Rockfall at Index

[TimL]

I haven't found out anything nor went over to see if anyone was climbing above for obvious reasons. Our party heard big rockfall coming from the Tatoosh/Quarry area on 4 separate occasions. The first time I might have imagined someone yelling "rock" but the last 3 times I heard nothing except crashing and banging. On the 4th occasion I saw a block impact about 25-50 out in the debris funnel of the Quarry area further down and out towards the RR tracks from the Thin Fingers area. Needless to say most of the stuff coming down looked and sounded like "take you and your family out" sized rockfall.

 

I've heard spontaneous rockfall from that area about 5 year before in the winter. Also, there could have been climbers in the area knocking stuff down while climbing Tatoosh/Freedom. I've heard a rumor of a new aid route in the Quarry area to the left of the huge nasty corner and right of the Tatoosh. Could of been someone cleaning the new route as well.

 

Before going to the area I would scope it from the train tracks. Brain buckets are never a bad idea. As civilized as the Lower Town Walls may seem, I've been there on several occasions when larger sized stuff has come down in the area. Especially in the area of Rogers Corner and the above said Quarry area. But, I also without much effort pulled a golf ball sized rock from the upper pitch of Jap Gardens.

 

Also, whoever liberated the equalized slings from the pitons before the 1st crux on Iron Horse please leave the new ones in place. If you want webbing, I have the phone numbers for several gear shops handy.

[bigwalling]

Yeh the slings need to be left on Iron Horse. It isn't easy to get the webbing through the eye holes while freeing. So please leave them whoever has been taking them. I wanted to go and attemp thin fingers yesterday. But I couldn't make the time to go to index. Thank god I didn't go. I'm sick of rain!

[bigwalling]

Also anybody know anything about the aid route Kevorkian Death Cycle? In cramers book the topo says it starts at the top of steel monkey in the country. I saw steel monkey and it had three bolts and a bunch of webbing at a belay. But to the left there was a two bolt anchor with old webbing on it, right below the ledge system. Anybody what the two anchor bolt thing is for? Is it part of steel monkey or something else? Does the aid route start on top of the ledge?

Jake

[chucK]

Yesterday at the Lower Town Wall. Just got down from the Godzilla area and TimL came over to us. He heard major rockfall and asked if we had let it loose. No, we hadn't. Went over to the Thin Fingers/Tatoosh area and witnessed lots of bright-white smashed rubble scattered about. If you hadda been belaying Thin Fingers, you probably mighta woulda got creamed. Helmet would not have helped.

 

We saw some dudes up on Tatoosh/Free at Last area about 3-4 pitches up, and figured it prudent to leave the area. If you guys up on Tatoosh read this board, did you knock down a whole bunch of rock yesterday?

 

TimL,

Did you ever find out anything else?

[ruddersbox]

This guy was waiting for a little of the same. Rocks + Gravity + Unhelmeted Climber = when is your time gonna be up?

[Wallstein]

Hey Tim, that was me who took the cord from Iron horse. The stuff was total shit and worn out. The sheath had worn through in multiple places and the core had also became severely worn. Sorry I didn't replace it then, I didn't have the appropriate stuff, 7mm cord. It wouldn't be that hard to climb up there and hang on a piece and replace it. So whoever is bitching should just replace it and not complain about gear that isn't even needed.

[TimL]

Wallstein - I replaced it with a donation of webbing from Fred Rogers that day.

 

[ 04-29-2002, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: TimL ]