Cragmont Climbing Club

The Manzanita Factor

by Paul Minault

(Article from the CCC newsletter, The Crag)

Marty and I were hiking together recently on a rest day in Tuolumne, off-trail., of course, since it was my idea, and just beginning to get into some heavy brush, when he got a bright idea. "Paul", he said, finger raised professorially while one Teva tottered on a scrub-oak stem, "since you like manzanita so much, and nobody believes what you say about your bushwack approaches, you otta develop a manzanita rating system, you know, like the epic rating system we came up with for Francis -- like remember, E1 for getting off-route, E2 for being caught in a hailstorm, E3 for climbing after dark, that kind of thing. Then, when you ask people to climb with you, they can ask you what the M rating is. If you tell the truth, you might actually get some people to go climbing with you again."

I agreed that this was a splendid idea, and as we walked along through the scrub oak and manzanita of upper Tenaya Canyon, we developed the rudiments of the system below. I have expanded on this slightly to reflect my own experience. This approach rating system uses the designation "M" for manzanita and follows the 5-point scale developed for aid climbing.

M1: Walking through low, intermittent and somewhat open brush which occasionally scratches your calves. Climbing partner keeps saying, "Is that the trail over there?"

 

M2: Walking through near solid brush up to thigh height and occasionally grabbing bushes for balance or to assist in ascending. Climbing partner stops periodically to look despairingly for the trail. Occasionally whines "are you sure this is the way?"

 

M3: Wading through solid brush up to waist height, hopping between partially obscured rocks or stepping on thick stems, and frequently holding onto brush for balance. Ascent requires using legs to part brush while hauling on branches with hands. Very aerobic. Climbing partner bellows obscenities each time he slips and sprawls headlong into the brush. He silently resolves never to climb with me again.

 

M4: Swimming through solid brush over waist height, mostly stepping on stems or rocks, and continuously hanging on to brush for balance. Ascent requires sweeping motion with legs to part stems, the feet then being pressed down on as many stems as possible, while hand-over-hand hauling on brush tips. Eventually, a spasmodic swimming motion develops. Breathing comes in rasps. Climbing partner frequently stops, looks around in despair, alternatively rages and sobs.

 

M5: Crawling on hands and knees below brush over head height, while breaking off the old dead stems growing near the ground. Ascent possible only by crawling up creek beds below solid overhead canopy of intersecting branches. Pack frequently gets caught on branches; hat impossible to keep on head, leaves and bark go down shirt and pants. Climbing partner mutinies, bellows "fuck this shit" and insists on returning to the car. We drove home in silence.

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