Half Dome First Ascent of the North West Face Jerry Gallwas Royal Robbins Mike Sherrick
1955 Attempt 1957 1st Ascent 2007 50th Anniversary Reunion Selected Readings and Photos
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Table of Contents Acknowledgements
4
Introduction and Personal Recollections
5
Players
7
Inspiration
8
1955 Attempt
9
The Saturday Evening Post Publication, They Risk Their Lives for Fun
14
The Saturday Evening Post Photo Session
15
Harding, The Saturday Evening Post Photo & El Capitan San Francisco Chronicle Photo
17
Background of the 1957 1st Ascent
18
Equipment
20
The Adventure, Telegram, Post Cards , & We Made It
24
Robbins’ Mugelnoos Article, September 1957
27
Robbins’ SCB Article, December 1957
28
Guinness Book of World Records, pp. 128-9 and Van Aken Aerial View of Half Dome
29
Sherrick Photo Record of 1957 1st Ascent
30
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Dean Potter Free Solo Photos from Huber & Zak
38
Sherrick 1st Ascent Article, SCB, Vol. 43, No. 9, pp. 19-23, November, 1958, The Northwest Face of Half Dome
39
Half Dome Northwest Face 2nd Ascent Note, SCB, Vol. 46, No. 8, p. 60, October 1961, Fitschen
42
Half Dome Northwest Face 2nd & 3rd Ascents, MN, No. 331, July 14, 1960, pp. 4-5, Fitschen & Robbins
43
Royal & Liz Robbins’ 10th Anniversary Ascent Photos
44
50th Anniversary Reunion of 1st Ascent
45
Yosemite Climbing Association Exhibit, Granite Frontiers
53
Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Exhibit and Inspiration photo with 50th Anniversary Picture of Gallwas, Robbins, and Sherrick
56
Burton, They Risk Their Lives for Fun, The Saturday Evening Post, February 25, 1956, pp. 34, 35, 99, 101, & 102
57
Meyers, Yosemite Climbs, A Rock Climbing Guide to Yosemite Valley, p. 145 Rowell, Climbing Half Dome the Hard Way, National Geographic Magazine, pp. 782-791, June 1974
63
Ament, A History of Free Climbing in America, Wizards of Rock, pp. 73-75
69
Roper, Camp 4, Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber, pp. 59-60 Roper E-mail: Early ascents of the North West Face of Half Dome
71
Huber & Zak, Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing, p. 42
73
Sherrick Photo Sequence
74
Harding / Gallwas Letter of October 16, 1956
82
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Acknowledgements and References People Many people are to be thanked for assistance in the assembly of this document and include: Royal Robbins and Mike Sherrick for their friendship, participation, publications, and photos recording our Half Dome adventure. John Ripley for his assistance and access to the Mugelnoos archives. Mark Powell for his recollections of the discussions he and Warren Harding had in their preparation for the attempt on Half Dome that never materialized. Steve (Crusher) Bartlett for the inspiration to couple original articles and photos with my interpretive comments and his meticulous proofreading. Doug Robinson for his assistance in identifying and labeling of the Sherrick photo record. Sandy Krishnamurthy, my wife, for putting up with all this nonsense and proofreading with good humor.
Publications The original publications recording the first ascent are generally obscure and limited in their availability. For that reason and to give the reader easy access, I have copied the articles into this document as well as selected reading and photos to give the reader additional perspective. Mugelnoos (MN), a monthly news bulletin published by and for the Ski Mountaineers and Rock Climbing Sections of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. Sierra Club Bulletin (SCB), a publication of the Sierra Club, San Francisco, California. The Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, PA. Roper, Steve, Camp 4, Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber, The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, Washington, 1994. National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society, Washington DC. Huber & Zak, Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing, Menasha Ridge Press, Birmingham, Alabama, 2002 & 2003. Meyers, George, Yosemite Climbs, A Rock Climbing Guide to Yosemite Valley, Chockstone Press, Denver Colorado, 1982. Guinness Book of World Records, 1987, A Bantam Book / published by arrangement with Sterling Publishing Company, New York.
