David Yount

The days are as long as they are gonna get. Best time for some trailwork and also get in some climbing, same day. I'm thinking July 10, Saturday. The hiking road needs some chainsaw work near the end. And the last half of the road needs lots and lots of baby trees pulled by hand; they come out real easy; up to 3-foot tall. The steep climber's tail can soak up well over 100 hours work, easy. But the trail's biggest needs generally are in the first bit, close to the hiking road. The hiking road takes 70 minutes of casual hiking and then the steep trail takes 45 minutes, a bit of a grunt. Show up 'bout 9am, work for 2~3 hours, begin climbing by 3pm. Plenty of time to get in a classic or two! Static Point hiking road and crag face Dave Yount

Trip: - Static Point - Online, Black Fly, Right Line Date: 5/16/2010 Trip Report: Early to bed, which is good because the alarm goes off at 3:30am. I’m up, dressed, and finishing packing. Cheri’s fixing egg sandwiches for the road. We load gear into the car (I sure wish we had a garage, park inside, load all gear and extras into the car the night before, no fear of late night car prowlers breaking in). Just as we’re leaving home the phone rings. Uhm, okaaaaay. It’s just after 4am. Who could possibly want to talk now? Ahh, it’s Lee. He’s feeling lousy, he won’t be able to join. Sorry he’s feeling horrible. More sorry he’s going to miss out on a solid day of sweetass climbing. We arrive at Olney Pass and fill out a registration form. The form does not have a printed option for “rock climbing” as an activity, not does it have a printed option of “Static Point” as a location to visit. I fill in both. These Registration Forms play a role in future decisions and it’s important the state Department of Natural Resources and the Snohomish County Public Utilities District recognize that rock climbers need continued access to the Spada Resevoir / watershed. The big yellow gate is open so we drive the final 2.5 miles of dirt road to the pullout. When the gate is closed it adds 5 miles roundtrip to the approach, which I don’t mind in the early morning, but it sure does feel unwelcome on the hike out. A bicycle (commuter bike, cross bike, mtn bike) would take care of this smooth dirt road. But today we get to drive. 425.783.8605 ask to be connected to Dawn, she should be able to tell you when the South Shore Gate is Open and Closed. It’s worth knowing! Tell them you’re not a hiker, you’re a rock climber. We park and begin hiking 6:30am. The first part of the hike follows a logging road that was abandoned in 2008. It would be easy walking except when a road is abandoned they remove the culverts. They remove a culvert and deeply trench, allowing full and unobstructed flow of the crossing creek. Pulling culverts and re-contouring the road prisms helps minimize future blow-outs and can open up fish habitat on roads that will not be used in the near future. This creates a loose, steep sided, mini canyon. There are many of these, perhaps over 20. The next next part of the hike passes 3 large boulders across the old road. Significant trailwork in 2009 tamed the infamous bushwhack that thwarted the majority of climbers to ever reach the climbing. The first half is nearly completely finished (thanks Don Brooks) and the second half has been tamed such that there are only 5 small downed trees to step over. No more Matrix / Ninja tree surfing to make headway down the old road. We reach the steep climber’s trail 70 minutes later, traveling casually. This last bit of the approach is now the crux. The rarely used trail is slowly disappearing in places. There are increasing blow downs. Heavy wind storms litter pine cones and branches so thick the trail may be fully covered. Small chainsaws, bypass loppers and hand pruners could easily uncover this nearly forgotten trail. Until then, be prepared for some challenges. We arrive at the base of the rock at 8:30am. We’ll begin with Online 5.10B 6 pitches 3-stars, then take a look at the 4 routes that begin on Tombstone Ledge which is 3 pitches off the ground. I’ve climbed slabs in Yosemite. I’ve climbed slabs in Tuolumne. I’ve climbed slabs at Whitehorse in North Conway, New Hampshire. I’ve climbed slabs at Squamish. I’ve climbed Darrington slabs at Exfoliation Dome and at 3 O’Clock Rock. This is truly some of the very best. This is granite. This is clean, almost Bugaboo scrubbed clean. But, not so sterile. This has a summit, though you never visit it, you could if you wanted to. When you just arrive at Static Point, if it’s cool temps and not overly sunny, when you look at the 45 degree clean granite it’s obvious you could climb this in your sneakers. And that’s exactly what the old skoolers in Tahquitz, California did. It certainly looks easier than the north face low angle ramp at the UW practice rock. You think, “I’ll just take off this pack, get my chalk bag, and glide up the first 40 feet to that bolt.” It’s beautiful. It’s compelling. Even with ridiculous foreshortening due to the ridiculous low angle, you can tell this is a very tall piece of rock. Online is the most often climbed route at Static Point. There are reasons for this. It’s the most hyped. All the belays are double bolted. You rappel the route to descend. It has some of the highest quality rock throughout the route. It’s the first route you encounter where the trail meets the rock (excepting a jungle safari adventure of low quality rock and no certain line named Epitaph 5.0-5.9) It’s the most hyped. But I think the reason this single line see upwards of 95% of all the climbing (there are over 75 pitches of climbing at Static Point) is simply because it begins with a 5.6, then a 5.7, then a 5.8 It makes the best warm up, by far. So, the start of Pitch 1 is near a black streak, beneath a thin overlap that tends up and right. Git yer slab face on and just start climbing. You don’t have any pro until you step above that overlap and clip the bolt 40-feet off the ground. If you start sliding don’t give up, try to arrest your fall. Often, this last ditch effort succeeds! And if you do slide out of control remember to lean in with your hips, ride your palms and toes. By leaning in you’re stable. Technical Canyoneering has an advanced move called Elevatoring; in a chimney, no rock shoes, no rope, no pro, lessening the force against the rock with feet, hands and butt until you begin to slip. And continue slipping until you reach the bottom. This demonstrates a form of stable sliding. A slab “fall” will be in slow motion, you’ll have plenty of time to think too much. Just keep you hips in and ride your palms and toes. If you don’t lean in while falling, your shoes might grab and toss you over backwards, traveling head first down the slab. When beginning a slab route I often feel sneaky. At least, I feel far less robust than when aping up an overhung 5.11 sport route (Steep Street – Nevermind Wall – Exit 38; Fear and Loathing III – Red Rocks – Vegas). I arrive at the first bolt; it’s the only bolt on the pitch. I’m glad to have it, but I’ve got 130-feet left to go in this pitch. I keep padding upward, sneaking. I place a small TCU. I continue upward. I place a very small Tricam behind a flake. The topos Darryl Cramer published in the 2000 Sky Valley Rock are excellent. I find the anchors exactly where I expect. I clip in, face out on the ledge and belay Cheri. That first pitch was over 170 feet. With 3 pieces of pro. Awesome. She floats up as fast as I can pull in slack. I look up at Pitch 2 (5.7), my first bolt is quite a ways out. I get 2 bolts on this pitch. I see a nice finger crack just 20 feet off the belay, but I pass it by for the bolt further up. The finger crack is in a thin flake of granite that would not necessarily hold a fall, and it might break off, sliding into Cheri. I got 2 bolts and I think I placed a small TCU. It ends with a sweet right-facing flake edge lieback. But to be fair, liebacking on this low angle terrain is anything but strenuous. Full length pitch and 3 pieces of pro. Cheri floats up. I smile looking at Pitch 3 (5.8 ) because my first bolt is not far away. This does feel a little harder but I’ve just traveled over 300-feet of consistent granite slab, I’m feeling the groove. A second bolt and a third bolt. Then a runnout and I’m at the anchors. Another pitch, another 3 pieces of pro. As I look at Cheri climbing it’s amazing how far away our packs on the ground seem. Cheri floats up. I’m not looking at a watch but I know we’re cruising. At the top of Pitch 3 I look left and see the rappel tree which sits on the far right side of Tombstone Ledge. We’ll be visiting that after finishing this route. Another 5.8 crux is Pitch 4, but this gets some of my attention. The prior 3 pitches I didn’t think, I just quietly smeared upward. I stared at my feet most of the time and smoothly, evenly ascended. Sometimes I would be up to a bolt but 5 feet left or right. No matter, make the traverse, clip the bolt, keep on cruising. Now I’m thinking of a game plan while still standing at the belay. I can clip the old 1/4-inch bolt with the home made bent sheet metal hanger and go left. Or, I can go straight up the black streak. Or, I can keep right of the right facing feature. None of them look hard. None of them look easy. I’m drawn to the right facing feature. Besides, only with this solution do I avoid creaming Cheri in the case of a fall. The right facing feature is fun, almost illicit on this featureless rock. Then I step left and smear up to the overlap, placing 2 small TCUs before stepping above it. The first bolt patiently waits, still a ways past the overlap. You can see it about 12-feet above the overlap; it’s 2-feet into the darker colored rock. Okay, maybe the topo isn’t perfect as it shows the bolt immediately after the overlap. I’ve got a final bolt waiting for me, up there, somewhere. It might be safest to continually scout as I climb, locating the next bolt as soon as possible. Problem is, this would interfere with my flow. So I just climb. I follow the path of least resistance, willing the bolt to intersect my chosen solution. Voila! Then the angle eases and it’s a long long way to the anchors. I had 4 pieces of pro on this pitch. Cheri floats it. I look down again to Tombstone Ledge, identify that rap tree and also the beginning flake for American Pie 5.10A 3-stars. I look up at Pitch 5 (5.10B), I can see bolts to my left for American Pie and bolts to my right for Right Line. Still, navigation seems non trivial. By navigation I don’t mean to imply that I might get off route and clip the wrong bolt. I mean that reading the subtleties in the nearly featureless rock is becoming challenging. I cast off, acknowledging to myself I don’t get pro for a long while. This climbing is a little steeper, but it climbs just like the prior 600-feet. I gently chug up to the bolt, there is a screw link from a previous party’s abandonment. Then I continue to the next and it too is adorned with a screw link, another point of departure. Now it steepens significantly and it’s reminding me of the 3rd pitch of Total Fudd (also at Static Point) which I did October 2009. Last year my partner took 3 falls trying to reach the next bolt on Total Fudd and it was similar terrain as this. I sharpen my focus on identifying good material for foot holds and hand holds. I sort through all the material and begin to form links between the various holds. I look long run for the next bolt and re-consider my solutions. And I climb. As I approach the third bolt I slow down. Up until now I had a flow, movement, inertia, certainty. Now I am stopping consistently to solve the puzzle. I’m not sure where that 4th bolt is, but I can tell you my next bolt is only 6-feet away and it’s not looking like I get a guaranteed solution. Well, there’s nothing to gain by sitting still on steep slab. Even in these relatively pleasant conditions for slab climbing (mostly cloudy, temp about 55F, no wind) if I remain still on steep slab, I’ll feel my feet buttering off. Just the way it is. In the words of a Scottish mountaineer William Hutchinson Murray (1913-1996), from his 1951 book entitled The Scottish Himalayan Expedition “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.” And so it is, I launch! None of the footholds feels like I can pause, I keep dancing ever upward. A quiet internal chuckle ensues when my mind asks me the question, “What shall I do if there is no “stance” to clip from?” My mind wrestles the question. Like a Zen Buddhist Koan, this mental pondering actually empties my brain; I am thinking nothing. When I next take notice of the bolt I see it is by my head, and I’ve a stance of sorts to clip from. Oh sweet. Continuing on I’m excited to meet the crux of the route. The full route topo in the guidebook shows the 10B crux hits just after this 3rd clip. I think I’m good for it, but I admit if it’s much harder I may take a slide. And I float up without a pause. No worries. I clip the last bolt almost dejectedly, wondering where my challenge disappeared? As I watch Cheri motor past the 2nd bolt and then hit a wall approaching the 3rd bolt I await her solution. She dances up left, and down. Then right, and down. She tries straight up. But no, she leans back on the ropes, takes a rest. We talk, I don’t tell her my solution. She focuses and cruises the rest, taking a break just after the crux. Then up to the anchors. Four bolts for that pitch. We agree the crux of that pitch, the crux of the entire route, the crux hits just below that 3rd clip. Hmmm. Sure would be comforting if that bolt were located 6-feet lower; and, it isn’t. So deal. There is a Quick Link on the 1st bolt for parties to bail from. There’s a Quick Link on the 2nd bolt too. The last pitch is lower angled and provides absolutely no pro. Just go up and left. Run it out, scream and shout! The bolts at the top of Pitch 6 were not equipped with screw links and lengths of chain (as were the prior 5 anchor stations). Fastened to the two hangers are a few sewn runners and several biners. All in all not a bad setup but fully clogging the hangers, preventing clipping directly to the hangers with a carabiner. I always carry bulk webbing to add to or replace rap anchors that need some updating. I leave 2 of the original 3 biners. We rap with 2 ropes to Tombstone Ledge. As we’re pulling the ropes, the clouds scatter and full sun peeks out. It’s hot! Like lizards responding to a primitive urge we lounge. It took less than 2 1/2 hours to climb 6 pitches and rappel to Tombstone Ledge; we earned a break. Some time later I check out the 4 routes on the ledge. The left 2 routes are made serious runnouts by Static Point standards (!) if a certain missing bolt has not been replaced and a few fixed pins that were removed were not replaced. Without knowledge of these situations I deemed The Corner 5.8 and Cashman 5.10B presently not “in.” There remained 2 highly recommended routes. American Pie 5.10A 3-stars had a bit I had looked at while climbing Online. On the topo the crux of of American Pie was well beyond a bolt and labeled, “scary.” The sun was out in full force, my rubber did not have the pluck that it musters at the ideal temperature of 49F. I didn’t feel like tackling that “scary” 10A bit far above the bolt, with the consequences of a fall compounded by a large overlap that I would be sliding over. Black Fly 5.8 2-star 2 Pitches was made to order. Let me make one thing clear, please consider beginning this climb at the small tree, at the left facing corner. I followed the book’s description and felt certain my feet were removing granite “kitty litter” that had never seen a pair of rock shoes before mine. I arranged a Sliding Ball Nut #2 in a suspect placement, then added a Yates Screamer. Then I placed a Hugh Banner Brass Offset #3 and a #5, equalized with a double runner, and a Yates Screamer. I still didn’t have full trust in that nest of pro. Once I was higher I saw an obvious line up natural features that also provided adequate pro. Climb the left facing feature for 20-feet, trend right, to a right facing feature and up that. Then move flat left to clip the curiously placed bolt. The remainder of the route flows naturally. Moving from the second bolt to the third bolt is heady, but fun. It involves a significant traverse, to the right. Traversing on minimally featured slab is a skill that seems different than moving directly upward. To be honest, in all the slab I’ve done there wasn’t much traversing action. I enjoyed the spice. Further traversing reaches the anchors. Cheri made the opening (off route?) moves I suffered look reasonable, but she cleaned her feet off with every single move, to remove the exfoliated cat litter. She enjoys climbing a traversing line, she doesn’t like the thought of falling on a traversing line. She paused several times in the last 40 feet. This anchor on Black Fly is common to American Pie, and I look down at the “scary” bit on American Pie and agree that it would be scary. But, next time! We rap down to Tombstone Ledge, gather our gear, cut away the old weathered tat on the rap tree and replace with new webbing and rap ring. Rap to the top of Pitch 2 of Online, then down to the ground. We had only a little time before our agreed departure time so we chose to get on Right Line 5.10A 5 Pitches 2-stars. You rappel the route, so we’d stop when our time ran out. We were having so much fun we wanted to complete the entire route, but we’d stop when we needed to leave. The first bolt was way up there, and the bolt hanger is bent over a bit, I guess from rockfall. It also had a short length of webbing attached to it. At first I thought it was to make spotting the bolt easier. Then I realized it was probably a bail sling. A party realized they were on the wrong route, they very likely meant to get on Online. The first pitch was 5.7, had 1 bolt, and took us less than 15 minutes, so we got to climb up higher. The next pitch was 5.7, has 1 bolt and takes a TCU or 2 and took 11 minutes; we were most definitely in a groove. We didn’t really have time but we went up one more anyway. Pitch 3 is 5.8 with 2 bolts and with a few ledges and larger features much of the climbing goes very quickly. I think that took us 14 minutes. And these are long pitches. We had to leave already so the next 3 pitches will wait for another visit. The hangers at this stance are not equipped with Quick Links and chain. There are 3 bolts and about 5 pieces of webbing. None of the webbing is less than way too old. I only carried 2 lengths of bulk webbing today; I"m out. I’ll replace this next visit, on my way to finish the top half of the route. We rap down, pack our gear and begin the egress. The steep trail takes 20 minutes less going downhill. The old road takes 10 minutes less returning to the car. I would have loved to arrive 2 hours earlier and stay 2 hours later. There are many more lines I’m looking forward to climbing. Gear Notes: I made use of TCUs, Sliding Ball Nuts, Hugh Banner Bronze Offset Nuts. Approach Notes: 425.783.8605 ask to be connected to Dawn, she should be able to tell you when the South Shore Gate is Open and Closed. It’s worth knowing! It's always closed October 31 thru mid April. Tell them you’re not a hiker, you’re a rock climber. At the Olney Pass bathrooms, just before the Gate, please stop and fill out a Registration card. Write in that you are rock climbing. The two Work Parties near the end of 2009 accomplished lots. The worst has been taken care of. And it would be great to put a date on the calendar for a Work Party to finish the road grade and begin on the steep trail.

