Sessions

Enough is enough with this getting school thing. Maybe the Filibuster is too much for me. Or then again, maybe not. It's time to go to work!

Session 1. JB and I went for another schooling last week. And the Filibuster schooled us again, even with the belay half way up. JB led pitch 4, and went piece-to-piece. Without enough traffic and with warm wet springs and summers of late, the face had lichened in again, making the right foot smears slippery. On my lead up pitch 5, I worked my way up the steep corner to the crux ... tried to get a stance to rest. No dice. Trying to rest made me more tired. From then on, I was gassed. We reached the top of the Filibuster and bailed. Humbled, again. But inspired.

Session 2. Opting to finish the route via the right-hand finger crack variation, we sessioned that pitch on TR. I suspected that the entry moves would be the crux... an arete pinch way over to the right then fighting the barn-door as I move right. But JB unlocked a better way through: stemming higher then using the pinch as a foot-pedal, moving right higher up. For some reason, it's not a barn-door up there. We then rapped into the Filibuster and gave the lichens a quick retroscrub.

Session 3. Jay joined us for more sessions. The plan was a ground up session. But two parties were in line at the base of Eagle's Domain so we hiked around to rap to Political Ledge then sessioned pitches 4-6 on lead. That plan, too, got stymied as a party was coming up Right Wing. We did, however, have time enough to session pitch 6. After each having TRed it clean, JB pulled the rope and led it clean.

What an amazing pitch!

Next we rapped in and sessioned pitches 4 and 5 on a rope. For me, it's all about knowing where to rest and where to punch it. Getting the two confused gets me ultra pumped. I think I worked out the rest below the crux. It's 1m lower than where I tried to get it last time. The route is feeling all there...

The Pipe Dream is to

• lead pitch 4 clean
• lead pitch 5 clean
• lead pitch 6 clean
• do a team clean ascent with JB
• lead all pitches clean