Free Soloing The Great Wall

 

A random photo I found thats sums up the endless lichen and shrub-whacking. 

December 6, 2017.  I woke up in darkness and was carful not to wake Danielle while getting ready to go. At this point in my climbing career I was still a scatter brained semi beginner who thought of himself as a pro. Though looking back, it was pretty obvious I wasn't. I was going to attempt one of the longest solos I could imagine. The Great Wall. The full traverse to the trapps. And I didn’t even have a proper backpack.

I grew up in New Paltz and was curious about climbing, but didnt really get into it until college, when my good high school friend starting to full swing addicted, and brought me down with him. he would climb in the gunks and take me out once in a while. I wanted to jump in way over my head all the time. He’d yell at me for placing bad gear and I’d grin. Onetime he let me lead something actually hard- some 5.10a maybe-but when he got to the top on follow he was seething. “dude you might as well have soloed that. If you’re not going to place good gear, don't place any."

Interesting...

Back to that December morning. I drove my truck from the city and when I reached the Trapps Lot I went to pack my water and cliff bar into by climbing pack but realized it was gone. Left it in my room. thats what I get for getting ready in the dark. Then I saw I didnt have my chalk bag. Ok fine, I can deal. I emptied my bulky canvas work bag and used that. It felt giant, but it was light and I told my self that’s what the old Swiss guys used. For the chalk bag I improvised. An old stuff sack rolled up with a cut hole for me belt loop. Good enough.

The drive over the bridge was dark. Not many cars on the road on a weekday at 5 am. I was thinking about the write up from Ken Nichols. Where the hell did the route go. Just go right I guess. Ok, maybe a few nerves.

For some reason the lot was basically empty. A few cars. Good- the crowds made me nervous. I walked up in the cold shadow of the back side and grinned to get see some sun lurking around the keyhole end. A little past the gill egg, I switched into climbing shoes and started climbing. Hell yeah, now I’m psyched. Im cold, my toes are stiff, my hands are numb, but the moment I step onto the wall I tell myself “there's no one else in the universe doing this.” Grin gets wider. Face calms. Movement smoothens. I stay low at first. Too hard. I’m only a few feet off the ground. Near that big block I decide to go higher. K wrote the crux was by nosedive. I bypass it higher and keep on moving, then, suddenly I’m doing something that feels too hard over stir up trouble. I’m gripped. I’m getting pumped. I lean for a jug. My feet are on a smooth bulge. Almost shaking. Fuck. Then I grab it. I pull myself up and over onto a small ledge. I’m glad no one... there’s a party walking right. Good, they don’t see me. Ok how much worse can it get. 

And I was right. After that, I found my flow. The sun poking over and around trees as I cross step through endlessly crunching lichen ridden horizontals until they end and I find another one; looking up and down and around corners. Doing what feels like the same move for ever. I love it. I put my long sleeve into my pack and start to feel that December sun heat me. It's like fuel. Somewhere around 'easy o' I pass a party. They barely care- they think I have a rope. I grin and keep swimming on. In the back of my mind the yellow wall stews. But I stop for some water annd my bar. I climb up to the   GT and find a sunny patch and lay out. Perfect. I eat, hydrate and take my time soaking in the crisp rays. The morning light is all but gone and soon I feel like I should keep moving. I climb back down and find a horizontal. Ok back to it. Im in the flow, stepping to the right, cross under, brush away the lichen, looking around the next corner to see how far the horizontal goes. stopping to reassess and forging into the unknown. up and down, but mostly sideway, until I see it. My flow gets choppy again. The 'yellow wall' seems like too much. I’m not pumped but I’m not into that. Too steep. Too technical down low. Ok, compromise. I look up at the GT  from somewhere above 'the sting'. I won’t walk it, but I’ll hand traverse it. Better than pitching off. I make my way up to it. Dirty as hell but there are jugs. I keep going and now I get to take it in. The full exposure below me. I’m way out at the lip. I turn out to look towards town. This is what it's about. I take my moment, then call it off when I see a few buzzards circling off in the distance. I don’t like the omen. Suddenly I just want to get it over with. I stop sightseeing and sully on. When im back on a slab-jugs again I down climb a bit, stand on a small perch just to the right-arete of the whole 'yellow wall' and feel sort of proud. Ok now I can smile.

Then more lichen and dirt. A few loose holds and a full day stepping and reaching to the right. casa Emilio is my end zone. I down climb as far as I can before touching the ground then go right again until the wall peters out.

It’s over.

 Back on the ground and my legs feel like they’d been at sea. I’m buzzing, I’m pretty sure I’m the first to do it in a day. As I walk back to the parking lot I look up and think… reverse?

I wish I timed it, and taken more pictures, but maybe it's more pure this way. I think it took me around 5 or 6 hours, with one bad selfie. 

A bad selfie is better than no selfie.

I drive back to my parent’s place in wallkill, and the next day I ask my mom to stop in at rock and snow. She’s old friends with Rich and when they are gabbing I hear her ask about yesterday. My stomach drops. “Didn’t you do something alone? Like a big traverse?” “Yeah” I look at the ground. Rich can see I’m no pro. "What?" he asked,“The Great Wall” I say. “Really?” For a second he looks impressed. Some courage swells. “Has anyone done it in a day?” Rich turns to some guy behind the counter. The guy says no. “Huh. That’s cool, but soloing can get you killed. Those guys don’t last long.” Rich and my mom stare at me like I've done something awful. I nod and my shoulders slump... I should have told them I just went bouldering.