curtveld

Thanks Bill. Also, there is some road work scheduled for the #2060 this summer. Supposed to start in July and only create temporary delays on weekdays. Bigger dips and less potholes, for a while anyway.

Took a look up the 2060 with the Hanman and his big-ass truck. The road is in decent shape and clear of snow for about 4 miles until the flats before the turnoff to Exfo, where we gave up the fight. That left about a mile of easy walking to the 8-mile trailhead. The hot weather this week could be very helpful, of course. Impressive snow accumulation around the base of 3 O Clock Rock! Most of the first pitch of Silent Running requires snow boots. On the south side, it extends about 20 feet up. Good training for the Bugaboos, I reckon. The good news is that the rock is mostly dry and no major rockfalls noted. But spring is coming slowly again this year

Another thing would be to ask for a partner(s) for a specific day or weekend trip. Much less commitment in a 'blind date' type situation, then see if things click. And you are far from a novice, so you don't necessarily need a more experienced partner all the time to progress toward your goals. Good luck!

Here's your route, Darin: Sunchips. Not particularly alpine, but looks like fun climbing. From a Stuart Zone camp, I'd be looking at the scramble routes up Argonaut or Colchcuck Pks. Distinctly alpine and all you need are boots and ice axes

There were so many little odd occurrences after the accident. You may have heard that the people that found Gary's wallet lived a short distance from Shirley in Tucson. I'm sure that Shirley and Cara appreciated your support through all that. Yeah, Lovers Leap was on my list for years and was well worth it. A great place for those of us working our way back down through the grades.

Hi Dan - yeah that was a fine day in the mountains, as I recall. Good to see you still kicking around and dispensing great advice! And, yes Gary's memories live on with many of us. His mom wrote a wonderful book about her personal experiences after the accident: http://www.shirleysbook.com/roaring-mountain.html

All it needs is a "best of CC" tag! Your previous Sawtooth TR inspired me and Andy to go up there the following year during larch season. Well worth it.

Awesome! I'd go climb them tomorrow if they weren't white. The A1 ratings might discourage a few novices but actually sound pretty mellow. Probably don't even need aiders?

Hilarious

Road's a little rough from the fall rains, though not too bad. Bottomed out the Corolla at one of the dips, so bring a pickup or SUV. Lots of 3 O Clock Rock is dry and nice, at least the east and southern exposures! Northern slabs still a bit wintery!

Fabulous pics! That area has a lot more to offer than slab climbing.

An amazing spot, Jason. Similar in scale to Snow Creek Wall, but with about 5X as many quality climbs And yeah, there are still gumbies about: When I reached the stance on Haystack I asked the belayer if he knew Patrick 'so-and so' and he said "yeah that's me!?" I told him I'd found his wallet dangling in the brush below the climb. From his struggles, I think it may have been his first outdoor climb. Another dude was rope-gunning his date up Corrugation Corner for her first crag climb. We coached her from below on how to stem and remove pro. Some cursing, but no epics!

