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Dorothy, We Aren't on Havana Anymore


By Stefani Dawn
I had a plan - easy trad multi-pitch. In fact, when left to my own devices, that’s often my plan. Easy, trad, multi-pitch.
 
There is another attribute I have that often influences my plans –curiosity, boredom, the desire for “next,” whatever the label, those words translate to “I rarely climb the same route twice.” (Which is probably one reason why I don’t climb “harder” than I do…).
 
I was hanging out at the Smith Rock “bivy” campground eating breakfast and thumbing through the guidebook to find a long, easy trad route I had not yet climbed. I was hoping I could talk my husband into going on this climb with me, but he was non-committal and stirring up different plans.
 
I struck up a conversation with another woman at an adjacent table. We chatted about our recent climbs at Smith, she described how she and a friend were on a two-week road trip from California, then she lamented that her friend injured himself the day before. Since my hubby was off in “I-don’t-know-land,” I offered to climb with her.
 
She piped up with excitement and we discussed the type of climbing we liked and desired to do. "Easy trad multipitch," she said. Yes! I love this woman!
 
Since she was new to Smith, she was game for “whatever.” I proposed Havana, a 3-pitch 5.7.  The guidebook description was “A completely ignored route wanders up an obscure crack system on the north face of Red Wall.” Perfect.
 
I was reasonably familiar with the Red Wall, having done numerous climbs there, so I was not too concerned about the lack of a photo of the route. I surmised that I could deduce the location of the climb from it’s scrunched up location in the drawing and the verbal descriptions in the guidebook - “Start uphill right of Breakdown in Paradise below an ugly trough.” Perfect.
 
I assembled my trad rack – it says gear to 4-inches, so I grabbed the #5 as well. I have a habit of always taking one piece of pro larger than the largest size listed for the climb, which has saved my ass numerous times.

 
Annette (whom, for entertainment value, I will refer to as Dorothy) and I walked to the base of the wall, scrambled up steep, loose, scree, found an ugly trough of some sort, studied the cracks in the wall and geared up. I read the guidebook description - Pitch 1, “follow a flaring crack to a ledge.” Flaring crack…let’s see…there is a tiny crack that goes up a face and I can’t really see what it does, or there is a decent sized crack that goes on-and-on up a corner.
 
I pondered the use of “flaring” in the description. Flaring usually refers to inner features of a crack that you often can’t see. It is often a message that your protection may not stay in place very well. Sometimes, however, it can describe a visibly widening crack. But, since I could not see any obvious "flaring" I decided I could not really use that bit of information to help identify the climb. It did prompt me to grab an extra set of nuts, since some types of flaring cracks do better with nuts than cams.
 
I continued to study the wall and features, going back and forth between the drawing, the wall, the drawing, the wall. Really, I can’t tell shit. But that long continuous crack mesmerized me, lulled me in. That had to be the climb.
 
Upon later reflection, I realized I ignored two key words in the initial route description - “obscure crack.” Instead, I chose the other o-word – “obvious” – by deciding to climb the nice long obvious crack. I should have known the guidebook would have said “obvious” if it had the opportunity to do so.
 
I started up the first pitch and grumbled about how shitty the rock was. Why didn’t the book mention that the first 20-30 feet was a crumble-fest? Then, just as the rock quality improved, I hit a really awkward bulge with terrible feet and two options for pro – bad and worse. Fuck me.
 
At that moment no move was clear. My leg started to Elvis and my arms were getting pumped from a marathon session of looking. I did not want to fall on gear placed in crumble, so I down-climbed, tugged on my last piece to make sure it was solid, and asked Dorothy to take. As I sat and rested in relief, here was my internal conversation:

  • Wow, this ain’t no 5.7.
  • Well, Stef, it rarely is. That is why you wrote an article WTF 5.7?
  • True, there is usually at least one WTF move on trad 5.7s. Maybe this bulge is it. But why didn’t the guidebook mention the crappy rock? Didn’t this climb receive 2-stars? This is not 2-stars.
  • Who knows how those star ratings are made. You can’t expect every guidebook author to have climbed a climb and confirmed the description. He did say it was rarely climbed, and that usually means loose rock.
  • I’m considering bailing.
  • Really? Come on, you can do this. It’s a 5.7 for crying out loud! Plus, I don’t see any natural features you can use to lower. You will lose gear.
  • Damn.
 
