops and carrying things I’ll need at the anchor station on the backpack loops. The backpack loops are pliable, which makes it hard to rerack cams with one hand.
What Happened?
4.3 miles, 6 hrs 30 mins, 807 ft ascent
We got to the Yosemite Valley parking lot at 6 AM, where we ate breakfast and geared up for a hot day of climbing. Back home, we had worried about possible cold weather but found Yosemite sweltering. At 6 AM, it was already 62 degrees. With our climbing backpack full of gear, we headed over to Yosemite Falls and easily found the start of the route.
Unlike last year, I had all the equipment I needed, so I started up the route without worries. There was one section of pitch one that I felt a bit nervous about (as I couldn’t chimney as I normally would due to my backpack), but other than that one move, the climb up was easy. Cassie seemed to find it easy too, as I was taking rope much faster than anticipated. When she got to pitch two, she wanted a more challenging climb, so she went up the face instead of going around to the right. Because of that, she slowed down considerably but she got to challenge herself, which is always a good thing.
When we finished our climb, we walked over to Middle Earth, where we got our feet wet in the water and got to cool down. Cassie then painted for about 45 minutes while I read my book.
The walk off trail was as treacherous as I remembered and we gingerly made our way down dehydrated and feeling hot. Once we were down on valley grounds, we made a beeline for Degnan’s Loft where we enjoyed sandwiches (salmon-teriyaki is great; tuna not so much) and ice-cold drinks (coke and water). It was then back to Ramona, where we shed our climbing gear for something a bit more water-friendly.