AlpineMonkey

Don't take A0 to hardcore, were just being percise and overly knit picky with our climbing. We said A0 because I know I did, pull on two pieces of gear near the top to gain about 5 feet to a hold. The nature of the move was awkward with my pack on, it was getting dark, and I was tired. Most parties would have just claimed a free ascent I immagine. So if someone goes to "nab" the FFA, you just freed I don't know, somewhere around 2000 feet of climbing, where we did 1995 ft. I don't know if I agree with John's comparison to Bear's approach. Though they are both bad, I thought this was worse by far. Perhaps my lack of sleep put me in a cranky mood, or perhaps I have put Bear behind me forever. At least the way we went. It sounds like others have found an easier way to the peak though. John and I just like to add more flavor to our climbing.

All summer I have been screwing around and having some fun up Ingalls Creek on dinky stuff. This year we put in 18 routes. Its nothing hardcore; just mellow and fun alpine cragging. I've wraped up my work up there for the year, so for those who might be intrested here's some stuff. This is just some lowland stuff off the trail, I might post some stuff that we've done up in the Knitting, Nightmare Needles if otheres are interested. Not all new routes up there, but very spectaular. If anyone knows of other rocks that have been cragged on in the area let me know, I'm trying to get a good catalouge of everything. These are just routes that we've done this year, there are at least a hundred or more other routes that have been put up by various climbers over the years. APPROX. 2 MILES UP TRAIL (40 min trail, 30 min off) APPROX. 3 MI UP TRAIL (50 min trail, 30 min off) APPROX. 7 MILES UP TRAIL (estimate time, 2 hours 10 min trail, 20 min off) (2 hours trail, 20 min off)

It was filled with chossy roofs.

If anyone who knows me wants to go climbing this weekend, I'm open. I am down for anything in the mountains. I have to go to a work b-bque on Friday night, am open Sat and Sunday. Was thinking something in the Enchantments, but if you got ideas thats cool too. I am open to anything as long as I haven't done it before. That means no "classic" or "selected" routes Currently leading around 5.9/5.10 stuff. -Craig

Dan, I once met you after climbing the Stuart Glacier Couloir. I don't really know why I decided to post this short very personal story, but for some reason I have. Our problems all make us better people. I once wrote this short piece when I was in one of my downer pissed off moods and its probably a little to deep and such for all the hardmen on here, but it ment something to me at the time. Hopefully I wont regrett it. If nothing else, diseases suck, I know. Keep doing what makes you happy I guess, but you probably already know that. PS: My partner for SGC has lyme diessease and still gets out plenty. -Craig At age 22, I know all about shit. When I say the word “shit,” I mean the brown disgusting stuff that all creatures synthesis. In a completely literal sense, I’m all too familiar it. So when I read Adam French’s Ishinca Toilet Project, it sparked my interest for a number of reasons. The first being that I share a very intimate relationship with shit, a relationship that goes back two years ago and one which most others are fortunate enough not to have. Other reasons for my interest in the project are that I visited and climbed in the Ishinca valley in 2007; I want to be a good person and make a difference in the world, but don’t exactly know how; and lastly I want to travel and climb for myself, but again don’t know where, what, or how. Before my letter is crumpled up and thrown in the trash, as thus far I must sound like a lunatic, I will attempt to explain. In early 2004 at age eighteen I had high ambitions and two things which all climbers have; dreams and role models. From 2004 through 2006 I successful completed 86 trips into the mountains of Washington, both standard and technical routes. But in early 2006 my dreams came crashing to a halt when I was diagnosed with an incurable digestive disease called ulcerative colitis. I thought my climbing career was over and crazy thoughts tended to fill my mind. How much longer will I be able to climb?, Should I bother buying any more climbing equipment?, Will any girl ever find me attractive? I’ve always looked through Fred Beckey’s Alpine Guides and dreamed about Pete Doorish’s accomplishments. To me he has done many of Washington’s most remote, difficult, and boldest ascents. (Now if only climbers new of his sailing adventures, like when he spent 2 months at sea in a homemade 17 foot open sailboat trying to row to Hawaii. ) So when I wrote a letter to the man asking for some route information on the rarely visited Toketie Wall and he phone called me back saying, “Hey what up Craig?, let’s just go climbing.” I pounced on the offer. While rope-gunning my alpine hero up the last pitch of a beautiful and unclimbed face on Orange Tower in the Enchantment Wilderness, my symptoms struck. Before I knew it I had shit running down my leg, on to the rope, through our gear, and onto the wall itself. I finished the difficult pitch clean and topped out, completing our new route. But while belaying Pete up the pitch, unknowing of my disease, I broke down into tears. When he topped out I sat there sobbing. And there I was in front of my alpine hero with shitty pants and tears rolling down my face, so embraced I couldn’t speak for nearly five minutes. When I finally came to and told him of my condition and of what had happened he looked at me with a little grin and said, “Oh, don’t worry man, that colitis is a bitch, my niece has that too…” And then he commented on the pitch I lead and said, “That was an incredible lead, you might make it someday in climbing.” Whatever that meant, I don’t know, but it suddenly gave me hope to climb. It was an incredible complement from such a climber. I knew Pete meant every word of what he said because he continued to climb with me for a week as we put up more routes, me shitting my pants again on each route. Last year when my friend asked me if I wanted to travel to Peru to climb in the Cordillera Blanca, I was hesitant because of my issues. But, I remembered the above incident and worked my tail off to save up just enough money to pay for me and my now fiancé to go. We had an amazing time. Together my fiance and I climbed Vallunaraju, Urus Este, and Yanapaccha. I soled Ishinca in seven hours from Huaraz. And a friend and I climbed the West Face of Tocllaraju. My partners at one point or another all got sick and shit their pants, but not once did I shit mine. Instead I used the toilet that Adam French installed.

