We rappelled the lines to the pitch dubbed “the big dipper” and I took the lead to work the pitch and for some photos of my own. This certainly was the most challenging climbing on the wall and would be the feared pitch for future climbing parties. While racking up, I was still yawning and a bit nervous because I had only tried the moves while on top rope and was unsure whether the protection bolts that I placed were in the best locations.

I took the lead and hung on a piece to rest before the difficult climbing. Even though I was extremely scared and nervous about the pitch I knew that it had to be worked out and this was the only way. I fell a few times on an original Royal Robbins button head placed thirty some years ago. “Cool, it is still safe!” I continued up the overhanging and left traversing underclinging pitch past the new 3/8 inch bolts that I had placed the days before. Fall after fall, I learned the perfect sequences through the difficult and strenuous climbing. “Rest here, a bad hold there, don’t fall while clipping here. Ahhh”! As I was clipping the second last bolt of the crux section, I blew the clip, got my leg caught in the rope and took an upside down head first twenty five foot fall onto my right palm, forearm and lower back. Luckily my head avoided contact. I was winded from the fall and once I caught my breath and Mike checked to see whether I was ok, I decided to continue. I hauled myself back to my highpoint and attempted to pull back onto the rock when I realized that my lower back was in extreme pain and that I couldn’t even perform simple movements.

My day was over. Their day was over. The trip was over. The task now was to make sure that first, I could get off the wall and second, that I could get to the valley below. Those tasks were made more difficult when I realized that I couldn’t take off my climbing shoes, I was in too much pain. I was fighting back the tears as Mike carefully removed my shoes and assisted me in anyway necessary. As I slowly jugged up the fixed lines, each and every movement was painful. Thoughts of getting to the car, which could take just under two and a half hours on a good day, clouded my thoughts. When I finally reached the top of Half Dome and I tried to walk I was happy to find out that I could, but unhappy with knowing the fact that I knew that I might never return to this amazing piece of climbing again, that I would be unable to help Mike in retrieving all the gear that we have stashed hours away from the car and feeling bad that I let him down in that he may not be able to complete the task of freeing Arcturus.

So, it is here that I sit at Todd Skinner’s place; so, it here that I sit in pain with every movement. The sky is still blue, the clouds are building as morning turns into afternoon again and this rest/recovery day is dragging. So, it is here that I write this entry while eating and re-hydrating, hoping for the miracle recovery. So it is here that I sit wishing that I could snap my fingers and feel invincible again and be able to tackle any challenge. Pearl Jam plays as I write and as the music’s intensity builds, so does my desire to rise above the pain and get back on the wall that deserves to be completed.

I will return to complete the giant task of freeing the big stone. I will return with Mike. I will recover and find the energy and skill to finish what we started.

Read part 2 and Read part 3. See more photos by Andrew Burr from Arcturus, Half Dome.