Gee whiz. Good times! Thanks for baring your soul for my personal entertainment. Now I got the giggles.

Please refer to the Washington Climbers Coalition site: http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/Forums/showthread.php?p=1614#post1614 Come get yer chainsaw on, toss big logs like a bubba, and cut out by 3pm to make the 5pm "drink special" at Schultzy's restaurant in the U-District for the Mega Raffle and Slide Show: Sausage Fest.

Please refer to the Washington Climbers Coalition site http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/Forums/showthread.php?p=1614#post1614 Come get yer chainsaw on, toss big logs like a bubba, and cut out by 3pm to make the 5pm "drink special" at Schultzy's restaurant in the U-District for the Mega Raffle and Slide Show: Sausage Fest.

There are 4 segments to the approach. The first segment is part of the South Shore Road, 2 miles. It begins at the Olney Pass registration station and ends at the Spur Road; you drive this if the gate is open, if the gate is closed you may certainly mtn bike this. The second segment is along the spur road, 0.60 miles. It begins at South Shore Road and ends at the twin boulders. There are about 8 deep gorges cutting thru the road. Carrying a mtn bike down and up these steep banks would be a challenge, you could do it, but with your climbing pack.... it would pose a bit of effort, certainly slower than hiking without a bike. The third segment is from the twin boulders to the steep approach trail, over 1 mile. Much of this can be ridden by a skilled rider, but it would be best if you were already a competitive cyclo-cross competitor. Again, all things considered, likely not much faster than hiking. The fourth segment is the steep approach trail, 45 minutes. Not possible to ride this. Dave Yount.

Trip Report of last Saturday: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/917828#Post917828

Access has been improved thru trail work: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/917828#Post917828

Trip Report from last Saturday: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/917828#Post917828

