Horsethief Reservoir...

[drater]

In southeren Washington, hwy 14. Is it still open? Any access issues that are known?

 

thanks.

[k44]

as far as i know yes. also i do not know of any access issues.

 

retired could probably shed some light and possible beta...

[drater]

Still open, still chossy, still worth pulling over for the quick hike, cool pictographs, and the few decent boulder problems not closed by the park for pictograph protection.

 

Not worth stopping for to be surrounded by hordes of helmet clad,yosemite sized wall rack jangling extreme topropers (I mean shit, some of those bluffs are 40' tall and vertical).

 

Really good bouldering about 20 miles east, private property and the property owners will let you know it is but are cool if you ask first. Best rock in the gorge, and I'm including rooster rock in this, could be some short sport rigs if someone was willing to bolt steep south facing stuff in the middle of bum fuck egypt.

 

Kiting was better than the climbing.

 

That's my short and sweet TR.

[JosephH]

I'm sure the best climbing in the Gorge, must be even further east - just keep going and you'll find it. If you miss it you can always stop at City of Rocks on your way out of Dodge...

[retired]

It's actually called horsethief butte and despite what has been perviously posted it's one of my favorite places in the world. 30 years ago I was one of those helmet cladded Mazamas that people love to hate but now I'm just a helmet claded old dude still climbing after all these years. I really like the bouldering there and there even exists an 11a almost sport route (small nuts needed at the start and small cams for a top anchor) if you can find it. If you hear a didgerido while exploring the maze of rock track it down and I'll show you some cool problems and the bolted route too.

[drater]

Horsethief Butte, that's the right name. I knew reservoir was off but it had been 7 or 8 years since I'd been down there. I like the bouldering there, don't get me wrong. It's a shame that the best problem(s) is closed to the pictograph preservation, I actually made the mistake of hanging my jacket on the sign that says "No climbing" in front of the one uber-classic problem, without reading it until I finished sending the problem and was putting my coat back on, lol.

 

If I move to the Gorge, I'm sure I'll grow to appreciate it even more.

 

Retired, if you like the Butte, you should (or probably already have, living in White Salmon) check out the rock farther out east. I can't remember if was west of 97 on 14 or east of 97 on 14. Also, Dallesport has some good bouldering/deep water soloing down on the river and the bouldering down behind the Shiloh Inn in The Dalles seriously needs some development.

 

Rowena Crest up by the overlook above Lyle had the best bouldering I found in a week of lurking around down there, similar to the Sherwin Plateau area of the eastern Sierra.

 

Damn TR keeps getting longer.

[kix]

don;t you know this site is primarily trad legend groupies, top roper herds and fat alpine guys?

 

you;re just throwing good beta down the drain.

[JosephH]

Retired,

 

There is also a route up the overhanging arete/prow at the far East end of the main wall facing the road. If you are driving by HTB you will see this three-step overhang silhouetted by sky like a ship's prow. Very nice.

[catbirdseat]

I think we've all been dissed!

[kix]

someone said this place needed new blood without being any more specific than that.

 

I'm just delivering some bad blood.

[nolanr]

The state park immediately west of Horsethief Butte I believe has been renamed Columbia Basin State Park or something generic like that. Holy cow, somebody else from White Salmon! Been in the area long, Retired? I spent most of my growing up years there and graduated from CHS in '91. Anyway I like the Butte too, fun place to dink around for an hour or two.

[drater]

someone said this place needed new blood without being any more specific than that.

 

I'm just delivering some bad blood.

 

I thought I smelled something foul in here. Leave the traddads alone and go scrub moss, chosslicker.

[retired]

Joseph, that is the very route I speak of..a very fun lead, have you done it? Mr Blowboarder, I will have to check out some of the other choss piles you describe, but man you should have seen the choss I was on today! Thanks miss bird for pointing out the dissin goin on... some of it blows right past me without adhering these days.

I love to frame up Mt. Hood in the center of the main corridor while catching the last rays of the day on a ledge playing the didge...this is of course mid week with the only company those ancient spirts you have to slow down enough to hear. Maybe even a few old mazama spirits floatin around.

[drater]

Roll one for me while your at it, lol!

[JosephH]

Jim,

 

Yes, Marco and I put it up back around '93 after a thousand trips driving past it on the way to the Wall; each time going "that looks like a hell of a route". I did take off about two tons of rock on the lower right side of the route in one fall so the route you climbed is significantly different at the start than it was originally. A big circle comprising all four points cut on me. It was a real classic cartoon moment of me trying to slot out a 6" loose block just a bit to cop more of an edge on it - with "keystone" results in more ways than one. My belayer had eyes the size of saucers when it was over. We called it "To Air is Human".