This is the Sharp End, a podcast from Accidents and North American Mountaineering.

I'm Ash Vassapey, your host for the show.

The second show put out last month had over 3,000 listens

and the first 24 hours.

I'm overwhelmed with how much support and interest

this podcast has received thus far. So thank you, thank you.

And remember, if you like what you hear, let the AC know. Or even better yet, share this link.

For this episode, we're bringing you something really special, something a little bit different. Last year, Eric Hengesba, want to

live your dream grant from the AAC to go climbing in the Palisades more than 10 miles

into the High Sierra Backcountry.

The Live Your Dream Grants powered by the North Face are designed to help AAC members do life-changing trips and grows climbers.

Unfortunately, this trip started badly.

On their very first climb in the Palisades,

Eric took a fall and was badly injured.

Amazingly, he recorded the whole thing and afterward he made an hour-long

podcast about the experience. He sent it to the AAC as his Live Your Dream Grant trip report, and now I'm stoked to share part of it with you.

After you hear his story, we'll chat with Eric a bit about the accident and what he might have done differently.

But for now, here's Eric, describing the start of that first climb.

The morning of September 1st, the four of us set out to climb the surgical, 4 to 5 pitches of 5-7, 5-8 climbing, a perfect warm-up for the longer

climbs that would come later in the trip. Peter and I would climb up the east face, and Brian and Gabe would go up the north rib located further right.

The plan was to meet at the top, then repel the east face. But that day, our plans changed.

The four of us spent the better part of the morning dividing gear and trudging up the steep slope from camp. We finally split up under the imposing

...