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Outside Magazine, April 2005

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Climber Girls
Babes on Belay (cont.)

THE WEEKS UNFURLED in a sunstruck glow, the girls leaving the guys behind to do yoga in El Cap meadow and joining up with the gang again later, experiencing the joy of being fully contained and yet part of a group at the same time. But trip endings are always difficult and, with three days to go, Janet was antsy

"I just feel like I'm on an edge right now," she said, "where climbing could be a lot more of my life than it is, for maybe the next 10 or 15 years. I could start to train harder, spend more time on the road..." The idea clearly captivated her; she wanted to get started, to gear her energies toward Peru. But how to proceed, with Freddie gone back to guide in Alaska and Anne preoccupied with Bayard and photography, and Sarah still—still—up on the Salathé Wall?

Sheyna, meanwhile, was making the most of the present, hurling herself at every day. In front of the van she was baby-sitting, a small city of young men sprouted, gear spread on tarps, coffee cups filled, the guys talking about which 5.13 sport climbs they were going to try. Sheyna more or less ignored them, contemplating the moment's bigger questions—like whether to let a local climber take her up El Cap, whether to see her ex in Boulder on the ride home, whether just to stay in the valley for the summer, and whether to have her picture taken au naturel for a calendar called Stone Nudes. This last opportunity had been extended to her by a photographer in the Yosemite Lodge Cafeteria, right in front of Janet and Anne. In the end, she said yes.

For the boys' part, none of it much mattered except whether or not Sheyna would stick around: If one of you proves entertaining enough, her vibe seemed to say, maybe I'll stay. "I didn't sign up for this," one of them finally complained, taking himself out of the competition.

In just two more nights, Janet and Sheyna would be driving toward New Hampshire, Anne and Bayard flying home, and Sarah and Jim heading east in Sarah's truck. The Merced River gushed like love, the sun so bright you could pick out separate needles in the shadows of the pines. Up on Cookie Cliff, Anne clicked pictures, while Sheyna led Wheat Thin. At the end of the day, Sarah's truck remained unmoved, its windshield piled with notes; Janet was now so worried and peeved that she hiked out to the base of El Cap alone.

"I'm just going to go look for my sunglasses," she explained as she marched off, though it was obvious to all that she just needed some time to herself.

Under a big live oak in El Cap Meadow, a crowd had gathered, listening to trance music and watching the flowers fade with the sun. Another young woman's birthday was being celebrated, and the trip-hop, the bodies, the scenery, and the freedom were beautiful and mesmerizing. Before anyone could even imagine it, this moment would be over. Janet and Sarah would fly to Peru, successfully completing their ascent of La Esfinge. After six short weeks in North Conway, Sarah would head to Wyoming. Sheyna would end up spending the summer in New Hampshire, buying a Subaru, and heading to Breckenridge to pass the winter working at a spa.

But while their group would scatter, the trip had given them an irrevocable confidence, a feeling that if you pile enough girls and gear in your wagon you can redpoint whatever obstacles appear in your way. By winter, Anne would already be convincing Janet to join her on another road trip, and Sarah was hoping to come, too. But back at Camp 4 that final evening, Janet could not sit still: She was still worried about Sarah. "I'm sure they just found some extra water and are hanging out on top," she said as she trotted through the maze of tents and hopped back into her car. Her blue eyes looked unsteady, yet once she reached El Cap Meadow, all that evaporated. Up ahead, Sarah lay in the tall grass, a white speck on the green, blissfully tired and dirty.

"You're alive!" Janet yelled, running out and skipping. The girls hugged and sank back into the grass. They'd be back next spring, or so they hoped, once again strong-arming their boyfriends and worldly concerns to carve out time to climb together. It wouldn't be easy, but this summer's lesson was clear: For the all-girl road-tripper, man is never a replacement for rock.

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