Zodiac and/or Tangerine Trip gear

druss uk wrote: Also heard there are changes coming up for Camp 4 requiring registration or something which sounded like it may not be that "easy" to get in as currently?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camp4.htm

Not applicable to October, unless they change their plans.

kevin deweese wrote:

The Virginia start is awesome. I did all of Virginia to Trip last season and I would def recommend doing all of Virginia before finishing on the Trip (lots of fun nailing that's never too hard and funky fun clean placements)

Thanks Kevin for the info.  Top man

NegativeK wrote:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camp4.htm

Not applicable to October, unless they change their plans.

Thanks. Yikes, the lottery doesn't fill me with confidence.  Are they expecting people to stay outside the park somewhere waiting for a confirmation?  Only 24 hours notice to get from where you are waiting into the park?  Glad we're arriving in October.

Hello All

Just a quick question regarding rack for Zodiac.  Should we have some lost arrows or will a selection of Tomahawks and cam hooks be enough?

Thanks!

druss uk wrote: Hello All

Just a quick question regarding rack for Zodiac.  Should we have some lost arrows or will a selection of Tomahawks and cam hooks be enough?

Thanks!

I think we hand placed one cut off once, but I cannot imagine they'd be the deal breaker. I'd much rather have the beaks (and obviously camhooks)

I like to bring two #2 beaks, and three #3 beaks (and maybe one #1 in case a head is missing or something) for the Zodiac these days. 2ea of the narrow and wide camhooks is good.

druss uk wrote: Hello All

Just a quick question regarding rack for Zodiac.  Should we have some lost arrows or will a selection of Tomahawks and cam hooks be enough?

Thanks!

I hand placed a short medium LA above the nipple, our only LA placement.  It is basically a pin scar hole in the middle of a kind of shelf.  A massive hook might reach it, but the LA worked great just sitting in the hole.  A1 for sure.

There are some medium and large beaks fixed along the way, so having a few for missing fixed gear would be smart.  On the last pitch I did hammer in two beaks in the back of some worn out pin scars in the middle of a rainstorm.  In better weather I probably would have been more patient and found a clean alternative.  My partner hand placed and one-tapped a couple sawed-offs on the black tower.  That was it for iron mongery.

Thanks all!  Guess we're all set then and have more than enough gear if C/A2 turns to to be A4 - hopefully now! :)

ok.  This feels like a dumb question.  As we may be using a hammer for beaks and such on the upcoming trip, it dawned on us if we need 2 hammers: one for the leader and 2nd for cleaning.  What is the recommended approach for cleaning a route that may have had some gear nailed ... gently, well as gently as to overcome any fear?  :D

We don't have a funkness but thought it could be improvised in a pinch.

Thanks

druss uk wrote: ok.  This feels like a dumb question.  As we may be using a hammer for beaks and such on the upcoming trip, it dawned on us if we need 2 hammers: one for the leader and 2nd for cleaning.  What is the recommended approach for cleaning a route that may have had some gear nailed ... gently, well as gently as to overcome any fear?  :D

We don't have a funkness but thought it could be improvised in a pinch.

Thanks

Don't need a funkness. You will need two hammers if you nail (or a tagline with one hammer) 

Both are traversing enough to make sliding the hammer back down to your partner likely to get caught up on something. With a tagline (after pulling up the tagline until reaching the haul line then attaching the hammer at that point) you can be sure that you'll be able to lower the hammer back to the second as they pull in the slack on the tagline. This will suck because you'll be pulling up the haul line twice.

Or, every time you call for the hammer, you return the hammer back to your partner via the tagline after using it. This is your best choice as it will avoid the above ridiculous pulling of the haul line twice AND will make you less willing to nail if the hammer isn't on your person.

Another option to consider: you'll do so little nailing (if any hopefully) you can conceivably have your second carry a smaller lighter hammer for cleaning if needed and save all the trouble.

Quinn Hatfield wrote:I mean- it’s not on the top of my faves, but I’d do it again before a couple other routes I’ve done.. I’d certainly do it again before I hiked out to Lurking Fear.. speaking of the Pain of the approach/descent..  

I musta been hacked!   

kevin deweese wrote:

Don't need a funkness. You will need two hammers if you nail (or a tagline with one hammer) 

Both are traversing enough to make sliding the hammer back down to your partner likely to get caught up on something. With a tagline (after pulling up the tagline until reaching the haul line then attaching the hammer at that point) you can be sure that you'll be able to lower the hammer back to the second as they pull in the slack on the tagline. This will suck because you'll be pulling up the haul line twice.

Or, every time you call for the hammer, you return the hammer back to your partner via the tagline after using it. This is your best choice as it will avoid the above ridiculous pulling of the haul line twice AND will make you less willing to nail if the hammer isn't on your person.

Another option to consider: you'll do so little nailing (if any hopefully) you can conceivably have your second carry a smaller lighter hammer for cleaning if needed and save all the trouble.

Thanks. So wasn't such a dumb question in the end. My partner brought it up on the weekend and we were bit stumped as we hadn't across second needing a hammer for cleaning.  Just not something that's highlighted as potential required kit.  :)

Second hammer can be a pretty light affair, no need for a full duty wall hammer.

Moof wrote: Second hammer can be a pretty light affair, no need for a full duty wall hammer.

Thanks. We got down on Friday night and the second hammer was very useful. Thanks all for the info as we would've left a bunch of gear behind. 

How was the route?

I bought an eight dollar carpet rack hammer for cleaning and I can't imagine how I ever lived without it before.

Erik Sloan wrote: How was the route?

Was very good and bit of a bigger step-up than the Nose.  Had the entire route to ourselves and watched progress of a couple over on Lost in America.  

Not climbed on a lot of fixed gear before we didn't have the experience to tell how good things were so just got on with it.  Placed a few small and medium beaks on Black Tower and Devil's Brow pitch above the expanding loose block.   Pitch 14 from Peanut Ledge scared the be-jeezes out of me! 

druss uk wrote:

Was very good and bit of a bigger step-up than the Nose.  Had the entire route to ourselves and watched progress of a couple over on Lost in America.  

Not climbed on a lot of fixed gear before we didn't have the experience to tell how good things were so just got on with it.  Placed a few small and medium beaks on Black Tower and Devil's Brow pitch above the expanding loose block.   Pitch 14 from Peanut Ledge scared the be-jeezes out of me! 

Because of the long wide crack?

I've heard this is the second danger Crux after The Black Tower

A. B. wrote:

Because of the long wide crack?

I've heard this is the second danger Crux after The Black Tower

Yes.  An awfully long way with a rivet at halfway for some psychological reinforcement.  The cams are good (2 x purple 1 x green (2 greens would make it safe)) but there are awkward sections which make it not that straightforward. 

druss uk wrote:

Yes.  An awfully long way with a rivet at halfway for some psychological reinforcement.  The cams are good (2 x purple 1 x green (2 greens would make it safe)) but there are awkward sections which make it not that straightforward. 

Thanks.  We are going to try again this spring and will bring two purple and two greens.