sharpendphotography : personal » climbing » postive vibrations, sep 07 (more to come...) Up one level
the hulk, seen from the talus approach. positive vibrations starts just left of its lowest point. i noticed a distinct odor while nestled up in my sleeping bag, but it was too cold and i was too tired to investigate. the next morning, i found the potential source (red arrows). approximate location of my head (yellow arrow). probably should exercise more care when selecting a bivy spot. i did the first ascent of wet sock crack (pro to .75) bright and early departure from our bivy site
heading out of the canyon onto the talus beneath the hulk the hulk, as a fish might see it christine dawns her $2.19 acrylic beanie obtainied from the twin lakes market, an apparel trifecta: warm, economical, and fashionable! positive vibrations starts at the right crack system, through the large dihedral, then out onto the prow. note, while this is a flattering angle of the hulk, it's not a particularly flaterring angle for anyone sitting at its base. sorry christine! christine coming up the decent first pitch of PV
a super-thin crack heads right out of the first belay. sadly my fat (vegan) sausages did not want to fit into the those tiny little constrictions. first belay the next several shots are christine following the third pitch, with a crux 11a boulder problem at the finish. incredible climbing and exposure. this pitch is worth the hike in its own right!
christine unlocks the crux stem on the third pitch of PV i love this shot! coming up the last bit of the fourth pitch, a fantastic chimney and corner system that evnetually leads to this steep double dihedral. there is a committing
approaching the fourth belay. high winds ahead! never a good sight or sound, a rescue helicopter began circling the hulk just as we finished our rap. we later learned that a climber had fallen on <i>red dihedral</i> and there was a major rescue effort taking place for the last 4 hours to get him down. coiling rope as the sun leaves the hulk

all images © bryan zeitler // photos last dumped on 09.18.07 // created and maintained using JAlbum 5.2