Olympic Crags & Sport Routes

[MTNEER]

Hi All

As you may know, Olympic Mountain Rescue is doing a complete (as possible) rewrite of the Cimbers Guide to the Olympic Mountains. This new edition will include a section on Crags and Sport Routes. As a result I am seeking information on the following areas.

Steeple Rock - near Hurricane Ridge

Mt. Crag - east of Mt. Walker off Hwy 101

Dosewallips Walls - near the falls

Hama Hama river Walls - about 11 miles up the river

McCleary Cliffs - above Lake Cushman

Ellinor Towers - above the clear cut near Ellinor trailhead

 

If you have information about these sites you may post them to me or to the unit website www.olympicmountainrescue.org

Thanks

Dale Boyle

[AmberBuxom]

what info do you already have?

[olyclimber]

I suppose you already have info on the Elwha Canyon?

[MTNEER]

The guys at Olympic Mountaineering (Steve & Jack) have been very generous in sharing information with us about the Elwah Canyon routes. Quite an extraordinary place I might add.

Edited October 1, 2003 by MTNEER

[MTNEER]

The information for these areas is sketchy. I have a few route descriptions on Steeple. Have had some input from the Oly Mountaineers about McCleary Cliffs. Have found bolt and pitons in some of the other areas.

 

[Flying_Ned]

Mtneer, have you looked at East Rock? It's one of the 3 minor crags due east of The Brothers. It is as yet undeveloped--accessable via a 1.5 mi hike on abandoned FS road, then a scramble through timber to the ridge. Twin summited East Rock has a few lines that could be developed, and the satellite gendarme to the south offers even better possibilities. The rock is good, and several good bivy sites are there for anyone wishing to spend the night. The views, of course, are excellent--N. Ridge of Washington, Sawtooths, The Great Basin of the Brothers, and Constance, as well as Puget Sound and the Cascades. Someone should get out there and put there name on a couple FA's. Notwithstanding, the crag should be included as a minor summit in the Hamma Hamma group for the next edition.

[MTNEER]

Thanks for the info. I will very definately pass this along to the section leader for the Hama Hama area.

For the Crags and Sport Routes section I wanted to keep the approach times down to about 15 to 20 minutes or less. Now I know there are a few of you hotshots out there who could do a mile and a half up hill with a pack in 20 min., but I would guess that is not average. Please keep the info coming.

Thanks

Dale

[kjohns]

Just a couple of thoughts. First, would the sport routes at Chimacum rock be in the guide? They are handy and pretty fun. Second, Where are these previously mentioned places? If anyone could provide some info on how to get to these, perhaps some of us could check them out and report back...

[MTNEER]

It is unlikely that Chimacum Rock will be in the guide. As best we can determine, it is on private property. If this is incorrect I would love to have it in the guide. We simply cannot publish information on climbing areas that are not on public property.

I will try to post information here, as to how to access the sites mentioned, later today.

MTNEER

[OlympicMtnBoy]

I've found some bolts over near Mt. Zion as well, on lichen spire there are a couple of anchors, and there are probably (or ought to be) some routes on that big cliff face above the road there.