Seneca Rocks, WV - The expanding tick list 1/15/2010
Trip: Seneca Rocks, WV - The expanding tick list
Date: 1/15/2010
Trip Report:This isn’t how tick lists are supposed to work: after visiting a crag or climb you’re supposed to “tick” it off and move on to the next one. I must be going about it all wrong though, because my contrarian catalog is only growing!
Last week I brainstormed a list of crags I’d like to visit and climbs I’d like to do before leaving North Carolina this summer. Getting it all on paper was the easy part; getting a “hall pass” from the wifey and willing partners for my infrequent and random free days was going to take some work. Turns out seeing it all on paper was helpful for persuading my better half (“see honey: it averages out to only .24 pitches a day between now and June!”). The partner department proved slightly trickier, at least in terms of scheduling.
Joe was game for a midnight blast up to the famed Seneca Rocks (1st area on “The List”), but could only spare a day. This great eastern crag is actually a huge fin of vertically layered quartzite, with steep and featured climbs being the norm. Viewed in profile, the “fin” is super narrow, perhaps four feet across on the summit ridge. This is the type of cliff where you force yourself to slow down and take it all in, not wanting the climb to end. We got on five routes for a total of ten pitches, and each one was brilliant. I can’t think of any place in the Cascades where 5.4 climbs force you to pull roofs and feature dead vertical terrain for much of their length. I couldn't help but think of how much Luke would have loved this area!
Like a cool drink to a parched throat, this trip merely piqued my interest and left me yearning for another chance to caress those steep jugs and tip-toe across more spooky traverses…. Do you think my wife will entertain a re-submittal of my original proposal?
First pic is from November, the rest are from last Friday....
Gear Notes:Several medium sized pieces (think #2 camalot)
