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By Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, November 9, 2008
It was a spring day in 1957 when a dashing fellow with dark, wavy hair looked up from Yosemite Valley at the soaring cliffs and vowed to do what no human had ever done.
Scaling the colossal, 3,000-foot-tall granite cliff known as El Capitan was something most people regarded as beyond the capability of humans, but when Warren Harding had a mind to do something, he did it. It took Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore 47 days of climbing over 16 months to turn what had seemed like a fantasy into a reality.
The first ascent of El Capitan 50 years ago was one of the greatest climbing achievements in history. That is why Merry, Whitmore and many of the legends of Yosemite climbing have gotten together this weekend to celebrate the anniversary of that day a half-century ago. "I am extremely honored, and I feel almost a little embarrassed because I don't think we deserve this much," Merry said Saturday after a gathering of some 150 people, including Harding's celebrated onetime rival, Royal Robbins. "It is really rewarding to get this kind of reunion under your belt after 50 years."
Six of the nine climbers involved in the first ascent told tales, narrated slide shows of their exploits and drank red wine in honor of the hard-driving, devilish Harding, who died in 2002. "For years climbers were treated like outcasts or oddballs, and now climbing is getting some recognition," said Ken Yager, president and founder of the Yosemite Climbing Association and organizer of the anniversary event. "I want these world-class athletes to be recognized for what they did."
Harding, Merry and Whitmore topped out on El Capitan on Nov. 12, 1958, establishing the Nose route. The 2,900-foot rock face is now world famous, and the climbers who first scaled it are rock-climbing royalty. "It really opened up the era of climbing El Capitan," said Steve Schneider, 48, of Oakland, who has climbed the Nose 27 times and set a speed record on it in 1991 that has been broken many times by his then-partner, Lafayette's Hans Florine. Florine, who also attended the anniversary, climbed the Nose with Yuji Hirayama last month in an astonishing 2 hours, 37 minutes and 5 seconds. "It's just the best route up the best rock in the world," Schneider said Friday. "These guys broke the barrier, and everything that has happened since then is because of them."
It all started that day in 1957 when Harding learned that his former climbing partner Royal Robbins and two other men had aced him out of being the first to climb the towering Northwest Face of Half Dome. "What we gonna do?" was Harding's reaction, according to an interview with him in 1999. "Well, nothing but El Cap would do!"
Harding spent hours scanning the immense slab of granite through binoculars before selecting a route that followed the prow of the giant wall. On July 4, 1957, Harding, Bill Feurer and Mark Powell started out on the epic quest. Himalayan technique Nobody had ever climbed such a towering cliff before, according to Yager, so they used a technique more consistent with climbing in the Himalayas. They fixed a rope in a high place and stockpiled food, water and supplies there before fixing a line up higher and repeating the process. The "siege style" tactics required the men to make numerous trips up and down the ropes and to hammer many bolts and pitons. "It was a great technical achievement to figure out how to live and survive on these walls," said Dick Duane, 69, a rock climber and lawyer who represented climbers in a lawsuit that resulted in the traditional climbing camp, known as Camp 4, being designated a historical landmark.
The climb dragged on through two summers because the Park Service banned climbing during peak tourist season in an attempt to cut down on the traffic jams caused by looky-loos. Most climbing occurred only on weekends because the climbers had to go to work or school.
Among the equipment used on the first climb were custom-built pitons forged by Harding's friends and fellow climbers Frank Tarver and Rich Calderwood out of the legs of old-fashioned stoves. This is how the feature known as Stoveleg Crack got its name. Dolt Tower, a rocky ledge traditionally used for the first night of camping, was named after Feurer, who was given the nickname "Dolt" after a series of minor mishaps, including getting his beard caught in a knot.
Harding's climbing partners changed frequently as the months went on. Merry, a seasonal ranger and naturalist, joined Harding after the first winter when members of the initial assault team quit for various reasons.
