Yosemite adventure with Eliza and Nate - Day 2 - East Buttress of Middle Cathedral

Middle Cathedral Rock - view from the ground

Wow, am I tired! We sent at least 13 pitches today. Nate did almost all of the leading. Today I got to follow him (in tandem with Eliza) up the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral, one of the 50 Classic Climbs of North America!!! It was a relatively short approach, but by the time we got to the start at 9 AM, there were already two parties there. Nate took matters into his own hands, free-soloing the first pitch and setting up an anchor. We quickly climbed up after him, trying to get ahead of these other parties. From there on out it was a race to the top. I've never climbed so quickly. The two of them clearly wanted to 1. avoid slowing down the parties below us (not a problem) and 2. finish the climb quickly so that we could get out of the hot midday sun. From start to finish we were done in 4.5 hours. We did the "50 Crowded" variation.

The climbing generally felt casual, but the exposure and views were incredible. Here are a few photos.

Kenton belays Nate up one of the first few pitches.

Nate and Eliza crank through the belay change with El Capitan in the background.

The descent was through a gully apparently prone to rock slides. Needless to say, Nate kept us moving quickly.

Eliza coming down the scree-filled descent gully.

After 1100 feet of climbing in the hot sun, we were tired and hot. A quick dip in the frigid river quickly cooled us off.

Nate, Eliza, and Kenton after jumping into the Merced River. That was bracing, and refreshing, all at the same time.

But that wasn't enough for Kenton. After a (large) snack I led the two-pitch classic Bishop's Terrace. This was filled with fist-sized cracks, but I was smart enough to wear the crack gloves this time. This was definitely the right decision, as it made the jams feel completely secure AND painless. At the top we had good views of Half Dome in the distance. Nate gave me helpful pointers on proper anchor-building and rappelling techniques. It was another awesome day!

Kenton at the top of Bishop's Terrace, with Half Dome in the distance.