Leavenworth-Castle Rock

[miker]

Went on my first (outside) climb of the year yesterday. And now for my first post to these boards.

So my friend Ole is up from Cali for a rally race and wants to go out for a day on the rock.

Left Everett about 7am, hit Kristall's for a big egg-white omelette to power me through the day.

Still snow on the ground, but as soon as we start moving we start losing layers. As Ole is recovering from surgery and I haven't been out on real rock since JTree in december I figure we start on the Fault(5.6) and see how we feel. Zip up that like it wasn't even there. Little mossy, but dry.

So we feel good and jump onto Catapult(5.8). I start good and get up to the slight overhang and place a piece underneath and then get halfway over it and drop a nice Hex into the slot, but as I pull up the rope I find myself flying for a 20 foot whipper. I had not realized how cold it was in the crack and my fingertips are numb so I don't feel them peeling off. Bruised my foot, but the adrenaline means I don't feel that until the drive home later that night. So I stick my hands into my armpits and hang there for a few and then pop back up over the crux and clip my rope in properly this time. The rest of the climb is sweet with nice flakes and a little ladder in a corner.

So now we are up on Logger's Ledge and looking for the next challenge. I am leaning towards the Saint(5.8+) or maybe the Canary(5.8)(did the first pitch last year and loved it). But we finally decide to try Diretissima(5.8). Now it starts to get a wee bit crowded up there. Two other climbers have just jumped on Saber(5.4) and are working their way up to the first ledge. So looking a the sketch I start up a really cruxxy start and finally with my back against one side and my feet up on the other I get myself up on the wall. Now I am thinking to myself that felt a lot harder than a 5.8, but anyhoo lets get up this wall before the rain hits, so I slide on up this crack with a little overhang, again feeling a little harder than 5.8 and nothing bomber for protection. Then I come out on the first little mini-ledge with the guys on Saber just to my right and I see this face in front of me with nothing to help me out. I am asking Ole to check the book as I wander back and forth looking for any "obvious line" when I feel the first drops of rain and decide to bail. I rap off a rusty bolt and we head on out.

Turns out as I look through my various books that I am climbing something between Diretissima and Saber which is not rated or listed in the books, but it had some neat moves so I will have to go back soon and try to figure out where that little project should go.

Well that is it for my miniature epic with a litle 5.8 action, don't get to excited, but we will have to up the ante as the year warms up and I shake the rust off.

See everyone on the rocks

Mike Reddig

"If they do add an extra hour of Daylight Savings Time I can put in 8 hours of work, leave work at 2, hit Index or Exit 38 by 3 and put in a full 8 hours of climbing, is this heaven?"

"No man, this is Washington, but a lot of people make that mistake."

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