Letters in soup cans. "We were scared to death half the time," said Merry, who stuffed love letters to his fiancee in soup cans and hurled them off the wall. "There were days I didn't know what I was doing up there." Merry's primitive form of air mail worked. He and his wife, Cindy, will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in the spring. The climbers had ample reason to worry. At one point a hemp rope snapped just after Harding had climbed it, prompting the climbers to switch to nylon for the rest of the trip. A ledge near the top is now known as the Glowering Spot because it is where Harding's partners found him glowering after being hit in the head by a piton. During the final push, Harding drilled 28 bolts into the 100-foot-tall overhanging summit headwall. The 14-hour burst of energy allowed the three men to reach the top and make history. "It stunned the whole world and sent a shock wave through mountaineering," Duane said Friday. "The Europeans came into the valley after that achievement and the emphasis on mountaineering shifted. For that brief shining moment, Americans were the best climbers in the world." By the time they had completed the climb, Harding's team had pounded 675 pitons and 125 bolts into the granite. "It was not at all clear to me who had conquered and who was conquered," Harding later wrote of the climb. "I do recall that El Cap seemed to be in much better condition than I was." Differences with Robbins But Harding and his cohorts were widely criticized by many in the climbing world, most notably followers of Royal Robbins. Robbins was famous for scrutinizing the big walls for natural climbing routes in an attempt to limit the use of bolts. He believed climbers should haul out what they brought in. Harding, on the other hand, was a rebel. "Warren had a more high-profile approach to climbing than most of his peers," said Yager, who met Harding at the age of 16. "He'd drive up in his Corvette with two women attached to him. He was a drinker and partyer." Although Harding said he liked and respected Robbins, he scoffed at those who would impose climbing rules and limit equipment, labeling them "Valley Christians." "Why institutionalize rock climbing?" he was later quoted as saying. "If there is a blank wall, and there's no way to place gear, you bolt." The rivalry between the two raged for years, but Robbins' philosophy seems to have won out. Most climbers today try to free climb as much as they can - meaning they use their hands and feet to climb - and ropes are attached only as protection against a fall. "The Harding-Robbins rivalry is mythical stuff that really has substance today," said Tom Frost, a 72-year-old Yosemite legend who, with Robbins and two other partners, pulled off the second ascent of the Nose in 1960, in seven days. "They were contemporaries in climbing and in climbing excellence, and the thing that matters a lot to climbers - which is style - they approached from different directions." At the reunion, Robbins, Merry and Whitmore - all in their 70s - traded tales and discussed old-style climbing with the many younger climbers in attendance, the former enmity all but forgotten. "That's all past history," said Merry, who started the Yosemite mountaineering school and rescue team and lives in British Columbia. "We're all great friends now." The anniversary coincided with the last weekend of a museum exhibit at Yosemite Village celebrating 100 years of climbing in the park. The climbing museum, for which Yager is trying to find a permanent home, has a display of the first ascent of El Capitan, including several stove leg pitons and the "Big Brute Piton," which hit Harding on the head and caused that celebrated glower. But for the celebrants at the anniversary, El Capitan was the biggest attraction. "When I drove into the park a week ago, I looked up at the walls and I thought, 'What was I thinking?' " Merry said. "It's still pretty impressive after all these years."
E-mail Peter Fimrite at pfimrite@sfchronicle.com
50th group
50th group
50th group
Allen Steck and Superintendent Mike Tollefson
Allen Steck and Superintendent Mike Tollefson
Allen Steck autographing brochures before the Nose reunion. November 8, 2008.
Allen Steck checking out the brochure Saturday morning.
Autograph session at the Ahwahnee Hotel, 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of The Nose, 11/9/08
Autograph session at the Ahwahnee Hotel, 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of The Nose, 11/9/08
Beryl Knauth being Interviewed
Dan Jensen meeting Allen Steck with Ken Yager looking on during the morning breakfast of the Nose reunion on November 8, 2008.