Trip: Static Point - cutting the gnar Date: 10/24/2009 Trip Report: Static Point Trip Report Work Party 10.24.09 Saturday at 5:00am my electronic wrist watch alarm sounds, that’s my alarm clock. I casually gather some warm clothes, several pair of work gloves, a retired pack, a few bottles of water and scraps of food. As I merge onto I-5 northbound I swallow a caffeine pill; I went to bed at 2:00am and I have some driving ahead of me, beginning from Tacoma. I reach Monroe’s Fred Meyers by 7:00am. I don’t like their chainsaws. A quart of bar oil, a 1-gallon plastic gas can, earmuffs and a donut complete my shopping. I finish the donut before I reach the cashier - how convenient it is to get chainsaw supplies and a fresh donut from the same store. At Home Depot I quickly consider the two makes and several models of chainsaws they offer. I settle on the cheaper brand (Homelite) but not the smallest saw (16-inch). I select the 18-inch because that model comes with a hard plastic storage case. At a gas station I fill up my vehicle’s tank as well the new gas can. After adding the 2.6 oz tiny bottle of 2-cycle synthetic oil to the gas can I head out on my day’s adventure. Sultan Basin Road has been repaired earlier this month and is no longer closed. Last month I tried to climb at Static Point but the road was under repair and I didn’t know about the Kellogg Lake Road bypass. That climbing day turned out fine, as we continued on US-2 to Index, Plan B. But after roping up and beginning a warm up on Princely Ambitions it began to sprinkle, then rain. Retreating from the rock and huddling beneath a thick tree canopy we stood silently listening to the music of the individual rain drops cascading down thru the leaves. After 15 minutes of this meditation my partner joked we cold always keep driving east for better weather. I asked if he had been to Snow Creek Wall. When he replied, “not yet” I told him I had a good idea, Plan C. We drove to Leavenworth, selected a rack, cruised the approach and saw one party. They were down low on Outer Space with another party waiting on the ground; this was looking like a very, very long day. I told him we would do Outer Space but first a different route, to let those other parties time to move out of our way. So we moved left and discovered the start for Orbit. What a joyous route! I’m not certain about the usual and customary last pitch, but when I saw a nice offwidth crack I stopped looking for other solutions to finish the final 40 feet. Scrambling back down to the base of Outer Space we found one party still on route, but up high. I gave the best pitches to my partner, we summitted again, scrambled down to our packs, hiked down to the creek, cruised down the trail and flicked on our headlamps nearing the parking lot just as night fell. Then drove back home, Tacoma, nineteen hours door to door. But I digress, that was my last trip to Static Point. This trip to Static Point would not be denied by the road. After about 11 miles on Sultan Basin Road the pavement ends and the nature of the road changes completely. It’s quite steep and has many switchbacks. But the dirt road is so amazingly wide that it beckons would-be rally drivers to flat-track the sharp corners; which is not me. I pass a truck that must have been having too much fun because it’s front end is deep into a side ditch so steep that the 8-inch lifted rig on 40-inch wheels is high centered, it’s rear wheels on the road, front wheels in the deep ditch and the center of the truck underbody resting on the side of the road. There’s nobody around but I still feel bad I can’t help. I reach the Olney Pass registration station, I register, and take the right fork to the South Shore Road. I notice they don’t include “climbing” on the registration as a purpose to visit the watershed, so I write it in. A few easy miles later I cross the bridge and shortly after I park on the right at the spur road. This is where the walking begins. Before I get out of my car I decide I’m curious to get a feel for the entire recreation area so I keep on driving onward. I pull off for “Site 2,” there are 5 Sites around the Spada Reservoir. Site 2 has a crude boat not recommended for any but hand launch boats. Further along, Site 3 has a broad soft surface ramp down to the water. The water level is quite low. As I casually drive down the ramp I hear and feel the front wheels sinking into soft sand. Oh shoot! I’m not in an honest 4-wheel drive, just my all-wheel drive Subaru wagon; I may be stuck until another soul comes sightseeing. With a smooth head and a soft finesse on the clutch, I coax my sinking ship backward onto firm ground. Site 4 has a long paved boat ramp, but I’ve already seen the water up close from my car so I decline the opportunity. The road was reported as closed after Site 4, with Site 5 only accessible as a walk-in, but I drive merrily along. Site 5 is a viewpoint, with a short walk to a higher viewpoint. At such low water level, the reservoir reminds me of the off season stump farm of Keechelus Lake near Snoqualmie Pass. All Sites have pit toilets, picnic tables, and plenty of parking. Strange feeling is it looks like almost nobody visits these sites, ever. Like the last time a family had a picnic was well over 15 years ago? I read on the website these Sites were developed in 1991; I wonder if they were ever used? I keep pressing on, climb a hill, descend and find the road permanently blocked just past Grieder Lakes Trailhead. A map shows a 3-mile hike to visit both lakes, lower and upper. With the road closed, the hike to Boulder Lake is increased by a 2-mile road walk adding to the 4-mile trail hike. Camping sites (picnic tables?) with a pit toilet are advertised for Boulder Lake; with the drive-in Sites looking completely unused I wonder what I’d find in such a seeming remote Boulder Lake? With no more road to explore I turn my car around and return to the spur road. It’s been 20 years since I’ve operated a saw so I take a quick view of the instructions; mostly I remember cutting thick viney things or thin branches far from the trunk can be challenging or ill advised. Oh, and using the tip of the saw blade is rarely a good idea and the chain tension should be checked regularly and don’t forget to refill the bar oil when refilling the gas. Now I sit down to devise some way to carry the rather large plastic saw case strapped to the back of my pack, with the 1-gallon gas and the 1-quart bar oil inside my pack, with clothes, food, etc. And a 24-inch bowsaw secured to the side of the plastic case. For the rest of the day I would walk slowly, carrying the chainsaw in my hands, turning it on to cut my way through the tangled messes, always with my large pack on my back with the saw’s plastic carrying case strapped on. I hadn’t planned on this, I would rather cut without my pack. I don’t enjoy the weight on my back, but I quickly grew dissatisfied with removing my pack to cut, then putting it back on to walk. The cutting happened so frequently, I learned to cut while wearing the pack. I leave the car at 11:00am and just around the first corner I find a large excavator, parked. Then I came to a rather large gorge, with steep sides. The excavator had cut a gorge into the spur road, allowing certain passage of the natural water feature that likely used to pass thru a large culvert beneath the road’s surface. There would be about eight more of these, some of them 25-feet deep! It would be pleasant if a volunteer group created something more than the present mere suggestion of a trail up and down these steep slopes. Finally I reach the pair of boulders that marked an historic parking spot for climbers. The road up to here needs no pruning, it is very wide and clear. I estimate this segment at 0.75 miles. Passing between the boulders the character of the road changes, because this final segment has already been abandoned a long time ago. I’m happy to remove the saw from it’s case, taking the weight off my shoulders. Since the saw was strapped onto the back face of the pack, my shoulders were feeling the force of the saw rotating backward; my waistbelt didn’t have much of the load. In early October many people online offered to show up for a trail work party in late October; I was looking forward to an organized effort. When several weeks passed and it was already late October I figured I would advertise my solo intentions, hoping to inspire. My first plan was to carry my tools and supplies thru the bushwack to the approach trail, then cut as I returned to my car. One advantage is I’d be working as I walked downhill, rather than uphill. A bigger consideration is I would have knowledge of the entire spur road’s condition so I’d know where the worst sections were and leave alone minor sections. Just after passing between the pair of boulders I immediately realize I need my saw, now. I could only proceed reasonably if I was cutting a path thru the gnar. And so the blood letting began. I walk, I cut, I walk, I cut, I leave the trimmings where they fall, I continue pushing up the forgotten roadbed. Then I run out of gas. I refill the gas and the bar oil, check the chain tension, then resume with nature’s crew cut. I throw the chain and quickly hit the kill switch. I didn’t know chainsaw’s were so easy to derail. Great! I’m getting a feel for the flow of work but I might be dropping my now useless 42cc chainsaw and continuing with just my backup saw, a 24-inch manual bowsaw. Well, I do like to tinker so I break out a 2-foot white towel and lay the broken saw down. I figure out how to remove the clutch cover. I remove the chain and the bar, then look carefully at the chain, inspecting the cutting teeth but more poignantly the drive teeth. I place the chain in the bar and pull the chain thru several full rotations; I find one drive tooth that must be slightly damaged, it does not move freely thru the channel in the bar. I reassemble the saw and adjust the tension in the chain. There’s a sticky link but it seems to move well enough? I start it up and the saw struggles slightly with the friction from the damaged piece of chain. After several more small trees are felled the chain is moving smoothly. I continue carving my way thru small alder trees and larger blow downs crossing the road, and run out of gas. As I’m refilling, adjusting tension and eating some food I hear some general thrashing behind me. If it’s a bear, then I’ll be annoyed. Just moments ago I had a very effective defensive tool