![]() ![]() The Full Evolution Crest was first completed by Scott McCook and Kyle Sox in 2008 over eight days, with multiple food and fuel caches along the way. ![]() Darwin (13,831 feet), where the Evolution Traverse heads northwest and the Full Evolution Crest continues due north for many more miles. Wallace (13,377 feet), then continuing north to Mt. There was the Full Evolution Crest (16 miles, VI 5.9), which heads northwest from Bishop Pass, meeting up with the Evolution Traverse between the Clyde Spires (13,240 feet) and Mt. I came to learn the massive enchainment I envisioned was a combination of two known traverses, extending on either side of Bishop Pass. l was sure other people were aware of it, but had anyone climbed it? It was a natural objective-if you could describe traversing 32 miles of continually precipitous terrain high in the alpine as natural. I was stunned to realize the Evolution Traverse was just a fraction of a 32-mile jagged ridgeline, covering approximately 60 summits over 13,000 feet. That was before FKTs became a widespread phenomenon, before I knew of anyone attempting routes as big as the Evo car to car.Īfter the bruises healed, I traced the Sierra Crest on a map while considering worthy objectives for the future. For me, it was a glimpse into a future full of chal- lenges with unknown outcomes-a 27-hour day spent way outside the comfort zone of a person who’d started his climbing career only three years prior. In 2013, a year after my friend Ben Horne passed away in the Cordillera Blanca, I honored his memory (his motto: “magnificent failure is better than mediocre success”) by onsighting the Evolution Traverse (VI 5.9) in the Sierra car to car, solo. Long ridges in the Sierra soon became attractive to me because they offer sustained technical terrain, the opportunity to tag multiple summits, and a much more enjoyable way to prepare for climbs in the Greater Ranges than hiking five gallons of water up a big hill. New friends helped me realize the endless possibilities climbing can offer, from bouldering in the gym to long routes in the mountains. But with time and increased exposure to progressively challenging objectives, I became more comfortable. At first, I would be so nervous before a simple backpacking trip that I could hardly sleep. In 2010 I fell in love with climbing through scrambling and peakbagging in the High Sierra. I felt I had to climb the Goliath in order to be liberated. An obsession that, by August 2021, I was tired of living with. It was a goal that evolved into an obsession. Thirty-two miles of technical ridge, carrying all my gear, food, and water, knowing that every day I would be more tired than the last, but if I lost my concentration for even a moment, I could die. Something like 60 mountains-it was crazy to think about that. What can I say about the Goliath traverse? I spent countless hours thinking about it, losing sleep, preparing myself mentally and cardiovascularly, learning about electrolytes, wondering how often I would be able to find water, how much weight I could carry and still feel light enough to free solo so much fifth-class terrain. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |