Yosemite 5/30-31/98  with Andy Gardner

We finally got a weekend with great weather in the Valley!
So we proceeded to make up for lost time by only doing 3-star routes.
It was Andy's first time on these; I've done them all 5 or more times
before, but I've always enjoyed repeating them.

Saturday

- Central Pillar of Frenzy
Woke up earlier than I had planned, and didn't see anybody on this
route, so we went for it.  Many parties showed up at later points in
the day.
1. 5.9  Up the snow cone and the corner somewhat seeping from recent rains.
One of my friends got inverted cams, so after Andy came up, I rapped
down to free it and scampered back up to the belay.  Laps!
2. 5.9+  The beautiful (first) double cracks pitch.  Andy slipped slightly
when following, since he wasn't doing the toe jams quite precisely
enough.
3. "5.8"  Perfect handcrack through fun overhang, then low-angle fist.
I got a bit confused at the overhang -- what to do with my feet?
Eventually I just put my kneepads on the rock and then I could
move a hand jam higher.  Andy took a fall or two here.  There were
some nice new belay bolts, out left of the old hanging stance, which
was a good improvement to this well-used route.
4. 5.8 double cracks - Andy led.
5. 5.9 - featured chimney to long varied thin crack/small corner.
Always an enjoyable pitch.
   We rapped down past 4 parties.  Scored one booty slung nut from
the second pitch.

Took a brief catnap.  It was early afternoon and we were already
taped, so we headed for our main objective for the weekend:

- Reed's Pinnacle Direct
1. 5.9 vertical offset thin hand, to ramp lieback
   Andy pronounced it "identical to my crack machine!"  Good fun.
2. "5.9" leaning endurance hand crack
   Andy pronounced it "totally unlike my crack machine!", and experienced
a titanic pump and some hangs.

Sunday

We slept in a bit and hung out in El Cap Meadow.

- The East Buttress of Middle Cathedral
caught my eye.  I hadn't done it for a few years and had been missing
it.  A few early morning parties were already
reasonably high on it, so they would be out of our way!  Andy was
willing to go for it, and I was willing to brave likely snow in the
descent gully. 
1. Simul-solo up the approach pitch.
2. The 5.8 move required thought (and footwork), in spite of my having
   done it many times.  Andy took a fall before figuring it out.
3. I used the 5.6 hand crack that I discovered when Anne Smith
   and I did the FA of Critical Path.
4. Beautiful 5.7 liebacking.  Not as scary as in the past, since I
   stemmed out to a good face hold instead of madly hanging from jams
   to place gear.
5. Quickly aided up the bolt ladder.  The 5.9 roof was harder than
   I had remembered.  Andy took a couple of falls there.
6. Andy led up the cool face traverse pitch.
7. Easy corners
8. 5.7 groove, good fun.
9. Andy led the insecure 5.6 corner, while I eyed my belay anchor,
   recalling the double fatality on this pitch some years ago.
10. long 5.8 pitch, several moves but many rests, too.  I recalled
    how tired I was in 1977 my first time on this pitch, and another
    time when it rained and I batmanned here.
11. undercling to chimney groove, always fun

The Kat Walk went easily, and the raps were rather wet.  There was
a snowfield, but we didn't have to walk on it.  We did have to
squeeze under it for about 12 feet!