Deeper: High Sierra Chute Out

I drove four hours to a different country.  At least that was what my eyes were telling me as I looked at a towering wall of granite with long endless couloirs piercing threw them.

The night before doubt was was running thick threw my mind as I searched for a place to camp around 11 at night.  The doubt actually entered my brain much earlier in the day.  The wind had been blowing hard for a few days and the comforts of my house and company of my wife and kids were pulling at me to stay home.  Throw in a brutal cold into the mix and I had all the reason in the world to pull the plug on this trip.

“Push through” I kept telling myself as a I hauled myself and 50 pound pack  up the dark mountain.  Getting camp set up was a small victory that was short lived with the realization that I would be sharing my sleeping bag with a some wet boots and a frozen water bottle.

The 5 AM alarm was too early and ignored for a half hour as I half slept and half figured out my game plan for stepping into the single digit temps.  A skipped breakfast and a slow walk toward the objective was the call.

It was an hour up this walk that everything made sense.  The dark rocky mountain slowly revealed itself as a natural masterpiece.  “Who design’s these things?”  I half joked to myself .  The mountain made sure not to skip a single shade of color as it transitioned from grey, to pink, to yellow.  Right in front of me was one of the best mountains I had ever seen on any scale and it was in my backyard.  The overwhelming thing is that this mountain is one of a thousand that call the high sierra home.  I would learn through the trip that as I crested ridges or went around corners that this is by know means the crown jewel of the range.

** The Chuting Gallery **

** Seth Lightcap. gets started on a long one.  He is our walking guide book for the High Sierra and has been key in helping us achieve our goals this year in the Sierra. **

** Getting one last break before pulling through the crux. It was pretty mellow but the 1800ft fall upped the anti a few notches. **

** This chute went on forever. It was not that steep but it was sustained for almost 2K. This is Seth at the bottom quarter of the chute. **

** I rode the right one and Ryland the left. Ryland had a 17 hour day in his boots the day before. His summers spent on Alaskan fishing boats shines threw in the hard times. He can put his head down and hike for days with out a complaint. **

** I am loving the bottom up approach to riding lines.  If I had just came into this from the top I would have been shaking in my boots.  Instead I knew where every turn would be and got to live this line for a couple hours instead a couple minutes. **