The London Spire

Last May, my friend Jason and I climbed over 10 pitches to the top of the London Spire, one of the main Willard Spires West of Willard Peak and Willard Basin. The pictures on the slide show on the top right make it look like we were having fun the whole time. Well, there were fun parts. There were also many terrifying parts; loose rock and shale, sheer cliffs, wind, fire, cramping legs and a too-soon setting sun. What started as a one-day climb on the supposedly easy South-West Ridge turned into a two-night, two-day epic that challenged all physical and mental preparedness. Both of us almost swore off climbing afterwards, but in retrospect, it was quite an amazing experience.

Quick Overview and Highlights:

• Friday
  
• 7:30 p.m. - Camped at base of Holmes Canyon on Friday night
  
• Saturday
• 9:00 a.m. - Woke up a bit late and started the 3 hour hike up the canyon to the base of the SW Ridge
• 11:30 a.m. - Found Life is Good rock on the way up
• 12:00 noon - At the base of the route, my legs cramp up
• 1:00 p.m. - After 1 hour of rest and doubt about whether or not we should climb, we decide to do it
• 1:15 p.m. - Jason leads the first pitch
• 2:30ish p.m. - We take a lunch and get dive-bombed by a giant humming bird, hear gun shots, etc.
  
• 7:30 pm. - Physically and mentally exhausted, and terrified we might not finish before the sun sets, we pray
  
• 8:30 p.m. - The sun sets
• 8:45 p.m. - With just enough reflected light, we quickly summit and move on
  
• 9:00 p.m. - We descend to the adjacent saddle, give thanks, decide to spend the night due to no light and a steep descent. Then we call family (with a regular Nokia cell phone that works in the mountains?)
• 9:15 p.m. - Since we left our warm clothes, tent and sleeping bags stashed at the bottom of the canyon, we build a fire and a stone-wall shelter to protect against the wind (good thing we brought the first-aid kit that had a lighter!)
  
• 9:30 p.m. - Water supply runs out. We find some snow patches and melt some water in our bottles next to the fire
• Sunday
  
• 6:00 a.m. - After a long and restless night that raged with wind and flames, we begin our Sunday-morning descent. This takes us through a steep scree field and a mounting boulder field, so the progress is slow, but we're blessed to see a beautiful pair of mountain goats scampering about on the cliffs
• 12:00 noon - We make it back to our original camp, pack our backpacks and head home

Really, I was very grateful to be alive. I had never been pushed to such a limit is so many ways. We may or may not attempt this climb again, but the experience will definitely be remembered -- every time I look at the patches covering the burn marks on my jacket that came as a result of the windblown sparks of our enduring fire; every time I drive past the spires on I-15; every time I see Jason; every time I pay my phone bill; every time I hug my wife; every time I need to plea to God for help and protection.