if involved in a bear fight. Now I have 10 pounds of plastic and bits of metal. I see movement behind me. Yes, another person is walking the spur road, he’s picking up and tossing all the debris I’ve created. I take off my earmuffs and my gloves and walk back to meet him. A capable looking fellow, dressed in comfortable clothes based on function and experience far more than technology and fad, sporting a nice pair of hand pruners and a folding tree saw, both in sturdy leather holders, well worn work boots with the steel toes plainly visible, moving reliably and efficiently, never in a hurry, obviously at home outdoors doing physical work. “Don Brooks” he says. I am honored; I post an open invite for trail work and Don Brooks shows up. The first guidebook I bought was the 1979 second printing of Fred Beckey’s Cascade Alpine Guide. The second guidebook I bought was 1982 Don Brooks and David Whitelaw’s Washington Rock. Whereas Beckey’s was an alpine guide, Brooks’ was a rock climbing guidebook with far out precise topos. I could enjoy a climb just by savoring the detailed information printed on the pages. We speak briefly. He asks me how far the approach trail is, are we close? I have no idea, I’ve never been here before. I walk back uproad, start up my saw and continue the adventure. The saw is running almost continually. Then I bind the chain in a horizontal tree overhead. Don walks up to me and lifts the sagging tree, freeing the chain, explaining I should have used on undercut because the horizontal tree was in tension since it’s canopy was hung up in other trees. Makes sense. I’ve felled and limbed and bucked lots of trees, 20 years ago. I’ve never walked along and used it like a light saber, slicing trees from all sort of angles and elevations. I’m keeping an eye on the chain tension. I fill the fourth tank of gas and a short while later I throw the chain again. The white towel comes out, I perform the surgery, back to cutting. Don’s never in plain sight behind me. I might catch his head bobbing or his arms swinging trees clear from the road, but we’re never really working together. And I’m so mighty thankful for his work. Before I knew I had help I hoped to toss the cuttings myself when I returned down the road, but I knew well I would have no taste for that heavy work. In order to move uproad with all available speed I was choosing to make as few cuts as possible, leaving the trees whole. I was making it easy on myself, but creating thuggish work for tossing the cut trees. I throw the chain a third time; I’m not operating this tool as skillfully as I could be, but I am getting skillful at fixing it. And I fill the fifth tank of gas. Don comes up to me and lets me know he’s headed back, thanks me for all the cutting. I watch him leave, he continues pulling 2-foot and 3-foot trees right out of the ground with his hands. I am growing weary of the hard work. I am growing somewhat bored with the never ending sameness of the work. I am growing impatient to finally reach the approach trail. I really wanted to dash up the trail to see the rock. So I make a revised plan, I’ll only turn on the saw if I can’t comfortably make it thru a section. I hope I’ll only need it a few times. I hope I’m very close to the trail. I’m ducking under blowdowns. I’m stepping over blowdowns. I’m thrasing between young alders. Sometimes I’m thrashing while I’m ducking or high stepping. Madness. I employ the saw, too much. I need to let go, stop trying to finish the work. I need to focus on reaching the trail. For the first time today it begins to sprinkle; I put on a wool shirt. It rains a little harder; I add another wool shirt. Then I come to a large creek cutting thru the road. Looking up the wide streambed I see granite slabs. These look similar too….. brings back memories, I think of the south face of Mt Garfield near North Bend and I also think of Exfoliation Dome’s granite sidewalk near Darrington, and I see Static Peak up high. What a gorgeous view. Gorgeous because it simply is. Gorgeous because I recognize this from the descriptions I’ve read; I’m almost there! I cross the flowing creek and immediately come to a culvert on the road, half full with sand, and a cairn on the left side of the road. I stash all my gear inside the culvert. At 4:30pm I begin the hike up the trail. Some parties took 3 hours to reach this point, I took 5.5 hours. It turns out that Don and I had made it about 60% together, up the spur road. Though there was significant distance after I stopped cutting, the road was in much better condition, there wasn’t that much left to cut. There are few approaches steeper than this. I really enjoy the trail. It’s quite faint in many places and in three spots recent blow downs have obscured it. It follows along the bank of the large creek, only leaving the creek near the very top. Climber’s trails just aren’t made like this anymore. This type of trail was created by people that had personally experienced many 100’s of miles hiking and backpacking, they had broad experience with trails. Though far too steep to be considered a good example of an enduring National Forest trail, this trail does a good job. I reach Static Point 30 minutes later, I was carrying nothing. I would expect it to take me over 40 minutes with my typical climbing pack. Whitehorse slabs in New Hampshire, right next to Cathedral cliffs, both in North Conway, that’s what this looks like. The first 3 pitches of any of the routes I see are remarkably friendly, though the first bolts were 40-feet off the ground, the super low angle slab granite looks tempting even in tennis shoes in a light drizzle. I’ll return to scamper up many of these tasty lines. I return down the trail in less than 20 minutes, carrying nothing but leaving pink flagging tape to assist others. Another visit I’ll finish the spur road trail work and then continue my efforts up the approach trail. The trail will need hand pruners, folding tree hand saw, bowsaw and plenty of work. Traveling back the overgrown spur road at a good hiking rate takes me 15 minutes to reach where I stopped cutting. Then I increase my speed and reach the twin boulders in another 15 minutes. A final 15 minutes sees me at my car. I estimate it’s over 1 mile from the twin boulders to the approach trail. So I estimate it’s about 2 miles from the South Shore Road at Spada Resevoir to the approach trail. As I walk where Don and I worked to improve the conditions on the spur road I am delighted. Don heaved my cuttings well off the road, most of them were well out of sight. I made most of my cuts near the ground for the vertical trees, or for the horizontal trees I pushed thru thick underbrush and made cuts well off the sides of the trail. As I walk down the enjoyable road I almost can’t tell the prior condition, I can’t tell any work had been necessary. Don Brooks, thanks so much for showing up ready for hard work. Dave Yount. --- Static Point is a climbing area that has a longer season and much better climate than many western Washington areas and it’s closer than Index. With 800-feet of clean rock, most routes are 6-pitches tall. The approach involves 2 miles of walking along an abandoned road and then a final 45 minute trail. The last mile of road has been abandoned quite some time ago, it is no longer maintained, and it is in dire need of heavy pruning. Chainsaws, bow saws, folding tree saws and hand pruners are all useful. DNR and Snohomish PUD know about this issue and they were pretty amenable to our going up there and cutting Alder trees from the abandoned road so as to maintain a walkable path. Saturday October 24, 2009 I will be headed out with a saw and extra gas. I’m not organizing a meeting time because my plans need flexibility, but I would suggest and dearly hope that individuals will coordinate a general meeting time for a group effort. Presently the weather looks perfect for this type of volunteer work; cool but not wet. Dave Yount. Static Point climbing area on Static Peak - driving and hiking and approach trail descriptions Driving: US-2 Sultan Basin Road - 13 miles Nf-6129 South Shore Road around Spada Lake - 3 miles Hiking [if gate is closed: Nf-6129 around Spada Lake - 3 miles] Decommissioned spur road / trail - 2 miles Approach trail 45 minutes uphill East on US-2 to the town of Sultan. Take a Left on Sultan Basin Road at the east end of town. About 11 miles after leaving US-2 the pavement ends and the road becomes steep. Many steep switchbacks later you reach the registration station above Spada Resevoir and the pair of gates at Olney Pass. Sometimes you must park at the registration station if the right gate is closed. The right gate is the South Shore Road, take this. This seems to be open Fri - Sun. The three miles (on road Nf-6129 around the reservoir / lake) to the decommissioned spur road is gently and consistently downhill (fast and easy on a mtn bike). When you arrive at a large bridge, the spur road is just past on the right and is blocked by several boulders and a large snag placed crosswise. Park here. You hike 2 miles on the spur road/trail to reach the approach trail on the left. The old decommissioned spur road is somewhat gone and now consists of very large mounds that were built to shore up the drainages that cross the old road. Impossible to mtn bike this. Some of these gorges are 25 feet deep! The first 20 minutes the road is great, except the treacherously steep gorges. Then you reach two large boulders in the road. The remaining mile often feels more like a trail than an old roadbed and would benefit from an organized work party every several years. You come to a major drainage, a large granite wash, and you get a clear view up this gully past some slabs to the top of Static Peak. Just 50 feet on the far side of it you'll find a culvert just sitting on the road, half full with sand, a rock cairn on the left side of the road/trail to get you started up the approach trail. Fortunately the old road runs into the main stream shortly after passing the "large granite wash." So if you are unsure at all just keep hiking until you hit the big stream then backtrack a few yards to find the approach trail. The lovely but steep trail up the hill has some blowdown issues at the start and is certainly losing ground over the many years. I can tell this trail used to have a wide flat tread and was well tended for; high up on the trail a cedar over 2-feet diameter fell across the trail and it was cut and removed a long time back.

