Strategy

Long day vs. Bivy: This is more a matter of preference; for what it's worth, the consensus of locals seems to favor the one day approach, we did it with a bivy. Doing it in a day requires a higher level of fitness, but you don't waste as much time if the weather is bad. If you decide to do it in a day, you almost have to do it via the North Chimney, leaving the parking lot around 2 am, arriving at North Chimney around 5:30 (plan to get there at least a half hour before sunrise). On the other hand, if you bivy, you get to sleep in until at least 4 or 5 am (!), and don't have to make the hike out when you are through. Then again, you don't have a nice warm bed for the night, either.

Pack hauling: this is a real "lesser-of-two-evils" kind of choice. If you haul the pack, it will take you longer to do the climb, but makes it a whole lot more fun for the second - your pick. If you decide to haul, it's very nice to have something like a Wall-hauler (combo pulley-ascender), and maybe an ascender so you can use your legs and not your arms to haul. A few other tips: it's probably easiest to carry the pack on the D1 pillar. The easiest way to manage the traverse pitch is to have the leader haul the pack to the top of the 5.9 crack above the pillar and clip it off to the slings at the beginning of the traverse. The 2nd can then make the traverse with the pack without having to climb the 5.9 crack with it. Most of the rest of the climb hauls pretty easily, except for the traverse onto Table Ledge.

If you decide not to haul, it's not a bad idea to split it up; the leader can carry a fanny pack with rain gear, warm hat and gloves in it, and the second can carry the bigger backpack with another set of raingear, food, water, descent shoes, headlamps, etc. You still have to figure out something to do with the pack on the 5.10 pitch, since you can't wear a pack in the squeeze chimney. You could probably drag it on a long sling behind you on this pitch.

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