rbwen

Got your attention? I just stumbled across a masonry drilling company that has a bin full of old granite scraps of all sizes. They are perfectly flat, about 1" thick, shiny on one side and grainy/aggregate on the other with great edges for an indoor rock wall hold. Problem is I just spent 45 minutes drilling and only made it through 2/3 of one piece! Is there a quicker way of getting through granite? I started using my cordless Makita but then switched to the plug-in power drill until I couldn't hold it any longer. Ouch. I'm using a masonry bit right now. Tips? If anyone's interested in where the scraps are (my wife grabbed a bunch for her garden) it's downtown Wenatchee on the corner of Yakima and Columbia St. They had pieces as big as two feet long by one foot wide. Thanks! rbwen

I built a wall in my garage and have yet to find the best solution for ground padding. I have gone through three of those blow up mattresses but I'm sick of putting them in the trash when they get miniscule holes in them. The wife doesn't want old matresses because, well, they're old mattresses (see mice, smell, etc.). What do you use to pad the floor of your home gym? Does anyone know of a place to get a stronger rubber-like mattress? The best bet to me would be one of those pole vault pit pads. The gym I used to work at had about five of them and you could come off a wall twenty feet up with no worries. But where to get one or something similar and not pay big $$? Thanks! Flame on! rbwen

Amazing sidewalk art. http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm

My wife and I got life insurance and disability but neither would cover us for 'mountain climbing' as the insurance company called it. For the policy we chose any injuries/death sustained would not be covered....unless we wanted to pay through the teeth.

Climb: Cragging Near Phoenix-McDowell & Camelback Mts. Date of Climb: 2/20/2006 Trip Report: Off to the sun for President's Day Weekend, Phoenix beckoned. We used Phoenix Rock II, by Opland, for route descriptions. Day One: We tried to climb at Camelback Mt. on the Sunday of a three-day weekend, big mistake. The line to get into the parking lot was like the line to climb Frogland on a weekend. Cars for miles and lots of retired people with fanny packs making their way to the trailhead. Time for Plan B. McDowell Mts.: We headed north and a bit east and ended up about 45 minutes from town at an area called Morell's Wall Parking Lot, aptly and beautifully named. After about ten minutes of hiking we found two nice moderates to warm up our cold Washington fingers on. The first one was a 5.7 called Seven-Up and it was pretty straightforward. Four bolts on a slabby face with consistent moves all the way to the top. The bolts were old but were secure. On top the anchor were three brand new, shiny anchor bolts but no chains. Hmmm...not very bright. We ran up and down that one to warm up and then moved around the corner to another 5.7 Back to the Wall. We top-roped this one by moving our anchors from the previous climb and I'm glad we did. (btw, there are three sets of anchors on top). This one had one or two hollow sounding flakes that would've taken some nice gear but probably not held it. It had two or three bolts on the face and three anchor bolts (again, no chains) on top. Pretty fun climbing up into a shallow cave, past an abandoned nest, topping out at about 60 feet. Pulling the rope after rapelling was painful because of the lack of chains. We headed back down to the road and across to the other side to climb a 5.6 called Phoenix. This one climbs a nice granite face and also utilizes the arete to gain the top. There's a nice two foot jump across to the belay. Only one bolt on top of this one but places to back it up with a piece or two. We walked off this one to the left. Although this one was rated 5.6 it seemed a bit harder if you just stayed on the face. I finally gave in and reached for the arete but it was a lot harder than some of the 5.6s I've done in the Icicle. Three or four bolts on this one and a nut or cam for the top. All three of these climbs were fun but they were not very aestetic and there weren't many great moves...but it was sunny and we weren't complaining. Some chains up top would make things much nicer. Monday we headed back to McDowell Mts. to Sven Slab. We had our eyes on a 5.5 called Quaker Oats. We met up with a buddy so we'd all three climb this two pitch route. You can do it in one pitch but we were both eager to get some early season easy leads in so we split it up. The first pitch went at 5.5 straight up the right side of the face for about 100' with 5 bolts to a big ol' eyebolt for belaying and rapelling. We backed it up with the somewhat stout tree there. After that is a shorter pitch of 60' up to one solitary bolt and not a whole heck of a lot else to back it up. There was one spot on the right where I sorta slotted a nut but it wasn't the best. The bolt did have a quick link for rapelling. The book said we could walk off right (Class 4) but it did not look safe so the last guy rapped off the solitary bolt back to the eye bolt. One rope got us from the eye bolt to the ground and also opened up some nice TR opportunities next to our route...but...we had to go back. Tuesday we met up with another friend and had our eyes on the Praying Monk that we got turned away from earlier because of the crowds. Today there was no problem and we got the front parking spot and headed toward the Headwall. There are a few ways to get up the Headwall to get to the Monk and we chose the 5.4 route up a water chute. This was pretty straightforward with six or seven bolts and another huge eye bolt and also two smaller eye bolts for rapping back down. The fire department was out practicing with their litter so we felt pretty safe if we were to have an accident today. Where were they when I'm climbing 5.11? So we headed up the Headwall and then another 100 yards to the Praying Monk. There are three or four routes up this but we chose the 5.7 route because we had an absolute beginner with us. The start is on the SE side, called the East Face, and has a variation. You can walk up into the cave, take off about 20 feet of the climb and it goes at 5.3 the rest of the way, or you can start at the bottom and climb 5.7. The route is very exposed and very fun with lots and lots of handholds and bolts just about every 8-10 feet. They used small eye bolts instead of the regular bolts you see scattered about most sport climbing places. Are they any better? Cheaper? I don't know. The route was nice and moderate and consistent and fairly long. I would guess over 100 feet. On top is a great view of Scottsdale and Camelback Mt. There was another large eye bolt for belay and then two more big ones for rapelling. It's a very fun free rappel off the south side. Your feet aren't on the wall for very long on this one. I would definitely recommend this one for a beginning leader or as a Phoenix classic, a very enjoyable climb. It was much more aestetic than the other stuff we did in McDowell. The rock is basically petrified mud and it took awhile to get used to but I didn't have any rock come away in my hands on Camelback. We only needed about 10 quickdraws on this one and used a 60m rope to get back to the ground. You have to rap back down the headwall to get to the trail to head back to the car. All in all it was a great weekend getaway. There was barely anybody out at the McDowell Mts. and it really reminded us of City of Rocks with sparse crowds and rocks and routes everywhere. Camelback was crowded on the weekend but nobody was there on the weekday. Can't wait to get back. Gear Notes: Mainly quickdraws and some cams and nuts scattered here and there to back up anchors and run out areas Approach Notes: Southwest Airlines was late on every connection by more than half an hour. Boo. Rental cars work very nice on dirty, bumpy roads out to McDowell Mts.