Trip: Staic Point - cutting the gnar Date: 10/24/2009 Trip Report: Static Point Trip Report Work Party 10.25.09 Saturday at 5:00am my electronic wrist watch alarm sounds, that’s my alarm clock. I casually gather some warm clothes, several pair of work gloves, a retired pack, a few bottles of water and scraps of food. As I merge onto I-5 northbound I swallow a caffeine pill; I went to bed at 2:00am and I have some driving ahead of me, beginning from Tacoma. I reach Monroe’s Fred Meyers by 7:00am. I don’t like their chainsaws. A quart of bar oil, a 1-gallon plastic gas can, earmuffs and a donut complete my shopping. I finish the donut before I reach the cashier - how convenient it is to get chainsaw supplies and a fresh donut from the same store. At Home Depot I quickly consider the two makes and several models of chainsaws they offer. I settle on the cheaper brand (Homelite) but not the smallest saw (16-inch). I select the 18-inch because that model comes with a hard plastic storage case. At a gas station I fill up my vehicle’s tank as well the new gas can. After adding the 2.6 oz tiny bottle of 2-cycle synthetic oil to the gas can I head out on my day’s adventure. Sultan Basin Road has been repaired earlier this month and is no longer closed. Last month I tried to climb at Static Point but the road was under repair and I didn’t know about the Kellogg Lake Road bypass. That climbing day turned out fine, as we continued on US-2 to Index, Plan B. But after roping up and beginning a warm up on Princely Ambitions it began to sprinkle, then rain. Retreating from the rock and huddling beneath a thick tree canopy we stood silently listening to the music of the individual rain drops cascading down thru the leaves. After 15 minutes of this meditation my partner joked we cold always keep driving east for better weather. I asked if he had been to Snow Creek Wall. When he replied, “not yet” I told him I had a good idea, Plan C. We drove to Leavenworth, selected a rack, cruised the approach and saw one party. They were down low on Outer Space with another party waiting on the ground; this was looking like a very, very long day. I told him we would do Outer Space but first a different route, to let those other parties time to move out of our way. So we moved left and discovered the start for Orbit. What a joyous route! I’m not certain about the usual and customary last pitch, but when I saw a nice offwidth crack I stopped looking for other solutions to finish the final 40 feet. Scrambling back down to the base of Outer Space we found one party still on route, but up high. I gave the best pitches to my partner, we summitted again, scrambled down to our packs, hiked down to the creek, cruised down the trail and flicked on our headlamps nearing the parking lot just as night fell. Then drove back home, Tacoma, nineteen hours door to door. But I digress, that was my last trip to Static Point. This trip to Static Point would not be denied by the road. After about 11 miles on Sultan Basin Road the pavement ends and the nature of the road changes completely. It’s quite steep and has many switchbacks. But the dirt road is so amazingly wide that it beckons would-be rally drivers to flat-track the sharp corners; which is not me. I pass a truck that must have been having too much fun because it’s front end is deep into a side ditch so steep that the 8-inch lifted rig on 40-inch wheels is high centered, it’s rear wheels on the road, front wheels in the deep ditch and the center of the truck underbody resting on the side of the road. There’s nobody around but I still feel bad I can’t help. I reach the Olney Pass registration station, I register, and take the right fork to the South Shore Road. I notice they don’t include “climbing” on the registration as a purpose to visit the watershed, so I write it in. A few easy miles later I cross the bridge and shortly after I park on the right at the spur road. This is where the walking begins. Before I get out of my car I decide I’m curious to get a feel for the entire recreation area so I keep on driving onward. I pull off for “Site 2,” there are 5 Sites around the Spada Reservoir. Site 2 has a crude boat not recommended for any but hand launch boats. Further along, Site 3 has a broad soft surface ramp down to the water. The water level is quite low. As I casually drive down the ramp I hear and feel the front wheels sinking into soft sand. Oh shoot! I’m not in an honest 4-wheel drive, just my all-wheel drive Subaru wagon; I may be stuck until another soul comes sightseeing. With a smooth head and a soft finesse on the clutch, I coax my sinking ship backward onto firm ground. Site 4 has a long paved boat ramp, but I’ve already seen the water up close from my car so I decline the opportunity. The road was reported as closed after Site 4, with Site 5 only accessible as a walk-in, but I drive merrily along. Site 5 is a viewpoint, with a short walk to a higher viewpoint. At such low water level, the reservoir reminds me of the off season stump farm of Keechelus Lake near Snoqualmie Pass. All Sites have pit toilets, picnic tables, and plenty of parking. Strange feeling is it looks like almost nobody visits these sites, ever. Like the last time a family had a picnic was well over 15 years ago? I read on the website these Sites were developed in 1991; I wonder if they were ever used? I keep pressing on, climb a hill, descend and find the road permanently blocked just past Grieder Lakes Trailhead. A map shows a 3-mile hike to visit both lakes, lower and upper. With the road closed, the hike to Boulder Lake is increased by a 2-mile road walk adding to the 4-mile trail hike. Camping sites (picnic tables?) with a pit toilet are advertised for Boulder Lake; with the drive-in Sites looking completely unused I wonder what I’d find in such a seeming remote Boulder Lake? With no more road to explore I turn my car around and return to the spur road. It’s been 20 years since I’ve operated a saw so I take a quick view of the instructions; mostly I remember cutting thick viney things or thin branches far from the trunk can be challenging or ill advised. Oh, and using the tip of the saw blade is rarely a good idea and the chain tension should be checked regularly and don’t forget to refill the bar oil when refilling the gas. Now I sit down to devise some way to carry the rather large plastic saw case strapped to the back of my pack, with the 1-gallon gas and the 1-quart bar oil inside my pack, with clothes, food, etc. And a 24-inch bowsaw secured to the side of the plastic case. For the rest of the day I would walk slowly, carrying the chainsaw in my hands, turning it on to cut my way through the tangled messes, always with my large pack on my back with the saw’s plastic carrying case strapped on. I hadn’t planned on this, I would rather cut without my pack. I don’t enjoy the weight on my back, but I quickly grew dissatisfied with removing my pack to cut, then putting it back on to walk. The cutting happened so frequently, I learned to cut while wearing the pack. I left the car at 11:00am and just around the first corner I found a large excavator, parked. Then I came to a rather large gorge, with steep sides. The excavator had cut a gorge into the spur road, allowing certain passage of the natural water feature that likely used to pass thru a large culvert beneath the road’s surface. There would be about eight more of these, some of them 25-feet deep! It would be pleasant if a volunteer group created something more than the present mere suggestion of a trail up and down these steep slopes. Finally I reached the pair of boulders that marked an historic parking spot for climbers. The road up to this point needs no pruning, it is very wide and clear. I estimate this segment at 0.75 miles. Passing between the boulders the character of the road changes, because this final segment has already been abandoned a long time ago. I’m happy to remove the saw from it’s case, taking the weight off my shoulders. Since the saw was strapped onto the back face of the pack, my shoulders were feeling the force of the saw rotating backward; my waistbelt didn’t have much of the load. In early October many people online offered to show up for a trail work party in late October; I was looking forward to an organized effort. When several weeks passed and it was already late October I figured I would advertise my solo intentions, hoping to inspire. My first plan was to carry my tools and supplies thru the bushwack to the approach trail, then cut as I returned to my car. One advantage is I’d be working as I walked downhill, rather than uphill. A bigger consideration is I would have knowledge of the entire spur road’s condition so I’d know where the worst sections were and leave alone minor sections. Just after passing between the pair of boulders I immediately realize I need my saw, now. I could only proceed reasonably if I was cutting a path thru the gnar. And so the blood letting began. I walk, I cut, I walk, I cut, I leave the trimmings where they fall, I continue pushing up the forgotten roadbed. Then I run out of gas. I refill the gas and the bar oil, check the chain tension, then resume with nature’s crew cut. I throw the chain and quickly hit the kill switch. I didn’t know chainsaw’s were so easy to derail. Great! I’m getting a feel for the flow of work but I might be dropping my now useless 42cc chainsaw and continuing with just my backup saw, a 24-inch manual bowsaw. Well, I do like to tinker so I break out a 2-foot white towel and lay the broken saw down. I figure out how to remove the clutch cover. I remove the chain and the bar, then look carefully at the chain, inspecting the cutting teeth but more poignantly the drive teeth. I place the chain in the bar and pull the chain thru several full rotations; I find one drive tooth that must be slightly damaged, it does not move freely thru the channel in the bar. I reassemble the saw and adjust the tension in the chain. There’s a sticky link but it seems to move well enough? I start it up and the saw struggles slightly with the friction from the damaged piece of chain. After several more small trees are felled the chain is moving smoothly again. I continue carving my way thru small alder trees and larger blow downs crossing the road, and run out of gas. As I’m refilling, adjusting tension and eating some food I hear some general thrashing behind me. If it’s a bear, then I’ll be annoyed. Just moments ago I had a very effective defensive tool if involved in a bear