Dick Long, Dan Jensen and Wayne Merry talking Saturday morning after breakfast and before the celebration.
Ellen Searby and Allen Steck signing brochures.
George Whitmore autographing a book in the Ahwahnee Great Lounge, November 9th, 2008.
George Whitmore being interviewed.
George Whitmore being interviewed.
Ken Yager in front kneeling with L. to R. George Whitmore, Allen Steck, Wayne Merry, Wally Reed, Ellen Searby, and Rich Calderwood.
Hans Florine and George Whitmore in El Cap Meadow.
Steve Schneider and Hans Florine El Cap Meadow.
Hans Florine signs a photograph for Noreen Trombley.
Ken Yager addressing the crowd at the East Auditorium
Ken Yager and Allen Steck.
Ken Yager thanking all the dignitaries at the morning breakfast.
Group photo in front of El Capitan, 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of The Nose, 11/9/08
Group photo in front of El Capitan, 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of The Nose, 11/9/08
Peter Peter Haan and Roger Breedlove, 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of The Nose
Peter Haan signing an El Cap photo at the Ahwahnee Great Lounge during the Nose reunion.
Royal and Liz Robbins at the East Auditorium
The dignitaries on the stage and Superintendent Mike Tollefson presents Ken Yager the House Resolution that honors Wayne Merry, Fresno resident George Whitmore and Warren J. Harding
The Warren Harding, "Batso" figurine carved by Phil Bircheff.
Wally Reed autographs a book at the East Auditorium Event
Wayne Merry and Rich Calderwood signing brochures before the Nose reunion. Chris Falkenstein photo.
Wayne Merry in the Ahwahnee Hotel looking at a well autographed ice axe.
Whitmore, Steck, Merry, Reed, Searby and Calderwood in El Cap Meadow November 9, 2008.
Superintendant Mike Tollefson presenting Ken Yager a framed copy of the Congress Resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the Nose, El Capitan.
Nose reunion members meeting again at breakfast after all these years. Saturday morning, November 8th, 2008.
Granite Frontiers will be shown at the Autry National Center from June 12th - October 4th. A lot of work goes into making an exhibit. A special thanks to the proffesional staff at the Autry. They have been a real pleasure to work with. The following photos reflect some of that work. This exhibit is made possible by grants from the Yosemite Fund and the Autry National Center. Lots of pictures.
Installing the banners with the classic Greg Epperson photograph of "Big Wall Pete".
Andi hard at work.
After the items have arrived, the first step is to lay them out in Collections and make labels for each item so that they can be identified.
Patrick the chief exhibit designer and Andi the collections specialist. These two people are a lot of fun to work with and among the best in their field. They obviously work well together.
Patrick arranging with the required white gloves and Andi looking on to make sure nothing is getting moved without her knowledge.
Patrick hard at work. Patrick has done some climbing but, has never seen a lot of this gear before. The rest of theAutry crew seems to be enjoying the challenge of this exhibit more and more.
Some of the 1930's goodies that belonged to Jules Eichorn and Bestor Robinson.
Now we're getting serious. Jonathan the Curator is making sure the text corresponds with the items. Patrick is behind him and someone else double checking in the background. The Autry is a first rate organization and they have experts for every thing needed to put together a quality exhibit. I am fortunate to have the chance to work with them. I apologize for forgetting the name of the woman that is in the background. I will edit when I remember her name. I love her expressions in the next few pictures.There are so many experts in their field at the Autry that it is hard to keep upwith everyone. What an experience!
A sample of the piton ware exhibited. What workmanship! Every time I look at this stuff it gets easier to know who made it.
Jonathan working with Sarah over his shoulder. Sarah is the unknown but appreciated workhorse in the collections department. She caught and corrected some of my cataloging mistakes. My hat is off to her. Thank you Sarah.
Everything is laid out tagged, labeled and ready for layout in the cases.
