4 Peaks Mother Lode

[LongStoryShort]

Where do I start? I don't have much experience climbing, actually, I have no experience climbing, but the 4 Peaks was one of those things on my "things to do before I die" list. Why? I don't know, it wasn't so much the appeal of the mountains, but the appeal of the adventure. My best friend Ken (Desert-Boonie), and 3 time Mother Loder, suggested that this might be the last weekend to get it in before it got too hot. So I figured I'm as prepared as I'm ever going to be, and I told him I'm in.

Later that week.....

Ken calls me and tells me that we may have another climber with us. I knew instantly who it was, our friend Kim (Kim*). I was kind of surprised, and he told me that he told her that this was a serious event and it was no joke. I didn't have much room to talk, because I was a first timer as well. Kim didn't know for sure if she was going to do it, she was nervous and afraid of heights (me too...). So the ongoing joke was that she was going to crew for us, and be our cook.
Friday rolls around and Kim is in. She's going to meet us the following morning and she's going to attempt the Mother Lode. So I head to Ken's for the night, we have a couple of Blue Moons (you never know, they may be your last) and watch some classic NBA reruns. I hit the sack around 1030 and Ken got to bed sometime around 0100 I think? The alarm went off at 0330 and I was up and ready by 0400. We hit the road and went to meet Kim at a Wendy's parking lot and off we were to the 4 Peaks. Ken had his Camelback with water, ade, gels, bars, and some extra emergency gear. He was in some Vasque half climbing-half hiking shoes and shorts. Kim had a small Camelbak with maybe 60 oz of water, a bar and some beef jerky, and she was in Adidas trail running shoes. Always the minimalist. I had my MULE, water, ade, gel, etc., and a pair of The North Face trail runners, it was the best I could do.
We hit the trail at 0616. We decided to go south to north, starting off at peak 4. We saw the mine and the weird shack that's up there and Kim and I wondered who worked up there and how they must be in good shape to hike up there everyday. The hike up to 4 was pretty routine, nothing too crazy. We got up there and wrote our names in the can. Spirits were high and we were off to peak 3. Peak 3 was also pretty easy, nothing too crazy. We were halfway done and we were pretty pumped. The view from up there is absolutely amazing. We took a picture and headed down to the saddle between 2 and 3. Here it started to get a little harder. I don't do well with heights, and neither does Kim. It's funny how the ridge is on this mountain, it's literally a ridge, you can have one foot on one side, and the other foot on the other side. We finally got to the saddle, and we were still in a pretty happy mood, joking around and what not. So Ken told us, "Ok, seriously now, this is the hardest part, don't BS and stay focused." So we started some pretty decent climbing. We got to a slope that looked pretty huge. I don't know how high it was, but it was big. Ken went first, and it seemed like he made it up in a couple of minutes. Kim went second and I waited to give her some room. At this point none of us were saying anything, and we were all concentrating on climbing this slope. Finally I went. I told myself just to focus on getting the holds and thinking ahead. I knew in the back of my mind that there was a huge drop behind me and that I couldn't make any mistakes. I didn't think of that though, in fact, I don't even want to think about it now. I just stayed focused on the holds and getting up inch by inch. I guess that fear really intensifies your senses, I felt more aware and more focused because of the situation. I would look up every now and then and see Ken looking down at us and Kim making good progress too. Finally I made it up this slope and I looked up and much to my dismay, there was another slope, pretty much the same size. At this point, there wasn't any disappointment, it was just, "Well, let's do this." So off we went. This slope went pretty much the same as the the first one. One thing I noticed is that you use pretty much every muscle in your body when you're climbing and it's different than any other type of execise because your muscles are constantly engaged. While you're looking for your next hold, you're holding on, so you're working your muscles the whole time. So we make it up this slope and this is where it got interesting....there was a 15 foot high rock wall, about 5 feet wide, very close to the top of peak 2. There was about a 300 foot drop on either side and there weren't many holds on the rock. In fact, Ken grabbed the hand holds, pulled himself up like spiderman and switched his feet with his handholds and got up relatively quickly. Kim was next and her upperbody strength was zapped from the slopes, so she had trouble pulling herself up. So I