Its always interesting to me how the focus the climbers in a particular locale shifts when new guidebooks appear. In the Cascades and Coast Range, where the opporunities to climb are varied and vast, the majority of climbers tend to focus their efforts on the popular and well-known. This changes every few years as new guides are released - the most recent being Nelson's two volumes, but also Jeff Smoots Washington Rock Climbs and other works (TBP). Only a few months ago, no one had ever heard of Watusi Rodeo, or New York Gully. Today, these climbs are all I hear about. I understand that part of the appeal is that the route research is already done for you, and if you have limited time in the field, that can be important. But sometimes it borders on the rediculous.
Are climbers no longer willing to explore, no longer willing to put in the time to do the crime, willing only to be spoon-fed what others think is interesting or worthy? Few of the climbers I know are willing to even deal with the Beckey guides these days (even when they are already in their third revision, go Fred!), and that is a symptom of what I am about to suggest. When was the last time you heard of anyone climbing Trapper, or Garfield, or the SE Face of the North Peak of Chimney Rock? These are surely worthy climbs, remote, difficult, rewarding.
Fred Beckey is in his 70s now, and his venerable tomes of Cascades climbing history, geology, and climbing information have never seen an equal labor of love in the history of modern climbing. Who will take up the torch when he is gone? What will the next truly complete Cascades guidebook look like?
Something to ponder as you work your way up the next trade route....
Alex