DSC03389 Photo courtesy Bill Bushnell

Mammoth Trip, 2026

September 11

Climbing



Stella in the crack.



On the half-moon crimp, and finishing the traverse.

From here she still has maybe the hardest part to go where she nearly gave up: the bulge in the upper crack. -F.

What half-moon crimp? There's nothing! Eventually I found it--a nearly invisible indentation that I could just get my fingernails into, really no help at all. I struggled and fell many times. Jo got her workout belaying me. I was ready to cry. But I was determined not to give up.

Eventually, I leaned on the tension of the rope enough to reach the upper crack. I squeezed up a few moves and started trying to muscle over the bulge. But I was just too tired to get over it. Damn! After all this effort! Finally, I moved left onto the headwall and danced en pointe to the anchor. S.