liberty bell

[goldenchild]

heading there for the first time. Can anyone provide links to good route topo/beta, camping etc.

 

TIA

[still_climbin]

Heading there also. Look in any of the guide books. The classic first time orientation route is the "Becky Route," about 5.6 class I, but a good intro. For the better stuff choose from the catalog.

[goldenchild]

k, I"m buying a guide book. Looking at Amazon I see several you can buy. Anyone have a favourite?

[octavius]

I just did the SW Face on Sat (Becky Route). I referred to both the Cascade Alpine Guide 3:Rainy Pass to Fraser River by Fred Beckey, and to Selected Climbs in the Cascades Volume 1 by Nelson and Potterfield. Both guides are good. Have fun.

[goldenchild]

can't get a really straight answer...I realize that you don't have to pay to do any actual climbing of Liberty Bell. But, do you require a parking pass for the parking lot? Can you stay overnight and do they gate it? If you can't stay overnight in the parking lot then where can you car camp? By that I mean sleeping in the back of my truck.

[Figger_Eight]

You can stay overnight in the parking lot.

[goatboy]

Anywhere in the mile or so on either side of WA Pass offers low-key car camping in pullouts....

 

Is that a straight enough answer?

[vwfanatic96]

Whats the approach like to the Beckey Route? Sonw? Length?

thanks

[gosolo]

I was up in that area last weekend. Not much snow, I doubt that approach has snow. I would never sleep in that parking lot due to mosquitos, they are hideous there. Not to mention that it says no camping. There are better and numerous places to camp towards Mazama within about 10 miles. Plan for about 1 1/2 hours (?) for the approach. It will help if you have other routes in mind in case there are crowds on that one. Approach is well marked. Start up Blue Lake Trail. Two looooong seitchbacks thru forest to Meadow and up climbers trail on the left. Watch for Steep Climbers trail veering left almost directly up to notch East of Liberty Bell. Have fun.

[octavius]

Ditto on the mosquitos at the Blue Lake TH, and on the approach. No snow except for a tiny amount in the gully on the approach last weekend. For camping, the Blue Lake TH is right next to the highway, so you will hear traffic all night. A couple of miles east is the Cutthroat Lake TH and the camping area is at least a mile from the highway, near a brook... much nicer and no mosquitoes at all. I just slept in the back of my truck... in at 10pm, out by 6am. I didn't see any place to pay a fee, just had a NWFS pass... might not be legal but I've never heard of anybody getting hassled there.

[rob_cranfill]

So okay, I've never done LB but two buddies of mine want to do it. I was wondering if a party of three could do the Becky Route reasonably? I guess I'm wondering if the belay stations, such as they are, are large enough, and bomber enough, for doing a party-of-three deal. I'm guessing a 5.6 route probably doesn't have hanging belays.

 

I know it's less than optimal, but I'm the only one who leads trad. We'll do it mid-week so as not to be *too* much of a roadblock.

 

Or maybe we'll just do SEWS, and I'll have 'em draw straws for the honor of LB.

 

Whaddayathink?

 

- rob

[Figger_Eight]

All the belay stations are definitely big enough for more than a few people. If you use a two rope system, you won't clog up the route if it's crowded.

 

I've never heard of anyone being hassled sleeping in their car in the parking lot. There aren't any places for tents, though.

[still_climbin]

Plenty of room at the belay (and rappel) stations. I did the route Tuesday and we were followed by a guided party of 3 and they had no trouble.

[rob_cranfill]

Thanks, dudes.

 

BTW, I've thrown my bivvy bag down in the trees back of the parking lot for Blue Lake, so if you've got a real small tent (ie, one-man) maybe you can do it.

 

- rob

[DaveCole]

"Selected climbs in the Cascades" is a great book - includes Liberty Bell.