[TR] grimface- matriarch-macabre-grimface traverse 7/3/2006

[genepires]

Climb: grimface-matriarch-macabre-grimface traverse

 

Date of Climb: 7/3/2006

 

Trip Report:

Pasayten matriarch-macabre-grimface traverse trip report

 

So, my good friends Jeff Irving, Laura Bedford, my wife Gabi and I went into the Pasayten range on the 4th of july weekend. It was a great time and it was surprising that we had the wall creak basin to ourselves. I theorized it was because of the lack of a “select guide” or supertopo to the area. Maybe it is the long drive and no one can afford the gas. Maybe it is the bad exchange rate. Whatever. This TR is written around the idea offering a detailed description of the route (along with beckey’s guide beta) and helpful ideas for trips in the area. No chestbeating as it is an easy route.

 

Approach driving: Beckey’s guide is spot on. Park at the stated mileage and look for the large pedestrian bridge to cross the river. Expect 4 to 5 hours from Bellingham.

 

Approach hiking: the trail is very easy to follow. Start on the centennial trail. The going is either flat or a slow steady moderate uphill. After the major slow uphill, there is a cutoff the main trail you must take. It is about 1.5 hours from the TH and right before the only trail sign on the trail. The sign says that straight ahead is centennial trail and some lake. Look for a right branch that may have tree branches blocking. It is very flat from here to the camp meadows. Expect 4 to 5 hours on trail, car to meadows. Don’t know the mileage but maybe 10 to 12 miles. They go by really quick. There are some bogs but it is easy to follow if you stay on the logs laid down to keep feet from getting wet.

 

Camp meadows: we stayed at the first meadows we came to because we were running late and tired. Unfortunately, we camped on pristine grass and meadows. Yeah we impacted the place. But keep going another 5 minutes and you will get to another set of meadows with camping on dirt. They are really nice with trees for hanging food bags and running water nearby. Bring lots of bug dope and netting. Forget about bivy sacks alone. If anything, I would just bring a BD betta bug or mega bug or make your own with a bunch of bug netting and hang it from trees.

 

Route approach: from meadows, beeline for the right side of the traverse. Don’t go to the saddle but rather up a scree/boulder/flowery gulley that leads to ridge, just right of the 1st summit. Most of the elevation gain will be done there and is in the shade in the morning.

 

Route: The route has been equipped with some bolts (after the latest Beckey guide written) but you still need an alpine rack. The bolts are some belay anchors and the aid section.

 

1ST pitch was around 90feet and ended before the notches. 5.4 seems right. One of the notches has a fixed rope to bolt anchors. Easy walking to the easy but tight chimneys. There is a sweet looking 5.8 crack to it’s right that avoids the scraping. Need a couple #2 camalots for this crack. Might be the only place where this size is really needed. This gets you to the top of matriarch.

 

From the top, scramble to another rappel (bolts?) and then walk over to another drop off. You must downclimb to another set of bolts that is hard to see from above. Downclimb on the crest, nice fixed sling and cracks for downleading. Rappel from anchors to another set of bolts in notch. (look up to find them)

 

Pretty much a full ropelength gets you up 5.4-ish ground to the steep and blank looking wall. There are bolt anchors about 20 feet from this wall. 3 or 4 closely spaced new bolts allows easy aiding over this blankness and a sling belay right on top and then some more scrambling to the top of macabre tower.

 

Walk over to a bolted rappel anchor and about 40 feet to another bolt anchor in the notch. This next part is confusing. We climbed up and wrapped the rope around a big horn for a belay. Then we traversed from just below the summit of the dome and downclimbed somewhat dirty slabs to big cleft chimney and flat area. Our friends traversed in from lower and seemed to have a cleaner time, coming in from just above the cleft. A rappel off of pin and bolt or something else gets you down to some dirt. I think it was a 100 foot rappel.

 

The going up ahead to grimface looks grim, but it is not as bad as it looks. There is a steep and thin looking ridge that you can easily cross via a gulley then it is a walk to the base of grimface SE notch route.

 

One pitch of easy then a little bit of dirt walk to another pitch or two of chockstone filled chimneys and such. Could have used a larger cam in there but you could get by without with a little running it out. Top is nice and flat.

 

Descent: There are several cairns that show the way down. STICK CLOSE TO THEM! The way down is full of several little drop offs and is more of a maze. But the cairns will get you down the right way, even when it seems to go the wrong way. Lots of little 4th class bits and a single rappel bolt for one tricky part. This gets you down to dirt and a small trail traverses over another ridge to more dirt and a final shot down scree and little flowers a long way to the meadows.

 

Expect a longer time than one would think for the day. Maybe 10 to 12 hours depending. 1 hour if you last name is croft. The guidebook says 5.7 but I am not sure where that was. It was mostly low 5th. We used one 8.8 mm 50 m rope. We had one person tie in the middle and the other tie into both ends. This way we had two 25m ropes for leading short pitches (which most of them are) and able to rappel the many short raps.

My rack consisted of: set of nuts (not used very much), tricams (pinkie to violet, fairly used), hexes (#4 through 8, used heavily), #1 and #2 tcu (use a couple times). Would have been nice to have either a BIG hex or a 3 camalot for the se notches grinface pitches. If you want the 5.8 hand crack on matriarch, then you will need a couple hand sized pieces.

 

There is a possibility of thunderstorms in this country. Our third day in the area had lightning at 10am. There are numerous possibilities for bailing from the traverse down gullies between summits. (will probably involve a few raps though)

 

There are lots of potential for new routes in the area. Everywhere, solid looking granite. SE chimneys look sweet. I bet it would be very nice up there after the first cold snap kills all the mosquitoes, maybe early September?

 

Sorry about lack of photos but the website doesn’t seem to want my photos today. Will try to post them later as well as a scanned topo map.

 

 

Gear Notes:

nuts, tricams, tcu, hexes, 8.8 mmx 50m rope

 

Approach Notes:

see above

[G-spotter]

10 to 12 hours? I've done it twice and both times was about 3 hours.

[G-spotter]

Also you might have to revise that "potential for new routes" when the new Beckey guide comes out

[genepires]

Well it took us a while, I would not suggest to everyone it would take 3 hours unless you were intent on sandbaggin them. Without much belaying, three hours would seem reasonable. Come to think about it, I can't do simple math cause we were out 9am to 6pm is 9 mellow hours camp to camp.

 

Any idea when the new beckey guide is coming out?

[G-spotter]

It should be out in a couple months according to Fred. If the editors can read Napkin.

[kbecker]

any one done the se route on Grimface? nw ridge?

kirk becker

kirkbecker@hotmail.com

[curtveld]

Did this route last summer and it is worth the long trek. Feels a bit like WA Pass might have before Highway 20 went through. Despite the ten mile hike in, the drive is truly the crux. Gene's beta is basically dead on except that there was a webbing ladder up the short aid section, as shown below. Most photos by Peter McBride.

 

Soviet-inspired bridge on the drive in

 

Steller campspot in the Wall Creek basin

 

The traverse follows the skyline right to left over Matriarch, Macabre and Grimface Peaks

 

First pitch – 5.4 but exposed

 

Simul-hiking toward Matriarch summit block

 

Topping out on the sweet 5.8 crack variation. Too bad it’s only 15 feet.

 

Depending on what you're looking for, the many transitions between simul-climbing, belaying, third-class and rapping is either good practice or PITA.

 

Branch & webbing ladder up the short aid section

 

Checking out the “cubby hole” area on Grimface on the descent

 

Grimface alpenglow from camp