Thanks for all the beta. We had a great time in the sun. Almost forgot what that was like. TR to follow. rbwen

Mt. Lemmon is great that time of year. Well worth dragging a rope and rack (or just draws) for. just twenty minutes out of town to the northeast. Or Cochise Stronghold, but that's a bit farther of a drive. rbwen

I may be but I was sure there was a thread sometime in last summer that talked about a new book. Maybe it was an old thread that someone responded to. I tried to search for it but couldn't find it (the thread not the book). rbwen

I remember reading a couple of months ago about a new climbing guide in the works focusing on Inland Washington. Any new news on when it's supposed to come out? Thanks! rbwen

I've rented from Cascade Crags in Everett in the past. The used to rent AT boots, skis, and poles for $25 for the weekend, pick up on Friday, take back on Monday. Didn't include skins though. rbwen

How about Camelback Mt.? I just found out we're staying right near there. Anything worthwhile? rbwen

The wife and I are heading to Phoenix in February for 3-4 days. Any recommended places to climb? We've been to Queen Creek, Mt. Lemmon, and Jack's Canyon so leave those out. We're looking for any day trips from PHX. Thanks! rbwen

Having never climbed in Yosemite before I am wondering when it is usually snow-free enough to start spring climbing? Specifically Royal Arches? Thanks for any info. rbwen

I sent a very long reply via PM to faster_than_you so maybe if he still has it he can post it here since I don't have it anymore. I don't mind. rbwen

If below is what you want then Wenatchee is not the place. Very rightward leaning, although progressive when it comes to some issues like alternative energy. Not hippie-ville...that would be more of Leavenworth. I just moved to Wenatchee from Bellingham two years ago and there is not much community in Wenatchee. Try wentacheeoutdoors.com rbwen From previous post: <<My girlfriend is somewhat of a hippie, so the place cannot be too stiflingly conservative. A good outdoor community (even if small) is considered a must.>>

I went a couple of years ago in December and loved it. PM me if you want more details. rbwen

