Learning to Fly

“Learning to Fly”

Written by John Lang

As an avid climber in an area such as the Cathedral Spires, one cannot help but admire the grandeur of the towers rising out of the forest. Anyone who has climbed in the Cathedral Spires knows that the sheer amount of quality rock densely packed into such a small area can be overwhelming to the senses. Each visit to the summit of one spire or another, one finds themselves either noticing a new spire tucked around the corner or often one in plain sight that was previously overlooked. This is exactly what happened in the summer of 2019 with my three friends, Peyton, Mark, Ethan, and I. We had heard rumors of an enjoyable route named the Northeast corner of Obelisk. One day, we decided to see if it lived up to the hype. About halfway up, once we had risen above the trees, we began to look around. One spire, in particular, spoke to all of us in a special way. A new line that had never been climbed called our names, begging us for attention. As we summited, we began to admire the potential line from above. This only fed our curiosity. “I wonder how the rock quality is?”  “What difficulty would this arete go at?” “Are we up to the challenge?” “What would it feel like to be on that thing!”

The spire’s is named West Buttress and it rises proudly out of the spire 3/4 gully. While walking past the north side of the spires, one can see it perfectly framed within this gully. The route we had scouted hugged the northwest arete and begins in a band of massive weathered quartz crystals. It rides the arete past a horizontal fracture and up to a featured face. The original line we considered happened to intersect with a vertical crack that terminated shortly near the top. 

One of the skyhooks used during the placement of a bolt in the overhang.

Ethan and I could not resist returning to investigate. After one failed attempt due to a typical needles August snowstorm, we managed to summit the spire via the only established route, the Conn route.  We had decided to rappel the line prior to establishing it ground up, as we hoped to pick a line this spire deserved. As we rappelled the untouched face we navigated towards the crack. We discovered that not only was it a hollow and decomposing crack but that it was the home to a few feathered friends. They were chirping like mad as we approached their aerial home and as we took a closer look we discovered three baby pigeons, awaiting their next meal from their mother. As we navigated around our fellow sky dwellers we inspected the rest of the arete. We found a stellar rock and decided the slightly overhanging and highly featured face (to the left of the crack) was our best chance for style and success!

After a few shifts at the local bar, the Custer Beacon, we decided we had to get after it before summer was gone. It became our number one priority. 

John placing a skyhook around the 4th & 5th bolts.

The first day we went to climb the route, we were slightly intimidated. I had only ever placed a handful of bolts on lead prior to this ascent and Ethan had never placed one while on the sharp end. In addition, we wanted to adhere to the respected needles ethics of placing bolts only where needed, while using clean protection when possible. We wanted to create a safe and repeatable route but did not want to sacrifice the style in which others had developed the area all around us. As we approached the route, the spire began to fill our view. We were both overwhelmed with the process and nervous about pushing ourselves, but we were not deterred in the slightest. Our desire and excitement towards this line drowned out any feelings of anxiety. 

I tied in and moved towards the arete on massive quartz crystals.. the kind that seemed like they could break at any second, but they held steadfast under the pressure of my body weight. Moving through these jugs I found a good stance and placed the first bolt. Ethan wanted a taste of the magic so we then switched leads and after placing two pieces of gear, he moved to the upper face below the upper crack and decided to place the second bolt.

Ethan looking to place the second bolt.

For those who don’t know, hand drilling bolts in granite can be quite the workout. The igneous rock filling the southern hills is incredibly hard and durable! Therefore, hammering a 3/8ths drill bit a few inches into it requires a little gusto, especially when hanging off a skyhook or attempting to balance on one’s toes. Being novices and not in “drilling shape”, it took us significantly longer than your veteran route developer. 

He pounded the hole and placed the second bolt. While Ethan was working this bolt in, something extraordinary happened. Our friends above had matured since we had last seen them and as we had been working our way upward, they were working their way downward, sideways, and all around our heads. We both took a moment to watch these birds learn a new skill. We realized that as we were pushing ourselves out of our own comfort zone, these birds had been doing the same... we were mutual spectators of each other’s growth. 

At this point in the game, we decided to pack up and sprint back to catch our 6 o’clock shifts. 

Summer dwindled fast and Ethan had to take off to his other pursuits, but I was eager to get back. Soon after that first day, Mark, Peyton, and I returned to finish the task. Mark flew past our previous work, grinning the whole way. As he pushed upward, he placed another bolt and we swapped leads. After one more bolt the route diagonals leftward. One is able to place a .75 cam in the beginnings of the vertical crack before working onto the slight overhang. 

Mark working in the third bolt.

One of the drawing features of this route is this section. The face kicks back and just when you start needing them, jugs begin to appear. These secure footholds and even better handholds inspire the much-needed confidence for this section. 

Mark worked upward and fiddled with his hooks, placing two of them on the ledges his fingertips clung to. Slowly, he backed off his weight in an attempt to prevent himself from swinging. Dangling in space, he carefully began drilling, taking his time to not shift his weight which would allow the hooks to blow off sending him for a ride. He worked this bolt in and began to check out the moves above. He yelled down:” your turn for this next one!” Once again nervous, especially after seeing Mark’s feet dangle in space with the potential for a 20ft whipper, I psyched myself up and went for it. The moves following the previous bolt consist of getting a high foot and leveraging oneself upward towards the next suitable handholds. After making a couple of airy moves, I found a suitable location for the next bolt. 

Performing the same sequence as Mark, I was able to work in the last bolt of the route. We had planned on adding another, but once again we ran out of time. We came back a few days later and after gearing up for the lead mark went up to check out the last section. After some intense moves a few feet above the last bolt, there is a slight horn just within reach. Once mark slapped for it, he knew it was over. He ran out the upper face to one last piece in the upper section of the crack and sprinted over to the anchors. After Mark’s quick rappel, l went for the second ascent and Peyton followed. We named the route after the creatures we spent so our time with on the wall: Learning to Fly 5.9+

Peyton making the final moves.

Mark working his way towards the vertical crack.

The view of the route from the belay.