Otto

Thanks for the fabulous description, both graphic and text, of the recent rockfall. As someone interested in doing the route next season, I'm glad to know just what I've been warned about. Beautiful write-up.

Yes, moderate granite is what I'm capable of, still. It seems that a steady grind, hiking up every week all summer, moving bits up and making a climb, can still happen at age 68. Why not? I went up with Yale Lewis again this week, forced by the weather to Monday/Tuesday. Biked and hiked up in the rain, at camp at 11am, when the rain stopped. We set up tents and slept for an hour. Waited for the clouds to lift. At 2pm we headed up, jugged the lines, carried them down, and were back in camp for dinner at 6. Next day, forecast was for 85 degrees and sunny! So we were up at first light, hiking up the clean slab ramp to the base of Primal Scream. I'd like to have an independent start to the new route, and not start on the established Primal Scream route. But the easy entrance to the buttress is so inviting that I can't complain. Thanks to the FA party for finding this way. After a simple padding up the humps and knobs at the start of Primal Scream, there is a pedestal ledge. The start of beautiful, white slabs is to the right, the start of Miracle Ramps. We had an uneventful climb of the six pitches. I made some notes along the way, and have edited the topo. The only major change is to remove a phantom bolt from pitch 6, below the flake. Here is the updated topo, ver. 4: Addendum: After reaching agreement with Anastasia about Pitch 3, I went up again on 10/12/2024. I added three bolts to access the field of knobs directly below the finger crack, and avoid traversing right to find pro. Here is the updated topo, ver. 5:

Trip: Squire Creek Wall, 6p, 5.8+, FA - Miracle Ramps Trip Date: 08/29/2024 Trip Report: Miracle Ramps, 6p, 5.8+, Bill Enger, Anastasia Blagoveshchenskaya, Linnet Vacha, FA 8/29/2024 On August 29 this year three of us made the first complete ascent of a new route on Squire Creek Wall. It is on the right side of a buttress on the south side of the massif. It is a central buttress with an old route on its crest called Primal Scream. The new route, called Miracle Ramps, is a variation of the first six pitches of that route. This route shares the class 4 approach pitch, and half of the first pitch, of Primal Scream as I know it (it hasn't been published anywhere). From the "grassy saddle" bivy spot clean, class 4 ramps lead up to a shallow dihedral, then to a good ledge at a short wall (see photo). I had scoped these clean slabs from an exploratory climb of Primal Scream with Yale Lewis in June, 2023. The white granite slope appeared to continue far up to a great white spot halfway up the buttress. I thought it might yield five or six pitches of moderate slab climbing, which turned out to be correct. Approach pitch: From the grassy bivy area, walk directly up the middle ramp until it narrows into a dihedral with a small cedar bush in the middle. Knobs and easy friction connects to a form a path to the start dirt ledge. P1: Climb a short wall with a 3" horizontal crack above. Pull around this bulge to a couple of low hogsback ridges which lead to a pair of diagonal cracks with pro choices. Climb past a cedar bush on its left to some blocks, and look left for a bolt. Step out left onto the knobs to a dirt pedestal. This is where Miracle Ramps starts—see the four bolt leading up and rightward. Smear past the four bolts, 5.8+, to a trough and a couple more bolts. 55m, 6x, 5.8+ P2: Smearing and knobs lead rightward, and upward past three bolts to a thin crack with good feet. Don't climb the crack, but go rightward on knobs to the overlap. Pull the overlap on knobs, cross over a grassy crack with optional pro, and cruise to the anchor on above a flake on a good ledge. 60m, 9x, 5.8 P3: Step down and to the right to the bottom end of Ruffled Crack, a wavy-edged, 1-2" wide, undercling delight. Continue rightward on edges to some good pro in a 3/4" crack. Then move up and left on friction to a ledge with a finger crack for pro. Head for the one bolt on this pitch and up the knobs galore. When they end, step right and grab a good vertical crack with middle-size pro, which curves into an overlap. Optional small gear is under the overlap; pull this and reach for the ledge with the anchor. 45m, 1x, 5.7 P4: Friction and edges lead straight up to two bolts and an overlap. Step past the overlap on its left end. A bolt protects the start of a vertical seam with good right-leaning edges. Face climbing leads to another bolt and a bit of blocky climbing to the anchor. 40m, 4x, 5.8. P5: Follow the three bolts up to a wide crack, and some others with middle-size pro possibilities. Move up atop a large flake and see three more bolts above on a clean slab. Smear past these, 5.7, to the fractured cracks leading to the anchor. 60m, 6x, 5.7 P6: Climb cracks and blocks aiming for the space between the two prominent bushes in view. A slanting overlap system leads rightward, follow it and pull the overlap to a bolt above. Another bolt leads to a huge flake with a sweet left edge for laybacking. From the flake's top, smear past three bolts to the top anchor. 55m, 5x, 5.7. For the adventurous party wanting the full overview, two new bolts lead to the left to connect with the Primal Scream route. Doing this leads to the modern two-bolt anchor atop the sixth pitch of Primal Scream as I know it. There was never any evidence of where the original belay anchor might have been, so Yale and I placed modern two-bolt anchors at roughly 55m intervals. After three more of these pitches, it intersects the modern route, Concerto in C for Drill and Hammer, at its 11th pitch anchor. Follow that route or make your own way to the top. Special thanks to Yale Lewis for early support of this effort. Topo: Bill Enger, with help from Anastasia B. on p3 Anastasia leading pitch 2, above Linnet leading pitch 3, above The short wall at the start of the route, above The class 4 approach pitch from the grassy saddle bivy area The 4th class approach starts up the ramp on the right end of this snow patch, above Gear Notes: Standard single rack to 3" Approach Notes: Directly above the grassy saddle bivy area, go up the middle ramp to a shallow dihedral, on knobs, class 4. Alternatively, hike up the right side of Skeena26 following a faint path.