went up to where she was and I acted like a foot hold for her and gave her a little boost. She got up to the wall, and now had to do what Ken had just done. I watched her try a few times, but it was tough an she couldn't get a comfortable hold. Meanwhile, I was holding on the the rock below as tight as I could, and I put my face in the rock and tried to stay focused. A million thoughts went through my head. It's crazy when you're up there, nothing else in the world matters, the only thing that matters is right then and there, right in front of you. It was an experience that I'll never forget. So Kim is still trying to get up with no avail. Luckily, we had our Sherpa for the day with us. Ken lowered some polychord and Kim put it around herself for some security. Once they did that, she got up relatively easy. So now it was my turn, only I had no one to act as a foothold for me. Luckily for me and me 14 inch guns I pulled myself up to the wall. I felt pretty good on the slope, and I had learned the very basics of climbing, but my confidence was nowhere near high. So I gladly took the polychord from Ken. I grabbed the hand holds and pulled up, and found a foothold on the side of the rock. I used that for a second then shifted my feet up. I had a slight advantage, and that is long legs and long arms. My upper body is relatively strong, so I only need a tiny foothold, and I was able to reach up to the top of the rock and pull myself all the way up. All those pullups really payed off! So I got up and breathed a huge sigh of relief. We both told Kim, "Great job." and she did the same for us. Ken told us that we were done with the hardest part of our day and we went on. It was still tough from then on, just not as much exposure. We got up to the summit, and did some congratulating, but not too much, we still had one more to go. We wrote in the can and took our picture and off we went.
We got down to the sadddle and started to head up to Brown's. The hardest part of this peak was the bushwhacking. My legs looked like I got into a fight with a mountain lion. All of our legs actually looked like that.....Nothing especially hard about this peak, but we were still climbing constantly and I could feel every muscle fiber in my body was zapped and shook with every contraction. Pure adrenaline kept us going though. It was during the Brown's ascent that I used my signature technique of "tree surfing". I invented this technique through a combination of lack of skill, inexperience, and not wanting to get scratched up by more bushes. Sometimes there are rocks you can step on, but there's trees and bushes in the way. So what I would do, is find a branch that's weak enough to bend but strong enough not to break, and stand on it so it would bend down to the ground. I would get a handhold on a rock above, then pull myself up. The tree would then lift me up as it springs back up, and my weight comes of of it. I later told Ken about this and he laughed and made the Super Mario Bros. sound. So we finally got up to Brown's peak, and there was a whole group of boyscouts up there. Everyone was talking to us, amazed that we had done all 4 peaks, asking us all kinds of questions. Some other Mother Loders arrived shortly afterwards, we had seen them behind us the whole time, and we congratulated them. We took our picture and hung out for a minute. One guy gave us an apple and Kim gave me part of her bar. I had one of mine and a gel, and a huge gulp of water and ade. We were pretty much done, just a hike back down to the jeep. So we start to head down and apparently some of the boyscout people were stuck in the chute and there was a huge traffic jam. We were growing impatient, because we had cold beer to drink. While we were standing there, some dork above us kept kicking rocks down and shouting, "Rocks!". It became increasingly annoying....The kids all had snow, which they were eating (which is disgusting) and the kid on front of us got hit square in the face by a snowball from above. Everyone laughed, including us. The kid shouted, "Just wait till we get back to the camp, it's gonna be a rock!" We laughed again. Finally we slipped by the people and flew down the chute, laughing and acting like idiots because we were pretty happy to be done. We finally got down to the Jeep and cheered and hugged each other. We headed down the road, and then something strange happened. Some guy went to the forrest road of all places, and tried to kill himself by putting a hose from his exhaust into his car and drinking a bottle of niquil. Someone found him and broke the window and called the sheriffs, and they blocked the road because they sent the chopper to helivac him out of there. We were definately annoyed. We got help up for about 45 minutes and finally they cleared the road and let us go. We went to the 4 Peaks Grill and Tap for some Hopknot brews and cheeseburgers. And that was that.

