 Angel Wings
Just a Rock in the Park
V-VI 5.10 A3+
F.A. trip report
by E.C. Joe
AngelWings overlooks one of the most beautiful settings in the Sierra NevadaMountains. I discovered this line in 1985 while visiting the "Wings"with Richard Leversee. Unable to agree on a line on Angel Wings, we didhowever, climb a new route on the beautiful dome to the East of theWings. We named the dome "Cherubim Dome." The route is a backcountryclassic, "The Archangel Route," VI 5.10 A0. It wasn't until much later,even after climbing Leversee's choice on the Wings, "Hell on Wings"(1989) that I was able to realize this great route.
InJune of 1996, Richard Leversee, Ron Felton and I completed this newroute on the immense South Face of Angel Wings in Sequoia NationalPark. We had decided to "go light" and forego the hammocks orportaledges traditionally brought these days on big walls. However,near the base we found remnants of a haulbag and gear, apparentlydropped and lost by Fred Beckey many years ago. We decided to bringalong an old Forrest hammock, just in case.
Theroute is situated in the center of the main south face in a cracksystem left of the original Steck Route and starts on the left of tworamps that intersect and form an "X" a few hundred feet from the base.Two free pitches brought us to a ledge atop the right side of a hugeheart-shaped feature. Here we found evidence of a previous attempt byan unknown party. A pendulum to the right off of an ancient piton (anapparent high-point of an earlier attempt) led to two pitches of mostlydifficult aid; one of which Richard reflected that was the best of hisclimbing experience. These pitches ended on a stance below a slopingbivy.
Afterfixing 80 feet of aid up and to the left of the stance, I returned tothe bivy and set up the hammock, while Richard and Ron struggled to becomfortable on the sloping ledge. Around midnight, I awoke to the faintsound of nylon tearing and discovered that my head was considerablylower than my feet and that my foam pad was the only thing keeping mefrom dropping out of the bottom of the hammock! Squeezing a spot out onthe sloping ledge, I used the foot section (only good portion left) ofthe hammock to keep me from sliding off and spent the remainder of thenight rope-a-doping with the gear hanging off of the anchor.
 Inthe morning, Ron finished the pitch that I had started with a tensiontraverse off my last copperhead to a thinly protected corner that endedat a small stance beneath an overhanging headwall. Continued difficultclimbing led up and right, avoiding an ugly chimney to our second bivyat some small, sloping ledges.
Above, two pitches of clean, difficult wide cracks gave way to a ramp that led left to an exit point at the top of the wall. Classic!
Just a Rock in the Park Topo .pdf TopoZone - USGS Map of the Angel Wings aka "Valhalla" Area - link
What's your vertical "20"?
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Copyright 2003 E.C. Joe of All Original Material. All rights reserved.  |
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