gyselinck Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Climb: The Mole-West Face Date of Climb: 5/22/2005 Trip Report: Cook, Longpause, and I worked a route up the W. Face of the mole on Saturday, May 22. I had no route information, thus followed lines of weakness. I can’t compare our route to any descriptions in Beckey book. At first I thought we did the 1948 route, but looking back it doesn’t match either. If anyone has any good topos of the W. Face I would love to see them. Climbing was stiff and complicated, estimated crux pitch was 5.11 (A0). I think we did 8 or so pitches. The route contained nice cracks and run out slabs. Weather came in complicating matters. It snowed almost all day, strong winds, low visibility, very cold. After getting off The Mole we got lost in thick clouds and descended the wrong gully and headed over a mile in the wrong direction. We had stashed our bags and all our extra gear at Mesa Lake, but ended up way down Rat Creek. We finally found our way back in the dark, during a snowstorm and found our packs around 4:00 in the morning. Ended up being a 20 hour day, we were wet and cold. The Mole showing W. Face Somewhere on the W. Face. L0ngpause descending, nice and dry. Gear Notes: 60m rope, small rock rack made shorter pitches but there would be rope drag anyway, ice axe Approach Notes: Toketie Creek, though I recomend going up Rat Creek, watch for ticks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelawgoddess Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 pics rock. thanks for the tr. i like how you did it super old school pioneer adventurer style. (you get extra style points for that!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toast Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 (edited) Dude, ticks were bad this weekend. Nice TR Edited May 23, 2005 by Toast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Way to get shit done regardless of the weather d00d! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cook Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 to gyselinck for leading hard scary pitches in the snow and to L0ngpause for not spooning with me in the bivy. Nice job guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaphappy Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyger Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Glad you guys managed to have fun without me...thats ok, work was MUCH better than going up the mole.Seriously though, nice work to all of you. You know it's been a good climb when Longpause spends all of the next day sleeping on the couch and Cook's feet look like they belong on cadavers. Gyselinck, you keep this up and you might get more visits from some pretty awesome super heros! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyselinck Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 Gyselinck, you keep this up and you might get more visits from some pretty awesome super heros! Yee-haw!! I forgot to mention, I was kidding about my recomendation of going up rat creek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 You were kidding? Rats! 5.11 (A0) alpine? Yeah sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Hard core dudes. It brings back ooold memories of snowy times in Montana. Great fun to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L0ngpause Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 More climbing pictures.. Spooning Cook is neither, however Lyger's homemade berry pie on return is kick ass! Bright and sunny on the way in Rat creek group behind. & Cook trying to kill me for eating all the hotdogs. I think this is either shrew or crocodile fang? so pretty. . me traversing some unknown pitch, it was a nice pitch. Cook coming up some unknown pitch, and rat creek in the background I wish I had some of Lyger's berry pie, hmmmm, pie is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 That's pretty cool! Nice goin, looks like y'all had some fun. 5.11 A0...that;s skills. glad you didn't get stabbed, you must have some flippin sweet reflexes. i'm curious about the 8 pitches. how tall is the route? i always thought that the Mole was like 3 pitches. maybe i need to take it off the do'nt bother list! gracias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaphappy Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Longpause, that is The Shrew, Croc Fang isn't visible from there. Layton, keep it on your "don't bother list" there isn't any good stone up there it's all short, contrived, and crowded. It's super obvious from the road that nothing up there could possibly be more than three pitches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyselinck Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 That's pretty cool! Nice goin, looks like y'all had some fun. 5.11 A0...that;s skills. I didn't mean 5.11 A0, I said 5.11 (A0). I don't hike 5.11 in cold wet snowy blizzards. I pulled on gear up the 11 section. Consisted of a crack going over an overhanging roof onto face climbing. Cook and L0ngpause prusiked up it. I don't have any pics of it, but just thought I would clarify. Layton, unless you like waiting in lines, don't go there, way to crowded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Longpause, that is The Shrew, Croc Fang isn't visible from there. Layton, keep it on your "don't bother list" there isn't any good stone up there it's all short, contrived, and crowded. It's super obvious from the road that nothing up there could possibly be more than three pitches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L0ngpause Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 i'm curious about the 8 pitches. how tall is the route? i always thought that the Mole was like 3 pitches. maybe i need to take it off the do'nt bother list! gracias Yeah, for sure not 8 full pitches, it was more like making a pitch wherever a nice ledge was. Yeah, I agree, don't go it was sooo boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 after re-reading what i typed, i still can't see how you guys think i concidered your adventure boring or crowded. i just never figured i'd bother going up there for just a few pitches. shheeeesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Szyjakowski Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 hasn't doorish climbed all the cracks on that side of the Mole? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaphappy Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 hasn't doorish climbed all the cracks on that side of the Mole? All? Doubtful. Many? Absolutely. As usual, Layton, it's your prima-donna attitude that blows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyselinck Posted May 25, 2005 Author Share Posted May 25, 2005 Post deleted by gyselinck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaphappy Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Slaphappy, quit being a dick. Never. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrythellama Posted May 29, 2005 Share Posted May 29, 2005 old skool adventure style? well actually lots of people go up into the mountains without a guidebook and climb, crazy shit eh? nice work kids the icicle was quite fun last weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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