I studied the area above closely and prepared a small cam and several nut options for the tiny crack to the right of the bulge. “Climbing” – I called down. Slack entered the rope.
 
At the bulge I fumbled with gear, Hail Mary-ied, and hulked my way past with grunts that echoed across the surrounding walls. “Jesus!” I yelled and finally slammed a piece in the crack above me. “That was it, the crux move” I thought to myself, allowing some relief to flood my body. But the bulges and tricky moves kept coming. WTF was the theme thus far.
 
I finally reached a spot that I wouldn’t call a ledge (the guidebook said there was a ledge...), but, rather, “ledge-ish.” So I built an anchor and brought up Dorothy. She arrived with a look of half-pride and half-dismay, “Nice work,” she offered, “I’m glad I didn’t lead that.” I appreciated the confirmation that the pitch was definitely a damn-hard 5.7.
 
I asked her if she wanted to lead the next pitch. “Sure!” she piped up.  Thinking we might still be on Havana, I read her the Pitch 2 description. “Jam and lieback to an unexposed shelf.”
 
“That sounds good,” she replied
 
Dorothy then graced her way up the corner and followed the crack onto a slabby face.
 
“This rock is really slick!” she yelled down. “There is a ton of lichen.” She gingerly placed the balls of her feet on the rock to maximize friction. Bits and pieces of debris rained down. She made her way past the slab, back into a corner system and then stopped.
 
“I am going to stop here. There is a good sized roof.”
 
What? Did she say roof?
 
She built an anchor and brought me up into this cramped spot where our bodies collided and fought the odd angle. The roof above prevented any upright body position.
 
“Thanks for your lead Dorothy, nice work on that slab!”
 
“Slab – not my favorite. I was counting on layback and jamming!” She was right. That pitch had nothing that sounded like Pitch 2 of Havana.
 
“Dorothy, I think we are on the wrong climb,” I finally verbalized what had been swimming in my head.
 
“Oh shit,” she replied. “Should we bail?”
 
I had been considering that option quite seriously, especially with a roof pressing up against my face.  I leaned over to see if the upward slope of the hill would make a rappel possible by bringing the ground closer. No such luck. Even if I left gear, I didn’t think the 70m would get us to the ground. Unless I donated a significant portion of my trad rack to rap down the route, we needed to finish this climb.
 
I inspected the roof. It was split by a large crack – it would only take a #5 down low (thank God for the #5!) and the crack widened as it moved upward. There were no holds on the face. The only way up was in – a fucking offwidth.
 
“Sorry, Stef, I don’t want to lead this,” Dorothy admitted. I whimpered. I wished Dorothy could tap her heels three times and make it all better.
 
Looking for alternatives to the roof, I tried to peer around the right side. I could not see much, just a thin, unprotectable ledge that lead somewhere. I was faced with the choice of going with what I could see  – a roof offwidth with what appears eventually lead to a big ledge – or going with the unknown – an unprotectable thin traverse that lead to what - perhaps another unprotectable roof offwidth? The inability to backtrack, the lack of protectably on the traverse, the swing potential of a fall, and the rope drag from going around a corner compelled me to choose what I could see – straight up, into the crack.
 
I gathered my wits and listened to the laugher of children as they skipped along the main trail below. I was tempted to just yell out “help!”

"Climbing.” I mustered with the enthusiasm of a deflated balloon. 
 
Standing on my tip toes, I worked my arms in and high and prayed my feet wouldn’t slip. I felt around for something, anything, to grab. There was a small lip inside. I grabbed and pulled up with all my might, yelling at the top of my lungs. I wedged in, precariously, then placed the #5 in the huge crack (did I say thank God for the #5?!).
 