fight. Now I have 10 pounds of plastic and bits of metal. I see movement behind me. Yes, another person is walking the spur road, he’s picking up and tossing all the debris I’ve created. I take off my earmuffs and my gloves and walk back to meet him. A capable looking fellow, dressed in comfortable clothes based on function and experience far more than technology and fad, sporting a nice pair of hand pruners and a folding tree saw, both in sturdy leather holders, well worn work boots with the steel toes plainly visible, moving reliably and efficiently, never in a hurry, obviously at home outdoors doing physical work. “Don Brooks” he says. I am honored; I post an open invite for trail work and Don Brooks shows up. The first guidebook I bought was the 1979 second printing of Fred Beckey’s Cascade Alpine Guide. The second guidebook I bought was 1982 Don Brooks and David Whitelaw’s Washington Rock. Whereas Beckey’s was an alpine guide, Brooks’ was a rock climbing guidebook with far out precise topos. I could enjoy a climb just by savoring the detailed information printed on the pages. We speak briefly. He asks me how far the approach trail is, are we close? I have no idea, I’ve never been here before. I walk back uproad, start up my saw and continue the adventure. The saw is running almost continually. Then I bind the chain in a horizontal tree overhead. Don walks up to me and lifts the sagging tree, freeing the chain, explaining I should have used on undercut because the horizontal tree was in tension since it’s canopy was hung up in other trees. Makes sense. I’ve felled and limbed and bucked lots of trees, 20 years ago. I’ve never walked along and used it like a light saber, slicing trees from all sort of angles and elevations. I’m keeping an eye on the chain tension. I fill the fourth tank of gas and a short while later I throw the chain again. The white towel comes out, I perform the surgery, back to cutting. Don’s never in plain sight behind me. I might catch his head bobbing or his arms swinging trees clear from the road, but we’re never really working together. And I’m so mighty thankful for his work. Before I knew I had help I hoped to toss the cuttings myself when I returned down the road, but I knew well I would have no taste for that heavy work. In order to move uproad with all available speed I was choosing to make as few cuts as possible, leaving the trees whole. I was making it easy on myself, but creating thuggish work for tossing the cut trees. I throw the chain a third time; I’m not operating this tool as skillfully as I could be, but I am getting skillful at fixing it. And I fill the fifth tank of gas. Don comes up to me and lets me know he’s headed back, thanks me for all the cutting. I watch him leave, he continues pulling 2-foot and 3-foot trees right out of the ground with his hands. I am growing weary of the hard work. I am growing somewhat bored with the never ending sameness of the work. I am growing impatient to finally reach the approach trail. I really wanted to dash up the trail to see the rock. So I make a revised plan, I’ll only turn on the saw if I can’t comfortably make it thru a section. I hope I’ll only need it a few times. I hope I’m very close to the trail. I’m ducking under blowdowns. I’m stepping over blowdowns. I’m thrasing between young alders. Sometimes I’m thrashing while I’m ducking or high stepping. Madness. I employ the saw, too much. I need to let go, stop trying to finish the work. I need to focus on reaching the trail. For the first time today it begins to sprinkle; I put on a wool shirt. It rains a little harder; I add another wool shirt. Then I come to a large creek cutting thru the road. Looking up the wide streambed I see granite slabs. These look similar too….. brings back memories, I think of the south face of Mt Garfield near North Bend and I also think of Exfoliation Dome’s granite sidewalk near Darrington, and I see Static Peak up high. What a gorgeous view. Gorgeous because it simply is. Gorgeous because I recognize this from the descriptions I’ve read; I’m almost there! I cross the flowing creek and immediately come to a culvert on the road, half full with sand, and a cairn on the left side of the road. I stash all my gear inside the culvert. At 4:30pm I begin the hike up the trail. Some parties took 3 hours to reach this point, I took 5.5 hours. It turns out that Don and I had made it about 60% together, up the spur road. Though there was significant distance after I stopped cutting, the road was in much better condition, there wasn’t that much left to cut. There are few approaches steeper than this. I really enjoy the trail. It’s quite faint in many places and in three spots recent blow downs have obscured it. It follows along the bank of the large creek, only leaving the creek near the very top. Climber’s trails just aren’t made like this anymore. This type of trail was created by people that had personally experienced many 100’s of miles hiking and backpacking, they had broad experience with trails. Though far too steep to be considered a good example of an enduring National Forest trail, this trail does a good job. I reach Static Point 30 minutes later, I was carrying nothing. I would expect it to take me over 40 minutes with my typical climbing pack. Whitehorse slabs in New Hampshire, right next to Cathedral cliffs, both in North Conway, that’s what this looks like. The first 3 pitches of any of the routes I see are remarkably friendly, though the first bolts were 40-feet off the ground, the super low angle slab granite looks tempting even in tennis shoes in a light drizzle. I’ll return to scamper up many of these tasty lines. I return down the trail in less than 20 minutes, carrying nothing but leaving pink flagging tape to assist others. Another visit I’ll finish the spur road trail work and then continue my efforts up the approach trail. The trail will need hand pruners, folding tree hand saw, bowsaw and plenty of work. Traveling back the overgrown spur road at a good hiking rate takes me 15 minutes to reach where I stopped cutting. Then I increase my speed and reach the twin boulders in another 15 minutes. A final 15 minutes sees me at my car. I estimate it’s over 1 mile from the twin boulders to the approach trail. So I estimate it’s about 2 miles from the South Shore Road at Spada Resevoir to the approach trail. As I walk where Don and I worked to improve the conditions on the spur road I am delighted. Don heaved my cuttings well off the road, most of them were well out of sight. I made most of my cuts near the ground for the vertical trees, or for the horizontal trees I pushed thru thick underbrush and made cuts well off the sides of the trail. As I walk down the enjoyable road I almost can’t tell the prior condition, I can’t tell any work had been necessary. Don Brooks, thanks so much for showing up ready for hard work. Dave Yount. --- Static Point is a climbing area that has a longer season and much better climate than many western Washington areas and it’s closer than Index. With 800-feet of clean rock, most routes are 6-pitches tall. The approach involves 2 miles of walking along an abandoned road and then a final 45 minute trail. The last mile of road has been abandoned quite some time ago, it is no longer maintained, and it is in dire need of heavy pruning. Chainsaws, bow saws, folding tree saws and hand pruners are all useful. DNR and Snohomish PUD know about this issue and they were pretty amenable to our going up there and cutting Alder trees from the abandoned road so as to maintain a walkable path. Saturday October 24, 2009 I will be headed out with a saw and extra gas. I’m not organizing a meeting time because my plans need flexibility, but I would suggest and dearly hope that individuals will coordinate a general meeting time for a group effort. Presently the weather looks perfect for this type of volunteer work; cool but not wet. Dave Yount. Static Point climbing area on Static Peak - driving and hiking and approach trail descriptions Driving: US-2 Sultan Basin Road - 13 miles Nf-6129 South Shore Road around Spada Lake - 2 miles Hiking [if gate is closed: Nf-6129 around Spada Lake - 2 miles] Decommissioned spur road / trail - 2 miles Approach trail 45 minutes uphill East on US-2 to the town of Sultan. Take a Left on Sultan Basin Road at the east end of town. About 11 miles after leaving US-2 the pavement ends and the road becomes steep. Many steep switchbacks later you reach the registration station above Spada Resevoir and the pair of gates at Olney Pass. Sometimes you must park at the registration station if the right gate is closed. The right gate is the South Shore Road, take this. The two miles (on road Nf-6129 around the reservoir / lake) to the decommissioned spur road is gently and consistently downhill (fast and easy on a mtn bike). When you arrive at a large bridge, the spur road is just past on the right and is blocked by several boulders and a large snag placed crosswise. You hike 2 miles on the spur road/trail to reach the approach trail on the left. The old decommissioned spur road is somewhat gone and now consists of very large mounds that were built to shore up the drainages that cross the old road. Impossible to mtn bike this. Some of these gorges are 25 feet deep! The first 20 minutes the road is great, except the treacherously steep gorges. Then you reach two large boulders in the road. The remaining mile often feels more like a trail than an old roadbed and would benefit from an organized work party every several years. You know you’re getting close when you have to squeeze around the end of a culvert in the road; later you come to a major drainage, a large granite wash, and you get a clear view up this gully past some slabs to the top of Static Peak. Just 50 feet on the far side of it you'll find a culvert just sitting on the road, half full with sand, a rock cairn on the left side of the road/trail to get you started up the approach trail. Fortunately the old road runs into the main stream shortly after passing the "large granite wash." So if you are unsure at all just keep hiking until you hit the big stream then backtrack a few yards to find the approach trail. The lovely but steep trail up the hill has some blowdown issues at the start and is certainly losing ground over the many years. I can tell this trail used to have a wide flat tread and was well tended for; high up on the trail a cedar over 2-feet diameter fell across the trail and it was cut and removed a long time back.