Ken, you are an awesome climber. It takes a lot to do the Mother Lode, but it took even more to get yourself through it as well as guide us through it, all while making us feel more confident and calm. Kim, you are one tough chick! I was as worried about you as I was about me before we started, but once we were there, I had confidence in you. I especially felt more confident seeing you go ahead of me and doing the difficult parts first. There were some tricky spots you got yourself into, but I knew you would pull through each time. I would have never done this without Ken as our guide, and Kim as our partner. We worked as a team and got ourselves through it and I know we all grew up a little bit. Last but not least, my hat goes off to anyone that has ever done this hike, and all climbers in general. Thanks Ken and Kim! Here's to you guys!
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Happiness is being high on the food chain.

[JW]

So we make it up this slope and this is where it got interesting....there was a 15 foot high rock wall, about 5 feet wide, very close to the top of peak 2. There was about a 300 foot drop on either side and there weren't many holds on the rock.

Excellent job, you guys! On one trip, I was in the place you describe above. I was the last of our group and as I was looking up trying to plan the hand-holds and foot-holds; well, while using both hands and both feet to hang on the wall, sweat ran down my forehead into my eyes blinding me! I couldn't spare a hand, so I had to hang there and shake my head for a few minutes...Now I always climb with a neckerchief around my neck!

Today my companion and I were hiking from Canyon Lake to hang in the Supes. As we drove out there we checked the views of the Four Big Ones. A solo south-to-north calls me! The daylight to temps ratio says do it soon...JW

PS - excellent write-up!
_________________
What a magnificent time to LIVE! - Everett Ruess.

Since my house burned down, I now own a better view of the rising moon. - Masahide.

[KIM*]

Great write-up JC.
Gosh, what a tough hike. Every single muscle in my body hurts. I woke up this morning feeling like I had a huge hangover. I practically had to roll out of bed because I was in so much pain, and when I looked down at my legs, both of my knee's were bruised.... plus I had bruises up and down my right leg.
I don't remember being that sloppy of a climber!!!! But, I don't remember much because I was so focused on the climb. The hike up the second peak took so much out of me that I don't know where I found the strength to get down the second peak and up Brown's. The strength came from my partners. They were always encouraging me and telling me, "great job". I can't express how much that helped me.
I will never forget when I got a little distracted talking to JC, and I slipped on a rock, fell, and rolled a few feet. When I stood up, I realized I rolled over a cactus because I could feel the thorns in my butt . Of course, I had to pull them out and Ken, the gracious man that he is, offered me(with a huge smile on his face) his pliers and his assistance .

A BIG thanks to Ken for driving, for being our guide, for being patient, and for motivating me.
JC- thanks for putting this on your "to do" list. Otherwise, I probably would've never had done this hike because it was never going to be on my "to do" list...I just thought it was too crazy and hard of a hike. Thanks for being a foot stool when I needed it and for encouraging me.

I give props to anyone who has done this hike...Tim, George, ArizonaHeat(I saw your name on the log sheet), and Ken( 4 times!!! ). Great job.

[Davis2001R6]

[LongStoryShort]

Yes it looks something like that, and by something like that, I mean exactly like that! lol! Timmy, I thought you'd like my tree surfing! Similar to the boulder surfing technique I developed at the West Fork Wade, remember that one? "Once you committ...."
_________________
Happiness is being high on the food chain.

[Davis2001R6]

Oh yeah, the "just run and leap thing"

[azbackpackr]

Just loved this story! Not sure I could do that type thing anymore. I'm pretty fit in the legs, not in the arms, etc., nor am I any longer very flexible. I could do something like that with a rope and belay, I guess. Probably I should do some training with weights, etc. Anyway, the write-up was good--gave a good picture of what went on in your adventures and mis-adventures!

[Arizonaheat]

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Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

[Nighthiker]

Great trip ? I am an amateur Scree Surfer.

[LongStoryShort]

Scree Surfing or tree surfing, it's all good! Thanks for the read guys!
_________________
Happiness is being high on the food chain.

[Desert-Boonie]

[Davis2001R6]

[azhiker96]

Good Job JC, Ken and Kim. That is quite an accomplishment. I remember that 15 foot wall quite well. It stretched out the edges of my comfort zone so that nothing after it on the hike seemed bad at all.

Ken, that might be it. I get water bottles different places but that does sound familiar. Feel free to use the water if you like.
_________________
It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[LongStoryShort]

Thanks Texas Jorge! I figure since you're nearly as tall as that wall you wouldn't have much trouble....
_________________
Happiness is being high on the food chain.

[Desert-Boonie]