[TR] Vantage- Agathla Tower/Riverview Columns 10/30/2005

[rbwen]

Climb: Vantage-Agathla Tower/Riverview Columns

 

Date of Climb: 10/30/2005

 

Trip Report:

Sunday was a beautiful day on the Eastside, mid-60s and a hint of wispy clouds overhead, a great day for some moderate cragging at Vantage. My wife and I headed out at 10am after getting a wonderful extra hour's worth of sleep. There were a couple of cars at Feathers but nobody on the shady side, there was, however, a larger group (and the van they all came in) on the sunny side. The second parking lot was a bit fuller, with almost 15 cars parked there and a couple of folks camping.

 

We made the short hike to Agathla Tower and climbed the 5.8 House of Cards for a warmup. This route is fun because it is long and pretty sustained 5.8 with some more challenging moves up top as the route moves off of the face and into a four-foot long crack. It's bolted all the way with ten clips in a span of about 60-70 feet so protection is plentiful. The top has bolts with chains. This route has some portable holds and while my wife was climbing she knocked off some smaller pebbles but nothing larger than a marble. The belayer should wear a helmet and belay off to one side to avoid a small shower. All in all this is a fun climb and a good warmup on the way out to other climbs in The Coulee. The rockfall is no greater than other climbs.

 

Neither of us had been out to the other climbing spots so we decided to take the trails up to the mesa and down the gullies. We'd climbed at Zig Zag wall before and it was in the shade so we headed for the sun. It was quite humorous to listen to the party on Zig Zag wall because we could hear *everything* they said to each other even if it was a whisper because the sound was reflecting off the rocks. I won't reveal their secrets!

 

So...up to the mesa and then right toward Far Side. We located the great sign put in by the FCCC marking Gully #3 and made our way down it to the Corn Wall area. There was a group of three climbing to the East on Firestarter, a 5.10b on the Tomato Wall that looked very fun. It was warm, people were in shorts and t-shirts, and we were happy to be out and about exploring. We couldn't quite find our location in the guidebook so we asked about and found we were near Riverview Columns. We headed west and found another nice 5.8 to work on called Masticate Expectorate which gets two stars in the Yoder book. It had a semi-tough beginning but the rock was better here and I felt more secure leading this route than Agathla Tower, less rockfall. There were four clips up to an anchor with chains and the route was pretty straightforward, meandering a bit to the left toward other chains on the 5.10a next to it. We TR'ed our climb and then ate lunch.

 

We decided to head back toward Gully #3 to try another 5.8 a couple of guys had been climbing when we passed them. This one was called Aeolachrymation, got three stars in the book, and looked very fun. I led up past three bolts to the bolt anchor with chains but the sun had moved and we were now in the shade, making belaying and climbing slightly on the cool side as it was pushing 2:30pm. It was only in the shade due to the surrounding pillars not the sun's presence on the horizon.

 

While we were climbing this one a group of four high school/college-aged kids started climbing a 5.10b two routes to the east called Mortal Prying in the V-shaped Realm. They were into hangdogging the route, climbing up to a bolt, resting for a while, figuring out the moves, then heading to the next bolt. My wife and I talked quite a bit on this technique of climbing a harder route. The leader was obviouisly inexperienced since he kept having to ask which way the rope went through the draws but he seemed capable of getting up to each bolt where he then rested. I'm not debating hangdogging or pure sport climbing (if there is such a thing), just making an observation that brought up some conversation. We both agreed that it is good to test yourself to climb harder and sport climbing allows that in a relatively safe environment but it seemed to put a lot of stress on the route (but I don't have any physics to back that up).

 

The 5.8 Aeolachrymation started off with some easy moves up a face with big insets for hands and feet and then headed into a crack which would've accepted some decent gear placements. The hardest part was smearing on the left wall to get up through the lower crack and overall there were only a couple of places that seemed like 5.8. The upper part of the crack could've used a cam because it was bit runout (a fact that I read in the book after I figured out what route we were actually climbing). My only issue with this climb was that it was not so easy to find in the guidebook for someone who had not been in the area before. We knew it was a 5.8 because we had asked some guys on the way by and I only figured out the name by listening to the guys climbing next to us talk about their climb.

 

We headed back up Gully #3 and back to the car, recounting moves and sunshine, and happiness about being on the warm rock in late October. We haven't bought our parking pass yet and are always happy to see no ticket on the window. I found out from the next post that they mail them to you. Yikes! Is it closer to park down the hill toward the river and walk in from below?

 

If you are new to The Coulee and want more beta on these moderate climbs PM me and I'd be happy to tell you more!

 

Gear Notes:

Quickdraws

Cam to 1" on Aec

Helmet

 

Approach Notes:

Agathla Tower is two minutes from parking lot #2. Riverview is a twenty minute walk. Head up to the mesa, take a right toward Far Side, then down Gully #3 and then right (climber's left).

[matt_warfield]

Unfortunately, they don't leave tickets on the window but rather mail it to your vehicle's registered address so you may yet get a trick in addition to your sunny Halloween eve treat.

[gyselinck]

You may have had a different experience, but unfortunately I know from experience that they do slap paper ticket to window.

 

It read something along the lines of: “Expired parking pass, $66.00 ticket.”

 

Nice write up by the way.

Edited November 2, 2005 by gyselinck

[Off_White]

We both agreed that it is good to test yourself to climb harder and sport climbing allows that in a relatively safe environment but it seemed to put a lot of stress on the route (but I don't have any physics to back that up).

 

Emotional stress, maybe, but if the rock or the protection can't stand a little weight, it's time for me to find a different sport.

 

Glad you had fun.