Climb: Vantage-Agathla Tower/Riverview Columns Date of Climb: 10/30/2005 Trip Report: Sunday was a beautiful day on the Eastside, mid-60s and a hint of wispy clouds overhead, a great day for some moderate cragging at Vantage. My wife and I headed out at 10am after getting a wonderful extra hour's worth of sleep. There were a couple of cars at Feathers but nobody on the shady side, there was, however, a larger group (and the van they all came in) on the sunny side. The second parking lot was a bit fuller, with almost 15 cars parked there and a couple of folks camping. We made the short hike to Agathla Tower and climbed the 5.8 House of Cards for a warmup. This route is fun because it is long and pretty sustained 5.8 with some more challenging moves up top as the route moves off of the face and into a four-foot long crack. It's bolted all the way with ten clips in a span of about 60-70 feet so protection is plentiful. The top has bolts with chains. This route has some portable holds and while my wife was climbing she knocked off some smaller pebbles but nothing larger than a marble. The belayer should wear a helmet and belay off to one side to avoid a small shower. All in all this is a fun climb and a good warmup on the way out to other climbs in The Coulee. The rockfall is no greater than other climbs. Neither of us had been out to the other climbing spots so we decided to take the trails up to the mesa and down the gullies. We'd climbed at Zig Zag wall before and it was in the shade so we headed for the sun. It was quite humorous to listen to the party on Zig Zag wall because we could hear *everything* they said to each other even if it was a whisper because the sound was reflecting off the rocks. I won't reveal their secrets! So...up to the mesa and then right toward Far Side. We located the great sign put in by the FCCC marking Gully #3 and made our way down it to the Corn Wall area. There was a group of three climbing to the East on Firestarter, a 5.10b on the Tomato Wall that looked very fun. It was warm, people were in shorts and t-shirts, and we were happy to be out and about exploring. We couldn't quite find our location in the guidebook so we asked about and found we were near Riverview Columns. We headed west and found another nice 5.8 to work on called Masticate Expectorate which gets two stars in the Yoder book. It had a semi-tough beginning but the rock was better here and I felt more secure leading this route than Agathla Tower, less rockfall. There were four clips up to an anchor with chains and the route was pretty straightforward, meandering a bit to the left toward other chains on the 5.10a next to it. We TR'ed our climb and then ate lunch. We decided to head back toward Gully #3 to try another 5.8 a couple of guys had been climbing when we passed them. This one was called Aeolachrymation, got three stars in the book, and looked very fun. I led up past three bolts to the bolt anchor with chains but the sun had moved and we were now in the shade, making belaying and climbing slightly on the cool side as it was pushing 2:30pm. It was only in the shade due to the surrounding pillars not the sun's presence on the horizon. While we were climbing this one a group of four high school/college-aged kids started climbing a 5.10b two routes to the east called Mortal Prying in the V-shaped Realm. They were into hangdogging the route, climbing up to a bolt, resting for a while, figuring out the moves, then heading to the next bolt. My wife and I talked quite a bit on this technique of climbing a harder route. The leader was obviouisly inexperienced since he kept having to ask which way the rope went through the draws but he seemed capable of getting up to each bolt where he then rested. I'm not debating hangdogging or pure sport climbing (if there is such a thing), just making an observation that brought up some conversation. We both agreed that it is good to test yourself to climb harder and sport climbing allows that in a relatively safe environment but it seemed to put a lot of stress on the route (but I don't have any physics to back that up). The 5.8 Aeolachrymation started off with some easy moves up a face with big insets for hands and feet and then headed into a crack which would've accepted some decent gear placements. The hardest part was smearing on the left wall to get up through the lower crack and overall there were only a couple of places that seemed like 5.8. The upper part of the crack could've used a cam because it was bit runout (a fact that I read in the book after I figured out what route we were actually climbing). My only issue with this climb was that it was not so easy to find in the guidebook for someone who had not been in the area before. We knew it was a 5.8 because we had asked some guys on the way by and I only figured out the name by listening to the guys climbing next to us talk about their climb. We headed back up Gully #3 and back to the car, recounting moves and sunshine, and happiness about being on the warm rock in late October. We haven't bought our parking pass yet and are always happy to see no ticket on the window. I found out from the next post that they mail them to you. Yikes! Is it closer to park down the hill toward the river and walk in from below? If you are new to The Coulee and want more beta on these moderate climbs PM me and I'd be happy to tell you more! Gear Notes: Quickdraws Cam to 1" on Aec Helmet Approach Notes: Agathla Tower is two minutes from parking lot #2. Riverview is a twenty minute walk. Head up to the mesa, take a right toward Far Side, then down Gully #3 and then right (climber's left).

Just got the October issue of Climbing and on pg. 40 is a quote from Trogdor the Burninator and a link to cc.com. The quote is the one about 'we should all start soloing above our trad limit.' Funny quote...funny to find it in Climbing. rbwen

I guess I don't exactly know where on Pesashtin this is but it's obviously high up the hill. Perspective is obviously making it seem like they're way up on a slab but in reality they're hopefully not too high. Think of the children? Naw...just looking for gear placements and they're in the way.

