Otto

Trip: Squire Creek Wall - Oso Rodeo Date: 8/5/2012 Trip Report: On Sunday, Yale Lewis and I attempted the first one-day ascent of the (unrepeated?) route Oso Rodeo on Squire Creek Wall. After climbing twelve pitches in the morning, we were turned back by the record-breaking heat of that day. With thirst barely slaked by the brown water dipped into our bottles from the frog pond at the Pool Hall, my partner's hands had started to cramp up. There is no shade on the upper wall, nor water for refreshment, so with disappointment we had to give it up. We gave it a good shot, moving steadily up the beautiful white granite of the low pitches in the early morning hours. We learned what it will take to make the successful Rodeo-in-a-Day, making an Alpine start at the creek crossing, moving up through the forest by headlamp and racking up in Otto's Grotto at first light. The sun did not directly hit us until the crux seventh pitch, the Black Roof, at around 9:00. So we knew we had a chance with all that remaining daylight, but it was not to be. Getting set to place two small cams in the crack at the start of pitch 3. Yale approaching the route's first 5.10 spot, the overlap on pitch 4. That sweet, flat slab below him was the scene of my first drilling on lead on this route, two years ago, and I pass it with great affection. The slab was so low angle that I had to lean far forward into the drill, reducing the angle of my foot to the rock, causing great fear of slipping off. Laughable now, as it can't be more than 5.5 or so. Pulling the move on pitch 4. The camera just missed Yale pasting the left foot up high on a smear. Relief to be up! We were swapping leads until I gave my partner pitch 5. Delicate smears pass the curving edge just below Yale here. There are some nice smooth friction moves on the short pitch 6. Here's Otto getting set for the fearsome mantleshelf on the Black Roof. It was getting hot and I couldn't pull it clean, mea culpa. I found a cool undercling pocket in the shelf, so using it and the quickdraw I made it A0 to the foot ledge. On the FA last year I was able to do this move, but it still intimidates. The pure friction moves through these three bolts are fantastic. This is from a tour de force of skillful wayfinding by DavidW. Yale moving into the sweet slab on pitch 8. After I scummed up pitch 9 we joined the true slab masters, the froggies of Pool Hall. They jump off the rock slope, snag a fly, and kerplop back into the pool. Posing for their photo shoot for the upcoming calendar, "The Frogs of Darrington". We filled our water bottles here, and proved that chlorine tablets will stop mosquito larvae from wriggling around. After many attempts to smear up the start of the amazing pitch 10, Yale gave up and went around. This is not the route. He connects up with it at the fifth or sixth bolt after a long runout. Don't do this; climb straight up to the bolt directly from the bivy site next to the frog pond. The moves are fabulous, just do it on a cool day. Two more pitches got us up the the U-shaped ledge. On pitch 12, Yale found the third bolt had been hit by a rock in Winter and was missing its nut and hanger. As it is bent over, we'll have to drill a new hole, but he was able to use a wired nut on it and continue. But on the ledge, in searing heat, we gave up. With a turn-around time of 12:30 we had more than enough time to go to the top and descend before dark. This is the wild scoop ledge atop pitch 8. We stopped into the Forest Camp bivy site to pick up the garbage we left last year. Someone had found it, opened up the bag to look inside, and left it open to the weather so it was half full of water. Whoever you are, I'm sorry to disappoint you when you found only empty plastic bottles and a tarp; but really, you could have closed it back up. Anyway, we removed it better late than never. The approach boot track to Slab Daddy and Oso Rodeo has taken some Winter abuse. Near the top, a huge log now crosses over and one has to bend low, which I hate; a bypass can be made around it to climbers left. Also, for the two years DavidW and I were doing the traverse to Oso Rodeo, we watched with interest a "widowmaker" branch hung in a cedar tree. It has now fallen, and nearly covers the boot track but is easy to avoid. There is a lot of good slab climbing to be found on this route. Because it starts as a long finger of rock down through the trees it appears brushy, but with the sole exception of pitch 11 with its "Wet Spot", the climbing is always out in the middle of clean, wavy granite. It was a pleasure to watch, and learn from, the creativity and "eye for the line" of DavidW as he guided us into the best parts of this big wall. Thanks David, and the others who helped, for fulfilling two years of the climbing life. Our original TR for this route remains here: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1044503

It looks like you had a lot of fun! Those are nice pictures, thanks. That "awesome 8 pitch .10b" is called Total Soul. Good Darrington stoke!

Sounds not good, indeed. What crag in D-town were you in? Good people will want to know if there is a particular trouble spot.

Nice work you guys! Setting up for a solo climb is exciting, but I love that, "He traded me for a blueberry bush"! Even better! It's good to have a partner on a beautiful day for climbing. Thanks for doing the re-work.

Download the free viewer Irfanview. Image, rotate, Save As...

Yes, 50m pitches max.

That's just the way the new Vertical World gym in Seattle is gonna be - separate weights and stretching areas, separate kiddies area, a lounge area... I took a tour of it last Friday, it is gonna be nice. Open next month, perhaps.

During the summer of this year we put aside other interests and got up on Wild West circus ride of Oso Rodeo whenever the weather was good. I believe I did ten separate trips up there, of various lengths, and spent 14 nights on the wall. Liberty Mountain rep Carl Pelletier at the top of the crux seventh pitch. He had just done the Black Overhang mantleshelf, on first try, a move which had me intimidated all summer. John Medosch after removing an off-route piton anchor which had gained us access to the U-Shaped Bowl above pitch 12. We lift a glass for Francis McGrody who cleaned the finger crack on pitch 11 and the start moves in Otto's Grotto. He hauled gear and ropes, always with good humor. After a good three days of work on pitches 14 and 15 with Yale Lewis, our 4-day plan was cut short by rain. Here Alex Enger and I rap off in the fog. His foam roll had fallen off and came to rest on these helpful steps. On summit day, Jimbo Shokes at his anchor ready to belay the final pitch. And David doing what he does so well, assessing the next one, making it go. Thanks for finding the line, move after move, keeping to the good clean rock, creating memorable pitches along the way. photos by David Whitelaw, John Medosch, Yale Lewis and Bill Enger

"Die marke mit den drie reimen" I recall that on the box my good soccer shoes came in back in junior high school. Those shoes were so cool back then.

