While working for Yosemite Search and Rescue from May to October, Taylor Martin established four long first ascents on four different formations: Hummingbird on Sentinel Rock; Enso on Panorama Wall; Act or React on the Camp 4 Wall; and Requiem for a Dream on Lower Cathedral Rock.

This followed two other long new routes in the summer of 2024: Dirt Worm (1,500’, VI 5.9+ A3 R) on Yosemite Falls Wall and The Infinite Now (1,500’, V 5.10a A4 R) on the Camp 4 Wall. Her dream is to establish a new route on every major formation in the Valley, and she is already well on her way.

Other than Enso on Panorama Wall, climbed with fellow SAR member Owen Silitch, all of Martin’s routes have been climbed solo. She says that she enjoys being able to move at her own pace and make her own decisions.

Martin established Hummingbird (1,600’, VI 5.9+ A3/4) on Sentinel Rock in a six-day push in midsummer, having previously carried all the gear to the base and fixed ropes. The route begins 40 feet to the right of the Steck-Salathé and continues up independent terrain before crossing Flying Buttress Direct for half a pitch, then finishes with one more independent pitch. She topped out on August 5.

Taylor then turned her attention to the underdeveloped Panorama Wall, which sits to the right of the Mist Trail and only had one prior route. Martin scoped a line that would follow a large dihedral system on the right side of the wall, and enlisted Silitch to attempt it in early September. They climbed the route in nine long pitches, placing a total of only 12 bolts (1,600’, VI 5.9 A2+). Martin wrote: “We named the route Enso. This is a symbol that represents beauty in imperfections, and the letting go of expectations. The route and name are a tribute to Chris Gay, a close friend to many on the SAR site and in the community, who passed last year.”

Barely a week later, in mid-September, Martin returned her attention to the Camp 4 Wall, which sits conveniently behind the rescue site, giving SAR team members a lot of time to scope its features. Martin climbed Act or React (1,300’, V 5.9 A3+) alone, ground-up, in 16 hours, using a 100m rope to maximize pitch lengths while placing no bolts. The route climbs parallel with Good Ol’ Boy on the left side of the wall. After a bit of sleep on the summit, she took the long hike over to the Falls Trail and down the endless switchbacks, stumbling back into the rescue site the following morning.

On October 12, Martin rounded out her season by climbing a new route up the center of the north face of Lower Cathedral Rock. The climb starts on Scrubby Corner and continues straight up the face between New North Face and Children of the Corn. The resulting route, Requiem for a Dream (1,500’, VI 5.11a A3/4), involved a lot of hooking in the first half and mixed free and aid climbing in the upper half.  

—Miles Fullman, AAJ, with information from Taylor Martin