Oct 18th 2008 - Valley

Superb valley weekend with Lawdog Edwards, whose ill-fated attempt on Gold Wall on Saturday brought him back to the valley floor to host us in his palatial yosemite village abode. Valley was other-worldly beautiful, leaves beginning to change, perfect temps, etc.

Saturday: checked out lower falls ampitheater, which has killer cragging unknown to the latest Reid guide or supertopo, but whose supple lines had not escaped the notice of Lawdog, who supplied beta. Highly recommended cragging there, convenience anchors and everything, but definitely a low-water kind of destination. We did the nice 5.8 handcrack, the two thinish mid-10 corners to it's right, the steep .10d poddy splitter Ten Years After (up-canyon a little ways, just to the left of lower falls proper), and finally The Dagger, a cool bolts-to-thin-hand-chimney thing (.11a?). Finished the day with an el cap meadow Durbs/Aki sighting, fresh off their 28-hr more-trouble-to-go-down-than-up push on the Nose and looking none the worse for wear.

Sunday: the goal was to try one of the harder routes at cascade falls, so we warmed up at Pat and Jack, where Max led knob job nicely, and I led Sherrie's, at which point it was suddenly balls hot. Hoping fish crack would be in the shade (it wasn't), we arrived in time to see Katie Brown cruise Crimson Cringe, making it look like 5.9 even though it was boiling in the sun. Bailed to the shade of chapel wall, where we did Heathenistic pursuit and did some TR laps on the bolted thing to the left of it, before heading home.

Pics:

Polly on the 5.8 crack at Lower Falls Amp.:

Lawdog on Knob Job:

Walking out from Chapel Wall, Valley resplendent in autumn finery...