I inched upwards and desperately pulled a foot up into the crack, almost knocking the cam. I wished I could stand on it, but, as it was, it floated there on very little, threatening to walk back into the crack that opened wide above and behind it.
 
I fought further into and up the now-unprotectable crack, struggling for every upward movement. My whole body shook from adrenaline, fear, and frustration. “Fuuucccckkkk! Fuuccckkk this!! Mother fuuucker!!!” I screamed without a second thought of the parents who might have to explain to their kids what is happening way up high on the rocks.
 
I was as committed as committed could be – half a body in a crack, one piece of sketchy pro now far beneath me, and a ledge in sight above. There was no choice but to finish.
 
Now, some people like this kind of rock climbing – where commitment and fear force you to excel and push boundaries. People speculate, how would you know your limits if you never pushed them? Wise claims are made like “getting sandbagged makes you a better climber.” True for some, but I will take my soft, warm, comfy zone of easy trad multipitch, thank you very much. Why? Because it’s easy, fun, and sprinkled with a manageable amount of spice. But, at that moment wedged high above my pro, I was not getting a little douse of Tobassco. I was getting a whole damn bottle ghost pepper hot sauce.
 
Yes, I made it – out of pure, utter desperation. If you can imagine the most ungraceful, panicked, clawing, beached-whale exit you have ever seen, that was me. And once on tierra firma, I cried in relief.
 
After my teary release while splayed flat on the ledge, I added more pro and built the anchor. Once on belay, Dorothy wedged her way partially up the roof, grabbed the #5, then bailed, opting to give the ledge traverse a go. Turns out there is a la-de-da 5.easy path to the top around the corner. Fuck me.
 
*** Post assessment – I tried to determine if this climb has been named or graded. I know we are not a first ascent (Smith has been climbed so much it’s almost impossible to have a trad first ascent). I contacted local guides, looked on Mountain Project, and posted to a Portland rock climbing Facebook group, to no avail. So Annette (aka Dorothy) and I conversed and decided to grade the pitches as follows: P1 – 5.10a; P2 – 5.9; P3 – 5.11a. Someday I will find out what others rate the climb. It will probably be a 5.7. ****


