[TR] Chimney Rock- EFD 7/31/2004

[AJScott]

Climb: Chimney Rock-EFD

 

Date of Climb: 7/31/2004

 

Trip Report:

Jake drove down from Glacier Friday night and met me in Tacoma, where I had yet to pack anything for the trip. I did my best to try and remember everything, but it always fails. We left tacoma around 8 and headed up to the Pete Lake trail head. It was late, and we accidently parked in the Horse parking lot. Of course we did not realize this until we laid down to bivy in the parking lot and noticed a peculiar odor. The parking lot was covered in horse shit, so we kicked what we could out of the way and just said f'it.

 

We got going at 7 after loungin' around breakfast stylee. I realized I forgot two of the most important things, my ice axe, and...THE COFFEE!! argh, not off to a good start. We cruised the trail up to the first switch back of the PCT and headed off in to the woods. We were on and off the trail, and didnt end up at the bivy basin Becky mentions. Instead we ended up on the Moraine/ridge that Klenke used to bypass the steep headwall from the bivy basin.

 

ridge.

 

We continued up the bypass and there was some fun easy climbing along the ridge on solid rock.

 

 

Then we had to cross the snow over to the base of the climb. Jake gave me his picket to use as a ice axe, and we roped up with jake in front to try and stop me if I started sliding. Lucky the snow was in good condition, jake kicked steps for me and we were at the base of the climb at 4. We climbed one pitch, and then scrambled up to the heather, and up the class 2-3 pitches, and continued unroped to "pitch 5" The climbing was on solid rock, with plenty of places for pro and lots of belay ledges. Here is a shot of the descent down pitch 5.

 

 

We got to the top a little after 7, here is a shot of the final chimney to the top.

 

 

There was a established bivy platform, but it looked like a 5.6 move just to get on to the damn thing, so we moved some rocks around on a ledge about 10 feet below the summit and actually had a pretty nice bivy spot, with a good wall around it.

 

 

Sunset was great:

 

 

And so was the Blue Moon:

 

 

While we were laying down to cook dinner, I looked over at Jake and there was a huge mutant marmot monster rat less than two feet away from him. I yelled what the hell is that, and by the time jake turned around he just caught the tail of it scurrying away. Two seconds later, the damn thing was CHARGING us again! This little mutant marmot had these two young men screaming like little school girls. After much rock throwing we thought we had rid the pest. But when we woke up he had scattered a bunch of garbage, as well as chewing the rope and my rack sling!

 

 

BEWARE OF THE MUTANT MARMOT MONSTERS!!!

[JoshK]

God I hate fucking snaffles. One of them ate up the headphones for my MP3 player a few weeks ago.

[klenke]

Oh, sorry Scott, I forgot to warn you about the scary mutant marmot monster at the top. Just think if that thing started chewing on the summit rap anchor slings while you were using them.

 

I remember seeing that bivy (actually, Sergio spotted it) you guys used on the west side of the summit blocks.

 

That first rock climbing shot with the guy on top of the light gray blocks looks nothing like anything we climbed on. Where was that at? It looks like the rock for P1 getting off the glacier.

 

[AJScott]

We were glad he decided to chew on my rope at the end of it...He could have made that descent a LOT slower if he chewed the rope in half!

 

That rock was where we dropped down on to the snow at, we tried to stay on the ridge too far and were kind of forced into that (it was either go down that and get on the snow, or go back down the ridge and I hate turning around) it was really fun rock around that ridge, much better than the climb

[specialed]

Is it just me or are the snaffles getting bigger ...

I don't bring an axe for the snow and ice in the Cascades anymore, its for the snaffles. I'm gunna start bring guns.