Type II fun at Index this week. Hot temps, old backup shoes, overcomplacency...
TR:
Another emergency weekend in Western Washington. I've been climbing more than skiing this year, and chose Index over Tahoma. Started on Japanese Gardens p1 full, which I had never been to the top of. Long enough to get 'warmed up' by the first anchors, and great small blue Metolius placements to rest on before both cruxes
It really is a stellar full pitch. Only pics were a couple of camera phone pics of my tiny butt, so here's a picture of TB leading p1 short sometime ago that makes it look like a nice alpine 5.8
I got to do it again on toprope to get my gear back, definitely fully warmed up now.
Aaron took a lead up Godzilla. I watched that aid climber take a ~15+-foot sideways/upside-down whipper on City Park in the meantime.
I trailed their rope up to the anchors and set them up on toprope so they could rescue their rack.
Hotr'n blazes up there as I continued up p2. Thirsty by the time I started up Slow/e Children and started cruising. I over-stoked a bit mid-way, going too high on the corner change back left and fell unexpectedly when my feet blew. Not so much friction on the backup shoes in the heat! (My usual pair is out for a re-sole.) I left some skin behind on the rock (forgot to wear pants this time) and continued up gingerly in my butter-shoes. I guess I had forgotten just how much friction matters on this pitch, and that 5.10d is not much easier than 5.11.
We rapped down to the water and took a beer and wading break by the riverside. Aaron wanted to try Rattletale, so we hit the store for cold drinks and took a little walk in the woods. It is a very lovely quiet shady grove back there at the wall. We had a great cooldown without incident, and a nice quick power pump on p2. p3 was wet and slimy so we skipped it. No pics of this one, so here's Ryan on the money pitch from last time I was up there.
