rocketparrotlet

I'm home from college and dying to go climbing again in the NW. I'd be up for ice, rock (if it ever gets dry) or alpine. I'm around until the 17th. -Mark

If you have the climb wired, then maybe the bolt is not for you, but for the many people that have not lead the route dozens of times. I'd lay money you clipped that bolt the first time you went up it, so busted. Good point. I would lead it on nuts now, but the first time I climbed this, I'm glad the bolt was there.

If you clip the bolt then 5 nuts aren't necessary to protect 10 feet of crack. How much do you really trust the "bomber" nuts if you use up half your nut rack before the crux move?

I basically learned to climb at Index and have done very little sport. I actually find face climbing to be harder for the grade sometimes than some of the climbs at Index. It's definitely stiffer than the ratings at the Smoke Bluffs, but for some reason, moderate face climbing often shuts me down. Just what you're used to I guess. I've also heard that it gets stiffer as the grades increase, and I'm not good enough to have seen that firsthand.

I'll be moving soon and tomorrow is my last chance to go to Index. I'd like to do Thin Fingers and Sloe Children plus some other stuff before I leave. Have rope and rack, lead 5.10, follow 5.11. PM or call me if interested, 425-387-5677. -Mark

I can't figure out the nodder thing...been through a few pages of that thread and it still doesn't make sense.

I'd like to suggest that "Spray" be renamed to "Old Guys Arguing About Politics," or alternatively, "Pissing Contest." Sorry to say, but I've seen more thought-provoking discussion in the Youtube comments section.

Looking to go to Index or Darrington for cragging tomorrow. I have a rope and a rack and lead up to about 5.10b, can follow up to about 5.11a. Give me a call if interested. 425-387-5677 -Mark

No need to spend money on expensive "high-performance" foods like Gu. Eat what you like. Make sure it has fat and salt- too little salt in your diet will dehydrate you very quickly. Luckily, fat and salt are what make most junk/cheap foods "unhealthy".

Why are wall hammers so expensive?

This is such a stupid idea. BD has made prototypes of offset cams and could easily develop some offset nuts too. Instead, they try and make things that already work into a new tech gimmick. Cool, yeah, but virtually useless, almost guaranteed to be very expensive, and facing a serious possibility of recall when they don't work as well as they should. I'd much rather see those offset cams.

None of the bolts are 3/8". The first two are rusty old SMC bolts, and the last one is something horribly sketchy and possibly homemade. If you want to remove it, a good tug or a directed breath may get it out.

Thanks for the kind words guys. All it needs is a little cleaning and 3 replaced bolts. The climbing itself wasn't bad. I'd do it myself, but I've never drilled a bolt.

