shapp

I believe that the salem boulders and renton crag are in the same higher dimensional plain predicted by String or M theory

not surprisingly for a large chunck of low angle granite slab, there are routes/variations all over the thing. I have climbed another route to the far right of the regular route (one described above). It heads roughly straight up to the double wide cracks/chimney system (also depicted on the topo above), probably in the 5.8 range, did it in 8 pitches.

runnout for the first 3 pitches or so. A more direct and better protected, but harder pitch to the right of the first pitch leads directly up and over a lap to the firt belay. There may be more bolts on the route than the topo suggests. The first time I climbed the route there was 1 bolt, second time a couple bolted belays, etc. Expect all nut anchor belays. Standard rack to about #4 friend will make you happy. head right (north) for a somewhat tricky scramble down the side to the bottom. If you think you need a rope or a rapple you have gone the wrong way.

Located ~10 miles outside of the town of McCall, Idaho. From McCall head East toward Ponderosa State Park (big green sign) and after a few miles, turn right toward Lake Fork Campground and Lick Creek Summit. Continue past Lake Fork Campground on your right, until the rock wall is visible on your left. Park in the pullout at Slickrock signpost. Now, just cross the creek on a logjam directly below the pullout and climb the hillside for 15 minutes to the center and base of the cliff.

me thinky elephants perch is not done on a 3 day trip to boise, however, search for the regular route on slick rock. 5.6+ 10 pitchs slab, trad, very fun can be done in a long day from bosie (it is a little ways outside McCall.

The routes are typically sport bolted. They are face climbs with no natural pro available. Bolts are probably 10 feet apart or so if I remember correctly.

oops, ment the Garden not the Grove

It is possible that John Glass (spp.?) from Corvallis at the time may have put those routes up with Bret. Another amazing climber. Incidently, Bret, John, Matt Pike and Possibley Matt Baker were some of the first to develop some of the bouldering at what is now refered I believe as the Grove.

I believe all the bolted routes under the arch were established by Bret Hall in about 1997, although I don't know who his partner was. I climbed all of them the year they were put up. They are all very good with routes and pretty steep and solid. I too took a pretty big whipper out into space on one of the 10+ routes. Incidently Bret started climbing in the mid 1990's and repointed 13.b after only about 2 years of climbing. I have not seen him for many years. Does anyone out there know where he is?

buy dish soap at Kmart ($1.99), but in pot with nice warm water, work the device, let dry, don't need cam lube, done and done. Works really well. Take left over $13.00 you saved on not buying the fancy cam stuff that you don't need and buy two sixers of your favorite microbrew to drink while playing with your new clean gear.

From long time experience, soap and warm water is best. Not boiling if there are any plastic washers or bushings! The plastic can deform and become even more sticky. This happened to me on a first generation metolious #10. No lube should be necessary. I usually wash them once per year after average use.

I have soloed some high problems at Banks. It is great! However, I cannot recommend the nude sunbathing due to poison oak. Bass fishing aint too bad either. In this area: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&amp...amp;layer=DRG25

According to the Interacengy Committee for Outdoor Recreation's latest comprehensive report on recreation in Washington State (October 2002) more than half of all rock climbing in Washington is done indoors! WTF. They need a new category now called plastic climbing cause indoor climbing aint rock climbing.

did you ever climb at the Dihedrals ryland? any info on who did those routes? Know anything about Dunn's Bluff?

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&amp...amp;layer=DRG25 Benthos Buttress go get it, please no more Mt. Hood reports

http://www.agpix.com/view_caption.php?image_id=472

Bill, you are right. I know John from long ago, did some rock climbing with him just before he started with RMI in the mid 1990s. He is indeed a stout, smart, and good climber.

No No don't sell "Big Meat"! What will we use for a log skidder?

That is funny that you mention the Bunny Face, because I actually did this very thing, and hung half a biner about halfway up on the route, I think it was about February of 1997. I have always wondered who found it and what they thought. Probably made for some good noobie spray around the fire that night.

House's route is not on the Matterhorn. I will try to dig up the map showing the general location of the buttress. I believe it is named as the Benthos Buttress. I do know where it is it is south and west from Enterprise and is visible from the valley in some locations.

although I'm no geologist, most of the rock aint granite My description would be shitty limestone or some other loosish type of metamorphic rock

One more thing, there is a small crag that is not too bad up the west fork of the Wallowa upstream of Wallowa Lake about a 1/2 hike from the trailhead. It is breifly detailed at the end of a hiking book to the eagle caps (the name escapes me) there are some bolted/mixed 2 pitch routes and the area has been refered to as green springs or the dihedrals. You will have to find the book to get directions for sure, but you follow the trail to the second sitch back up the west fork, at the second switch back head straight (south) contouring on the slope for about a 1/3 of a mile or so the routes are on the southeastern side where the big corners are. Not too bad if you are in the area, but I wouldn't drive there to climb it. Also some crazy dude soloed the bigest steepest face of the matterhorn over several days a long time ago (read the trip report some place in an old mag) it was reportedly loose, scary, with some hard aid too. The only place I have climbed much there is around the Twin Peaks area and it is indeed adventerous. Bring a bolt kit, helmet and a set of binoculars and you will have some fun there.

There is climbing, but is probably some of the most adventerous stuff in Oregon. Check out Climbing Magazine issue 114 (1989) or issue 119 (1990) for details of a route put up by Steeve House and others outside of Enterprise in the Eagle Caps. Reportedly 5.10 six or 7 pitches and reportedly good by other sources. There is some adveterous climbing in the Twin Peaks area up Hurrican Creek around this area: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&amp...mp;layer=DRG100 Bottom line is you aint going to get much info, the area is very remote with a lot of objective danger, and you better have your shit together on adventerous alpine loose rock before you go.

I guess that is the difference, I value all of my dogs lives as much as any person I have ever met. I think there are a lot of people that feel this way about about their horses, dogs, cats etc (may be not hamsters though)

Dru is a funny man, same could be said for climbers that get f-ed up in the mountains. Or people that get cancer, or aids, etc. A few more notes for jain: radios were involved, but infortunately ran out of batteries, there was only one guy (the rappeler) that had any knowledge of rope work, so the rangers on top were useless, however, if the radios were working there was a haul bag and more rope on top. Unfortunately the dog jumping necesitated quick action. Jain: Remember search and rescue would not go, sherif would not go, fire department would not go, parks department apparently did not have the capabilities. So your idea would have been great had one of these teams actually decided to help out. So who is supposed to take care of this? No one apparently cared except one dude! Actually 2 would have been there, but I didn't get a call.