Trip: Lovers Leap Road Trip - Corrugation Corner and others Trip Date: 09/18/2016 Trip Report: In honor of the new software, here's the last TR I tried to post over a year ago, before giving up after 17 failed attempts to cut and paste. Anyway, this was a 9-day road trip to Lovers Leap near Lake Tahoe. Despite the epic drive, we managed to climb something every day. Day 1. Crossed Snoqualmie Pass in a monsoon and continued south to drier Central Oregon. Snacked on some crappy Safeway potato salad and headed to Smith, where we were greeted by sign saying ‘all parking full’. Not true, but very busy indeed! Headed off to Voyage of the Cowdog (3p 5.8). With parties of three ahead and behind us, it was a collective voyage, though plenty congenial. At the top, we ditched the rappels for the ledgy walk-off, arguably as adventurous as the climb. Pleasant enough, but a bigger change in scenery was required. Final pitch of Voyage of the Cowdog at Smith Day 2. Headed southeast through the dry lake country, passing Lakeview, Susanville, Reno, and South Lake Tahoe, reaching the Leap in late afternoon. The local store provided us with a new Supertopo guide and beta from uber-local “Squirrel”. We got right on Ham and Cheese, a 3 pitch 5.7 on the Hogsback. Squirrel assured us all we’d need was “8 draws and two beers”. Good beta! High desert near Lakeview Oregon During the 10 minute return to camp, it sunk in how sweet this place is. Excellent walk-in campsites 15 minutes from multi-pitch classics, with a rustic lodge, bar and gear shop nearby. Giant food/gear bins at each site, great bouldering, no RVs, all for $10 per night! Sweet walk-in camping at Lovers Leap Day 3. Monday morning and the crag was quiet, so we jumped right on Bear’s Reach, a super-classic 3 pitch 5.7 on the East Wall. After a taste of dike-laced slab, several hundred feet of steep flake grabbing and intermittent cracks. In the running for the best 5.7 I’d ever done, at least for the next 24 hours. An easy walk-off led back to lunch and Preparation H (the climb, not the ointment!) and upper Haystack at 5.8, which was more of a true crack climb, with small overhangs to spice things up. East Wall of Lovers Leap (borrowed from the web) Day 4. Hit the supreme 6 pitch link-up of Surrealistic Pillar to Corrugation Corner. The Pillar (3 p. 5.7) wanders up steep dikes with sections of crack climbing. A classic in its own right, it was quickly overshadowed by Corrugation Corner, surely the most awesome 5.7 anywhere! The first pitch is nice corner climbing with a couple bouldery spots and a fingery traverse. From there, we craned our necks back to assess the nearly vertical corner of pitch two. Holy shit – that’s 5.7?! You follow the corner 20’ then traverse left to an extremely airy arête, with positive knobs and fixed pins keeping it sane. Pitch 2 finishes with the fabled Beached Whale move. Pitch three has a bit of chimney climbing then a looong sunny corner, high on the wall. Just an amazing climb, every pitch a classic. Approaching the supreme link-up of Surrealistic Corner (center) and Corrugation Corner (upper left) Crazy dike hiking on Surrealistic Pillar Corrugation Corner next! (right above Andy's head) CC, Pitch 2 arete. Sooo much fun! All smiles at the top of the link-up Day 5. Wetness, WTF? Andy’s bag was soggy, so we headed to So. Lake Tahoe for a laundromat and hot breakfast. The showers cleared so we checked out the Luther Spires – tiny pinnacles with a not-so-tiny approach. Good way to stretch the legs anyway Luther Spires, pretty but a little....underwhelming Day 6. Clear but chilly. Foolishly jumped on the shady Better with Bacon (5.8). The first pitch is 5.6 slab climbing with tiny pro. The second pitch was also nice but freezing. Checked out the original Pony Express trail, which runs right through the campground, then packed up and headed north. Day 7. Graffiti along the Pony Express Trail, which runs right under Lovers Leap Welcome to Lassen Volcanic Park, sort of a mini-hybrid of Mt St Helens and Yellowstone. We checked the climbing box by bagging an actual summit. And though Lassen is a sizable mountain (~10,500’), it boasts a nicely engineered summit trail with interpretive signs every half mile! It’s obviously popular, based on the Wal-Mart size parking lot. From there, we checked out the thermal area known as Bumpass Hell. Steaming, hissing, sulphury mudpots with boardwalks and scary warning signs, just like Jellystone. Trail and summit of Mt Lassen Bumpass Hell, Lassen Park Day 8. Mostly an I-5 day, but with a short stop at Skinners Butte in Eugene, one of the formative crags of my youth. Great basalt climbing and fairly quiet, given the Duck game going on across town. Heck of a week! Skinners Butte Columns in Eugene, one of the best urban crags in the PNW! Gear Notes: Honda Pilot, camping and cragging gear, SuperTopo Tahoe guide Approach Notes: Road Maps

Nailed it Jason, what an incredible resource to the mountain community! Great to weave in the perspective of his 20-year old son, too.

Awesome! How burly was it to complete in 3 days? I mean, for those of us that don't choose the hardest way into the Pickets....

A good day out for "Mr Crow" (bar)!

Exfo road is clear, with a little help from Mr Stihl. Enjoy!

Anybody clear out the road to Exfo?

Hanna is the man!

Bummer! Because of the geology, that piece of road will slip more after each wet winter. Fortunately it's not a major walk to the Spring Mtn. parking spot. Maybe a mile or two of road walking? Unless it's an easy patch-up, Glacier Peak folks will probably be looking more at the Suiattle approach this year.

Beautiful! Getting up both Spires is a pretty good accomplishment, given the changable weather

Great route and yarn! Acclimation can be pretty unpredictable game.

Another chapter for the coffee table book!

Yup and there are some great peak-bagging trips that can be gorgeous this time of year, such as this one. Of course, the real world is rarely as gorgeous as Jason's photos, but Sawtooth Ridge and/or high Pasayten peaks can make for a memorable trip as well.

Thx!