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          • FRANCE - Verdon in Winter
          • GREECE - Meteora
          • ITALY - Dolomites
          • MEXICO - La Huasteca
          • SPAIN - Artist - Karmelo Onate
          • UTAH - Maple Canyon: This One Makes You Taller
        • Honoring Diversity >
          • ARTIST: Shawn Lee
          • A Shift on Moonlight Buttress
          • Claiming a Space on the Mountain
          • Colorblind
          • Feature Photographer: Bryan Sillorequez
          • Is Diversity in America Diverse?
          • MOVIE: People of Climbing:
          • Profile - Favia Dubyk
          • The Lineage
        • Joshua Tree >
          • Bouldering: JTree Made Me Do It
          • Improv at JTree: Bad Bolts
          • JTree: Bolting Pressure Cooker
          • Joshua Tree: Heinous Approaches
        • Overcoming Boundaries >
          • Photographer - Brook Anderson
          • Profile - Louise Shepherd
          • Profile - Megan Banker
          • Profile - Shawn Axelrod
          • Rock Type 1
          • The Tape Job
        • Women's Edition >
          • Editorial - Women's Edition
          • Climbing is My Art
          • Mt. Logan Solo
          • Photographer - Michelle Ranee Johnson
          • Profile - Caitlin Schokker
      • Non-Themed Editions >
        • April 2020
        • May 2020
        • June 2020
        • August 2020 >
          • Online Auction
          • Editorial August 2020
        • September 2020
        • October 2020
        • November 2020
        • December 2020 >
          • Anthology 2020 Sponsors
        • January 2021
        • March 2021
    • Topics >
      • Adaptive Climbing >
        • Adaptive Climbing Edition
        • El Capitan: Enock Glidden
        • Quinn Brett Interview
        • My Journey to Adaptive Rock Climbing
        • Planning for Mt. Rainier: Adaptive Climbing
        • Resources - Adaptive Climbing
      • Alpine & Ice >
        • California Still Has Untouched Climbing Wilderness
        • Ice Solo
        • Mt. Ogden Spanking
        • Mt. Whitney Whipping
        • My Common Alpine Epic
      • CC Profile >
        • Profile - Shawn Axelrod
        • Profile - Megan Banker
        • Profile: Wendy Bruere - More Than It Hurts
        • Profile - Favia Dubyk
        • Profile - Debbie Fowler
        • Profile - Lindsey Hamm
        • Profile - Sabine Pratt Hunziker
        • PROFILE - Marisa Michael - Nutrition for Climbers
        • Profile - Caitlin Schokker
        • Profile - Louise Shepherd
      • CoVID and Climbing >
        • COVID Climbing Memes
        • CoVID-19 Remakes Our Lives
        • Dear Memory
        • From Couch to Lifting Couches
        • How to Climb and Avoid the Corona Virus
        • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • The 5.10 Commandments
        • Trying to Send this Route
      • Equipment (writings) >
        • Aliens!
        • A Rack Retrospective
        • Cam Ranges (+ Big Bros)
        • Carabiner Strength Ratings
        • Climbing Shoes Fit
        • Guide Book Follies
        • Rope Buying 101
        • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
        • The One Item to Stockpile
        • Which Way Should I Carry My Trad Rack?
        • Why GriGris Suck
        • 8 Reasons I Carry a Full Rack on Every Trad Climb
      • Facebook Feature >
        • FF: Big Walls
        • FF: Butt Shots
        • FF: Exploring Our World
        • FF: Overcoming Boundaries
        • FF: Trees & Climbing
        • FF: Welcome New Climbers
      • Grades, Styles, & Types >
        • Bouldering-Falling
        • Bouldering Grade Advancements
        • Grading Climbs at the Gym
        • It's a F-ing Chimney
        • Onsight vs Flash vs Etc...
        • Top 10: Increase the Climbing Grade When...
        • Trad Climbing is for Chicken Sh*#s
        • WTF 5.7?
        • 18 Climber Types: Which Are You?
      • Kids >
        • Family Stages
        • The Guidebook
      • Legends >
        • B - Joe Brown
        • G - Brad Gobright
        • G - Todd Gordon
        • H - Hugh Herr
        • H - Thomas Huber - In Another World - A Personal Climbing Journey
        • J - Saxon Johns
        • M - Tim Macartney-Snape: ​A Legend from Sea to Summit
        • M - John Middendorf
      • Mental-Physical >
        • Climbing Training Series >
          • Improving Hip Mobility
          • Rock Climber Mobility
          • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • A Climb Worth Fighting For
