Ah, the joys of recent unemployment! I went up to Squamish late last week with my new climbing partner John for some multipitch granite action. We left Thursday morning and John went on a mad shopping spree in Vancouver (cams, shoes, biners, hexes... it was like payday at Wal-Mart).

We got to Squamish in the late afternoon and scoped the place out, since neither of us had been there before. The campground at the Chief viewpoint was closed (i.e., free), with only one other tent in sight. I was itching to climb something before the beautiful blue skies turned to night, so we swung over to the Smoke Bluffs. I wanted to get on Cat Crack to boost my confidence for the next day, where we planned on doing what would be my first multipitch route. I've just started learning to lead on gear.

We wander around and end up at Penny Lane, where we got good tips on Squamish climbing from the locals:

Me: "Has someone climbed that?" (pointing at the Sheriff's Badge)
Dude: "Yup, that's the Sheriff's Badge."
Me: "Whoa."

Finally, we make it to the right spot and see a party just starting up a top rope on Cat Crack. Corner Crack's right next door and looks pretty ok, so I rack up with much gear and start up as the sun starts to set. Looking back, it was easy as hell, but I was still completely freaked out. I got to place nuts, cams, and my new big honkin' hex, so it was good practice. At the part where the crack turns into a flaring dirty corner, I flailed until I could take it no longer, only ten feet from the top. John suggested I try getting on the crack to the right. The step across was exciting, and I scrambled up the last few feet to the top, getting in one more piece along the way. John was freezing down below, glad to clean my gear to get some blood flowing. He rapped off and we walked back to the car with headlamps. I sure felt like a goober, but John gave me the minimum of razzing. He must have forgiven me for the time I let a nasty fart loose right at face level as he belayed me on my first trad lead the week before.

After a hearty dinner at Yianni's (yum!), where John downed two orders of gyros and a girly peach cider, we set up the tent. A huge tree had fallen right in the middle of the gravel pad next to ours.

The next day, filled with eggs and hash browns, we stopped at the parking lot below the Apron to get ready for some sweet granite friction. We talked with a party who had bailed on Unfinished Symphony (too wet) and a German girl and a guy who were planning on trying Diedre before any crowds showed up. On the way over, we had decided on going for Banana Peel. Outside of Smoke Bluffs, the only other climbers we saw were a couple guys who were headed for Uncle Ben's.

The German girl was belaying the guy up the first pitch of Diedre when we reached the ledge and started up. We started far to the right and ran our first pitch well into what's described as the second in the guide. I led the next and saw a single bolt between me and a crack leading through the "upper fault". Left of that was a short line of bolts up to a finger crack. I wandered up and down around the single bolt, not sure if the route went farther right, where the slab was polished and steep. Finally, I smeared up past the bolt and set up a belay at the base of the crack with three good cams. We swung leads the rest of the way. The climbing was super fun: open slabs, a big pocket here and there, laybacks on big flakes, and water-carved steps up a groove. Our last pitch was about 58 meters, from the last tree ledge to the block just below Broadway. It was windy most of the time and a little chilly, but the clouds stayed on the other side of the sound the whole time. The pair on Diedre bailed (it was wet) and caught up to us as John was setting up the last belay at the block.

On the way back down, we found a bunch of crusty oval biners in the bushes. If you can describe the corrosion and mud caked on them accurately, they're yours.

Back in town, we chowed down on Chinese food, elated at the fine route we had just experienced. John wanted to climb Mosquito, so we went back to the Smoke Bluffs and got right on it. After that and the fun bolted route to the right (Sphinx'ter Quits), we played fetch with a curious dog before heading out for Seattle.

After a stop at the duty free store to get our GST refund, John's nervous jokes at the border crossing (that guy must have something to hide), and lots of Rage Against the Machine on the radio, we got back to Seattle around 11pm.