Tutokanula, an Ethical trip to Yosemite
Last year I followed a group of four climbers that decided to climb the 19 pitches of “Lurking Fear” a route located on the west face of El Capitan and has only been free climbed once by T.Caldwell and B.Rodden back in June 2000.
Two pitches make this route particularly hard. The third one, which is a solid 8a+ (55.13c) and according to T.Caldwell it might be higher. Also since few holds were broken by some aid climbers it could be even harder or maybe impossible.. Then the ninth pitch which is an off-width 7c (5.12d) and has no bolt so it’s completely trad and really slick.
It had been a month of hard Californian sun, too many nights on a portaledge with only instant noodles for dinner and cliff bars for breakfast and not enough showers. Hot days spent jugging up kilometers of fixed ropes with my camera on my back and the quite few nights spent on the ground were mostly chasing bears and squirrels away from our food.
But a great big wall experience in America’s first and surely most famous National Park.