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White Pass Palisades?


Amalthea

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I saw this viewpoint on highway 12 west of whitepass where you have a view of "the palisades" (not the area off highway 410) these palisades are tall dacite columns forming a big cliff running a mile long or so along the clear fork cowlitz river. I immediately thought since it's right off the highway it must be a popular climbing area. But I can't seem to find any info on it. Someone posted a video of a drone flight they did on YouTube (included below) and the rock looks so cool. It looked like it might be hard to get across the river but it also looks like theres a road that goes pretty close to the top of the cliffs.

Has anyone been out there? Is it worth exploring? Is it choss?

 

 

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Over the years I've asked the same questions, and got far enough to scope out maps and determine that there are some logging roads on the other side that could get you pretty close up above the cliff. They're still finding good stuff over the hill on the drier east side in the Tieton Canyon, and the Palisades would require some serious cleaning effort and likely wouldn't get enough traffic to stay clean. There's a handful of other crags along the west side of Highway 12 I've idly scoped out over the years, but never with enough intent to get out bushwacking. If you want to investigate your question sooner you might get a hold of Andy Fitz or Jim Yoder, they've both spent a lot of time exploring the east side of the pass and might know more. 

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Kayakers often enter the river near this area in the Ayance Canyon/Palisades, It looks likes some of the walls with similar qualities (unsure if it's this exact selection, or adjacent  cliffs of very similar nature are pretty accessible from the river, either a talus slope, treed bank, or small shore on more open stretches of the river. During lower flow crossing with a inflatable raft might be the most practical than the half a mile bushwhack and rappel. There's some interesting 120 degree overhanging sections towards the bottom of some of these cliffs , although the rock quality seems quite iffy the lower you go as well. 

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