Trip: Index - Lamar's Trust-TPMV and Overdone Classics Date: 7/18/2011 Trip Report: I headed out to Index with Tobias for some cragging, talking relentlessly about Sloe Children and how much I wanted to climb it, but probably couldn't lead it. That probably made up half of the day's conversation. Anyway, the Lower Wall looked damp, so we decided to do the Great Northern Slab and I figured I might as well try to lead Libra Crack. So we made it up to the top of the Slab through Libra Crack and Pisces, scrambled over the bottom of the Shield, and I tried to find Lamar's Trust, a route which looked interesting to me due to its rating of 5.9, which there isn't too much of at Index. We scrambled up the dirt and I started up the dirty crack, cleaning out tons of dirt with my chock pick as I went along. I mantled up onto a small ledge and started up the slab portion of the climb. The guidebook calls Lamar's Trust a 5.9+ slab route with a "bolted" finish. Well above my last gear placement, I clipped the first bolt, a rusty old SMC that looked like it could come out under a fall. Shaking wildly as I moved up, I almost made it to the second bolt...and fell. Frantically, I grabbed the draw and got a sickening feeling in my gut, but it held...thank God. I moved up to the second bolt, equally as bad as the first one, and much higher up. The lichen crunched as my feet skittered across the slab and my palms held on to nothing. I clipped the bolt and moved a few feet up onto some even more insecure foot and hand placements. With feet slipping, I stood on the bolt desperately and composed myself as much as I could under these circumstances. I could not go down. The next thing I saw brought forth a hearty, "Oh, SHIT!" The next bolt was entirely rust and the hanger was torn, an old job that looked like bent 1mm sheet metal. There was no doubt in my mind: if I fell here, the bolt would fail, and a broken ankle would be the best I could wish for. I frantically palmed my way up the slab, fully understanding the "slap and pray" aspect of friction slab climbing. Well above this bolt, I placed a TCU in an overlap and moved on, up to the anchors, and continued onto the top pitch of TPMV. I have never been more happy to see a new 3/8" bolt in my life. I brought my partner up, and he just stared at me for a few seconds before saying anything. As I sat at the anchors, a warm feeling of safety invaded my senses as I stared down at the railroad tracks a few hundred feet below. "So this is why everybody just does Godzilla," I thought to myself. We did some dirty low-5th climbing and scrambling to the proper top of the Lower Wall and rappelled down what I think is the Narrow Arrow Standard route, a hard-to-follow 5.7 with many variations and hard separate climbs along the way. Finding rappels was difficult but not horrendous, and this route doesn't look quite as bad as its little-climbed reputation might suggest. I got to see an old aid crack not in any guidebook that I have heard rumors about as being 5.14 potential. The Narrow Arrow area is a huge section of the wall that most people never get to see, and it's actually quite cool. Once down onto a ledge, I scrambled over to the top of Thin Fingers and we toproped that, pretty sure it's only like the 3rd time that climb has been done or something, it deserves more traffic. Once down, Tobias led up Godzilla and I got a chance to climb City Park p2 for the first time, and hopefully not the last. Finally we were at Sloe Children. Tobias said that he wasn't feeling up to leading it, so I agreed to give it a try despite it being harder than anything I've ever successfully led before. I am still kind of humiliated- I couldn't even make the first moves to get established into the corner due to fear of falling onto the belay from 4 feet up. Next time I guess. All in all, a pretty good day.

So I'd heard rumors of a crack at Index that might go free at 5.14. I got a chance to look at it today, it looks hard but this might be possible. It's an arching very thin crack with sidepull features high up near the top of the Narrow Arrow Direct route. There are some fixed pins, it looks like it is an A2 route, it would definitely be clean aid though. It is not in either Sky Valley Rock (very high pitches on the LTW are not listed) or the Cummins guide. Does anybody know anything about this crack or if it's even been attempted free? I'm just curious. -Mark

I was hoping to head out to Index tomorrow for some cragging in this brief window of good weather. Have rope and rack, lead 5.10-, follow 5.10+. PM me or call at 425-423-9385, don't worry about waking me up if it's late/early. -Mark

It's quite obvious which side is winning the argument, and also quite obvious that it was set up that way. If you use a stoned idiot to represent the face of the legalization movement, it will never pass.

I'd like to head up there sometime, I've never been. I lead about 5.9 and can follow 5.10. I have a rope and a rack. You can PM me or call 425-387-5677 if that works for you. -Mark

Dan and others- feel free to give me a call anytime. I'm looking to get out to Darrington some more this season. -Mark

I'd be open. I lead about the same level and would love to get out to Darrington some more. I have most days off, weekend or weekday. Tuesday or Thursday would probably work for me. -Mark 425-387-5677

I climb mostly at Index, and I've noticed that for the most part, people only do the same routes over and over again. There are some routes/areas I'd like to check out but can't find anyone to go with- we always end up just climbing Godzilla. I've got my eye especially on the Middle Wall, Upper Wall approach trail, and even some higher-up Lower Wall pitches. I move out at the end of this summer and I'd like to climb some of these routes before I go. Anyone interested? -Mark

Might be! Thanks everyone.

Yes, that's what I'm referring to. What is the wall called and what other climbs are there? Salamander is not listed in the Index guidebook.

Yeah I'm a poor young climber. I was psyched to find that cam, but if I lost it, I'd be pretty appreciative if someone posted it on here, so I figured I'd do my good turn! It'll be at your house any day now.

Nope. I posted it like this so somebody doesn't just say "Oh yeah I totally lost one of those..."