Meeting by Chance, Halfway Across the World (Hardwear Sessions)

Ben, Josh, and Jon enjoy yak skewers in Chang Ping Valley

By Jonathan Lane Sullivan

I was recently with Ben Clark and Josh in the Changping Valley. I received the McNeill-Nott Grant from Mountain Hardwear and the American Alpine Club. I, too, am climbing in Sichuan. I had two objectives while here in China. My first objective was to nail some first ascents in the Bipeng Valley of Sichuan. The second objective was to spend time in the Bipeng, Changping, and Shuangqiao Valleys, getting valuable photos, route info, trail info, and to eventually create a map that will make it easier for future climbers to access these valleys. In total I have spent 55 days in these valleys and have a good handle on the area deemed "the Next Patagonia."

During a stint in Chengdu, my various sources informed there were two American climbers going to Changping Valley (Ben Clark and Josh Butson). I arranged to meet them in Chengdu and before I knew it, I was accompanying them on their expedition. Together we made the 9 hour drive through Chinese villages and over mountain passes before arriving in Rilong. In Rilong we filled our bellies with yak and potato kabobs.

I watched them pack and re-pack their bags in the hotel room. They planned to subsist entirely off of Clif products and were actually quite excited about it. They thinned out their rack and pared down their Clif gel supply before finally zipping up their packs and hitting the trail. My purpose at this point was merely trekking and information gathering thus my 40 pound pack did not compare to the their 90 lb. packs. They adhere strictly to the ethics of alpinism and thus hired no porters and no horses. Just two men, two packs, ice and rock rack, ropes, 20 days of food (Clif products) and clothing for all conditions.

I escorted them 4 days into the Changping Valley. The pace was slow given the weight on their packs. Our first night we pitched our tents in a cow pasture with some enterprising locals preparing more yak and potato skewers. We took advantage of this last opportunity for hot food and ordered 50 yak skewers and 40 potato skewers.

We continued up the valley through mud bogs, wide open grasslands, autumn colors, and impressive alpine vistas. Ben and Josh were extremely valuable assets to my research since they had been to the valley the previous year and completed several routes. We reached the dog leg turn in the Changping Valley and there waiting at the end of the valley, veiled in clouds, was the Barbarian. An impressive feature. My palms sweat imagining being on the face of The Barbarian, but Josh and Ben simply laughed and started planning route options.

On our last day, Ben and I hiked up valley to scout the peaks and his route options. Josh protected our camp from potential thieves (yes, it happens here). The closer Ben got to the Barbarian the more he was insured that, "it would go."

I hiked out of Changping Valley on October 3 leaving them alone with the Barbarian. For the next few days I hiked around the Shuanqiao Valley to conclude the field portion of my research. I'm now in Chengdu checking Mountainhardwear.com and podclimber.com everyday to see how the guys are doing. I've been walloped by these valleys on many expeditions in the past. Ben and Josh have loads of experience and the killer instinct to attack routes. I have no doubt this expedition will have positive results for them.