Trip: Pasayten Wilderness - Cathedral and Amphitheater



Trip Report:


Over the course of a week spent in the eastern edges of the range back in August, my friend Scott Bennett and I climbed a few new routes and were amazed by all the folks out there. I made a couple topos below. Our granite sojourn began at CAMP 4:




I had been to the region once before, about 4 years ago, when my girlfriend and I didn't see anyone for 5 days. 7 years ago, Darin and Owen had an inspirational trip and apparently didn't encounter many people either. This time it was a zoo! (multiple NOLS groups, some cowboys...) But our one day of snow flurries was made better by the friendly folks who let us fly fish and play cards and even steal some yukon jack whiskey.

Darin's "Pilgrimage to Mecca" route was getting done by several groups, as was the SE Buttress on Cathedral.

Scott and I joined up with fellow a former-Bellinghamster named Dana, and we climbed the first pitch of Amphitheater's " Left Side of the Middle Finger Buttress which is definitely one of the best 5.10 corner pitches in the range.

We left a rap station above.

Scott and I also did a few new routes. The climb on Amphitheater was fun for a few pitches, then became lower angle and joined the general vicinity of the upper "Left Side" route.


It began here, taking a line on the right: Flake to Corner to Splitter to Roofs



The red alien/green camalot splitter is good Cascades alpine training for Moonlight Buttress. The swinging steps left were wild, but solid-feeling, and the roofs weren't as bad as we had thought they'd be.

P2


On Cathedral, we hoped for clean white granite and splitters. We found some of both, but overall the face is so ledgy, with corners and options all around, that it never forced us to take a line or climb a weakness and we wandered around picking out features that seemed fun.



Climbing on the headwall crux -


The headwall climbing was neat, featuring a (now cleaned-out) roof-to-finger crack sequence that I failed to free on lead. The moves are all there, it's just a big span between the last opening in the crack, and an obvious jug. Scott, both a better climber and with long monkey-man arms, sent this pitch and hauled the pack, and I lunged to follow cleanly. Pretty reach dependent, but with good gear and neat moves.

(pic courtesy of friendly Canadian illegal visitor)




Gear Notes:
Both routes would go fine with a rack to 3" and some small wires and doubles in medium-sized cams.

Approach Notes:
Up via the Chewack River from Winthrop

love that place

marvelous! been wanting that shiz for a while. thanks for the snack.

Yeah buddy thats the stuff! Ive been wanting to go for years now. Thanks for posting and glad to see you back in your ol' stompin grounds again.

That route finding looks tough. I have no idea how you can pick a line through all that blank rock

the area at upper L in that shot looks rather amazing. amongst an amazing area, that is.
book pic: http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/139550988

Wowzers! Looks fun

Incredible!

Sweet! Can't wait to get back there to explore some of those lines. Looks like great rock.

Borat thanks you for to post.

Jeez Blake, thats just awesome, really great work. Was the lichen much of an issue?

Hey Wayne! You know, there really wasn't a lot of lichen on those routes, but some grainyness and flaring cracks on that aspect of Cathedral. Amphitheatre was basically flawless, just frustatingly lacking in continuous steepness.

How long is the hike in there up the Chewack?