First on the agenda was the über-classic The Mace.
Mike leads the first pitch. I got happy with the red knob.
My first lead had me quaking. The book recommended gear to a #5; our #5 was a C4 and this crack was bigger than that -- the SS recommendation is an old skool camalot #5.
Mike leads a sweet traverse.
The crux pitch is bizarre. Weirdness, wideness, awkwardness. Possibly the proudest 5.9+ OS of my career?
The step-across is cool.
Cathedral Spires
THE AFTERMATH
*******************
I made our dinner at camp. Then I spent a freezing night puking in my tent, just barely managing to keep it clean inside. The next morning I had nothing left in me to climb, so we packed camp and headed home. I could only manage half of the seven-hour drive home in my state. I got a hotel room and slept nearly 16 hours. I finally made it home the following afternoon just in time to develop the worst case of diarrhea I've ever had. Despite being very fatigued, I stayed awake past 2 am until it seemed like the worst was passing. A couple hours later I was awake, rushing to the bathroom to prevent the unthinkable -- nevermind, nothing was prevented. I was too dead to do anything but go back to sleep and pretend nothing had happened.
Good times! I can't recall ever doing such a thing since being a toddler before last year, but during the second half of 2012 I shit myself twice, once while in bed. My resolution: a shit-stain free oh-one-three!