Bloody [ cc.com ]doesn't know what it's coming to! Right! Sargent-Major marching up and down the square! Left! Right! Left! Right! Oh. And the road is open, we can drive to the spur road, don't have to pack our tools and supplies in 2 miles anymore.

[update: Regarding the ability to drive almost all the way in to the spur road, no long hike to perform our trail work tomorrow!] The South Shore Road gate at Olney Pass is currently open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The road is closed to vehicles just east of the site 4 (Nighthawk), with hike-in access to site 5 and the Grieder Lake and Boulder lake Trailheads. http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/Forums/showthread.php?p=1610&posted=1#post1610

If the South Shore gate is closed, then add 2 miles of road walking to the approach. If the South Shore gate is open then you may park at the spur road, just past the bridge. As of 10.23.09 http://www.snopud.com/PowerSupply/hydro/jhp.ashx?p=1196 [Regarding the ability to drive all the way in to the spur road] The South Shore gate at Olney Pass [spada Resevoir]is currently open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The road is closed to vehicles just east of the Site 4 (Nighthawk), with hike-in access to site 5 and the Grieder Lake and Boulder lake Trailheads. [The spur road that we hike to reach climbing at Static Peak is well before Site 4] Also, spur road trail work tomorrow Saturday October 24, 2009 [chainsaws] http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/Forums/showthread.php?p=1610&posted=1#post1610

Saturday October 24 Please refer to the Washington Climbers Coalition site http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/Forums/showthread.php?p=1608#post1608

I would certainly like to purchase this map! Offset printing will provide a collectible piece of art that framed becomes a functional memory jiggler and idea spawner. I'd love it to be at least 18x24 (as Steph mentioned this larger size is a standard size). Dave Yount.

I met a couple, 40 years climbing between them, they used 2 or 3 pieces of chopped coat hanger wire, taped to the webbing of each Tricam. Told me made cleaning them a breeze, and aided in placing them as well.

I was at Index, 9/17 Thursday morning early. By 6:30am it began to sprinkle, so we left. And, I left a black stuff sack containing a green American Eagle Outfitter sweater, near Princely Ambitions or Roger's Corner. Much beer and several pieces of recent booty I've retrieved from various cracks as Reward for the sweater; sentimental value, certainly not financial value.

Yeah, okay, so....... many people will miss the unmarked, tiny, crazy Exit... so take the next Exit just 200 feet further, stay Right, then Right again, southbound along Greenlake, pass 2 parking lots on your right, then turn Right on a paved road, toward the running track and tennis courts, stay right proceeding uphill. Now turn Right and park. Matt's directions work for local locals. Non natives and n00bs follow the easier directions.

If you have a rope, rappel the S face. The downclimb others talk about is not trivial, and by that I mean that many climbers on this route would appreciate reaching the bottom of the climb rather than come off rappel still 10 feet up the face. The average North Ridge Stuart in a day climber would be fine, but I think that most climbers excited about the South Face Ingalls would appreciate the full length of double rope rappels. In the early 80's I free solo'd the S face, and downclimbed the SW Arete; I'd call the beginning of the descent an arete. The downclimb is loose, but not worse than average for cascade alpine rock. Though, I certainly would not recommend it. OK, maybe it is worse than average, but I've seen plenty worse. Yes, the descent takes you away from Ingalls Lake, but it's no matter of 15 minutes to navigate south and over the notch between the two Ingalls peaks, back to the lake; if that's where you want to go..... If your day has plenty more hours after the S Face, consider the East Ridge. It'll take much longer, with many navigational challenges, but isn't much harder technically.

These bolt counts accurate, the ratings are my own: 1 5.6 2 2 5.4 5 3 5.4 2 4 5.6 9 5 5.5 9 6 5.7 5 7 5.6 7 8 5.6 3 9 5.9 10 10 5.8 7 11 5.10C 9 (i reference exit 32 and exit 38 for rating) 12 5.8 6 13 5.2 1 14 5.7 9 15 5.2 2 16 5.2 0 17 5.1 0 18 5.8 8 19 5.10C 17 20 5.7 2 21 5.8 15 22 5.9 11 23 5.9 14 (i reference exit 32 and exit 38 for rating) In the first 15 pitches, 6 are about 100 feet, 2 are about 190 feet and 7 are about 150 feet.

