Pitches
Two & Three
The second pitch was very much like the first, but I encountered a few sections of rock that were just plain crap! I had to downclimb a couple times in order to detour around the loosest sections. With a little work, I finally found a decent path upward.
The second pitch finished out the dihedral that the first pitch had
begun, and we gained the first of many large ledges we would occupy throughout the day. The route up Grassi Ridge follows a series of large steps separated by steep walls. Because of this
stepped nature of the ridge, once you're on the climb you cannot see the summit and it was always hard to tell how much further
you have to go (especially without a topo). Our best measure of progress was to observe the peak just to the south which is about the same height
as the one we were climbing. While we had already gained quite some
height above the lake (much of it on the approach), looking over at our
neighboring peak I could tell we had a long way to go!
Once I climbed onto the ledge I headed for what seemed like the best place to build an anchor. Lo and behold, there was another fixed anchor already there! Apparently my climber's instincts seemed to be well tuned today!
On
pitch three, instead of heading straight up the ridge which looked rather steep
and exposed, I snuck to the right into a bit of a corner that looked like it would provide
more secure climbing. As it turned out the quality of the rock deteriorated quickly in the direction I had
chose. (So much for my instinct!) Luckily the pitch was short. I managed to
find enough pro and tiptoe my way up it without dislodging anything large.
