Speaking of Total Soul

[ctuller]

Woo Hoo this is a fun climb. I wanna go back soon and finish it off this time.

I'm so suck, we bailed off pitch 5

[chucK]

Did you have an orgazmik beer experience afterward, or does that require doing the whole route?

[ctuller]

naw. If you bail half way up you only get a warm Schmidt's to suck on.

[mattp]

Did one of you guys lose a pair of sunglasses? We found one at the base of the route.

[ctuller]

Damn. Those glasses get lost more often than they are worn. They belong to Kevin's wife.

[Peter_Puget]

It always surprises me how climbs at Darrington (and other slabby areas) often look dirty and crappy from the bottom and clean and white when viewed from above! Especially Gastroblast. I said slabby areas but I remember the Waterway route at Index looks dirty from below but really white when you’re looking down a pitch.

[mattp]

Peter-

you are referring to what we call "The Darrington Effect." All the bushes grow beneath overlaps, where snow and ice sliding off the slabs doesn't take them out. So, too, all the lichen and moss and stuff, though these smaller plant items grow on the down-side of every little ripple on the slabs themselves as well as beneath overhangs. Thus, you look up and all you can see is filth, but when you turn around and look down, it looks much better. Handily, we generally grab onto and step on the upper surfaces of every knob and ripple, so a route that looks like a mess from below may in fact turn out to be relatively unimpeaded by lichen (I know that Darrington is an acquired taste and I very definitely said "relatively").

 

Total Soul is a very good example of this phenomenon.

 

compare picture number 1 with number two. These pictures show the same pitch on the same day.

 

Number 1:

 

 

Number 2:

 

[mattp]

CTuller-I noticed that you ran it out between bolts at the top of that 4th pitch. If you are like me, a #1 camelot will make that move up to the last bolt a little more comfortable -- if you don't leave it lower down on the pitch where there is a very tempting spot for it. By the way, Pitches 5 and 6 are a little harder (so is the last one), but the whole thing is just fine and yesterday I spent about 15 minutes scrubbing lichen on the 7th pitch. Its all ready for you.

[ctuller]

By the time I hit the bolts up top I was just ready to finish (I had a little mental problem half way up trying to get in a good piece). I didn't think the upper section was too terrible at all though. Endorphines I guess.

I'm ready to go back, but I want some larger shoes first. Those tight little slippers on the hot rock left my feet a little unhappy.

[chucK]

mattp said:

CTuller-I noticed that you ran it out between bolts at the top of that 4th pitch. If you are like me, a #1 camelot will make that move up to the last bolt a little more comfortable --

 

Mattp, You are WRONG!!! The piece for that spot is a #8 Black Diamond Hexcentric. There is a slot into which one fits perfectly, like the slot (or hexes?) were made for it. It fits so perfectly that the hex will fit in only one orientation. It fits so perfectly that I would not recommend taking some other brand hex up there.

I believe you should include this vital information on your topo.

 

And Mr. Whitelaw, are you reading this?

 

[ctuller]

chucK said:

mattp said:

CTuller-I noticed that you ran it out between bolts at the top of that 4th pitch. If you are like me, a #1 camelot will make that move up to the last bolt a little more comfortable --

 

Mattp, You are WRONG!!! The piece for that spot is a #8 Black Diamond Hexcentric. There is a slot into which one fits perfectly, like the slot (or hexes?) were made for it. It fits so perfectly that the hex will fit in only one orientation. It fits so perfectly that I would not recommend taking some other brand hex up there.

I believe you should include this vital information on your topo.

 

And Mr. Whitelaw, are you reading this?

 

 

You are both wrong. All you need are draws and a pair of brass ones...

[mattp]

Mr. Whitelaw recommends bring two #1 camelots, so you can use one lower down on the pitch and still have one for that move near the end. But if you're like CTuller, you just blow it off and get on up to the belay anyway. I'm not surprised about the hex, though.