Tahoe - Eagle Lake Cliff - Spank, The Nagual, Quest for Glory  8/19-20/89

Tahoe:  Return to Spank -- was lucky to free it on my first try of the day (TR)
.  We all had a little trouble with the overhang midway; guess it's more like
5.11a than 5.10d there.  Rating:  5.11c/d.  Decided not to bolt it for lead
attempts; it's a natural toprope route with approach from above.  May be
leadable with a TCU in the upper crux (preplaced?).  Joel couldn't get it
from bottom to top (although he had already done the top half last time).
Lin Murphy got all the moves hangdog-style.  Bob Palais came by in the
afternoon and got it on his second try after doing the moves with one fall
on his first attempt.  Lin was amused that he removed his shirt at the "rest"
just like Stephan Glowasz in the video.  Then we all TR'd Crank.  Just before
Bob showed up, Joel and Lin TR'd The Nagual 5.10c/d -- a nice clean long
fingertip lieback (best of the 3 such routes on the L part of the cliff).
Bob left to drive to Snowbird for the finals ("only 8 hours" ??).  I hope Jason
cleaned up after having to go through the Open last weekend.  The rest of us
checked out a short upper cliff, which we discovered later had some established
routes.
   The next day, it was a quick hike since we had left our packs stashed, but
the clouds were threatening.  Joel had first draw of the day, and he went for
Quest for Glory "5.10d".  Stemming in a flare, then overhanging corner with
thin crack led to more thin crack and a marginal "rest".  After several more
pumping moves he reached for the obvious ledge, needing quick relief for his
pounding arms.  However, it was no such luck as the ledge was sloping.  After
more hanging on and moaning, he plummetted, being totally maxed out.  After a
long lower and a long rest and blankets stacked on the belayer, he fired it on
his next try.  Even the upper section was challenging, and then you finish
with the upper crux of Space Truckin'.  I barely followed with urgent
liebacking and fingerlocks, leaving the gear piling up on my tie-in as I
gasped "5.11 for sure" in the desperate section above the roof.  Lin made it
also, agreeing it was sandbag for 5.10d, and giving us further reason to doubt
her claims of "I can't climb cracks".  As she was climbing, rain started to
fall, and we huddled under a talus block for about an hour before heading
down the trail.  It was sunny as we reached the 90 Foot Wall, so we TR'd the
great incut face routes on the right side, stopping after about 3 each brought
on early warning signs of tendon wear.  If only Smith Rock had such great
footing... (our destination the second week in November).