Coondog

Couple of nice climbs -- good weekend. --cd.

Climb: Finger of Fate, Sawtooths, ID-Open Book Route Date of Climb: 8/29/2004 Trip Report: After making our way out from climbing at Elephant's Perch (TR @ http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB22&Number=399647#Post399657), Ascanio & I talked about what next on our road-trip. Whilst in my cold/flu, sprained ankle and tired state I may have opted for continuing on to City of Rocks for a shot at climbing with my buddy Mark from Burley, Ascanio would hear nothing of it. "Dude, we're HERE -- when are we going to be HERE again? Finger is a (cue angels singing) "North American Classic" bro -- we GOTTA do it!!!" Well, okay, if it's a NA Classic and all, yeah, sure, we gotta do it. So, we hit the road. The "road" to the Upper Hellroaring Lakes Trailhead barely being an almost truck-friendly boulder scramble straight out of a 4x4 commercial, which is apparently why Subaru's & Volvo's get to use the "Lower" trailhead and suck on a few more miles of trail dust instead. Ascanio didn't sleep so well, so we didn't leave camp til around 11:30. +Coondog at first of upper, small lakes under the Finger We scrambled scree and walked by the numerous beautiful lakes, getting on route about 2:15. Climbing was pretty stellar: several pitches of pretty bomber corner/dihedral goodness +Ascanio going thru the window, 3rd pitch +Coondog finishing corner section (no posing whatsoever) Ascanio tried to take us up directly above the corner, which ended up with him staring up at a 5.11-stout-ish section unable to figure a move out... I thought aloud "ain't NO way that is 5.8 NA Classic brah," and got him down, and swung way out right above the corner to the twin crack goodness. +"Well sure, i mean, yeah, we -could- climb these cracks..." This pitch was pretty awesome. When I got to top Ascanio asked "Holy Crap Dog, wha'd you do to your finger bro???" "huh, what finger???" I looked down to notice i'd flappered the fingertip off my left ring-finger and was gushing some red, sticky stuff. Apparently the beautiful orange granity goodness can be fairly sharp as well, cause I didn't even feel it. Couple minutes tape work had me all good. Topped out 5:30, chowed, made the obligatory "o' my god how amazing" remarks to each other you're supposed to make when surrounded by miles of clean rock, clear alpine lakes and only snafflehounds for company, then took off. +Upper Hellroaring Lake on descent... Sawtooths umm, umm good Apparently Finger of Fate - Open Book isn't an NA Classic... huh. But it should be. Gear Notes: Half-set nuts Mixed Camalots from .5 to 3.5" Approach Notes: Road to Upper Trailhead for Hellroaring Lakes -is- really as bad as all the warnings say; expect this couple miles of road to take an hour, unless you really don't care about your car.

Climb: Elephants Perch -- Sawtooths, ID: -Myopia & Mtnr's Route Date of Climb: 8/27/2004 Trip Report: First TR from 4 week roadtrip; others will follow as film gets developed. My buddy Ascanio flew in from LA 8/23/04. Weather ruled out Squamish, so turned south for Smiff Rock; warmed up there for a couple days of perfect weather on the classics at Morning Glory (Tammy Baker's Face, Zebra Direct, Gumby) & Dihedrals (Xenolith, Helium Woman, Wartley's Revenge & end-o-day on Heresy). Ascanio redpointed Heinous Cling to prove he wasn't tired from his flight, and we decided to brave the weather and try the Sawtooths. Arrived Stanley late Thurs eve, with fresh snow above 9000' Huh. But, packed our gear and got ready to catch the shuttle boat across Redfish Lake early the next morning. $6 well spent. +Coondog enjoys morning boat-ride Arrived trailhead around 7:30am, and hiked on up to base of Elephant's Perch. +N Face of Elephant's Perch in fog; Mountaineer's Route begins under large 'blank diamond,' then swings left around it. Beckey Route is rightmost of prominent crack/dihedral systems from this view Dropped gear at a campsite amongst boulders on Perch side of lakes, then headed around to N Face of the Perch. Ascanio immediately wanted to head up Beckey Direct (IV, 5.11c, 10-11p) but I thought the dripping wetness in the lower finger cracks looked didn't look too inviting. He headed up anyway, then rapped off the first pitch... I suggested we head around the South side to find something in the sun that'd be dry. Off we went... +Myopia, after the hard stuff I led the first two pansy pitches of Myopia (IV, 5.11a, 11p), then Ascanio took over for the 3rd & crux pitch. This pitch, and the slew of 5.10c/d pitches following were "stout" in our opinion; I fell 3 times on the crux pitch, and pulled on gear to get through a 10d crux pitch (booh). If using the topo's from Mark Weber's article in Climbing #204 please note that the pitches he's shown are rope-stretchers... Topped out Myopia at sunset. +Coondog atop Myoppia after a long day Cooking pasta at altitude sucks btw... Ascanio didn't sleep well that night, and we slept in til 10:00-ish next day. After chowing & filling water, headed to the NA Classic we wanted to tick, the Mountaineer's Route (III, 5.8, 8p?). On route around 11:00, and linked up most pitches so we did in 5 plus simul'g the top scramble. On top around 2:30. +Triple Roof's pitch on Mountaineer's Route Ascanio wanted to try to squeeze another route in that day, but since a) I was fighting off a cold/flu bug, b) we still needed to descend, c) we needed to break camp & pack up, then d) hike out to catch the last return shuttle boat back @ 7:00, I didn't think we had the time to make another grade III/IV route. A grabbed the rope and took off, apparently slightly pissed at my lack of uber-enthusiasm. I surveyed the vista for a few minutes, then packed up rack and headed down. ***Please note: if descending Elephant's Perch via N Face descent route, the cairns on descent are apparently placed primarily for accessing the far-left N Face climbing routes -- Following these cairns on descent will cliff you out... these can be easily rappelled, if you have a rope. Since Ascanio had taken the rope with him, I re-climbed and made my way around to the actual descent hike-off. Back in camp around 4:30-ish. I was packed up in about 20min, and we were on trail out around 5:15. Twisted my ankle trail-running on descent... booh. Made our boat, then decided to puke my guts out in celebratory glee when I tried to pound some water... Stoopid cold bug. Fortunately, Don Patron & improved my condition dramatically. Sawtooths: orange granity goodness & hardly no one else around Gear Notes: Single set nuts & RP's Alien offsets: light-blue to red Camalots: .4 thru 3; doubles in .75 thru 2 Approach Notes: Shuttle boat service from Redfish Lake Lodge is great. (edit -- how could I forget this?) The Patron, & elk steak @ Redfish Lake Lodge are even better; bartender is a climber & gave us some great beta -- he

