Horse Chute, El Capitan

El Cap speed climbs often feel really slow. At 1:30 am on October 8, Ammon McNeely and I were at hour 18 trying to make the first one day ascent of Horse Chute. I was belaying one of the last few pitches to Thanksgiving Ledge and drifting in and out of sleep. I’d look at the time, pay out some rope, and close my eyes. When I looked at the time again, what seemed likes second later, 30 minutes had gone by. What we hoped would to be a nice and speedy 14-hour effort was now dragging on. We had both lost steam and transferred from being psyched, to tired, to physically exhaustion and mental numbness. Maybe next time we should have slept more that 4 hours before such a big climb.

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