The American Alpine Journal (AAC Jr), an annual publication of the American Alpine Club, Golden, Colorado. $
The First Ascent of the Northwest Face of Half Dome Introduction and Personal Recollections Original and Selected Publications with Pictures from a Variety of Sources Jerry Gallwas Much has been written about the first ascent of the Northwest Face of Half Dome. With each writing, there seem to be erroneous or misleading embellishments. This document is an effort to bring the original publications, pictures, and my recollections together in one place; an effort to clarify the record. I had not thought much about rock climbing for 50 years until Royal Robbins and Pat Ament asked for pictures taken on the second ascent of the North Face of Sentinel Rock. That led to my searching for photos and recalling events during my brief climbing career in the 1950s. The photos accurately captured the moment but my memory was not as good! Further inquires from Joe Fitschen and more recently from Steve “Crusher” Bartlett led me to collect all of the original publications. They included Mugelnoos (MN), a monthly publication of the Sierra Club Los Angeles Rock Climbing Section (RCS), the Sierra Club Bulletin (SCB), and The Saturday Evening Post which provided both original source materials and an accurate chronology of events. Then one evening in May 2007, my wife Sandy and I were enjoying a glass of wine and it occur to me that it had been 50 years since the first ascent of the Northwest Face. That prompted phone calls to Royal Robbins and Mike Sherrick which led to a memorable reunion in Yosemite orchestrated by Jeannine Sherrick, Linda McMillan, and Liz Robbins. It was that weekend when I met Ken Yager, President of the Yosemite Climbing Association, and Dean Potter who at that time had reduced the “Regular Route” to less than three hours climbing it free solo. As we discussed the events of 50 years ago, I realized how fortunate we were to have Mike’s photos and his article in the 1958 issue of the SCB documenting the first ascent. That inspired me to contact John Ripley who maintains the MN archives to trace the chronology and accounts of those climbing days. Again, we were fortunate to have records contributed by Royal, Don Wilson, Chuck Wilts, and very particularly Bobbie Lilley who reported on many of the events of the San Diego RCS where I began my climbing adventures. I have added my own recollections to the original publications included in this document to both amplify the record and hopefully correct misinformation that has crept into the record. Photographs are from several sources: mine from the 1954 reconnaissance with Don Wilson and the 1955 attempt (Robbins, Harding, Wilson, Gallwas); The Saturday Evening Post photo session in Yosemite Valley during September, 1955; Mike Sherrick’s black and whites from the first ascent in 1957; Royal’s from his and Liz Robbins’ tenth anniversary ascent; Ray Van Aken’s aerial view of Half Dome from the west; and very importantly, photos of Dean Potter climbing free solo on the Zig Zags and Thank God Ledge from Huber and Zak’s book Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing.
On the 1957 ascent, Mike’s camera failed on the third day. That left us with no photo record of the last two days including the meeting with Warren Harding who greeted us with a canteen of water and ham sandwiches at the summit. I have added the Zak photos as they show the upper portion of the climb not recorded by Mike. These illustrate the advances in rock climbing technique exhibited by Dean Potter’s free solo ascent and provide views of the Zig Zags and Thank God Ledge. In addition, I led both the Zig Zags and the trip across Thank God Ledge. Like Potter, I had a rope but it was around my waist providing a belay. Since the 2007 reunion, the “Regular Route” story has been told with displays by Ken Yager in the Yosemite Museum (Granite Frontiers) and Nina Johnson at the Bradford Washburn Museum of American Mountaineering. Granite Frontiers opened in an expanded version on June 10, 2009 at the Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles with plans for a national tour. Background Royal Robbins, Don Wilson, and I began our climbing adventures in the early 1950’s. The benefit of nylon rope was well established but climbing gear in general was still rather primitive. Pitons were of soft steel and bent easily, climbing shoes were simply tennis shoes, and the techniques of free and aid climbing were still under development. Royal and Don started at Stoney Point in Chatsworth north of Los Angeles and I in Mission Gorge north of San Diego. The three of us met and climbed actively together at Tahquitz Rock near Idyllwild, California beginning in 1952. We went on to Yosemite Valley in 1953 where Royal and I did the second ascent of Yosemite Point Buttress and the three of us the second ascent of the North Face of Sentinel Rock. Those experiences led to discussions of what we might consider as the next step in our climbing aspirations and two ideas surfaced. The Northwest Face of Half Dome was obvious for Yosemite while the sandstone spires of the Four Corners area were intriguing. Don and I went onto explore Half Dome in the summer of 1954 and the desert spires during Easter week of 1955. Don and I had met Warren Harding, a fun loving guy from Sacramento, who obviously was accomplished and committed to rock climbing during our trips to Yosemite. We had watched as he worked his way up the North Buttress of Cathedral Rock and then the East Buttress. Since he had not climbed at Tahquitz Rock, we invited him to a scheduled LA RCS outing over the weekend of October 2/3, 1954, where he and Royal met for the first time. During the afternoon with many of us watching from Lunch Rock, they did their first short climb together on the west side of the buttress that forms the base of the White Maiden’s Walk Away. It was a time to remember with the two of them finding themselves hanging from one short, poorly placed piton. That meeting led the four of us to attempt the Northwest Face of Half Dome the following summer in 1955. %