A headlamp and a pair of crampons on the ledge below the first pitch. I would be happy to return if there yours, otherwise I'll make good use of em myself.

partner found.

This is kind of a long shot due to the short notice, but if anyone wants to go climbing in Leavenworth (cragging) on Sunday, give me a call any time tonight. 425.691.0090 I just moved to Wenatchee and am trying to meet up with new parteners and stuff if your local. But if not, let me know to. I perfer crack climbing and currently climb lead around 5.10 if your wondering if our skills might mesh. Just trying to get my out of shape butt back up to speed. One thing is I need to be back in Wenatchee by 4pm tomorrow. -Craig

Good hike Kevin, that Bush wack down from Canyon is Hell. Thats Box Top, not Block House, just to let you know.

I live quite a ways from the Olympics, but would like to do a little climbing in the area. Can someone recomend some "classic" alpine routes in that area. I am interested in alpine rock routes of any grade (4th to 5 whatever), not glacier slogging with total approach and climb between 1 and 3 days.

I'm pretty sure Noah post on this site as NoahT, I ran into him a couple weeks ago. I saw the helicopters as I was cragging in L-worth yesterday.

On Sat. I was hiking down from Colchuck Lk. in the dark and I ran into two very perinoid boys. I quickly identified them as climbers by the helmets on their packs. So I asked them what route they were trying and the first said, "Were just going for a hike, you know to take some pictures." Then I asked the second what they were climbing and he got supper nervous looking and the first replied for him again, "Were just going for a hike and are hiking out in the morning." At first I was so tired I didn't understand what the problem was, then I suddenly though, Oh yeah, your not supposed to camp up there without a permit. They must have thought my tired, hunched over, weak stumbling ass was trouble.

That picture is somewhere on the Rat Creek Craggs, maybe the Block House?

Thanks Ben, We'll I've never been able to make out a sleeping lady eaither.