        • Achilles
        • Everyone Around Me Is Better Than I Am
        • Fear, Pride, and Exploration
        • How Auto-Immune Disease Affected My Climbing
        • Mastering Joy on Easy Street
        • Mind, Body, and Soul
        • My Demon Has a Name
        • New Year's Resolutions
        • Of Cartoons and Quickdraws
        • Push and Pull
        • Sorcerer and the Kidney Stone
        • Take Risks - You'll Remember Them Later
        • The Art of Climbing Without Rock
        • The Devil's Game
        • The Taste of Climbing
        • 12-Weeks to Onsighting a 5.8
      • Other/Misc >
        • Assault on Schurman Rock
        • Book Club
        • Climbing, Community, and the U.S. Presidential Election
        • Climbing Drinking Games
        • Climbing Gyms: The Gateway Drug
        • Climbing Hands
        • Climbing in the Bare Essentials
        • Climbing Resolutions
        • Demented Dirtbag
        • Don't Take Granite for Granite
        • Dorothy, We Aren't on Havana Anymore
        • Guatemalan Worry Dolls Go Climbing
        • No Health Insurance Changed How I Climb
        • Snakes and Ladders
        • Starting Over
        • The Adventure of A Lifetime - So Far
        • The Bane of Northwest Climbing
        • The Pink Tricam
        • Things of Stone and Wood
        • Zac the Interloper
      • Places & Climbs >
        • Climbs >
          • Consolation Prize
          • Flakes and Shakes: Flake Crack Revisited
          • From Yorkshire to Eternity
          • Tiptoeing Through Some Bungles
          • Tombstone Territory
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
        • Location Reviews
        • My Home Crag >
          • Climbing in the Upper Cumberland Valley, Kentucky
          • Drytooling in the Rain - Wayne's World, WA
          • My Home Crag: Nowra, NSW, Australia
        • Travel Stories >
          • Blue Mountains - Bliss: Climbing in the Blueys
          • Buenos Aires, Argentina Crag
          • Colorado - Calling Pat Ament
          • Coolum Cave - Sendfest 8
          • Ecuador - A Nation of Four Worlds
          • El Potrero Chico - Riding the Dirty Dog
          • Yosemite: Growing Up
          • Lover's Leap - Zone of Craptitude
          • Rio de Janeiro - Classic Climbs Sampler
          • Taghia, Morocco - Hardly Failing
          • Tasmania - Legend of the ‘Unclimbable Cliff’
          • Thailand - Lost and Found: A Mini-Epic in Paradise
          • Vedauwoo, WY
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
          • 20 World Destinations for Adventurous Climbing
        • 2020 U.S. Rock Climbing Festivals
      • Poetry/Prose >
        • Anti-Social Climbers
        • Sojourn at Dyuritte
        • Finding Poetry
        • Ice is Nice
        • The Space Between
      • Safety and Skills >
        • Bolting and Ground-Fall Potential
        • Euro-Death Knot is NOT
        • Multi-Pitch Tips: Two ATCs
        • Sketchy Anchor Bolts
        • Sliding-X Anchor
        • Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip
        • Top 10: Climbing Best Practices
      • Science Fiction >
        • Red Curtain: Prologue
      • Social, Social Media, & Social Issues >
        • Chossy Trio Renegades
        • Climbing into the Fold
        • Diversity in Climbing is Not a Bandwagon
        • Fuck "Gumbies" and "Noobs"
        • Montana, My Home: Claire Larson
        • My Husband Climbs Stronger than Me
        • Navajo Rising
        • Social Network Rescue
  • Marketplace
    • Butora
    • Climbing Addicts Colored Chalk
    • Climb-On Maps
    • Dynamite Starfish
    • FIXEhardware
    • Furnace Industries
    • Grimpi
    • Heroclip
    • MoveWell with McGee
    • Mystery Ranch
    • Neilico
    • NW Alpine
    • Rockytalkies
    • Tension Climbing
  • Reviews
    • Books >
      • Advanced Rock Climbing Book Review
      • Adventures at the Edge of the World
      • Climbing Rock: Vertical Explorations Across North America
      • Hangdog Days Book Review
      • HOOKING UP: The Ultimate Big Wall and Aid Climbing Manual
      • Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
      • The Sharp End of Life: A Mother's Story - Book Review
    • Equipment/Gear Reviews >
      • Belay Device Review >
        • Edelrid Mega Jul
      • Harnesses >
        • ArcTeryx-FL-365
        • Misty Mountain Cadillac
      • Packs and Bags >
        • Sukoa Chalk Bag Review
