...I was confronted with a much less desirable circumstance on “mission impossible” just moments later. The sixth bolt was gone from its hole, later to be found on the ground minus the hanger. My self preservation instincts told me to bail eventhough I’m sure I could have pulled through with the risk of a 30-40 foot fall on bolts that seems to enjoy being in the ground. Not appealing. I’m curious where I request reimbursement for my carabiner. Is it directly to the guidebook author or does the NPS handle that?
As for the bolt we found at the base. Shaft from a five-piece. And it seemed to be broken off about 2” down from the head in the threaded portion. I did not get a good visual of the hole to see if the sheath was still in there.
Memories are weird things. Adam, you're leaver 'biner was on the seventh bolt, not the sixth.
Since it's so much easier/quicker for me to get to The Citadel than Gavin, I arrived today an hour and a half before him (like last time). Last time I replaced bolts one and three (the hangerless bolts). This time, while waiting, I rapped over Mission Impossible to check out the bolt situation.
And lo and behold, the seventh and ninth bolts were really easy to find...
But the eighth bolt? Well, Adam is serious on occasion and there was an empty hole, just as he described, right where the eighth bolt should have been! So what he found at the base was very likely that bolt.
I inspected the bolt and from looking at the rust pattern on it (can't do photos from here), it looks like very little of the bolt's end threads were ever engaged with the cone (deep in the hole). The eighth bolt protects the route's second crux, at a bulge. I suspect that, over the years, enough people have hung (or fallen?) there that, as with the old bolts on Feed the Beast before it was rebolted, the bolt simply came loose. Did someone then fall or rest on it with some, slight outward pull and then it slid out of the hole sending them on a fall (or maybe a further fall)? No-one has reported any such occurrence, but that seems most likely. That might also explain the missing bolt hanger - it would have stayed clipped to the climber's 'biner and, likely, their rope. Or maybe someone just clipped the bolt and it came out of its hole with their carabiner in their hand?
Anyway, there most certainly was a hole. Empty.
Now, only a few inches away, there's an A.S.C.A. 1/2 inch stainless steel bolt. New, tight and able to hold a fall.
As for your leaver carabiner? God, who still climbs on tiny, weeny little wire-gate 'biners? Those won't hold big people like me. Anyway, I've got it and you're very welcome to drive up to my house and retrieve it any time you want. Oh, and if you do come up? Bring your gear. There's lots and lots of stuff up our way that you haven't even seen, and Pinnacles season is juuust about over.