Those Bandit wine boxes are excellent. We've been enjoying the Pinot Grigio to the utmost!

Thanks for the excellent report, Sid. I'm glad you guys were having a good time on it. As Jimbo says, we saw you from nearby. Your story was told with humility, but it looked like you cruised the Exit Groove really fast! The Balcony really is comfortable for three. David and I went up there with Zack, who used a lower level at first. But the odd slope and the separation got to him, so the journeyman mason laid in a fine terrace just above mine. Also, David and jmclimber and I had some good nights up there. Congratulations on pulling through a long climb on some hot days! And thank you for the fine pics, too.

Thanks for the good TR. That last picture is lovely. Nice work!

What makes your heart race in the wilderness? Walking up to a steaming fresh pile of bear poo! There it is, right in the middle of the trail, bear scat! Makes you think about timing, and luck. Bear sign! Let's see some reminders that we're not on top of the food chain! Post up! On the trail to Slab Daddy, Squire Creek Wall

Mmmm, Repulsive 69 is a great idea, very nice TR. Thanks for posting it. I may have done a few that qualify. I understand the requirement for total exclusion from "selected climbs" books, natch. Also, I would guess, no "stars" in any route descriptions. Do you have some more specific definitions?

Hey that's great, way adventurous in early season. Cool inventive routing around the snow patches. Nice work!

"The Quin Konehead Pre-Memorial Route", shown in Brooks and Whitelaw, "A Climbers Guide to Washington Rock", 1982

Yes, I believe it was called originally, "The Quin Conehead Pre-Memorial Route". I'm at work, without my old guidebooks, going by memory...

Thanks for taking all the shots, Raoul! My bike is making some new noises now. And the slow leak in front; it's time for some bike attention for both of us!

Trip: Three O'Clock Rock - The Kone Date: 6/4/2011 Trip Report: Over the last five years or so I had somehow become intimidated by the route at Three O'Clock Rock called The Kone. Maybe it was hearing the story of the FA grounding out and breaking his ankle. Or perhaps the close-up inspections from 'Til Broad Daylight made me think I couldn't do that. I got on it once last year with chucK, and it started to rain so we bailed. It all added up to a long time thinking about The Kone. The first pitch has good pro The crux has a good edge I didn't know about, back in the intimidated days Angling sharply left on good knobs The bicyle is now essential to the approach, for me. It's two miles to this washout, then two more to the trailhead. It took up 40 min. up to the trailhead, and 20 min. on the way down. The new stream crossing should get easier as summer comes along It was a cloudless day and nobody else was there. A perfect start to another good year in Darrington. Photos by Clive. Gear Notes: Use Rattle & Slime Approach Notes: I tried it on my road bike, only damage was a flat front tube. Lusting after a cyclocross bike.

Dogs are always welcomed by other dog owners. If you're happy with that population sample, you have your answer.

Every area is dog friendly as long as you ignore the existence of other climbers.

I climbed a 5.6 route called Double Chin there that was like that - in two places!

Trip: Zion - Gentleman's Agreement Date: 4/27/2011 Trip Report: Climb: Zion, Gentleman's Agreement, attempt Date of Climb: 4/27/2011 Trip Report: I was never interested in Zion Nat'l Park until I stopped in with my wife on our tour of the Southwest last year. Eyes popping, I vowed to return soon and climb one of those big sand walls. DavidW had mentioned Gentleman's Agreement in passing, how he'd wanted to climb it for ten years now. So Judy and I drove up to the end of the road and looked at it. Nice. I took a shot which stood on the mantel in my living room through the Winter, waiting for me to commit. Commit we did, in late Winter, plane seats were found, gear was borrowed and a road trip was born. A perfect plan with Significant Others was sealed, visions of one or two nights in a portaledge lifted spirits through the miserable Seattle Spring of 2011. Then my wife got a job and bailed, no big deal, Jan was still psyched to go. Dave is a lucky man, she even hauled water for us on the approach. It rained the first two days we were there, perfectly allowing us to gear up, buy food and get organized. Two trips up the wall with all the gear. No real need to trim down, we wanted to be comfortable and have a good time. Strangely, I forgot to fill the flask with the Makers but we had a pint of good Tequila. Still, the pig was around 65 lbs. The route is on the left Mary, the left of the three peaks in the Sun. Route is up the sun/shade margin, first dihedral. I took a series of shots landscape mode, from bottom to top slightly overlapping, in ten shots, but the top ones are fuzzy dammit, sorry. It was gonna be cool. Anyway, here's a couple of the first pitch, all we did. David wasn't feeling up to it so we bailed. Later we did Ashtar Command as a consolation. It was fun, but not like topping out on a big wall. Nobody guarantees success every time, that's just mountaineering. Oh dear, succumbing to trite aphorism. Blast. Gear Notes: We went big. Three #6, three #5, three #4 Camalots. Double of everything else. Approach Notes: An hour and a half up, each time.

Gunnslinger is under that snow patch below the summit of Gunn Peak. Fun route.

Glad you enjoyed it! I was out elsewhere in Darrington that day. It was a beautiful day to climb, if you could stay in the dry sections.