[TR] Squire Creek Wall - Concerto in C for Drill and Hammer 07/18/2021

[Otto]

Trip: Squire Creek Wall - Concerto in C for Drill and Hammer

Trip Date: 07/18/2021

Trip Report:

 

On Saturday, July 17th I met Brian Young at the Shell station in Darrington for a trip up Concerto in C for Drill and Hammer on Squire Creek Wall.

 

Glad that I'd borrowed Brian's brush cutter earlier this year, the bike ride up the old logging road was pleasant. In no hurry with only the approach to do this day, it took us 3 hours to get to camp. Then we carried our ropes and climbing gear up to the top of Pitch 1, having soloed the easy first pitch, and clipped it all to the anchor there.

On Sunday the 18th we awoke at 4:30, first light, and departed after breakfast. At first we worried about the pack weight for the second, as it contained four full water bottles, all drilling gear, a chain anchor, and six bolts with hangers. We even discussed fixing each pitch and the second doing them on jumars. Instead, I tried climbing with it, and not one complaint was aired all day. We climbed rapidly and were at the Bubba Compactor at 7:30am!

Brian took Pitch 2, which had me worried, but he cruised it and every even-numbered pitch thereafter. I followed Pitch 10 with no problem with the pack, it was even fun! I noted the piton was still there on Pitch 11; this point didn't seem as scary as on the FA. On Pitch 14 Brian yelled that this was the scariest pitch of the whole route! We noted that a bolt or two would be good on the sandy slabs there.

We reached the summit at 2:00. I quickly made ready for drilling the list of fixups, which included:
1) Installing a chain anchor on the summit
2) Adding two bolts to Pitch 14
3) Replacing the piton on Pitch 11 with a bolt
4) Replacing the two quarter-inch buttonheads on Pitch 10 with fat bolts

I drilled the summit anchor, and we descended. On the pitches with drilling tasks, we fixed the lead rope and I rapped down it, got on jumars, did the work, and rapped to the next anchor. Then Brian unfixed the rope and rapped both ropes normally. It all got done smoothly but took time and we knew we would be hiking out partly by headlamp. As it turned out, we crossed Squire Creek in the last of the dusky light. We dried off our feet, donned headlamps, hiked and biked down to the trailhead, and reached the cars at around 11:00.

The C-shaped route

On Pitch 11, with the "inverted prow" on the left

Brian taking the summit shot

Drilling the top anchor

20210719_002635000_iOS.MOV
(an experiment to include a video file, may not work, or may show sideways)
Replacing a quarter-inch buttonhead on Pitch 10. When drilling out a smaller hole, you have to make small hits, at first, to keep from binding the drill bit

 

This is now a 14-pitch route, as I measured the remaining rope when Brian reached the "tree belay" atop Pitch 14, and know we could just as well have clambered up the summit blocks to the top. I will be editing the topo and posting it later.

While descending high on the ridge we saw two climbers topping out on Skeena26. Good to see that route getting some use. The amazing linkup by Kyle and Jenny will have an effect!

My thanks go to a smart, cautious, and patient partner; good on ya' Brian. And thanks, Kellie, for making the suggestion of a bolt on the 'white hump' on Pitch 14, corroborated by Brian; it is now a better pitch. All photos by Brian Young
 

 

Gear Notes:
Standard single rack to 3".

Approach Notes:
The boot track now has two detours around winter blowdowns. They are pretty well kicked in, watch for the piles of sticks blocking the original way, and turn right.

Edited July 21, 2021 by Otto
Tried to insert a movie file, but it only makes a link.

[tanstaafl]

Huzzah!  Thanks Bill.  Such a fun route; more people should get on this.

[AlpineBY]

Great outing Bill.  Thanks for all the work putting this great route up!!  Had a blast up there.

[mountainsloth]

Excellent! This valley just keeps getting better with each route and even mildly popular! I was clearing some of the trail up to the illusion wall last Thursday and there were two vehicles in the parking lot from out of state! 😮

Looks like the word is getting out! 😏

[sfuji]

Cheers for all your hard work! Excited to check this one out.

[Trent]

Awesome! Thanks for all the time and effort.