Trip Report
The Castle Crags Wilderness area is in Northern California and was named for the swarm of lovely glacier polished granite peaks (plutons) located there. We started our climb early Saturday morning with a brisk hike up the three miles to the base of Mt Hubris. Doug Nelson captured the feeling of the early morning with his haiku:
Four thirty wake up!
You have got to be joking.
Can I make coffee?</blockquote>
To get to the base of Hubris we had to do the hardest part of the climb, which was to make it through the Manzanita maze of constant sorrow. No one escaped unscratched. Peter Green was so moved by this part of the climb that he too composed a haiku poem:
Ascend cosmic wall
must pass the manzanita
truly crux of climb</blockquote>
Doug likewise found inspiration there:
Dense manzanita
Slow, blood trickles down my shin
At dawn granite looms</blockquote>
The climbing was outstanding. We had two teams of three. The first team, Peter, Maryanne and April had a grand time. April found religion when she led the final knife-edge pitch with certain death on either side, she looked back and composed a quick poem:
Cosmic Mount Hubris
Look over the edge and sigh
Oh my God, said I.</blockquote>
Wayne, John and Doug had many fine moments on their climb, though Wayne felt some trepidation on his first multi-pitch climb:
A crack in the rock
I sure hope this pro will hold
don’t want to go splat!</blockquote>
When we were all back at the trailhead John Pegg expressed his feelings in this fine haiku:
My clothes are sweaty
So quickly the shadows grew
Time for a brewski</blockquote>
Of course, even though it was time for a brewski we didn’t drink until the official Obsidian portion of the climb ended. John Pegg’s truck was having trouble with the thermostat and we were worried that it wouldn’t make it. Peter Green once more captured the feelings of the group with this poem.
try to keep it cool
as we go over Siskiyou
John thanks for driving</blockquote>
Wayne Deeter, not happy with the challenge of a simple haiku, made his an acrostic. I’ll leave that to you to figure out.
Climbing over stones
Maryanne’s into control
While April laughs last.</blockquote>
And If you are wondering about the silly verse, well I was just entertaining myself and they were all kind enough to go along.
Climbers and poets
weave ropes and words together
turning stones to poems</blockquote>
Climbers were: April Anderson, Wayne Deeter, Peter Green, Doug Nelson, John Pegg and Maryanne Reiter, leader. <img border="2" src="images/pg20060930-1616.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
On the trail at oh-dark-thirty <font size="2">(by Peter Green)</font> <img border="2" src="images/jp20060930-0008.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Light on the horizon <font size="2">(by John Pegg)</font> <img border="2" src="images/jp20060930-0010.jpeg" width="600" height="800">
Mt. Hubris, aka "The Ogre" <font size="2">(by John Pegg)</font> <img border="2" src="images/aa20060930-0039.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Wading through the dread manzanita <font size="2">(by April Anderson)</font> <img border="2" src="images/jp20060930-0014.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Maryanne leads the first pitch of the "Cosmic Wall" <font size="2">(by John Pegg)</font> <img border="2" src="images/pg20060930-1631.jpeg" width="600" height="800">
"I'm taking it in as fast as I can!" April belays Maryanne up the second pitch <font size="2">(by Peter Green)</font> <img border="2" src="images/d20060930-1267.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
John leads the second pitch while April starts out on the third <font size="2">(by Wayne Deeter)</font> <img border="2" src="images/pg20060930-1641.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Maryanne poses beside the ¼" bolt with custom hanger at the top of the third pitch <font size="2">(by Peter Green)</font> <img border="2" src="images/d20060930-1280.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
April on top of the forth <font size="2">(by Wayne Deeter)</font> <img border="2" src="images/jp2006930-0027.jpeg" width="600" height="800">
Doug nears the top of the forth pitch <font size="2">(by John Pegg)</font> <img border="2" src="images/pg20060930-1656.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
"Yikes!" April leads the sixth pitch <font size="2">(by Peter Green)</font> <img border="2" src="images/jp20060930-0035.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Doug arrives at the top <font size="2">(by John Pegg)</font> <img border="2" src="images/d20060930-1297.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Start of the second rappel <font size="2">(by Wayne Deeter)</font> <img border="2" src="images/jp20060930-0044.jpeg" width="800" height="600">
Just hanging around waiting for the "old guys" <font size="2">(by John Pegg)</font> <img border="2" src="images/aa20060930-0083.jpeg" width="600" height="800">
"Hot foot" <font size="2">(by April Anderson)</font>
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