So here is the position we moved it to. Next to the little bush, it's close to the original position. What a lovely piece of stone. Our thanks, again, go to the original crew who placed this memorial. Remembering Chris Greyell, an inspiration to all who knew him.

This season I noticed that the beautiful stone placed as a Memorial to a Fallen Climber had been knocked down over the winter. This is on the south side of Squire Creek Wall, in the area of the grassy saddle camp. The stone was pushed down to a lower shelf. In a few moments of our "rest" period, Yale and I dragged, rolled, and pushed it back up close to its original position.

Drove up on Tuesday, April 23 to check on any winter's damage. The road to the parking lot is in great condition, with no new damage. Hiking up found a lot of new rocks have slid down into the area which has stopped all car traffic in recent years, about a quarter-mile up from the parking lot. I dragged many of them away to form a smooth path through the rock pile. Further up, used the axe to clear away several large alder and one fir log. The road/trail is now clear for bike riding to all turnoffs to the Squire Creek Wall routes. A huge log came down in the landslide area, pushing small alders over the trail: Further on, logs across the road were easily cut with the axe: I spent the rest of the afternoon moving rocks from the rockslide area just a quarter-mile above the parking lot. The resulting path is smooth but much higher than before; I'm not sure I can ride it with my meager bike-handling skills.

Oly, thanks for pointing out that motors are simply not allowed to run in Wilderness Areas. That should have been one of the choices on this silly poll.

Oly, my copy of the Beckey/Bjornstad guide to Leavenworth is first edition, fourth printing.

Here are four from my old guidebook box. The Rich Carlstad/Don Brooks book was the one I followed around when I first started climbing in the late 1970s. I've met both those guys, but never climbed with them.

Of course I will provide a couple of stills to gain interest. Here's what it looks like when walking upstream: Here's what it looks like at the bottom: This may be a tall persons' climb; I could not get established in the crack without using my highest possible pinch, and I'm 6'1". I hope others will be able to get a fingerlock to work lower down...

Does any one of the Darrington old timers out there know of any other attempts on this rock formation? Could this have been a testpiece of the past, left to be grown over and forgotten? This is about four miles up the Squire Creek logging road, just a few steps off the single track. It is now obvious from the road now that it has been cleaned. I'm calling it Loggers' Crack. Please see this Mountain Project forum note: Loggers' Crack note w/ video

Thanks for a very interesting trip report! Like the leisurely style.

Trip: Squire Creek Wall, South side - Hike up a boot track Trip Date: 05/11/2023 Trip Report: On Thursday I took a bike ride up the Squire Creek valley out of Darrington, and then a hike across the creek and up the other side. After parking at the newly graded lot below the new boulders in the road, I found the logging road to be perfectly clear of the winter's debris. The boot track beyond the creek is also free of any new devastation. I always like to catch Slab Daddy and Oso Rodeo in the morning light: There is a good peekaboo view of Illusion Wall along the way, before the alders leaf out: There is still plenty of snow perched on the slab at the start of Concerto in C for Drill and Hammer: Jet Tower on high: Gear Notes: Crampons for the two snow gullies. Approach Notes: Approach is in very good shape.

I need to be in town that day, so I might as well join the club. Will be watching for the venue. Thanks for doing this, Oly.

Went up the road this past Tuesday, 5/2/2023, and dragged that last of the branches and small logs off the road. All the snow is now gone, and there is nothing unusual which would cause a bicyclist to dismount.

Just visited, on 4/5/2023, the Squire Creek road with an axe. Chopped out six alders and two firs that had come across the road. One of them was still covered with snow, so I cut both ends and left it to roll off the road, later. Other than that, there are no new obstructions that would require a bike rider to dismount. I walked up to the South Face turnoff point, about four miles up. There was about two feet of snow there.

I will join if it's up in Lake City. Will check for a poll here later today, thanks for doing this, oly.

I never met the man but I bought this book in 1989, which was published the year before. As a Cascades climber, I had some desert dreams but was too scared of sandstone to do the adventure trips following the book would require. Too foreign, too strange. I admired his courage and persistence. May he rest in peace.

I just can't understand being this organized and well documented while teaching two people who had never climbed a mountain before. Who has time to take photos like that? Amazing trip report.

Trip: The Tooth - Indentured Servant Trip Date: 09/04/2022 Trip Report: It was another pleasant day out on the jawline of Snoqualmie Pass, another run up the new sport route on The Tooth. On the trail down, Yale and I chatted with a couple of guys from Poland who climbed the route after us, both named Bartek! It was the first time I'd spoken with a party who had done the route, so I was intrigued to know what they thought of it. They said they enjoyed it greatly, with pitches 4 and 5 particularly good. When I asked if they thought it had any loose rock, they just laughed and said I should climb in Europe for some loose rock. Yale and I didn't find anything loose this day, either. Some lichen, perhaps, but that should rub off with time! Bartek on p1, belayed by Bartek. Gear Notes: 12 qd Approach Notes: Denny Creek trail to a turnoff point among the switchbacks before Hemlock Pass.

Great photos! I was there a long time ago, good to see the area again. Thanks for the trip report.

You guys were having fun, no doubt about it. Glad you are making the most of August!

I would be up for this if it were at a place with outdoor seating. I haven't had so much as a cold in over two years, and don't want to get one now.

Thanks for the fine trip report. The full-on description of your approach will be helpful to me soon, I hope.

This is a fun-to-read, well-themed trip report. I read it all, it was entertaining; don't thank us, we thank you!