[TR] Gunn Peak- Gunnslinger 7/10/2005

[Otto]

Climb: Gunn Peak-Gunnslinger

 

Date of Climb: 7/10/2005

 

Trip Report:

After finding that the spur road does not cross Barclay Creek, but stops at a fire ring, we parked and started the hike at

 

about 8:00am. Crossing the creek on our hands and knees, the log being as slick as snot on a doorknob, was a humble

 

beginning. Following the faint trail back downstream, it leads to the old road where one turns left. The trail heads right

 

again in about an eighth of a mile, heading straight uphill.

 

Approaching the peak one looks right up at the route. As I worked up the boulder field, I kept at bay a feeling of dread

 

looking into that forbidding dihedral with the bright green patch on its left wall by thinking, "that can't be the route..."

 

But there is no other continuous line on the south side of Gunn Peak.

 

As we racked up it started to rain. I didn't want to get on this intimidating looking route with wet rock, feeling I needed

 

every advantage to get up it with a relatively inexperienced partner. This could be the climb of the year for TJ, or total

 

disaster. So with an edge of anger we decided to forget the route and just run up the easy, standard route. Anger, because

 

I didn't want to do that approach hike again, ever.

 

After a pleasant stroll to tag the summit and back, the sky seemed a bit lighter. My partner casually mentioned that maybe

 

we could try the route we came to do. My first thought was, "this is crazy, we've just wasted another hour, after wasting an

 

hour in the car finding the trailhead, that's two hours, both of us forgot our watches, the clouds are really low..". I

 

said, "yeah, let's go for it."

 

Moving fast now, I plowed through the trees at the base of the dihedral and set up the anchor. Every step was explained, I

 

only hoped my partner would absorb most of it, the only route I knew he had ever done was the Tooth. This was going to be

 

way more exciting than he knew.

 

After a couple of semi-hanging belays, we were at the 5.9 crux. I don't know if Bryan and John used a cam larger than 3" or

 

not, but Daryl Cramer's guide advises pro to 3", and the overhanging crack I was looking into was a good 4.25 inches wide.

 

How glad was I that I brought the number 4 Camalot? With joy I pushed it up for several moves, stemming wildly, fist jamming

 

nearly to my limits, latching the beautiful horn at the top. I stopped after just a few more face moves up steps in the

 

dihedral, directly even with the beautiful bright green wall, making a short pitch to stay in voice contact with my partner

 

knowing he had an ordeal to overcome.

 

After several falls, trying the face moves out to the left, voicing an idea of face moves to the right, my partner finally

 

struggled up the big gaping arm crack. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done!" was his comment, and I knew it to be true.

 

Huge relief at not having to rappel off that small wedged chockstone with the two runners and biner we passed just below the

 

overhang filled me with happiness. Lower down we had passed a chewed up runner around a horn, and I bagged a booty wired

 

stopper, someone else had bailed off... Now I finished the last of the dihedral crack, and clambered up and off to the

 

summit, knowing we had a race with the darkness.

 

Walking away from Gunn Peak, I turned with the curve of the basin and went too far East. TJ caught the mistake and called a

 

halt, we checked the map and compass, and got back on route. The familiar tree-filled basin of Barclay Creek lay below us,

 

now we just had to downclimb wet rock which was exposed but easy in the dry morning. With much careful, time consuming zig

 

zagging down the cliff, we plunged into the wet trees and ferns, getting totally soaked, and happily found a pink ribbon and

 

the trail home. With all the hesitations, wrong turns, careful picking our way, and climbing the peak twice, we still got to

 

the car by 9:00pm and before dark. Thanks Bryan and John, for another adventuresome route in the Cascades.

 

Gear Notes:

#4 Camalot

 

Approach Notes:

Road does not cross the creek. Follow a way trail to a log crossing.

[cappellini]

#4 camalot is standard mt. gear, irregardless of someones suggestions....

[Alpine_Dreamer]

Nice job - sounds like a fun (?) adventure! And way to hang it out there for a newbie climber. I know I owe a lot to folks who took a chance climbing with me early on . . .

[Otto]

Not "standard" for me, too big and heavy. I only carry it if I know the route has something that big, or if I just play a hunch like this time.

[goatboy]

#4 camalot is standard mt. gear, irregardless of someones suggestions....

 

"Standard" must be defined differently in different places. I would never carry a #4 into the mountains unless I saw clear evidence that I need it -- and then, still maybe not!

 

I rarely leave home without a couple #2's, however . . . in hopes I can handjam, I guess . . . .

[klar404]

That might have been a bail sling that a buddy and I left four years ago. We didn't have a number four with us and the fall onto the slab made us shiver.Nice job! The hike up there isn't that bad in the winter...

[Otto]

Thanks for the confirmation on the gear. I don't see how the pitch could be safely done without a big honkin' piece. I climbed the face out to the left and looked, and there's no pro out there. I climbed up and right, and it's mossy and ugly with no pro. A more committed face climber might do it, but it's obviously the big crack for me. I think it's too bad that info didn't make it into Daryl's guidebook - it could save some parties some anguish if they only bring up to 3" pro. I'm looking forward to calling Medosch to see how they did it on the first ascent!

[Otto]

I just got off the phone with one of the first ascent party, John Medosch. He says they climbed thin cracks on the face to the left of my wide crack. They protected it with slider nuts.