Lost Arrow Spire Direct - Fat-boys goes bigwall
climbing
by Erik Sandelin
So, alpha fatboy, aka Erik "Downing an airplane in Alaska with his own body-wieght"
Sandelin , and beta fatboy, aka Norman "I eat at Indian Buffés for lunch" Boles,
decided they needed a practice run before the big stone. With our appetite for
obscure routes we decided to try Lost Arrow Spire Direct. The approach keeps
the crowds away. It requires you to negotiate 3rd class climbing, sand-covered
slabs and menzanita-jungles while you gain as much height as you will gain
on the climb itself.
Lost Arrow Spire Direct is a work of the late valley legend Warren Harding.
His presence can still be felt when you are hanging in one of his rusty
original quarter-inch bolts from 1969. It follows corners and cracks, joined
by the occasional bolt ladder, for 16 pitches all the way to the tiny summit of
Lost Arrow Spire. There are two plush bivy sites conveniently spaced which make
up for the long approach.
We had planned at going 5 pitch a day to reach the summit and have me back
in office on schedule. Unfortunately we were only able to do 4. From sunset until
the sun hits the Yosemite falls amphitheater a bone-chilling wind is blowing
off the rim. We were too wimpy so we stayed in our sleeping-bags until the wind
had subsided, wasting precious daylight hours.
We reached the second error at pitch eight in the dark. The next morning
decided to retreat since we anyway wouldn't make the summit. The retreat went
fine except for the first rappel where we qualified ourselves for the
'Darwin-award'. Despite moving the knots over the edge the ropes wouldn't
budge when we tried to pull them. We tied off one end and I jumared up
to the anchors to see what was wrong: We'd pulled the wrong rope!
So, alpha fatboy, aka Erik "Downing an airplane in Alaska with his own body-wieght"
Sandelin , and beta fatboy, aka Norman "I eat at Indian Buffés for lunch" Boles,
decided they needed a practice run before the big stone. With our appetite for
obscure routes we decided to try Lost Arrow Spire Direct. The approach keeps
the crowds away. It requires you to negotiate 3rd class climbing, sand-covered
slabs and menzanita-jungles while you gain as much height as you will gain
on the climb itself.
