dberdinka

TR Wrist Twister (AKA An excessively long TR on a 3-pitch rock climb) Somehow I've managed to convince myself that winter never happened. The skis are collecting dust and winter ascents of bone-chilling north walls is something I only read about on CC.com. Kudos to those of you pulling off the big climbs. I managed to escape the confines of my cubicle on Monday. Waking up at 5:30 AM there were big puddles outside my front door, but the sky was full of stars. Not a perfect day, I figure Squish would live up to its nickname...but you never can tell. I cruised past an unusually empty border crossing, through the fog and mist, breaking out into sunshine on the North Shore of Vancouver. Pulled in below the Chief, the rock is dry and temperatures are balmy. No more excuses, time to make it happen. Getting up the south gully involved pulling on several of the ubiquitous Squamish fixed lines, 25 year-old climbing rope tied to a rotten stump, then 4th class dirt and bushes across an exposed ramp. A fat tree serves as an anchor and I'm climbing before 10 AM. On route, you immediately climb out over a large drop making for big exposure on the walls smooth expanse. The first pitch is a mix of rivets, 30-year-old rusty bolts, the occasional retro bolt and some nice cams and hooking. The second pitch is sweet. Clean aid followed by lots of copperheads and occasional bolts, hooks and rivets. I'm all set to lead the third and last pitch. At which point I started epicing. A couple easy moves led to an enhanced hook from where I could clip a fixed head. A few seconds after getting on it the cable snapped sending me for a 25 foot ride back down to the belay. Climbing back up, the crack in this area is filled with tiny dead-heads I can't clean (copperheads missing their cables). After much futzing around I finally topstep on the hook, weld a decent copperhead and move up. Phew!!! Of course 20 feet later the rope jams at the belay necessitating a rappel off rivets to clean up the mess. The climb ends with me gaping and quaking my way up fifty-plus feet of dowels, bathooks and a few more ancient rusty bolts. Sketchy! A little after 4 PM I've managed to get all gear to the top and finally get to enjoy the view. It's warm, the sun is still high above Howe Sound. The breeze through the trees nearly drowns out the sounds of the town below. I'm enjoying the immense satisfaction that comes with pushing through the self-doubt and fear that often accompanies such adventures. I think it is moments like this that always brings me back to climbing. Life is good. Gear 2 bathooks manadatory 1 pointed skyhook very nice offset nuts and cams kept me sane stoppers and a set of cams, #0 TCU to a #.75 Camalot a handful of heads to replace dead-heads the ability to top-step didn't use pins, but blades and sawed-off angles might be handy. a sharp chisel and punch to clean out old dead-heads would make for a good community service project. Grade!! 3-pitch Grade III rated anywhere from A1+ to C4 best I can give you is A-scary-but-safe

Cover of the B'ham Herald said something like.."Bellingham climbers RESCUED!" Is it considered a rescue if the S&R talk to you before you get to the car? or would you have to make it home first?

"There is no shortage of people being secrative about new routes, here or anywhere." - dbb I think most everyone appreciates the idea of a secret area while new routes are going up. But lots of people are put off by the ego-stroking that's going along with this one. How about......A STORY! There is a guy who posts regularly on this site. He also has a website full of photos and route beta. He and his friends spent several years developing a series of excellent multi-pitch rock climbs on bomber granite. They didn't leak a word about it. They didn't post pictures and topos of their super-rad-biggest-fattest-west-side-rock-climb. http://students.washington.edu/dbb/ice/ice_climbing3/ice_climbing3.htm He didn't post TRs on CC.com about how good the rock was on his secret route. (i.e. "the ice was not only solid, but fun, plastic, excellent time." or "the ice was so good in this area") Instead when their work was done the published a perfect topo of the whole area. http://www.seanet.com/~mattp/Darr/westbutt.htm Now that is "effortlessly cool" !

