Mountain trips often bring fun, contentment, accomplishment, and, of course, adventure. This is especially true for people who are just entering the sport, well, that too Mountaineering. Lack of experience often goes hand-in-hand with beginner’s luck. I spent two long weekends (i.e., July 4–5, 2016 and 2017) in the Palisades range of the Sierra Nevada.
The Palisades are a premier alpine climbing destination, with five 14,000-foot peaks accessible from a single campground. All of these peaks are considered challenging, with at least class 4 exposure and demanding alpine movement skills. In short, they are a paradise for climbers. However, accessing this paradise requires a long approach hike with a heavy pack, typically taking 6–7 hours to reach the base camp.
2016:
Nikhil and I hauled our packs and continued our slow journey, crossing a stunning second lake. After a 7-hour drive the day before, we picked up our permit and reached the mosquito-filled base camp next to a meadow. I had lost half of my energy by the time I reached base camp. The plan for the next day was to climb Mt. Sill (14,159 ft.).
Our alpine start was delayed for a half hour, and Nikhil and I got separated on the boulder field. Nikhil waited for me at the agreed-upon spot, but it took me two hours to find him. With the weather moving in, we decided that we had wasted the entire day. Without much heated conversation, I gave up on the adventure, and we both returned to the car that same day.
My heavy mountaineering boots, unnecessarily thick socks, and inexperience all contributed to the failure of the trip. Nikhil was understandably upset and i thought he would never climb with me again. However, he was also considerate enough to forgive me this time. This was my first time in this mountain range, and it was also the first time that Nikhil and I had climbed together.
Journey:
Things changed over the next year, and we both had our own sets of small adventures and upped our game. I leveled up my bouldering and climbing skills, as did he. We climbed many times in Tahoe and the surrounding area, got more in sync with each other’s climbing style, and decided to return the following summer to finish the climb where we had left off. I was more determined this time. Thanks to the Sierra Mountaineering Club, where I took an active rock-climbing course, I led and climbed several peaks before attempting Palisades again. Some training includes:
- Cathedral peak, 5.6
- Eagle Lake Buttress, 5.7
- Mt Conness west ridge
- 5.8’s in Lovers Leap
- Yosemite trips, (Bishops terrace, 5.8, Central Pillar of Frenzy, 5.9)
- Mt.Shasta Avy gulch (2nd time on the summit)
I still laugh at myself when I think of how I thought I could climb the Palisades without even climbing beginner/intermediate Cathedral Peak. That was the gap I tried to fill between mountaineering and alpine climbing. At first, I didn’t realize that alpine climbing is a completely different game.
2017:
The story repeats itself at the same trailhead, this time with efficient backpacks, different gear, more strength, and better preparation for the climbs. We were able to reach the high camp (~500 ft higher than base camp) and the boulder field.
Mt. Sill is a stunning summit to sit on. We climbed it via the north-east snow couloir and 304 pitches of 5.7 cracks. However, after descending back to the camp, we realized that hauling all the gear was not worth it for just three pitches of climbing. I led the 5.7 pitch and felt strong for the next day. Our next goal was the U-Notch of North Palisade, which is considered trickier than Mt. Sill.
We started at 4 AM to tackle this peak, jumping over suncups to reach the base. After gearing up, we crossed the bergschrund and climbed the U-Notch until the saddle. Climbing it solo at the end gave me some Ueli Steck vibes. We shifted to rock gear at the saddle. Everything was going according to plan, and we soloed most of the rock sections with occasional belays. The climb was exposed, fun, and thrilling. We reached the summit around 10 AM, had breakfast, took some pictures, and started our descent. The views from the summit were stunning, breathtaking, and probably some of the best that the Sierras have to offer.
The Drama:
The descent from North Palisade was also fine. We did four to five rappels, downclimbed to reach the saddle, and shifted to mountain shoes to climb down the notch. Nikhil was ahead of me, and both of us were climbing down slowly. The snow started becoming slightly slushy. I slipped on my right foot, lost my balance, and started tumbling down, screaming and shouting, with my ice axe dangling, crampons on my ankles, and sunglasses flying. I was just shooting down the couloir. Nikhil kept shouting for me to self-arrest, but it was impossible at that speed.
Unless there is some magic power behind our abilities, stopping at that time would have been impossible. But all of a sudden, as if someone had put out a hand and asked me to wait and rest, I hit a rock on my back, suddenly jugged into a couple of boulders (not on the snowfield), and opened my eyes, grabbing the boulder and gasping for air. Nikhil continued downclimbing, reached me, and checked my vitals (legs, hips, ankles). I felt a bit of pain on my hips but didn’t feel any injuries apart from a scratch next to my knee. Nikhil quickly set up the rap station, lowered me down, and we crossed the bergschrund (almost throwing me into it), which in itself took an hour and a half. I was still in shock, recovering. Slowly reaching the high camp, we both realized how I had escaped the danger.
The next day, we reached back to the car, still surprised that I had ended up with only a scratch after rolling down a mountain couloir. We celebrated with Denny’s chocolate cake and took a shower at the Bishop public restrooms. Then, we continued our drive over Tioga Pass.
I went back and was traumatized for several days. I read more about the accident and what went wrong. I can’t thank my best friend, Nikhil, enough for helping, trusting me. We climbed in various mountain ranges after this. After a couple of months, I started looking at it as one of my happy days and thanking God for saving me that day. There has to be some reason.
From the next year onwards, I started celebrating that day with more joy and excitement. I will do so for the rest of my life. It’s my wife’s birthday.
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