New Price: $375. -----------------------------------------------------------

Frenchie- I rack my cams and slings with BD Neutrinos -- they're light and have a much more substantial rope-bearing surface than most of the other 'small' wires. SierraTradingPost and some other sites seem to occasionally have blowouts on the blemishes of these that you can buy by the box for cheeap. And I hate it when my nuts get hung up in a notch , so i rack nuts/hexes on keylocks.... works well for me...

Devils Tower, 3 weeks ago: my partner decides to skip past the first belay station (a large, flat ledge atop a pillar), beneath a 25' 5.10b thin finger crack / dihedral. Placed 2 pieces of pro on that section, then froze on the topout move... With 3/4 of my 60m rope out, i guessed rope-stretch to be about 15-20' should he fall, and he was 8' above his last piece, which equated to him decking. He reached for a piece of pro & peeled. I jumped from the spot I was belaying at down at my pack roughly 8' below me and did a big rope-pull at the same time. Still, rope only began to catch his weight at roughly 6-8' above the 1st belay ledge. He hit hard, and lay there moaning in pain for roughly 5 minutes before I could get him to respond. The Climbing Ranger was there, and we got him down and checked him out ASAP... He didn't break anything fortunately, but was limping for a week after. If he hadn't linked the pitches, he wouldn't have decked, plain & simple. Rope-stretch and gear placement. Only venting on this since I spent an afternoon sketched out and monitoring my friends health instead of cranking on amazing dihedrals... and hope you don't have to. --cd.

Ditto Lummox on Elephant Rock & backside of Bath has a couple stellar climbs -- morning or before sunset for them though; trying them in afternoon sun was stoopid of us, but excuse was we were only there for a couple days. Have a great time... envious.

Superlight randonne kit. Bought last fall. Used 5 times. If i recall correctly the Silvrettas are the 'Standard' size intended for foot sizes roughly 8-12... I've skied them with my leathers, plastics, rand & downhill boots and had no boot/binding fit issues. Cheapest prices I've seen are $350 for these Ascents (I've seen older years cheaper, but these are last years) and $190 for the Silvrettas. Since I've skied them 5 times I'll ask $450. Will post pic if / when I can borrow a digital camera. Live in Seattle (Greenlake) and can show them if you're interested. PM if int'd -- Thanks. <K2 shpiel on 8611 Ascents (oooh, "MOD" technology)> In Europe, alpine touring is king. And it's there that the 8611 Ascent, named after the height of the Himalayan giant, K2 (measured in meters), was ranked the #1 randonnee ski in the most recent European magazine test. It features a 70mm waist and a 14.0 sidecut for versatility, and stacks of carbon fiber put it in the bantamweight class. The stiffness has been increased to meet the demands of a locked down heel and alpine turn. Dimensions: 102/70/91. Weight: 1550 grams. Construction: Triaxial Braided Torsion Box cap, lightweight wood core. Features: MOD Technology. Target Performance: Aspiring carver, 50% groomed / 50% ungroomed. Sizes: 153, 160, 167, 174, 181cm. <Silvretta 500 shpiel> The 500 is the most versatile AT Binding available on the market today. Its unique toe/heel bail combination make it compatible with virtually any boot-AT, alpine, tele, mountaineering, be it leather or plastic. Bomb-proof design and construction have made it a favorite of ice climbers and mountaineers for years. It’s DIN rating and solid performance have won over skiers of the highest caliber. Tough carbon-fiber frame provides super lightweight durability. Super easy entry and exit. Two position heel elevators keep you comfortably on your toes on those long uphills. Available crampons and brakes can be used simultaneously.

