It had been awhile. A long while.
A long time ago Mtnyoung had half jokingly told me that the 2nd ascent of a route wasn't just the 2nd ascent, it was the "highly coveted 2nd ascent." Of course we all laughed, but later Mucci convinced me that in Big Walls, the 2nd Ascent is the harder ascent. You can't just fix lead gear where you want. The first ascenders had set the bar, and it was up to the repeat ascent to see what all the first ascent fuss was all about.
Well it turns out that even if you don't know a first ascent has been accomplished, you can still get the "highly coveted 2nd ascent!"
It had been 4 years since my last ascent at Hoffman. Nurse Ratchet and I put up "Strong Bad" 5.9 R-ish. It was another fun line amongst a bunch of other fun lines put up with a great group in 2013 and 2014. Ger, Dave, John and Susan, Mucci, Em and myself. Each trip I had spied the small-looking independent pinnacle to the West of the Hoffman formation proper. It's away out left from the other lines on the wall so it was always a 'next time' line. But time is short and backcountry pinnacles few! I had talked to Pat Brennan at some point and he lit up when I mentioned it. I figured the next time we went out I would have to make sure Pat could make it. So I emailed Pat at a couple points to see if I could coax him into making the long drive from So Cal. He was into it. We made some plans that never materialized as life goes sometimes. But this season I got him hooked by sending a pic of the formation from the base showing features and what looked like a short formation with maybe a full rope length to it. More on that later.
I tried to rally the troops once we had confirmation with Brennan. Several interested, but not a lot of firm believers in the end. Probably best since apparently I sandbagged the approach according to Pat. bah! Don't you believe it! I don't care what Pat says!
But one firm believer, who understands the meaning of time being short, was Banquo/BID/Dammerr/Dan. With details distributed we met at Wishon Campground Friday night where we could have a campfire. Cloudy and not yet cold, the forecasted highs in the 50s just didn't seem real. But then we awoke to this...
Maybe we would get some Sierra weather after all? I wasn't too worried, with "Mungie's Shortcut" all but assuring victory, we could have hiked out the "2 miles" without too much drama. As it turned out the sky cleared by the time we got the parking for the Mungie Shortcut.
Hunter's were out in force. Rifle season started this weekend. But oddly not much shooting occurred through the weekend that we could hear. The Munge Shortcut takes an old forest service logging road that is gated off and then contour around to the Western side of Hoffman Mountain. The "20 feet of chiquapin" really was only 20 feet of chinquapin...at a time. But soon the sidehilling, soft soil and white thorn gave way to the spire.
There we were. The spire...
We actually approached from the shoulder on the uphill side and quickly saw the North face was going to be steep and hard. We ate some lunch and talked about how much bigger it was in person. I dropped down to the toe of the SE buttress and immediately was relieved to see that there was low angle territory that will yield a line, assuming the team didn't mutiny from the approach.
Pat gets down and is fired up. He's called it. He's got pitch 1. Some futzing around and he launches up. Crystally start holds are not confidence inspiring but at a tiny bonzai pine about 20 feet up Pat stops. "It might have been done." Huh? No way. "Why?" ..."Looks like it was dug out in this crack." We discount it as only backcountry FA hopefuls know how to do. Further up holds and horns and solution pockets mark the way up a ramp, slightly left of the center line.
Pat stops at a big bulbous flake, easily looping the lead line on the horn of the formation. He's left me some of the good stuff! I'm hopeful. I come up thoroughly enjoying the features. I get to the belay sit and feel the formation shake, just a touch. Flexing? Shit, that's not good. But it's attached. Dan follows, joyfully carrying the pack.
To the East from this belay we can see Hoffman's western's aspect and its "East Pinnacle" (also a Brennan line)...
Looking upward to the summit formation, I get ready. I've eyeballed the break in the summit ridge from the ground. If the blocking steps are forgiving, I'll be able to make my way up. I learn quickly that the summit formation has a lot of the soyo fine crystally kitty litter with a thin dubious layer of lichen.
Delicate steps and stems with good hand holds make the first moves reasonable, if a little nervewracking as rock crackles under foot. A move right obviates the need to go up a crusty corner. A few loose blocks are avoided with judicious placement of gear just before the groove you take to the summit.
The summit is sweet! Sun with a breeze that keeps the temperature just right. I'm happy to have gotten the 'munge' pitch to arrive at the summit for a few moments by myself. Pat comes up who I forgot to take a pic of, then Dan...
I don't recognize the rocks stacked in this pic for what they were; a shelter for a summit register.
Dan investigates, and viola!
Peanut can...
George Sessions - Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section - June 26th 1954
Dan readies the new summit register with sealed box and new booklet and pencils.
After handshakes and a look around, we rappell to the north. An uneasy rap over the lip with a stuck backup prussik is fixed, and a return to the ground where I still have beers.
The end of day light is perfect, with Obelisk in the far background.
The hike back takes us over the mountain and back down direct to the trucks. It is a long day, but is just about as perfect a day as one could hope for. The finding of the register and uncovering climbing history has me grounded and glad to have driven out, hiked and climbed its summit. One might say our second ascent is highly covetted!
Hope everyone got out this weekend and really enjoyed what seems to be a turn towards Autumn with cooler temps!
-Munge
PS - Dan sent me pics, and got this one of me heading up onto the summit formation...
So fun!
