Ingalls Creek - new "Elevator Crag"

[Tom Beirne]

OVERVIEW

   This is an overdue report for several FAs. There certainly are other lines with potential and lots unexplored. Like most new routes, the rock here can vary in quality, though consistently solid granite. The vegetation has filled most cracks and lichen abounds. However, we did climb many stellar pitches without cleaning, and some with light excavation. Thar be lichen, wear some sunglasses for the overhanging cracks. 

Recommendation: Climb Ant and the Eel through Elevator Shaft roof for full value linkup. Whale and the Worm for a day 2 climb before heading home.

 

APPROACH

Ingalls Creek Trailhead, (see WTA), mile 8 or 9. There are maybe 2 or 3 nice creek camps between miles 8 and 10. On the way in, looking north (right) you should be able to spot the Elevator Shaft and roof, they stand out even in the ocean of of granite slabs. This is the crag. Once directly below the Elevator Shaft head ~45 minutes uphill total through brushy deadfall and talus, maybe 10 min to the talus field which you can follow almost all the way up. Either continue up to the wall then traverse right (some down climbing), or traverse through alder past a small waterfall just before the talus stops. Note there is a steep draw in this upper section, don't fall in while negotiating slide alder. These routes are listed left to right.

ROUTES

-Elevator Shaft, 11 something

-Whale and the Worm, 10a/b

-Ant and the Eel, 5.9+

 

The Elevator Shaft, 11 ?

2021 Sean Fujimori & Tom Beirne

The stellar pitch is the 11a, which starts at the Big Ledge. You can get there via other routes, which we recommend. Seconding this route were Christian Junkar and Emma Sando, though they had more common sense than us to bail when the sun set.

P1/P2 solo 5.6/5.7 slab with a view of the shaft roof.

P3/P4 5.8 (broken up for rope drag) 5.8 corners ending at huge ledge. This was several years ago, but close enough to correct.

P5 11? money pitch, Left facing corner, ~15-20' horizontal thin hands roof crack. Pull layback lip to a mellow slab and tree belay.

No pictures - whipping on lichen ain't fun, so I was busy belaying. Sun set as I climbed, Emma and Christian bailed to camp. Sean - any pics of the roof?

RAP: Short rap to fir tree 15m down and 10m climber right. Double 60m rap to elevator ledge, and from the last slab tree: double 60m to base.

 

Whale and the Worm, 10a/b

2023 Tom Beirne, Sean Fujimori, Lydia Filipe

Starts in the protected grove of the overhang with several rock benches and a large tree. Finishes on the Big Ledge connector.

P1, 5.8 20m, Start on the right side of the diving board and diagonal traverse on top of the board into sideways squeeze chimney. Very strange, cool. Alternate direct start up short steep finger crack. Don't fear the drips, or the wet moss start. It gets better and remains dry afterward.

P2, 10a/b 30m, Left facing corner crack, stay left at the split (two crack options, the right goes through a nootka rose). Fist crack trends left after the mantel to an overhanging hand/fist crack. Belay at the top to reduce rope drag. 

P3, 5.6 20' Traverse up and left through blocky 5.6 to the top slab.

RAP: Small rap 10m to small pine at edge of slab, then double rope rap to base.

 

Ant and the Eel 5.9+

Sean Fujimori, Tom Beirne, Lydia Felipe 

Start far right, walk a short 10m thru the greenery along the wall to a cave.

P1, 60m, 5.9+. The Money Pitch! 3-star finger and hand crack, start at the entrance to the cave and follow crack up and left, when the crack transitions to fingers, reach far right for a jug ledge and mantel to continue the next crack system. Slab feet needed in crux mantel, very tricky if raining! This ends at the Big Ledge, so you can choose other routes from here.

P2, 5.9+, 30m. Hand crack thru ocean spray bush with thoughtful mantels and slab feet with great hands and fingerlocks to bouldery top out. Belay at pine or dead tree.  

P3, 5.8 30m. Continue 20’ left past dead tree to wavy finger-eating crack, then traverse right in a nice finger crack under a small overhang. Pull onto ledge with some finesse.

P4 5.7 70m, or break up into two pitches. 

Up the blocky slab, follow the veg direct via double chicken wing crack, to filled in finger crack and suffer or take the slab for an unprotected 15-20m runout. Over the small 5.6 roofs to a pine.

Rap 1 From top of p4 pine, double 60 skier right to fir tree, 10m left of fall line. From fir, belay or walk down skier left 10m to next fir tree. This is the top of p3, dead tree left and pine on right. A double 60 could probably make it to the BIG LEDGE, BUT for rope pull ease and to reach the lowest pine on the edge of the slab for the final rap (which is a full double 60 to ground) we opted to:

Rap2 30m to skier left or walk around low 5th moves to 15’ pine.

Rap 3 Double 60 off pine to BIG LEDGE- to short pine skier right to fir on distant slab.

Rap 4 Full double 60 to ground. Saddle bag and stay climber left of fall line ~5m going over the roof to prevent being in the tree. Free hang rappel to ground. Easy to get rope stuck in the tree, maybe worth trending climber right to avoid.

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Tom Beirne

[underscore_child]

Nice dude, looks like a good time. U gonna mountain-project these rigs? That'll get em some attention.