I checked out Phil and Dave's websites. Based on their reports here's my go at sleuthing. Of course their websites could be massive disinformation campaigns, so don't blame me if you bushwack up Hidden Lake Creek and find nothing! It's up off the Cascade River Road. Phil first went there for the skiing potential. It isn't too far off the road. When you leave the road you cross a significant creek (Cascade Creek?). Climbs are around 4200' to 4500', north facing. Hidden Lake Creek looks like a prime suspect, though I guess it could one of many, many other side drainages in the area. Where ever it is, it looks sweet!

(Pictures to follow soon) This has absolutely nothing to do with climbing but it is a must do urban adventure for anyone who lives in the Bellingham area. Even though I was hacking up my lungs on Saturday, I packed up the gear thinking Id get a few pitches in at Index on Sunday. Waking up with a sore throat and wind and rain patterning on the window killed my ambition. Instead I found myself hanging out in the neighbors kitchen mooching some breakfast. Soon another neighbor, Brad, floated in and starts trying to hype me up for some adventure. He wanted to climb mountains, lacking interest he snapped back with --Lets go down the Padden Creek Tunnel-- Huhhh? Sounded cool, so we did. Evidently the tunnel was constructed in 1893 to divert the creek and drain a wet-land now turned into a residential neighborhood called Happy Valley. The tunnel is about half a mile long, egg-shaped and maybe 6' tall. Its made of brick and has a steep grade creating a bit of roar in there as the creek rushes through. Gear requirements: Hip-Waders (optional) 1-2 homemade torches A good imagination Beer is good too To make a torch. Get a big stick, tear up some rags and old shirts into strips and tightly rap a small bundle (maybe 1.5 shirts) around the stick tying it all together with knots. Now using picture hanging wire, bailing wire or whatever tightly wrap this around the fabric to keep it in place. Just before leaving soak all this with maybe half a bottle of ultra-pure paraffin lamp oil. We bought a bottle of this for $3.49 at the local grocery store. Finally wrap a plastic bag around this and hold it in place with a rubber band to minimize fumes until you light it. The torch lasts for an amazingly long time, burns relatively clean and gives off A LOT of light. The charcoaled end is great for writing graffiti too. Cool! Dont forget a lighter and leaves the flashlights/headlamps at home if you want to keep the adventure-index high. The tunnel starts near the intersection of 22nd Ave and Fairhaven Parkway. Theres no parking here so park at the corner of 24th and Fairhaven Parkway. There is a good spot here just behind the No Parking Sign. Jump into the creek and splash down it to the tunnel entrance. This is guarded by an old rebar cage that you can easily slip through. Trivia: Evidently this tunnel is a right-of-passage for 15 year olds in the neighborhood. If you ain't been through the tunnel you ain't shit. The water is fast. A light breeze blows with it keeping the air surprisingly fresh. You pass some interesting side passages, go down some slippery drops, twist around long corners, look up through old shafts leading 25+ feet to spiderweb covered manholes. Interesting stalagtight-ish formations coat the ceilings and walls from time to time. Soon you feel like you are headed for the bowels of the earth, the light of your torch growing dimmer, the shadows coming closer. --Shhh did you hear that? Whats out there? -- Straight out of Lord of the Rings. Its bitchen! But of course after maybe a half hour suddenly there is a spot of light and before you know it you have popped out in Fairhaven Park. Drink a beer. Now walk back to your car getting strange looks from the motorists.

The "Bat Caves" are a beautiful area, but the climbing there is very much neglected. I think it boils down to the fact that climbing there is really a full days outing due to the approach and the actual climbing just ain't that good. If you want to go climbing for a short day Erie is the closest and has both good weather and good rock. For an afternoon go bouldering at Larrabee and for a full day Squamish, Index and Darrington are all between 92 and 96 miles from town.

"Lower Wall Individuals until the tunnel then State Parks Parking lot Rail Company" That's scary information. Dcramer (or others) what's your general feeling about continued access at Index? In the B'ham area, in the last several years the railroads have been aggressivly shutting down access points and trails that cross their property. Always with little warning. Same at the Malamute in Squish as well. Also, any probability that City Park will end up as steps of the next library? Has there been an effort to add LTW to the State Park land?