I heard the FS was going to chop some bolts to see if they can get the route written up in some climbing mag again... "oooh, demo fee revenue is up."

I'm blissfully unemployed til Thanksgiving. After the month roadtrip I just took, I need to do some work to get my lead-head back on, but am following 11b/c.. (delete "nospam") nospamjeff_coon@yahoo.com --cd.

Last I heard from the former roommate was he'd settled into his eco-friendly cabin in Twisp with his puppy and had even found a dreaded 'job' thereabouts... And that he was climbing like a fiend at WA Pass. Given his lack of TR's lately he unfortunately doesn't appear to have regular internet access, or 'Elmer' finally tracked him down...

This is horrible news. R.I.P., climb strong in the afterworld and may your be cold & tasty after. FWIW re: route & conditions, I just returned from a roadtrip which included the Tetons; we'd planned on N Face and N Ridge of the Grand, but bailed after talking to locals who explained that a recent storm had left 2' of snow at 11,000' and higher. Apparently the first guys to climb the Exum 5-6 days following this storm, had taken & used their crampons at several points along upper Exum (5.5 rock under normal conditions). We also followed a guide (from Exum) up the Durrance at Devil's Tower and he confirmed that a lot of Teton routes are full-on Winter conditions now... Thought I'd mention since I think these conditions likely contributed to the decision to turn around...

Uncle T- Hope you experimented with some almost on-route 10c and fun downclimbing... as always, another high entertainment factor UT TR. --Cd.

I've practiced 2 man rescue w/ kiwi coils: found trying to wiggle out of pack while holding arrest, and pounding in a picket to be a pain... but workable on moderate terrain... Z+C offered plenty of leverage to pull lightweight (ex-)girlfriend up; only have 1 pulley so used ovals for rest, which is more resistant so better for bulking up your upper-body. And I carry at least one screw in case you come across steep, icy terrain in which it might be near impossible to get out of arrest to pound a picket... my $0.02. --cd

Umm, we were talking about milf in college, back when i was young, in like '89/90... but good luck on the royalties... --cd.

Looks like i'll be taking 3-6 weeks off from hard climbing... good thing its mid-july... wanted to reiterate that my PT said "eliminate straight bar curls from your future, period" and also no more pull-ups on hangboard -- if you want to do pull-ups, get rock rings so you've got some give for your arms to rotate.... help preserve your fragile tendons... stupid tendons -- don't they know it's (warm, dry, tasty) climbing season? i'm going to ice my shoulder with empty beer bottles now... --cd.

Will likely be trying the 3-day approach to Rainier 1st or 2nd wkend of August (1 day up to Muir, 2nd to Ingraham & some arrest practice, 3rd day attempt & out). PM me if int'd. woof- --cd.

Tex- I'll be in L'worth this weekend (w/ some gumbies who'll probably bail on climbing) so think it'd be great to have at least one day locked in for some solid climbing. Pearly Gates? Btw, I'm mostly recovered from a torn muscle in my shoulder, and should be happy leading up to 10b/c and willing to try top-roping 10d-11a/b, but probably not up for leading 11... unless my wheaties, bier & HC kick in strong, or something... Cheers- --Cd. PS: what's a "bamf?"

Umm, yeah, another vote for the Genie. For picket(s), I used 3mm cord to rig an extra loop off the bottom of the daisy chain, then biner'd to the top of the lid.... not quite as sexy to quickdraw gunslinger style if you were in arrest, but workable (if you're gumby flexible like me 'spose)

hybrid/offset Aliens, 3 smallest. when nuts or cams won't sit, i've never really struggled to find somewhere to lock in a hybrid... http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/climbdetail.cfm/CCH1050

Stronger gene-pool via Darwinian selection by avy or crevasse... Someone should tell them its super cool to huck off N Ridge's ice-cliff...

It's about time... Thought UT may have been lost in the bandwidth challenged Methow...

Hug porcelain. Then, scrambled eggs with lotsa cheddar, maybe sprinkle in some HC if you're man enough for it for the flava and extra fat. Lotsa water, couple aspirin after you've eaten, and a hot shower That normally does it for me. Eat big lunch too... --cd.

CFI- Thanks much for the screamin deal on new toys -- very much appreciated. --Cd.

Grew up in Sandpoint... this book is a 'difficult to find,' but apparently has most of the Laclede crag climbs have been rolled into the N Idaho book. Though I'd have probably given my left nut for a copy of this in "like new" condition... envy... --cd.