Andy and I decided to attempt Washington Column in Yosemite one more time. We did it a year ago, and got 2/3 of the way up. We were on a mission to succeed!
The scenery was gorgeous and the weather was actually decent!
Climbing up the 6th pitch. Glad I didn't look down!
See my little red helmet at the bottom of the picture. Great pic Andy!
A more up close look at a sweaty and grimy climber on day 2 of the climb. We were working hard! Andy was a champ! Being the lead climber is hard work!
The kind of climbing we did is called aid climbing. It is labor intensive, gear intensive, and time consuming. Check out all the stuff Andy is carrying! I must admit that the climbing itself is not as fun as regular climbing, but it makes it worth it to get to the top of things that you can't get to otherwise.
This is the great view from out not-so-spacious sleeping spot. Spacious or not, I was tired and actually slept pretty decent!
Everytime I got a chance to hang on to a rock, I took it! I love rocks!
Unfortunately, we did not make it to the top this time either! But this was the highest point we reached. We made it 3/4 way up, so hey, at least we did better than last time!
I like this picture for 2 reasons. First, it looks cool. And second, when you compare it to the previous photo, you can tell how far up we climbed. Yeah!
Lookin' tough. Well.... we gotta carry all the stuff somehow! I actually put my backpack on over the top of the ropes even. Crazy!
Good climbin, and good times! I am not sure if I will do this kind of climbing again.... but it was a good experience anyway. All that effort is exhausting!
