With an extra couple days of weekend to work with, Jen and I decided that the 4th would be the ideal time for her first trip up to Lone Peak Cirque. We went for the casual plan of hiking in on the afternoon of day one and not climbing until the next day. Unfortunately, an afternoon rainstorm caught us in the middle of the approach, but we made it off the ridge (to stay safe from lightning) before the rain kicked in full force, and we spent an hour chilling in the tent before finishing the hike and rounding the corner into the Cirque just as the sun set and light up the walls.
The next morning we slept in, ate a casual breakfast, and hiked the short distance from the tent to start the Center Thumb. It went fast like it always does, but 50 meters up the first pitch I managed to jack my shoulder again by bearing down in a bulging crack a good bit out from my last piece of gear. This changed our game plan immediately, and instead of coming down and starting up another route, we came down and watched the other groups on their routes. And there was plenty to watch, given the holiday weekend there were no less than nine tents including ours, so there was always someone on something. I was unable to find a suitable rock to lay on and get the knot out of my back, but some stretching, pills, and some sleep eventually got the job done and we were ready to go again on the second morning.
To start the next day, Jen and I went up the classic Lowe Route, which is definitely my favorite route in the Cirque. As before, we made good time and were up and off quickly, but Jasmine decided that instead of her usual one minute of whining she would bark and whine until we were on top of the second pitch. That was a little annoying for us, but I felt like a total ass given the amazing acoustics of the Cirque and the fact that everyone could hear it with crystal clarity. Other than packing up a little extra food and packing down a little more poo, bringing Jasmine was pretty mellow right up until this point, but this definitely pushed it over the line. When we got back to camp we talked about what to do, and we quickly decided that it would be a pretty dick move to go up on another route and risk subjecting everyone else to another hour of barking dog. So, we ate dinner for lunch, packed up, and headed down.
Hiking up to the Cirque is long and steep and bla bla bla but it’s not that bad. Hiking down, on the other hand, just kicks my ass every time (or specifically, my knees). I started the trip with more weight than Jen for the benefit of the team, and on the way down I was hobbling so bad that she offered to take the rope from me… and I agreed. Thanks Jen.
