Half Dome in a day

Last Saturday, Bruce Fortnam and I did Half Dome in a day.  It was 
Bruce's first Grade VI, and my second trip up the route (first was with 
Joel Ager in '86).  We left the Bay Area at about 1pm, finding a 
surprising amount of traffic on 120, and arrived in Curry Village at 
about 6pm.  After packing up, we were on the Shuttle Bus at 6:45 and 
shortly hiked to Mirror Lake.  Following Marc Sheppard's very accurate 
topo (available on request from me), and many cairns, we disposed of the 
Slabs Approach (with its 4 short sections with fixed lines) in about 3 
hours.  Bruce found some nice bivvy platforms about 80' below the base.  
We filled our bottles from the spring, wolfed down dinner and passed 
out.
  We rose at 5am, Bruce taped up (while I donned old tape gloves), and 
we were on the rock at 6am, 1/2 hour later than planned.  I led the 
first shift of 6 pitches, while Bruce jumared with the sack (containing 
2 x 2 liter water bottles and little clothing).  I aided anything that 
threatened to slow me down or tire me out, including the 5.11 on p1, and 
5.9 moves on higher pitches.  Starting just behind us were 2 guys 
hauling a full bag, and making respectable time.  On p4 (bolt ladder to 
hand crack), 3 people had bivvied behind a flake that only had room for 
2 to lie down.  The leader backed off after reaching the hand crack, and 
they let us pass, and were shortly rapping off.
  At the end of p6, where Joel and I had bivvied, Bruce took over and I 
changed into my hiking boots for jumaring.  Soon we were at the 
narrow/blocky ledge of p11, past the Robbins traverse bolt ladder and 
pendulum.  Bruce took one more lead, up the aid corner with much fixed 
gear, where I lost some time attempting to score booty cams with broken 
cables.
  Another change of shoes and I made a long lead up the chimney (n.b. 
the undercling flake described in 50 Classic Climbs disappeared a few 
years ago).  After the ramp and double cracks pitch, I arrived at Big 
Sandy after wasting a bit more time playing with potential booty.  I 
slowly rose up the first ZigZags pitch, being a little wary of the 
mandatory backcleaning (my aid crux - a #2 Steel nut to reach the fixed 
pendulum pin).  I went past a big roof; about a 150' pitch to a sit-down 
ledge, but no bolt anchor.
  Bruce had to lower to backclean on his pitch, which ended at a bolt 
and two pins between 19 and 20 (much fixed gear on the upper corner).  
Another short pitch led to 20, where Bruce took off in fading light 
across Thank God Ledge, kneeling on his kneepads at the crux, and 
getting a thrill on the chimney entrance move when his gear fell out.  I 
followed with my headlamp, prefering the "buns on the ledge" method.  I 
scored a booty #2.5 Friend at the start of the traverse, and used some 
tension in the chimney.  By headlamp now, Bruce handtraversed to the 
final aid crack, which was not full of fixed gear as it had been in '86.  
Instead some thin/difficult moves were required.  While following, I 
nearly flew off when a wired protecting the final traverse to the belay 
pulled, but I was already gripping a bucket and arrested myself.  On the 
final (slab) pitch, I told Bruce to go left up a line of buckets, but 
one of them was a sloper....  While following in my hiking boots, I had 
to get my kneepads onto it, and later did a lever off some ratty pin 
slings.  Bruce missed the bolt on this pitch, but didn't need it.  On 
top at 12:30am.
  Down the cables, stairs, etc., and bushwhacking down the shoulder, 
eventually finding the trail.  Back in camp at 2am for dinner - a "mere" 
20 hour roundtrip....  Oh, well, not super quick, but slow enough so 
that we enjoyed it.  Talked to Steve Schneider the next day; he's up
there trying to repeat the FFA of the Direct Route, and his tips are 
wearing thin.  Back down the Slabs that afternoon, with our elbows and 
grips tested reversing the fixed lines.  A fun route, and fairly fun 
with the light sack.

Clint