The Players
Royal, Lower Spire 1953 Bobbie Lilley photo
Warren on a Louisiana bill board 1962 Gallwas photo
Mike, Tahquitz Rock 1954 Sherrick collection
Mark Powell 1957 Dolt photo
Jerry, Tahquitz Rock 1954 Gallwas collection
Bill (Dolt) Feuerer Totem Pole 1957 Gallwas collection Don, Tahquitz Rock 1955 Gallwas photo &
The Inspiration View from Le Conte Memorial Lodge, 1954 Gallwas photo
Looking down the NW Face from the notch Gallwas photo
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Half Dome Northwest Face 1955 attempt During the third week in June, Royal, Warren, Don, and I hiked to the Northwest Face of Half Dome via Vernal Falls and bivouacked at the base of the face. The next morning, an unfortunate route selection for reasons I don’t remember led Royal to spend an exhausting five hours on the first two pitches. Our progress was slow and frustrating. We spent the night on a gravel covered ledge and struggled on the next day. Warren wanted to continue until our food and water ran out which would have been by the end of the third day. Don and I could see little benefit. We just didn’t have the combination for success! Simply stated, we were not at the top of our game! So on the morning of the third day, we rappelled to the base. The dynamics of the climb are revealed in the picture of the four of us in front of Government Center, page 12. Compare and contrast the body language differences between the four of us, particularly Warren and Don; Warren guarded and pugnacious, Don with the smug look of control. MN No. 271, p. 3, July 14, 1955, Don Wilson
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1955 Attempt Don, day 1, climbing up to Royal’s belay Gallwas photo
Royal, day 2, with a view of the Visor Gallwas photo
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A Sobering Experience! Royal rappelling on the morning of the third day Gallwas photo
Looking down through the chimney that should have been chosen as the route on the first day Jerry’s foot with Royal below Gallwas photo
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A Picture Worth a Thousand Words! Warren Harding, Jerry Gallwas, Royal Robbins, & Don Wilson in front of Government Center after the 1955 attempt Notice the body language difference between Warren and Don Gallwas collection
Warren from The Saturday Evening Post photo session
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!"##$%&' "% &($ )*++ ,&&$#-& Since the story of the attempt by the four of us in 1955 has only been briefly reported, three additional comments seem appropriate. First, we lost the first day due to poor route selection. On our 1957 climb, the chimney seen on page 11 just to the left of the 1955 route took only a matter of minutes to climb. Second, the discussion on the morning of the third day about whether to continue or not was philosophical in nature. Warren was a “slug it out” style person while Don was a “go light and fast” guy. I think Warren made the decision there and then that any second attempt for him on Half Dome would be without Don in the party. In his book, Downward Bound: A Mad Guide to Rock Climbing, Warren writes “This was my first experience of being the junior member of a climbing team…I began to correspond with Mark Powell about forming a team to go on Half Dome. Mark and Dolt were very agreeable, and we began planning the climb in earnest”. (In my recent discussions in 2009 with Mark Powell, he indicated that Warren only raised the Half Dome issue in the spring of 1957 when he was planning to return from Alaska.) After two long days on the 1955 attempt, the climate of consensus was gone. Warren and Don had very different perspectives as has been noted. Third, a humorous incident happened when we descended to the car parked at Mirror Lake. A crowd had gathered with a lady excitedly pointing out the climbers on the face. She was describing every move and exactly where the climbers were some 3000 feet above. We passed by with a good chuckle and packs overflowing with climbing gear.
Warren on the morning of day 3 “A time when the great decision was made” Gallwas photo
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National Press Coverage Our attempt generated some press coverage. We were contacted by The Saturday Evening Post for interviews and a photo session scheduled for a weekend in September, 1955. It was a memorable time and we took pictures in the Valley, on the West Face of Sentinel Dome, and Glacier Point. The article, They Risk Their Lives for Fun by Hal Burton, appeared in the February 25, 1956 issue. A spectacular photo of Warren taking a posed fall was printed in the San Francisco Chronicle as part of a story on his attempts on the Nose of El Capitan, page 17. The Burton article can be found on pages 57 to 62.