        • Trango Crag Pack
      • Personal Anchor Systems >
        • Camp-Daisy-Twist
        • Petzl-Dual-Adjust
      • Other >
        • Dr. Piton's Review of the D4 Delta2P Portaledge
    • Location Reviews >
      • Australia >
        • Queensland, Australia >
          • Kangaroo Point Photos and Beta
          • Kangaroo Point Review
        • New South Wales Australia >
          • Blue Mountains >
            • Blue Mountains Photos and Beta
            • Blue Mountains Review
          • Nowra >
            • Nowra Review >
              • Nowra Photos and Beta
      • Mexico >
        • Potrero Chico Photos and Beta
        • Potrero Chico Review
      • United States >
        • Climbing Area Check List - U.S. >
          • Climbing Area Check List Part 1: Alabama to California
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 2: Colorado to Michigan
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 3: Minnesota to New Mexico
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 4: New York to Wyoming
        • Arizona >
          • Queen Creek Canyon
        • California >
          • Joshua Tree >
            • Joshua Tree Tips
          • Mount Whitney >
            • Mount Whitney Photos and Beta
        • Idaho >
          • City of Rocks >
            • City of Rocks Photos and Beta
            • City of Rocks Review
        • Oregon >
          • Smith Rock >
            • Smith Rock - Photos and Beta
            • Smith Rock Review
          • Spring Mountain >
            • Spring Mountain Review
            • Spring Mountain - Photos and Beta
          • Trout Creek >
            • Trout Creek Photos and Beta
            • Trout Creek Review
        • Nevada >
          • Gun Club
          • Keyhole Canyon
          • Mt. Charleston, Nevada
          • Red Rock Canyon >
            • Red Rock Canyon Review - Yeahs and Neahs
            • Red Rocks Photos and Beta
        • New Hampshire >
          • North Conway, NH
          • Rumney, NH
        • New York >
          • Gunks Review
        • Utah >
          • Echo Canyon
          • Ferguson Canyon >
            • Ferguson Canyon Photos and Beta
            • Ferguson Canyon Review
          • Ibex >
            • Ibex Photos and Beta
            • Ibex Review
          • Maple Canyon >
            • Maple Canyon, Utah Photos and Beta
            • Maple Canyon Review
          • Moab >
            • Moab - Main - Photos and Beta
            • Moab -Main - Review
          • St. George >
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall- Photos and Beta
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall - Review
        • West Virginia >
          • Seneca Rocks
        • Wyoming >
          • Ten Sleep
  • Photographers & Artists
    • A- Brook Anderson
    • B - Florian Beyer
    • C - Karen Chan
    • D - Daga Dygas
    • F - Eric Fallecker
    • G - Max Gordon
    • J - Michelle Ranee Johnson
    • K - Christine Kuebler
    • L - Shawn Lee Illustrator
    • M - Alex Messenger
    • N - Tiffany Nardico
    • O - Charlie OlGrady-Kessner
    • O - Karmelo Onate
    • O - Camila Ospina
    • P - Diego Perez
    • S - Bryan Sillorequez
    • S - Stephen Smithburger
    • S - Matt Spohn
    • V - Laura Vallo
    • W - Joel Wilson
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  • About Common Climber
    • Why I Started Common Climber
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  • Authors
    • B - Stephanie Bahnsen
    • B - Dave Barnes >
      • Dave Barnes Extended Bio
    • B - Austin Beck-Doss
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    • B - Brianna Boney
    • C - Carrot
    • C - Radek Chalupa
    • C - Erin Collins
    • C - James Crump
    • D - Stefani Dawn
    • F - Tony Ferrar
    • G - Joshua G
    • G - Leesa Gallia
    • G - Naomi Gibbs
    • G - Enock Glidden
    • G - Max Gordon (Contributor)
    • H - Grey Hensley
    • J - Jonathan
    • K- Melissa Kline
    • K - Christine Kuebler
    • M - Collin McGee
    • M - Aaron Mike
    • M - Rick Momsen
    • M - Jesse Montgomery
    • O - Maggie Odette
    • P - Emilie Pellerin
    • P - Brice Pollock
    • P - Paul Pritchard
    • R - Monique Richard
    • R - Juan Rodriguez
    • S - Lor Sabourin
    • S - Jess Sanson
    • S - Jeff Smoot
    • T- Frothy Thomson
    • T - Wil Treasure
    • T - Matt Tredway
    • W - Kirby Walke
    • W - Hugh Ward
    • W - Wayne Willoughby
    • W - Lani Wilson
    • Z - Peter Zabrok