After months of planning, preparing, and mostly waiting we made it to Venezuela… This blog post will be a bit different than most to this point: I’ll let the photos do most of the talking. The full story and my reflections on the experience are taking me a while to process and write up… stay tuned for the rest of the story, perhaps via a different outlet.
It all began back in Flagstaff…..
Big-wall training in the bouldering Gym
We met up to train and talk logistics…and ended up in the bouldering gym!
When December finally rolled around, Eric, Blake and I flew to Caracas to meet Luis and his family. We arrived on Christmas Day and were treated to a Venezuelan Christmas dinner!
Christmas Dinner with the Cisneros Family
The home-cooked food and comfort didnt last long, as we piled onto our first bus the next day.
Gnarbarians on the Bus
Gnarbarians on the Bus
This bus made it nearly 5 miles out of Caracas before breaking down! We spent several tense hours on the side of the highway until repairs were complete and we finished the voyage to Cuidad Bolivar
Waiting at the Ciudad Bolivar Bus Terminal
We got pretty good at sitting around and waiting… like here, waiting for our connection to Santa Elena in Ciudad Bolivar!
A long awaited rest after days on the bus
After a Mach-6 bus voyage to Santa Elena, we arrived at midnight and needed a place to sleep and we found one….. in the front lawn of the city police!
Blake McCord and Acopan Tepui
After an exciting Cessna flight from Santa Elena to the village of Yunek, we were within sight of the Tepui! Never mind that Amuri Tepui, our objective, was 3 days away, which turned out to be a bit farther than our guide and porters wanted to hike over the holidays. They were excited for the village New Years Eve festivities, so we shifted our objectives to the much closer Acopan Tepui.
The savannah approach to Acopan Tepui
River Crossing on the approach to Acopan
We crossed rivers and hacked through jungle on our way to the route.
On the approach to Acopan
On the approach to Acopan
We spent the first night in the established climber’s base camp, a gorgeous clearing in the jungle next to a bubbling clear creek. The next morning we set off with the guide and porters to complete the hike to the base of our intended route.
The Central Red Pillar of the North Face of Acopan, as seen from our camp
Our objective was this beautiful red face on an unclimbed pillar on the North Face of Acopan. After a few false starts, we got a pitch off the ground. Pitch one turned out to be a rather enjoyable 5.10+ with only 10 meters of jungle climbing at the start.
Pitch one of Gravity Inversion
Pitch two was an exciting, traversing 5.11d that introduced us to the gorgeous textured rock on the tepui…the good stuff that we came for.
Fire glow at Acopan camp
It turns out that whisperlite stoves don’t work well with Venezuelan diesel fuel… so we made fires… lots of fires. Our camp was situated a 5 minute walk from the base of the route in the only flat-ish place we could find. It still took 3 hours of creative construction to level platforms from dirt, rock, branches and palm fronds.
Our camp at the base of the route on Acopan
After a few days of climbing incredible rock and fixing our lines to a nice set of footledges at the top of pitch 6, we left the ground for good, not to return until the route was finished. This proved to be a big day of jugging and hauling.
Jugging on Gravity Inversion
Jugging on Gravity Inversion
Camp one was situated at the top of pitch 6, above the prominent Roof Jr.( P5, pictured above), which turned out to be the crux of the route at 5.12d.
Portaledge Campfire on Gravity Inversion
While our stoves weren’t working, we still wanted hot food. So Eric packed a haulbag of firewood and we had ledge campfires!
Luis Cisneros, International Man of Mystery
Through it all, Luis made the trip possible. He sweet-talked every bus agent, military policeman, airline employee, and hotel clerk between Caracas and Santa Elena. His big-wall experience proved invaluable in coordinating our somewhat complicated hauling logistics.
Camp One from Above
From Camp One, we rapped down so I could free Roof Jr., the pitch Eric dubbed “the pitch of your life”. It truly was incredible, overhanging 25 feet through a series of stacked roofs split by a tips and finger crack.
Fun Rock City
Above Roof Jr, we got in to wildly sculpted red quartzite huecos, fins, and jugs. We dubbed this ‘Fun Rock’.
The Fun Rock of Pitch Six
Joel Unema on Pitch 7 of Gravity Inversion
Above Camp One, we pressed on through five high quality 5.11+ and 5.12 pitches to reach a jungle ledge where we established Camp Two.
Eric Deschamps jumars on Gravity Inversion
Jumaring… there’s no better way to wake up in the morning.