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The Saturday Evening Post Photo Weekend Simulated sign out at Government Center with Royal, Don, Jerry, & Warren, ranger unknown
Talking & thinking about Half Dome Don, Jerry, Warren, & Royal
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The Saturday Evening Post Photos Don, Warren, Jerry, & Royal at Glacier Point
Royal & Don on the West Face of Sentinel Dome
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The Saturday Evening Post Photos Warren was a great showman! He used The Saturday Evening Post photo in a press release to the San Francisco Chronicle.
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1957 1st Ascent Background Don and I were both students in the mid 1950s while Royal was employed at Union Bank in Los Angeles. The three of us agreed on Half Dome as the most desirable first ascent opportunity in Yosemite but for some reason Royal’s interest was not drawn to the desert spires. Don and I had visited the Four Corners area to assess the possible ascents of Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly and the Totem Pole in Monument Valley over the Easter Holiday in1955. I had met Mark Powell during Easter week of 1954 when the two of us climbed the Lower Cathedral Spire in Yosemite. Mark became an avid climber and visited Tahquitz Rock where the three of us discussed the desert spires. So it was over the Easter Holiday, 1956, that Don and I drove with Mark in his wonderfully faded chartreuse Ford convertible to Canyon de Chelly. Later that week amidst high winds and cold temperatures, we climbed the higher of the two summits. The following Labor Day weekend, we did the first ascent of Cleopatra’s Needle in New Mexico, and in June, 1957, the three of us again teamed with Bill Feuerer joining us to climb the Totem Pole in even higher winds but warmer temperatures. At this juncture, the bonds of friendship and loyalties had begun to stretch. Warren living in Sacramento and Mark in Fresno, both had easy access to Yosemite and Mark’s talents as a climber had undergone a revolution as his experience and accomplishments grew. Warren had taken a surveying assignment in Alaska during 1956 and with school and jobs, Royal, Don, and I did not think much about the upcoming climbing season of 1957. Don was a graduate student in biology at USC and was committed to a summer curriculum at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts so would not be able to climb much during the spring or summer. Royal and I had not climbed very much that spring but according to LA RCS records had attended one scheduled climb at Tahquitz in May where we did the first ascent of Step on the weekend of May 18-19. MN, No. 294, p. 3, June 13, 1957, the Step first ascent, Bobbie Lilley.
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The following week while I was studying for finals, the phone rang and quite to my surprise, it was Royal. His message was simple. Warren was returning from Alaska in a few weeks and intended to make an attempt on Half Dome with Mark. While we had not been planning a serious attempt at that time, it seemed clear that Warren and Mark were. We concluded that we had better plan and act swiftly. Certainly, if we included Warren and/or Mark but failed in the attempt, it would only be a matter of days or weeks at most before they would return for another attempt or series of attempts that we believed would ultimately be successful. Such an opportunity was not available to either of us. Royal had only one week of vacation and I was committed to work at Mammoth Lakes for the summer. Royal suggested Joe Fitschen as a possible third member of our team to replace Don (we were not ready for a two man attempt) and so we agreed to invite him. Further we agreed to meet the following weekend at our favorite breakfast spot in Idyllwild, the Koffee Kup Café, to finalize plans. At breakfast, Royal told me that he had talked to Joe and Joe could not get off work long enough for the climb. Royal suggested Mike Sherrick as a good third member of our team. I knew and had climbed with Mike at Tahquitz, so it was decided. We planned for a five day effort and each took assignments. Royal contacted Mike and I worked on the gear. That included hand forged, heat treated steel (4130 chromium molybdenum) horizontal and wafer pitons, wide angles, some Wilts’ knifeblades, and expansion bolts and drills all of which I had a supply. I bought two water bottles (plastic was expensive in those days with a gallon polyethylene bottle costing $16), the hauling bag was made from a Navy duffle bag which we named the “torpedo bag,” and with Mike’s acceptance, he volunteered to bring a camera to provide a photographic record. Many versions of events leading up to the first ascent of the Northwest Face of Half Dome have been written. They often explicitly state that detailed planning and training with specially made pitons were all elements of a grand, well thought out plan on our part. The truth is that it was very spontaneous based on Royal’s information that Warren and Mark were headed for Half Dome and his phone call to alert me. Had it been otherwise, we would have already selected a third partner knowing that Don was not available and planned our water ration and rope requirements more thoughtfully. The original published accounts of the first ascent of the Northwest Face included in this document are: MN, No. 295 July 11, 1957, p. 1, Chuck Wilts; MN, No. 297, September 12, 1957. pp. 4-5, Royal Robbins; SCB, Vol. 42, No. 10, pp. 12-13, December 1957, Royal Robbins; SCB, Vol. 43, No. 9, pp. 19-23, November, 1958, Mike Sherrick.
