California, Yosemite, Serenity Crack. On 20 March, Verne Muhr and

California, Yosemite, Serenity Crack. On 20 March, Verne Muhr and Gary Lane were climbing Serenity Crack. Since there already was a party of two on the climb they let them get about halfway up the first pitch then Verne started nailing the first pitch. The leader of the other party reached a group of bolts and belayed the second up to him. Verne pro­ ceeded up and reached the bolts as the others were starting the next pitch. Lane jumared up and cleaned, reached Verne and they had lunch. After they finished lunch the others had started up the third pitch, the first part a 5.7 strenuous lieback. Lane led next and started nailing up the A2 crack. He was about 75 feet above Verne when Hue (18) fell off the lieback, and fell about 40 feet and landed about 40 feet above Lane. Hue broke his ankle but managed to make his way to a wide sloping crack five feet to his left and get in a pin and anchor himself. Lane hurried and nailed the 40 feet to him and gave him a belay seat to take some strain off his foot. Friends of Hue and Bob (his partner) had seen the accident from the ground and went for help. Verne, Bob and Lane managed to lower Hue to a ledge about 100 feet North or left of Serenity Crack where rescuers were waiting. Source: Gary Lane. Analysis: The biggest problem was that Hue failed to put in a pin to protect the lieback, which he could have easily done before he started up. This could have prevented him from falling by getting tension through the pin and resting during the lieback. Hue also hit his belayer on the way down.