I recently had the pleasure of meeting and climbing with Brad Jackson, who is best known for his 5.13 offwidth first ascents, notably Bellyful of Bad Berries and the finish on Trench Warfare. Pretty crazy. I had been working on getting the first ascent of Throbbing Gristle, a wide crack in Joshua Tree that was toproped for a first ascent in 1983. They didn't have protection big enough to lead these monsters, so they were often satisfied with calling a TR ascent good. We no longer have that luxury and so I decided it would be interesting to get the first lead of it. I had heard some very strong climbers had tried and had been unsuccessful. If only I knew the journey I would be embarking on...
The route is very short, maybe only 30 or 35 feet, but because the wall it is on overhangs slightly and the crack leans, it combines to a total of 25 or so degrees of overhang. The rock is wonderful by Jtree standards; the clean 7-8 inch gash holds very little in the way of crumbly flakes so common in the larger (and less trafficked) cracks here. Placing gear is relatively easy but carrying enough to protect it well is difficult, as only #6 Camalots will fit; only taking 3 pieces, I ended up taking some of the scarier falls I've taken. The movement is also some of the most strenuous I've ever done: "straightforward" armbarring and full-value groveling that probably clocks in at 5.12+ or maybe even 5.13- on lead.
One evening in the campground, I was walking about right at dusk when I happened upon a large group of people. A voice came out of the crowd, someone I knew, saying "Hey, that's him! That's the guy!" A man approached me, the red hood of his puffy down jacket only partially obscuring angular features and intense, unblinking eyes. He stretched out a hand still sporting tape gloves from the days climbing simultaneously asking, "Are you Dave?" I soon learned that it was Brad Jackson; he had heard rumors of someone attempting to lead Throbbing Gristle and wanted to go check it out. (More on Throbbing Gristle if you click through the article link below)
Through Brad I met Chris Van Leuven, author and co-author of several guidebooks for Yosemite Valley. Chris mentioned interest in writing an article about me, which was surprising. He called me a few days later and here is the result:
Flying Upside Down with David Aguasca
And then, I left Joshua Tree, adding myself to the list of people bouted by Throbbing Gristle. As far as I know it stands unclimbed, waiting for an (un)lucky soul.
Locked in on Kamakaze (5.10+), in Joshua TreeMore posts and pictures to be coming soon!