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Half Dome Equipment Gallwas collection
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The Equipment Publications that include some write up about the first ascents of the Northwest Face of Half Dome or the desert spires often comment about the pitons that were used. As an example, in the Bjørnstad publication Desert Rock, there is a comment about the “special aluminum channel pitons that worked in the often flaring wide cracks, made for Jerry Gallwas at the suggestion of John Salathé.” Layton Kor in Beyond the Vertical, credits the angle pitons used on the Totem Pole to Bill Feuerer. “The first ascent of the Totem Pole was by the Californians Mark Powell, Don Wilson, Bill Feuerer, and Jerry Gallwas. The climbing was almost exclusively artificial and wide aluminum channel pitons (the forerunner of the Bong-Bong), made by Feuerer, were used extensively.” More recently, Huber and Zak comment in Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing “They forged their own Lost Arrows as well as early Knife Blades.” To clarify the hardware issue, when I began climbing in 1951, the only commercial sources of pitons were those from Europe and Holubar in Colorado. Both were nicely designed, relatively expensive, and made of soft steel so were short lived as they bent easily. The benefits of hardened steel were clear from the Anton Nelson article, Five Days and Nights on the Lost Arrow that appeared in the March 1948 issue of the SCB. A picture of the Salathé design was included in the article, see page 22. A fortuitous event in the Spring of 1952 provided a solution to the soft steel piton problem. While on a backpacking trip to Carizzo Gorge with Omar Conger, we found a blacksmith’s anvil in a deserted mine. We discussed the possibility of forging our own alloy pitons in the style of Salathé and decided to carry the anvil five miles back to the car. A friend of Omar’s, Bud Bernhard, had a machine shop in Coronado so we found ourselves on non-climbing weekends learning to make pitons. We developed a Salathé-like design using aircraft steel, in this case 4130 chromium molybdenum, which I bought from a local metal supplier. Another climbing friend, Henry Mandolf, arranged to have the finished pitons heat treated to the hardness of Salathé’s. The angle pitons were made from soft steel, as were Salathé’s, and were in two configurations. One was a standard triangular cross section angle piton with a rather sharp taper for flaring cracks of the variety found at Joshua Tree National Monument. The second was from channel stock with a slightly rounded but nearly flat back and a more slight taper for cracks found at Tahquitz Rock and Yosemite. They ran up to 2.5 inches in width and could be placed back to back to span wider cracks. For very thin cracks in granite rock, we used knifeblade pitons fashioned after the design of Chuck Wilts and made at the direction of Henry Mandolf by one of his machinists. These were of 4130 chromium molybdenum steel and hardened as well.
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Salathé certainly influenced my design but unfortunately, I never met him or had direct contact. Lost Arrow brand pitons appeared in the 1960s and the name is a trademark of Chouinard, today, Black Diamond. However, characterizing the pitons we used on Half Dome as “Lost Arrows” communicates the design much more effectively today than the much more obscure Salathé reference. We used the standard “Dryvin” expansion bolts with a lead expansion shield and nail available at most hardware stores, 3/8” x 1.5”. Bolt hangers with holes for the bolt and carabiner were made from standard 1/8” aircraft aluminum sheet stock. The bong or bong-bong, originally of steel and later of aluminum, first found extensive use on El Capitan and was independently developed by Tom Frost, Dick Long, and later, Bill Feuerer.
