Maybe Clink is correct when he claims that I am lucky to be alive. Maybe not, but at times I wonder myself.
In 1996, on our way south to see family at Thanksgiving, Vicki and I stopped at Pinnacles with then one year old Katie. I wanted to do some routes I'd never done before but with Katie along I did not think Vicki would be able to belay me. So I decided to check out Rubble Wall where, perhaps, I could solo some or all five of the then-known routes.
The three of us hiked up Chalone Peak Trail, me carrying a rope and harness and Vicki carrying Katie. They stopped to relax and eat lunch where the Rubble Wall approach leaves the trail. I went down to check out the climbs. Determined to get something done, I found and free soloed up and down all three teeth. Bicuspid was easy to find next, and although it actually overhung at the crux, the crux looked short and the holds were huge (it does overhang a little, right John?). Up and down I went with fanatical caution.
Done with four, I spent time looking at Incisor. This one scared me. It is tall and although the 5.7 route was easy to see, it is exposed and I absolutely could not see downclimbing it. The book said that there was an anchor on top though, and I had come all this way and did not want to finish with only four out of five routes done. I went for it, this time with the rope backpacked onto my back.
Scary. But now that I was on the summit, the real scare began. A one bolt anchor, and the bolt was about as old as I was and not at all inspiring. But one bolt was all there was. And it looked like a very steep rappel. Having no choice, I did the rappel, thinking very light thoughts the whole way down.
Done. Even then, I wondered about how much risk I had just taken. I got away with it, and, I guess, I got away with a lot of similar stunts in the years before and after. I am grateful now for all I have done at Pinnacles, but there is a ton of stuff that I would never, ever repeat and which I hope no-one else will repeat either.
