Initiation Fees

[MUCCI]

Part 1:

1 year ago, a group of mudsters with a new candidate in tow, stumbled upon some overlooked formations.  Sending the plebe up a shaky ramp without a drill kit was all part of the plan.

What ensued is quite possibly one of the greatest recruitment stories that has EVER existed in the rich Pinnacles history.

The product of that splendid winter day is the route "What I've been missing out on", a destined classic on an unnamed formation.  The cadidate had proven himself on the stone, only sending down a 2 bucket  during the FA.  For those knott in the know, a "Bucket" refers to a 5 gallon bucket.  The belayer's job is to roughly guess as to how many buckets could be filled with the fallout from the leaders progression.

He was hooked, so much so we mudsters headed off to scope another, much larger formation.  Late in the day, with more than a few brewskies downed after the celebration of the plebe's initiation, I rack up with a drill and a dream.

As I touch the wall, I had a feeling we were going to do something great.  A difficult start, steep as many 5.12's, lead to a easy ramp which leads one to think they are on the golfer's route in TM.

I continue to slab-pimp my way up to a good stance, easily 75feet off the deck, and fire in a standard 3.5" bolt.  Down I go, with both the candidate and myself vowing to return to the project.

[MUCCI]

Part 2:

Well, the candidate was itching to get back to the pinns.  Having the mud dominate ones mind for too long is best cured with a new route.

BAM!  Chute to the Moon was born!  Another ultra classic, no bolt affair to the far right of our new formation.  The cadidate had snuck a new route in beneath the mudsters snouts!  Having seen MANY ascents already it is surely a gem.

Still, our dynamic duo attack on the aformentioned formation was held up by way too many trips to climb granite (mostly practice rockclimbing for the boldness at pinns).

The itching had started early in 2011.

[MUCCI]

Part3 yesterday:

Mudsters were called and a rally point was chosen.  After 3 weeks of rain, our hopes were high and we set our sites on the new formation, and a dramatic finish to the "Last Great Line".

Munge and Ezra were in tow, mostly for moral and beer support.  They had their sites set on some other worthy projects in the hood.  John was WAY psyched for his turn on the diamond in the rough.

We huff up the approach and finally make it to the base of the wall.  SOAKED!  Being a mud vet, I quickly dismissed the idea of actually climbing it, fully worried about possibly having to touch the soaked sponge we were looking at.  John was still PSYCHED!  "We drink till the sun hits it, wait 15 min, then I will send"!  Whoa! this guy is serious!  Mudsters were flabbergasted, but stood behind their new hero.

The original start was deemed too Bagalaar during it's current state.  The lichen was saturated to a point that they became malleable and were blowing in place with the wind.  Not common I assure you.

A new start needed to be found:

This was a bucket...

[MUCCI]

Slandering, sandbagging, and schwilling ensued as the brave leader made his way up the perfect stone.  Not happy with the start selection, John makes his way down and moves over to the left of the original start.  This one promising some Pro, if he is lucky.
In goes a short/thick LA, BOMBER! goes the crowd to the tune of a tent stake going in.  He clips and fires the start

Steller, John makes his way up the ramp, which leads to the 1st bolt on the route, a bit heady he busts up and makes the clip.  Whew.

Up and left he goes, finds a great stance and begins the time honored tradition of hand drilling his first bolt in the pinns.

Even the rope did it's job in making the his first bolt placement a dangerous affair!
Off he goes, over a crux laden headwall, and onto a lower angle ramp out of sight.  The bucket count has gone up, which is standard during the midpoint of a new route.  I was in full on A4 belay mode, where your chances of survival are significantly reduced the further the leader heads toward the summit.
I hear some faint words from above, ignoring them I contunued to squirm at the belay.

[MUCCI]

As time goes by, I hear from above "Hey this is a good time to switch over leading, it's now or never".  Was he talking to me?  I replied " AHHHHHH dude, you are warmed up , I am a bit tipsy and I think you should just send it and take us to the top!"

"Ok dude, I am going to go for it, I have some good gear below and I think I can style it!"

Whew! disaster avoided.  I hear some work getting done up there, and see some of the fallout coming down.  Then I hear "Dude, I need a bolt, it's just too classic not to protect the final headwall"
The tapping begins:

The bolt is set, and the climbing ensues.  Then I hear the "Whoop!", which is a internationally recognized summit call on par with the monkeys of the valley screaming OOOUUUUGHGHGHGH on the big walls.
I strap the kicks on and take a dip of the white stuff.  Casually fire the new variant start, happy to see it goes at a grade a touch easier than my original start 5.12-.

[mungeclimber]

bagalaar!

[MUCCI]

Final chapter:

I run into ample natural protection on the way up, every 40 feet or so a textbook rabbit hole is stuffed with these babies!


Sooooo bomber!  This route is really shaping up!  What a spectacular lead, this must be how salathe felt when he pimped the first route on the hand.  You all know how classic that route is right?

The ramp/chute was about as quality as you can ask for on a new route:

Soooo good!
I was checking out the lichen and mudrugs all the way up, it was a test to smear the mean green but every now and then you got a golden (solid) egg:

I hit the summit headwall, unclip the draw, and proceed to float the roof problem, pop over the bulge and BAM!


Sooo Bitchin

[MUCCI]

195 feet of bliss!

We even got the bonus "Pinnacles rappel" as our descent!  This will surely cement the routes climb to stardom.

Well, that's it.  

Oh, we headed off and climbed the Abuela Cochinita route(awesome buckets, 2 stars fur sure), and pimped the piggy route on the spikes peak area.  Good job Bob and Brad!

Hiked out with our heads held high.

Cheers to our new mudster John!

WHOOOOp!

[mynameismud]

Nice pics.  Awesome work.

[Uncle Stinky]

Sounds like a great route and an equally great write up to go with it.  Installments like the Charles Dickens novels.  You should have made us suffer by posting only one a day!
Hope you make the climb public by the next time I get there.  Thanks

[skully]

Whoooop, indeed. Right on, you guys.

[Brad Young]

Wow, that moss looks wet and scary!

Hey, Josh, there is one more step and the evil initiation is complete. Get John posting here (and his life will be complete).

[mynameismud]

True in order to be a real mudder he has to at least post a couple times.

[mungeclimber]

wait, you said I have to post a million times before I would ever be considered a mudder's mudder.

all this posting and I got nothing to show for it.

[mynameismud]

Your a seperate case.  For you it is a Million.

Factor is a completely different beast.

[mungeclimber]

well, at my title says "unworthy"






So i got that going for me.

[Brad Young]

Climbed it today. I am about to modify the description in the "New Routes" sticky to emphasize that the run-outs, while significant, are controllable, the body-position belay is bombproof, and the "Pinnacles rappel" used to get off is also bombproof.