I clipped the bolt, unclinged the hollow flake, pulled up and over into the crack like thingy, got pumped, got desperate, hung on a shitty piece, than escaped up and right into a dirty mantel. The crack-like thingy is totally misleading. Rapping off I realized there is a whole series of hidden holds maybe 6' left of the crack-like thingy. Looks like the gear isn't to bad either. The last pitch is certainly a stinker!

I called in sick. Met my buddy Gene in Monroe and had breakfast at the Sultan Bakery. They have the BEST toast anywhere! When we got out of the car in Index it was cold and windy. By the time we got to the Upper Town Wall, it was still breezy but warm. We climbed Davis-Holland to Lovin Arms. On the wall it actually was hot! Absolutely astounding weather for February. I'd hang up my skis for the season if I could keep having a few days like that. Total of 5 cars in the parking lot with people on all the usual suspects.

I skipped work yesterday (Thursday 2/6) and headed down to Index. I took ScottP's advice and did the first 2 pitches of The Zipper and the first 3 of Dana's Arch. The Zipper was awesome. Strenuous exposed moves out a huge roof. There is a lot of fixed gear along with some interesting camhooks and micronuts at the lip. I blew a pin (5/8 angle) while cleaning so it either needs to be replaced or bring some aliens. Definitely a bit harder than anything on GD or TC. Dana's Arch was excellent as well. Sustained, tricky aid throughout. I left narrow and wide camhooks on each daisy and used them over and over again. The first two pitches link and have lots of manky bolts and weird hooking to keep things interesting, maybe...C2+? At one point you hook a large pocket lined with quartz crystals, never seen anything like it. The third pitch was bit harder. Lots of bat hooks, hooks, mediocre cams and more manky bolts. I blew a chunk of rock out using a micro camhook resulting in a daisy fall on a bathook (IT HELD!). So I fixed a pin in the resulting scar. Pitch is probably C3, though bring a few skinny pins just in case. Both climbs don't need any gear bigger than 2 inches. Camhooks seem mandatory. For Dana's Arch bring 2 bathooks, 1 skyhook and 1 fishhook. Fun! Fun! Didn't see a soul all day.

Hey ScottP! Both those routes (Zipper and Dana's Arch) still have A-ratings in the Index Guide. Did you need pins for either of them? How many and what type? If you don't mind sharing. Thanks.

I'm deeply offended!

I'm guessing (doing a lot of that lately) he's somewhere around Drury Falls. Jupiter Rock? If that's the case I'd love to hear a trip report. How was it?

I climbed the Colorado Ridge Route. After Ancient Arts, it's considered the other easy climb in the area. Total of 3.5 pitches, a vast majority is C1 on fixed gear. Well if you actually fell it would probably be C3 as you'd be ripping gear out for sure. The position is incredible though, right along a vertical to slightly overhanging arete until you aid out a good size roof 500' off the deck. I should scan some photos...

The lake in the background (hard to see) and the dyke strewn pinnacle (teton-ish rock) on the right helped place it. What's with the cadaver? Is that a pun?

Mount Moran

I guess Ice Cliff, though the North Ridge doesn't look quite right!

To late. I'm sure we'll all be heading out come May to do a logging slash/bushwack approach to a 25+ pitch grade VI.

Agreed with Jordop that it's Urquart. Can you see the DeJong route in the photo?

There's a recent thread on supertopo.com regarding gear for the climb. You'll also find a 1st hand report and topo at bigwall.com and some good info at climbingmoab.com. (It's on my list too) Last fall I spent a little time there as well. Ancients Arts was super fun. I also climbed Kingfisher and found it much more gripping. Rock was muddier and the fixed gear was a total nightmare. Bent angles and bolts you could pull out by hand. I imagine the Titan is similar!

1973!!!!!! Was that like the second ascent?

I think Chuck has a photo of Chickamin and Chimney Rock just above. Earlier Off-White had a butt shot he said 50 of us had climbed. I'm thinking the crux finger crack on the West Face of North Early.

You're killing us Off White. What in the hell is that?

gregm - almost, not quite though As for Dino Pic -- uhhhhh...Mt Blum?

Maybe one of the more impressive features in the Cascades...