Our view from Gravity Inversion, another massive Tepui face
The whole time on the wall, we had incredible views of waterfalls and beautiful walls across the valley.
Pitch 10 of Gravity Inversion
We built Camp two on a small jungle ledge and spent 6 days there.
Camp Two
Camp 2
One of the cruxes of the route proved to be reaching the top from Camp two. The first three pitches above Camp two went well, but above that, the rock became wet and loose in places.
Joel Unema exploring options above pitch 14 of Gravity Inversion
We traversed right to a steep section of jungle. This avoided wet, rotten rock without protection, but fed us in to serious vertical jungle.
Joel Unema and Eric Deschamps near the top of Gravity Inversion
Pitch 16 was protected by one cam 10 feet off the belay, and slung finger-to-thumb-sized branches for the rest of the pitch. It was overhung jungle wrassling, and we dubbed it ‘Green Hell’
Green Hell: Pitch 16 of Gravity Inversion
After passing through the heart of darkness on Green Hell, Pitch 17 seemed almost tame by comparison. Runout squeeze chimneying led to a section that required considerable creativity and Tepui climbing methods.
Pitch 17 of Gravity Inversion
I ended up wedging myself between the wall and a 300lb mat of agave-like plants. Once I succeeded in securing myself between, I realized that I could not move. Or breathe. I pulled up the machete and chopped through the root giving life and support to the bio-monster. Above that, some casual (NOT) offwidthing led to a belay.
Unique Tepui climbing strategy… chimney between wall and vegetation
Carnivorous Plant
After facing the fires of Green Hell, and chopping the jugular root of the bio-monster, we were rewarded with a five-star crack climbing pitch. A thin flake with a wide-hands crack led to a perfect thin hands layback, which led to a tips boulder problem in a smooth dihedral, all on perfect textured rock. Climbing this incredible pitch at the top of our route was an unbelievable treat.
Joel Unema on the final glorious pitch of Gravity Inversion
Even following and jugging the jungle pitches was rather unpleasant at times, as Blake’s face might reveal.
Blake McCord gets used to the idea of Jungle Jammin’
As we neared the summit of the tepui, a unique and beautiful assortment of endemic plants greeted us.
Unique Vegetation on Acopan Tepui
The view from the top of Gravity Inversion on Acopan Tepui
Wind-sclupted warriors, stone forts and turrets, and sparse vegetation populated the top of Acopan Tepui, and we spent several hours playing in this wonderland.
The fabled and incredible rock formations on top of Acopan Tepui
Joel and Eric clown around on top of Acopan Tepui
After a week on the wall and a big summit day, we were beat as we sat down for dinner back at camp.
The team, tired but exhilarated after summiting Acopan Tepui
The next day we rappelled the 11 pitches below Camp two, and reached the ground safely!
Touchdown! The team is back on the ground.
Arriving back at base camp was incredible, as we bathed in the creek and enjoyed some time relaxing on flat ground.
Big Smiles back at base camp
After 11 days climbing and eight days on the wall, I’m hooked. The free climbing is some of the best I’ve ever experienced. Perfect rock, good gear, pitch after pitch of sustained steep and difficult climbing; I’ll be back for more. I rappelled off the wall in sadness; I wanted to stay on the wall and keep climbing. This expedition taught me much and changed me even more. I will do whatever it takes to continue filling my life with trips like this: expeditions to new and wild places with the people I love, and more specifically; big-wall free climbing and first ascents. The adventure, challenge, and commitment level this climb provided are a strong dose of the medicine I need, and I’ll be back for more… in the Tepuis and elsewhere.
Dreaming of the next climb on Acopan
Sharing this experience with Luis, Blake, and Eric was incredible. We worked together and made sacrifices individually for the success of the team. We grew close through our shared joys and hard times on the wall, and I count them among my best and most trusted friends. Together, we established Gravity Inversion VI 5.12d (5.12bR). Our climb is sustained, with 6 pitches of 5.12, 9 of 5.11, and 3 of 5.10, and consistently committing, requiring hard climbing with spaced-out gear.
Cozied up on the Polar Express
Thanks to Eric and Luis for these photos. Blake has cards and cards full of high-quality photos, and those will be published soon along with the rest of the story.
Thanks so much to Mad Rock Climbing and Prana for supporting this expedition.
The American Alpine Club awarded us the Live your Dream Grant, which helped a ton. Thanks AAC!