Do you guys have any distant shots of where Bong Buttress is, I've always kind of wondered but not sure what piece of rock it is. It's not that triangular rock below Toketie Wall is it? -Craig

It's short and fun. We brought a 30 m rope when we did it, for a rack you don't need much. Its very loose on one part where it goes down to a knife edged rige which is very exposed and loose, no good pro. Though very exposed its almost not worth even bringing a rope for that part. You have two options if you fall: 1: Fall 30m or however long your rope is (because there is no pro) and die or 2: Fall a couple hundred feet and die

Thats interesting because I was convinced (but still wanted to make sure) that it was Rosebud. So where is Rosebud then? I found this TR: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=370049 That again shows a picture of Jaberwocky on the left. But if you look up the gully you will see two towers. I thought Rosebud was on the left and Jaberwock the one on the right?

Thanks for the comments W, I'll have to give it another go, I know the ledge you were talking about. I climbed to just below it. Above it it just looked like huge overhanging roofs with no way through them, I'll have to go back and give it a closer look in the next couple of weeks. It sounds like you guys climbed up the corner to the ledge out left with the trees on it? I was climbing right up the middle of the face which wasent hard but kinda scarry because the rock was a little rolly-pully and there wasen't that great of protection. Maybe I'll stay in that corner system too. Any comments from anyone on that tower in the picture. Rosebud or Jaberwocky?

Yeah, I don't get it, and it wasen't bail stuff. It was placed right on the route as if someone lead the pitch and the second just unclipped and climbed right on by, leaving the gear.

Gave this route a go over the weekend and failed. I am a little disapointed for a couple of reseasons, one being that I shouldn't need to follow a route. In the past I have always been able to look up at a wall or route and say, "Yeah, I can make that go, no matter what, or there is no f-ing way." But over the weekend we got up there and I thought, I'm not so sure I can do this. It wasent that I could do it and it wasent that I couldn't, there was that uncertainity. I kept looking up going where the fuck could they have gone? All that was above me was a massive overhanging wall with massive roofs. Being high on the face I didn't see a line that I thought I could get up. Has anyone done this route? Were we on track with the original FA'ers? So after bailing we went and climbed rosebud spire (I think). Can someone with more knowldege tell me if that is Jaberwocky or Rosbud in the picture below? On route we found a baseball hat, 2 brand new bd cams, a brand new tri cam (none of which was stuck), 3 brand new mamut slings, 3 neturions, a locking biner, a brand new atc, and a 2008 graduation baloon.

I didn't know they were voulenteer, thats good to know. The voulenteer permits relate to funding for them. They did that crap to the Enchantment Wilderness to see how many people go up there. Once they found out enough people used the area they put up restrictions and began charging people to go into the woods. I have a friend that was up there once and he told me that the forest service claimed that there were 200 people up there one weekend, that he was up there as well. He said its so spread out that you still don't see anyone. So if I filled out the voulenteer permits for a particluar place I like to go and so does everyone else, eventually the forest service might say, "Hey, we can make a profit here" and start regulating who can go into the woods and charge us money. Perhaps 50 years from now we'll have to plan all our climbs 6 months in advance and pay to do them.

I’m just reminiscing over the good times I’ve had in the past. Hopefully you will find partnrs and enjoy Bear as much as I did. Easier to crawl under the brush then walk through it: Wading knee deep in swamp:

Purely hypothetical, what are your rights in the wilderness. Example: You (or I) are walking down a trail and you encounter a ranger, but are doing nothing wrong. He asks you questions like, Where are you going?, Are you camping?, Where are you camping?, What are you doing?, What’s in your backpack?, etc. This is never happened, but I want to know so if it does in the future? Do you need to answer those questions or any of their questions? Or do you have a “right to remain silent," or a "right to not answer" anything that you might think could get you into trouble. I feel like authorities often ask trick questions to learn other information which could perhaps get you in trouble. I am not about breaking rules, but I disagree with many of the wilderness rules, such as permits etc. I have never been hassled by someone in uniform on the trail, except once one ranger very kindly asked me if I filled out a day permit. I told him “no” and he asked me nicely to fill one out when I hiked out. Could you be fined for not filling out those day/overnight permit things you see at all trail heads?

I've seen the grave, that is the cutoff point to leave the trail and head into the knitting needles. Just wondering about the "cabin" foundation up crystal creek, sounds cool.