Salathé Gallwas Lost Arrow Salathé 1940s Gallwas 1950s
Chouinard 1960s SCB, March 1948
Piton comparison ""
Hardware Comparisons
Salathé horizontals
“Dryvin” expansion bolts 3/8 X1.5 in for granite 3/8 X 2 in for sandstone
Salathé angles Notice the flat backs
Gallwas horizontals Mandolf copy of Wilts knifeblade
Gallwas angles sharp taper & flat back
Wilts & Sherrick knifeblades
Bolts designed for volcanic rock use by Omar Conger "#
The Adventure The fourth week in June 1957, Royal, Mike, and I met in Camp 4 and quite to my surprise, learned that Mark Powell and Chuck Wilts were climbing the North Wall of Sentinel Rock. Wayne Merry was working as a climbing ranger in the Valley and agreed to help us pack our gear up to the point where we would descend to the base of the face. He then would go on to place a warning sign on the Half Dome cable route advising hikers of the climbers on the face and not to throw rocks and cans off the top. The story of the ascent is well recorded in Mike’s SCB article, Vol. 43, No. 9, pp. 19-23, November 1958, and Royal’s MN article, No. 297, p. 4, September 12, 1957. There is one error common to both articles, that being the date of the 1955 attempt with Warren and Don being erroneously stated as 1954 when it actually was 1955. Variations and embellishments from those original articles in more recent third party publications are many. A final point of note is a further quote from Warren’s book. “There was a dramatic meeting with Mark and Dolt in Yosemite Valley. But we were shocked to discover that a party (Robbins, Gallwas, and Sherrick) was already on Half Dome and appeared to be making it in good order! We grumbled around the Valley for a couple of days waiting to see what would happen, but there was little doubt that Robbins’ party would be successful.” When we reached the summit, Warren greeted us with a canteen of water and a bag of ham sandwiches which were most welcome. His greeting was something to the effect, “congratulations you lucky rotten bastards.” Warren, Mark, and Dolt went onto launch the first attempt on the Nose of El Capitan.
National Park Service press release appeared in California newspapers
The telegram Jerry sent to his mother
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Post Cards
Mike and Jerry both sent post cards home, Mike to Natalie and his parents, Jerry to his mother (Auntie Pete)
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We Made It! After the last bivouac at the base of the face, we carried our gear down to Mirror Lake and headed for showers and lunch. I went to the Post Office and sent a brief telegram to my mother, page 23. The spelling errors are just as she received them. What still puzzles me is that we failed to take a photograph of the three of us when we returned to the Valley. Considering that Mike’s camera failed sometime on the third day and we were without any pictures taken high on the face or a summit photo, it is hard to imagine why we missed this last photo opportunity. My Argus C3 was in the duffel bag that I left locked in Royal’s car but somehow we just said goodbye and left the Valley without any further thought. I was two days late for work and Royal and Mike were under similar pressures. Warren, Mark, and Dolt remained in the Valley to begin their effort on the Nose of El Capitan. The first report after the National Park Service press release to the news media appeared in MN submitted by Chuck Wilts who was in the Valley climbing the North Face of Sentinel Rock with Mark Powell when we started the Half Dome climb. MN, No. 295, p. 1, July 11 1957, Chuck Wilts.
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Royal’s MN Article No. 297, Sept. 1957, p. 4 Sherrick photo
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SCB, Vol. 42, No. 10, pp. 12-13, December 1957 Royal Robbins
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Guinness Book of World Records pp. 128-9, 1987
Half Dome Aerial View from the West Ray Van Aken photo
During the summer of 1980, Jerry’s daughter, Heather, called home from summer camp with the exciting news that her dad was famous. She had climbed the cable route on Half Dome with her friends and on returning to camp looked up Half Dome in the Guinness Book of World Records. Needless to say, it was Half Dome that was famous rather than her dad. "(
Sherrick Photo Record See page 74 for photo sequence Jerry, day 1, first pitch, #2 06
Jerry, day 1, #3 07
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Sherrick Photo Record
Looking down on Royal from Mike’s knee, day 1, #4 08
Royal, day 1, #5 09
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Sherrick Photo Record Royal, day 1, #6 10
Jerry, day 1, #7 11
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Sherrick Photo Record Jerry looking east from ledges below the bolt ladder leading to the Robbins’ Traverse, day 2, #9 13 & #26 30 (last photo taken before the camera failed.
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Sherrick Photo Record Left, view of the chimney system from the 1954 reconnaissance Gallwas photo Right, the chimney system, Royal belaying , #24 28 & leading below, #22 26
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Sherrick Photo Record The Visor from low on the bolt ladder leading to the Robbins’ Traverse, day 2, #19 23
Jerry placing the bolt ladder leading to the Robbins’ Traverse, day 2, #18 22
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Sherrick Photo Record Chimney System & Visor
Jerry, day 3 at the end of pitch 10 after the pendulum, #21 25 see pp. 63 & 66
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Sherrick Photo Record With the loss of Mike’s camera, we are without photographs of the top portion of the climb. Thus, I have taken photos #18 22 & #19 23 and made a composite with a little blue sky and a dab of red on my hat. “The promise of the summit!” On pages 38 and 39, I have included pictures from Huber and Zak’s book showing Dean Potter on a free solo ascent. The Zig Zags and Thank God Ledge show the drama of the upper portion of the climb.