This photo is on the cover of today's Wenatchee World. It may just be the perspective but does this seem a bit scary/odd/irresponsible to anyone else? rbwen

One good shot but you can't tell the route, etc. http://tinyurl.com/8dub3

My buddy took some pics up at Be Bop Rock but only of us climbing, not perspective shots. The pics in Kramer's book are pretty good. I'll get any pics up as soon as he sends them to me. It was a bit hard to find Bush Gardens simply because the crack isn't readily apparent from down below because of the angle you see it from. Look for the big roof and you'll find it. It's about 200 yards uphill from Deb's Crack/Williams' Crack (directly up the hill around the West side).

Climb: Leavenworth-Halloween Rock, Be Bop & Bush Gardens Date of Climb: 10/14/2005 Trip Report: A day off on Friday and some friends from out of town with a new baby made for three days of moderate cragging in the Icicle. We were looking for places we'd never been before that would give us moderate trad leads with nearby harder TRs for the new mom and out of shape babysitting climbers. Day One: We headed up to Halloween Rock and did the 5.9 Trick or Treat on TR. The route trends up and right but the natural tendency is to follow the quartz dike straight up (cuz it's easier) but going out to the bolts on the slab to follow the route is not too hard. It gets a bit thin toward the top. We didn't try the skull and crossbones-rated 5.7 Black Cat because it didn't look too fun. After that we headed to Classic Crack and set up a TR. I had never done that climb before and it was addicting. I can't wait to get back and do it again. Day Two: Next day off to Be Bop Rock for more cragging with the new addition. There I led the 5.6 Junior's Cookin' and we TR'ed the 5.10a Bit of Heaven. The 5.6 is pretty straightforward, following two wide cracks (one for gear, one for knee jams) all the way up to the bolted anchor. From there we set up our TR and did the mighty fine 10a next to it. It's only 60' and there are 7 bolts and it's not too bad up until the last ten feet when it gets a bit thin. Fun arete climbing! Third Day: Up to Bush Gardens, just east of Mad Meadows. I tried to find this place before with my wife but we got lost and one of us got upset at the other one for dragging her out into the middle of nowhere without even getting to climb...ahem...but this time we found it! We TR'ed the 5.7 crack on the right side. There are bolts on the top and you can walk up either side. The crack is wide enough for hand jams and would take some decent gear all the way up. You can also use the face for pieces and also for holds as there are multiple blocks and cracks zig zagging their way up the face. You get to a pretty wide bench and then up the funky chimney-like last 20 feet. After climbing this last section we all recounted the various ways we got up this last section. I was the only one who didn't spin completely around to face out away from the climb but instead made myself into a pretzel to get out of the chimney onto the final slab. Pretty fun, lots of variety. We then TR'ed the main, middle part of the wall. The start is pretty straight forward and easy but up toward the top (below the bench) are one or two moves of 5.10 or a bit harder. Then up and over the bench but this time I went left of the chimney to the top. This part went at about 5.8 and was pretty dirty because it hadn't seen a lot of traffic. There was also a set of anchors up and to the left and another face climb that looked to be in the 5.8-5.9 range but that will have to wait for another day. The weather was great all three days. We saw/heard a couple of parties on Pearly Gates on Sunday but for the most part we didn't see anybody on a lot of the climbs all weekend long. Our goal of moderate fun with an eight-month old in tow was successful. I recommend Bush Gardens for an easy trad lead and Be Bop Rock for the same, plus both of them have some nice harder stuff to test your mettle on. I know it's not quite Outer Space or Midnight Rock but it sure was fun. Gear Notes: Anchors on Halloween Rock, Be Bop Rock, and Bush Gardens Be Bop Rock 5.6, used cams up to 3.5" and was also able to clip a couple of the bolts on the 5.10 next to it Approach Notes: The trail to Halloween Rock was a bit hard to find. It's just below the 4th of July parking lot about 1/4 mile, look for a large culvert covered in rock. Head up through the burnt meadow and then go one set of rock bands higher. Bush Gardens is somewhat easily approached going under Williams 12 and Deb's Crack and then heading straight up the hillside til you see it east of Mad Meadows. Be Bop Rock starts across the street from Classic Crack and heads up and a bit right.

So...can you tell me how to get there? I'm feeling lark-ish. Do you have any beta? Thanks...rbwen

Anyone climbed out there lately? Directions? Beta? Route descriptions? Thinking of heading out there this weekend and don't exactly know where it's at or if it's worth it. Bolted? Trad? Sandstone? Thanks! rbwen