Sarah and Lauren working with the framed photos in the collections area.
Sarah, collections specialist extraordinaire hard at work.
Meanwhile, upstairs the former exhibit has been removed and the new exhibit area is being prepped. The mandatory rock wall. This formation has hand, fist and finger jams for the public to try out.
Katherine is painting the newly installed walls
Everything is good!
Crew Leader Julia is doing what ever needs to be done. She works tirelessly, the first one to work and the last to leave. She is very good at her profession and an employee that any employer would love to have.
Here she is again
The painting is getting close to being done
Some of the cabinets are being built in place. All the cabinets have no hardware showing.
Patrick checking out some of the modern gear that was donated by Black Diamond, Petzl and Mammut.
Nice and shiny!
Time to get down to business.
Sequence is crucial.
Things are starting to happen now.
See that little picture, I want a big picture.
O.K. Patrick! I get the big picture. These guys did a great job.
Do we have time? Working on the Timeline.
Even Royal looks tired.
Taking special care with the Lynn Hill poster.
We need more time. Adjusting the timeline
Beautiful custom cases made by Antonio are being installed and leveled. They have the right tools to ease back strain.
The writing is on the walls. Lynn is looking on.
A happy place to stick your hands and figure out how it is done
Black Diamond portaledge donated by Conrad Anker. Yes, you can try it out if you want. Gayle did.
Looks good to me.
Andi and Anne are overseeing installation of the artifacts.
Kathy is cleaning plexi bonnets.
Andi adjusts Lynn Hill's tiny little shoe so that it is just right.
The mother ship of all tool carts "the Death Star".
Sarah and Joanne dress up the mannequin in the Bat Tent.
Patrick, Andi and Sarah look on as Joanne puts the finishing touches on the mannequin.
Bat Tent is up and now it is time to hang some of Chuck Pratt's gear.
The view looking down from the interactive portaledge
The Big Wall area is coming together.
In fact, the whole exhibit is coming together.
The Salathe case is nearly done.
Patrick and Kathy discussing what needs to be done.
Installing the dirt and pine needle colored flooring in the Camp 4 section.
Steve Grossman swaging the shiny gear to the authentic redwood table in the Camp 4 section.
TM herbert sitting on a ledge above the Timeline.
28' panorama of Camp 4.
The other Sara, Andi and Lauren working near one of the satelite tool carts called "the Sputnik".
Lots going on now. We have a deadline.
Gary Colliver on Leaning Tower. This is a large Glen Denny photo that is in the entrance to the exhibit.
Antonio the Master cabinet builder.
Installing the interactive rock walls.
Positioning John Muir.
Joanne fixing the heel hooking climber.
Sara putting the finishing touches on the entry panel.
Cleaning the plexi bonnets.
Steve tightening down the rock walls.
Working on the lighting.
The gear table in the Camp 4 section.
Zak working on the video.
Installing the gear tethers.
Steve hanging decorations for the opening reception.
The piton tethers are in place.
Sara helping with the lighting.
The Clean Cart and the crew scrambling to get the exhibit ready for the public.
The sport climbers near the entrance.
Putting Centra behind the portaledge to save the wall.
Lauren and Sarah appear to be pleased with the results.
The portaledge.
Fitting the covers on the cases.
It is looking good.
Putting the final touches on one of five video monitors.
Some of the Autry crew at the opening reception. Left to right: Antonio the master of cabinet making, Anne the senior designer, Julia who can focus on a hundred things at once and get it done, Katherinethe sweetheart that was working all over the exhibit, Jim that worked many long days to get it done is with his son and Ken with the hat on.
Granite Frontiers will be shown at the Autry National Center from June 12th - October 4th. A lot of work goes into making an exhibit. A special thanks to the proffesional staff at the Autry. They have been a real pleasure to work with. The following photos reflect some of that work. This exhibit is made possible by grants from the Yosemite Fund and the Autry National Center. Lots of pictures.