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Heinz Zak Photos Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing, pp. 120-121
Dean Potter’s free solo ascent: Zig Zags left, Thank God Ledge above & right Schneider, AAC J, Vol. 41, 73, p 217, 1999
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Heinz Zak Photo Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing, p. 119
Dean Potter climbing up toward Thank God Ledge
The Northwest Face of Half Dome, SCB, Vol. 43, No. 9, pp. 19-23, Nov., 1958 Mike Sherrick
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Half Dome NW Face 2nd Ascent SCB, Vol. 46, No. 8, p. 60, Oct., 1961 Joe Fitschen
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Half Dome Northwest Face 2nd & 3rd Ascents MN, No. 331, pp. 4-5, July 14, 1960 Joe Fitschen and Royal Robbins
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Robbins’ 10th Anniversary Ascent Robbins’ Collection
Liz looking up at the Visor and Royal approaching Thank God Ledge
Liz and Royal enjoying the summit. Liz was the first woman to climb a Yosemite grade VI
Liz crossing Thank God Ledge $$
The 50th Anniversary Reunion
Late one afternoon in May 2007, Sandy and I were enjoying a glass of wine in the patio at home. It dawned on me that it had been 50 years since the first ascent of the NW Face. I called Royal and Mike and we discussed a 50th reunion. Mike’s daughter, Jeannine, took the initiative and between her, Liz Robbins, and Linda McMillan the reunion was arranged in Yosemite with Lodge reservations and dinner plans. It included an evening slide show at Yosemite Lodge recounting the climb.
Jerry & Sandy outside Yosemite Lodge with Yosemite Falls in the background Gallwas collection
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Wine at the Ahwahnee Hotel Royal, Liz, Jerry, Sandy, Jeannine, Natalie, & Mike Gallwas collection
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Dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel Jerry, Royal, Liz, Jeannine, Natalie, Mike, & Sandy Gallwas collection
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50th Anniversary Presentation at Yosemite Lodge
The three of us spent the morning recounting the climb and reviewing pictures. Basically, the 50 year tune-up needed to tell a coherent story. Royal opened by summarizing the history of climbing on Half Dome. Jerry followed with an account of the 1955 attempt and Mike concluded with a detailed description of the1957 climb. Gallwas collection
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Nick Clinch Added Perspective
At the conclusion of the evening presentation by the three of us, Nick Clinch brought perspective to the ’57 ascent. Why did we take all that equipment and so little water? His answer, in short, we were scared of getting into trouble and not being able to get off the face if worst came to worst. There was no reasonable possibility of rescue. Our hardware was the best available, we had two 300-foot rappel ropes, a small first aid kit, enough food, and the Salathé “water standard” of a quart per man per day. Not enough water! Potentially a fatal flaw! The climb was every bit as big as we expected but it was longer than anything we had done before. With more experience and better planning, we would have traded rope for water.
Nick, Jerry, Royal, and Mike Gallwas collection The story of the Hinterstoisser Traverse tragedy on the North Face of the Eiger was certainly on our minds as we packed our gear. That is why we left a rope across the Robbins’ Traverse and carried the excess rappel rope. Plain lack of experience on multiday climbs and the faith in the Salathé water standard of a quart per man day left us with blind faith that it was enough! $(
American Alpine Club Award Presented to each of the three of us Special thanks to Linda McMillan & AAC
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Coffee at Camp 4 sponsored by the National Park Service Jesse McGahey (Climbing Ranger) Mike, Jerry, Royal Gallwas collection
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50th Anniversary Hosts Tom Evans & Linda McMillan
Natalie & Mike Sherrick enjoying coffee at Camp 4
Two Super Rock Climbers Dean Potter & Royal Robbins with a guy in a red hat! Gallwas collection
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Yosemite Climbing Association’s Granite Frontiers Exhibit Created by Ken Yager Gallwas collection
Jerry & Ken Yager
Sandy & Jerry *#
Granite Frontiers Exhibit Yosemite Museum, 2008 Gallwas Photos The pitons we used on Half Dome were not made especially for the climb as has often been stated. Rather, they were what we used on all the other climbs in which I was involved. The horizontals and wafers were made with the tools shown below from chromium molybdenum 4130 aircraft steel while the angles were of 1020 mild steel.
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Above are examples of the pitons including knifeblades by Chuck Wilts and Mike Sherrick. Also pictured is one of the gallon water bottles which at that time cost $16 each at a chemical supply house. I still find it difficult to throw away a gallon plastic jug that is standard for orange juice or ice tea. Somehow, they just seem too valuable for that!