Since the pace is fast and we'll be sweating for sure we want to have the coolest temps, which means to begin just as night breaks into day. Climbing before the night breaks would slow down the pace due to lack of adequate illumination. This means hiking in the dark, but we don't think we're slower hiking by headlamp. Get sleep 3 days in advance and 2 days in advance 'cuz we gotta get up 1:30am for the drive..... Eat and hydrate significantly the day prior; both are important. That way don't need to haul much weight (water and food) up the wall. And, eating any sort of meal between 1:30am and 5:00am is just gonna spew out your mouth when the hiking gets steep...... A fast hiking time is partly minimizing all weight and mostly solid training at high intensity (from decades back....... highschool and college). Use shoes not boots and don't take any food nor water beside what you'll carry up the route. We used a 8.6mm half rope for our single line. He carried a 7.6mm twin rope for the second rappel line. No camera nor anything else extra. A fast tansition time came from pre-rigging systems. Hiking _with_ harness on could be a pain 'cuz there's so many downed trees and branches to snag on, so a superlight pack was used to bundle the ropes, draws and harness, etc. Dump the pack, and the rope was at the bottom so now it's at the top and it's flaked to go. Harness is already tied into the top end of rope, and slings and draws are clipped to harness loops. Bottom of rope has Figure-8 knot just where he likes it. Second line is already custom tied in backpacker's coil to fit him personally. I take off climbing and he gets me on belay before I make the first clip. He waits to tie-in after I'm at the first anchors. During each lead I climb as quick as comfort and grace allow. His priority is to keep sufficient slack so that I never get short roped. If I see an easy section coming up I'll yell, "Rope!" so that he knows to toss out extra line to allow my speedier movement. During each follow he climbs like a man possessed, often emulating Dan Osman during his speed ascent of Bears Reach at Lovers Leap. Some draws may remain on the rope at his harness, him choosing to keep his movement tempo rather than stop to deal with racking the draw on his harness loop. As I belay, trying to keep up with his movement, I study the next pitch, visualizing, planning. He arrives at the belay, totally anaerobic breathing like a Slaystak from Land of the Lost, clips in, and racks the slings and draws on my harness while I flip the stack and ready to cast off. On some belays it is more timely to untie and swap ends of the rope, as flipping the stack in cramped confines can sometimes FUBAR the flake. For rappelling, I take the 7.6mm line with a carabiner brake added up-line from my BD Guide, he simul-rappels on the 8.6mm, we both use the BD Guide rigged in horizontal super friction mode. We each toss the middle of our respective line, then we each toss the end, both tosses taking care to "never cross the lines" (ghostbusters). We don't descend too quickly, just consistently, and always keeping care to unravel any snags in our lines that might build into a bird nest. At the next belay one of us pulls down while the other pulls up the same line until the end can be fed through the chains. As the first continues to pull down, the other keeps up by pulling the slack through the anchors. When the second rope comes falling down the joining knot is already seated against the chains. Gather up the middle of each line and toss, make some hanks at the end and toss. The guy on the opposite side of the anchors as the joining knot is free to begin rappeling after he's rigged; he can help to sort out the other's rope in advance. We lost about 6 minutes during rappeling due to minor knot issues, which we feel very lucky in 22 rappels. We lost about 4 minutes during climbing when either I or he was not ready to begin the next pitch. The only way I see for us to decrease our time would be for both of us to climb a bit faster, not easy. Since we're not going to increase our speed of rappeling, the only significant chunk of time is the climbing. I might be able to shave 6 minutes; I got "lost" many times as I pushed upward while watching my feet......, he might be able to shave 10 minutes with increased cardio strength. During the easier parts of many pitches the limiting factor to climbing is your aerobic training. The slabs can be so easy that you're standing upright and nearly jogging.

July 28, 2007 Infinite Bliss on Mt Garfield 5.10 IV 23 pitches 4:53am at car, begin hike 5:20am at base of climb 5:28am begin climb 6:13am top of pitch 8 (45 min to top of pitch 8 the water runnel, or half-pipe) 7:18am top of pitch 15 (1:50 hours to top of pitch 15, where it's time to free solo the long 4th class section) 9:16am summit, begin rappel 11:37am end of rappel, base of climb 11:43am begin hike down 11:57am back at car 27 min hike up 8 min transition at base of climb 3:48 hour climb 0 min transition at summit 2:21 hour rappel 6 min transition at base of climb 14 min hike down 7:04 hour car to car We pitched it out, no simulclimbing. 12 quickdraws, 3 full length runners and 3 double length runners. I brought 3 pints of water, 2 shot blocks, 4 bars. I drank 1 pint and one shot block. He brought 6 pints water, 2 shot blocks, 3 bars. He drank 3 pints, both shot blocks and 1 bar. It was nice to climb in the shade, the sun didn’t find us until we summitted. However, we were both completely soaked with sweat thoughout the hike and climb, due to the sustained effort. Mosquitos bothered us the entire climb, except maybe the top 3 pitches. The quantity of skeeters was low, but I recommend some (low strength) repellant. The hike began with headlamps and they were necessary all the way. There were many many trees blown down. This time there was not a party asleep in the parking pullout when we drove in. A party of 2 arrived when we were on pitch 19? They had a new pair of lines, bright orange and bright green. We rappeled past them on pitch 6. Taylor was on lead, in the middle of the vertical headwall with the 2 large sweet finger pockets. This pitch signals the end of the granite sidewalk on Mt Garfield. Fletcher, belaying, had a visual to me at the anchors for pitch 6 and asked if the solution was direct between Taylor's position and my own. It was and he did. They were gunning for pitch 10 as their highpoint for the day. - Before our July 1, 2007 ascent we talked about efficiency. We were curious how many ways we could creatively diminish waste time. One thing we decided early on was to forego simulclimbing. Adequate food, water, clothing and a fairly complete first aid kit were requirements also.We pared weight where we could, believing that less total weight would decrease fatigue as well as enhance our tempo. Most of our conversation was about how to handle the typical sequence of events present during a multipitch climb. Some ideas / solutions were esoteric and trivial, others were pregnant with potential to carve excess time from the process and flow. On July 1 we implemented our ideas. As we ascended, pitch by pitch, some of our ideas evolved, new ideas sprang forth. We paid attention to the sequence, the flow, and efficiency. Besides a 10 minute penalty for 1 stuck rope while rappeling, we had an overall fortunate day. Then we looked at the accomplishment, 9:31 hours car to car. We considered each leg of the adventure and further asked how we could diminish waste time. The devil is in the details! With conservative estimates implementing many little ideas, we figured we could bring that down to 7:38 car to car. But..... only if we were blessed with the same fortune as the first attempt, and no new challenges appeared. July 28, 2007 we attempted again and things went well. We did not have any stuck ropes, but we did have two occassions where the 2 ropes tangled together, requiring some patient de-snarling. We carved 2:27 hours from our first attempt, which was far better than we estimated we could likely attain, clocking 7:04 car to car. Of course we both would have enjoyed a time in the 6 hour range...... and it's easy to look back and find those extra 5 minutes......

Yes! I want to see third party timers as well!! Would you be available?? Actually, kidding. We just wanted to share our outing, provide specifics, in case others have been thinking of a similar adventure or maybe find it inspiring....... or maybe swap stories.... I'm happy to answer any specific questions regarding any part of our day.....

July 1, 2007 Infinite Bliss on Mt Garfield 5.10 IV 23 pitches 4:08am at car, begin hike 4:31am at base of climb 5:00am begin climb 10:09am summit 10:25am begin rappel 1:08pm end of rappel, base of climb 1:25pm begin hike down 1:39pm back at car 23 min hike up 29 min transition at base of climb 5:09 hour climb 16 min transition at summit 2:43 hour rappel 17 min transition at base of climb 14 min hike down 9:31 hour car to car We pitched it out, no simulclimbing. 12 quickdraws, 3 full length runners and 3 double length runners. Each had 6 pints of water and 7 powers bars; I left over 3 pints of water and 3 power bars. It was nice to climb in the shade, the sun didn’t find us until pitch 22. The hike began with headlamps, but soon they were not necessary. There were many many trees blown down. A party of 2 arrived when we were on pitch 9? they had a sweet pair of lines, bright orange and bright yellow. A party of 3 arrived a bit later; they 3rd classed the first 3 or 4 pitches, almost catching the second party. A fourth party arrived; they (wisely) decided to abandon after viewing all the action up route. A fifth party arrived, not sure if they ascended partway or abandoned immediately? Second party navigated pitch 15 and 16 by going directly from bottom of 15 to top of 17, more or less straight line between the two points. Third party (of three) navigated straight up from bottom of 15 and ended in the small trees far left from the pitch 17 anchor bolts. I know many groups have ended far right of pitch 17 anchors in the large trees, but never heard about parties arriving far left of pitch 17 anchors.