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A Final Glimpse The view as Sandy and Jerry left the Valley after the 50th Anniversary Celebration Gallwas photo
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BWAMM Display Gallwas photo
The 1954 Inspiration Photo from Le Conte Lodge with Jerry, Royal, & Mike in 2007 Gallwas collection
In 2008, the Half Dome Northwest Face story was told at the Bradford Washburn American Museum of Mountaineering. A companion display covering the life and climbs of John SalathĂŠ ran simultaneously in collaboration with Ken Yager of the Yosemite Climbing Association. *%
The Saturday Evening Post Vol. 228, No. 35, February 25, 1956 pp. 34, 35, 99, 101, & 102 They Risk Their Lives for Fun, Burton
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Meyers, Yosemite Climbs, A Rock Climbing Guide to Yosemite Valley, p. 145
National Geographic Magazine, Vol. 145, No. 6, pp. 782-791, June 1974, Climbing Half Dome the Hard Way, Galen Rowell
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Ament, A History of Free Climbing in America, Wizards of Rock, pp. 73-75
The Gallwas interview on the following page is accurately quoted by Pat Ament but my quotes are flawed. It demonstrates the need to rely on and refresh one’s memory from original publications, gear, and photographs. Had I done so before the interview, I would not have given him misinformation. We naively took only 13.5 quarts of water, not 5 gallons, although we should have! We did have a first aid kit but it was only enough to satisfy the NPS requirement. We recognized that rescue was not an option.
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Roper, Camp 4, Recollections of a Yosemite Rockclimber pp. 59-62
!"#$#%&'#%()&*+,&!"# $%&'%(& )*'( +, -.-/001/2342#5674 Early ascents of the northwest face of Half Dome: 1) Robbins, Sherrick, Gallwas. June 28, 1957. 5 days. 2) Pratt, Frost, Fitschen. June 15, 1960. 2.25 days. 3) Robbins, Rearick. June 30- July 1, 1960. 2 days. 4) Layton Kor and Bob Kamps. 1961. 5) Frank Sacherer and Charlie Raymond. June 1963. 6) Robbins and Lito Tejada-Flores. June 17-18, 1963. 7) Mark Powell and Steve Roper. July 18-19, 1963. 1.5 days. 8) Allen Steck, Dick Long, John Evans. July 29-31, 1963. 9) ?? 10) Galen Rowell and Phil Berner. 1963. [three times in 1964, according to Pratt in SCB, Dec. 64] [only once in 1965, according to Pratt in SCB, Jan. 66] ["nearly a dozen times" in 1966, according to RR, Summit, 3/67] ["over 100 ascents" by July 1972, according to RR in Summit, July/Aug 72]
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Huber & Zak, Yosemite, Half a Century of Dynamic Rock Climbing, p. 42
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Sherrick Photo Record Sequence
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Labeling: 1-27 sequence #s 05-30 film #s
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Harding / Gallwas Letter
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Memorable Notes: • Each evening during the Firefall, a tradition of pushing burning embers off of Glacier Point, we would signal our well being to Wayne Merry at Mirror Lake. We used this time as visitors to the Valley would be focused on the Firefall and thus our signal would not be misinterpreted as a sign of distress. • At dinner on the evening of the 50th anniversary program, our waiter in the Mountain Broiler Restaurant asked why all the women in our party were wearing Half Dome earrings? We explained that we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the Northwest Face. He commented that he had stopped climbing but that his unknown ascent of the face a few years before had taken five hours; a note worthy effort even compared to the record times of today’s free solo climbers. Very impressive to the three of us who had spent five days on the first ascent. • The ongoing mystery is how Royal learned of Warren’s return from Alaska and his plan with Mark Powell and Bill (Dolt) Feuerer to make an attempt on Half Dome. Royal does not remember and Mark recalls that Warren only contacted him after he returned to California in the late spring of that year. It could have been that somehow during the planning discussions between Mark and Chuck Wilts for their climb of the North Face of Sentinel Rock the weekend that we arrived in the Valley, the secret was passed to Chuck and onto Royal. At this point, we can only speculate but that leak put the three of us on top whereas we might otherwise have only read about the first ascent In the newspaper. Jerry Gallwas 2524 Tarrytown Drive Fullerton, CA 92833 Yosemite Firefall E-mail: gegallwas@msn.com Viewed from Camp Curry H: 714-449-9724 Curry Company photo September 6, 2010 C: 714-343-5504 '#