[TR] Dorado Needle- NW Ridge and Big Bags of Sun Baked Stool 7/25/2006

[Darren]

Climb: Dorado Needle-NW Ridge and Big Bags of Sun Baked Stool

 

Date of Climb: 7/25/2006

 

Trip Report:

This is more of a rant than a trip report as the theme of our trip to Dorado Needle was of human feces and used butt wipe…and not our own.

 

First, thanks to the people who neatly packaged their feces and TP into blue bags and left them at the Eldorado bivy area. This really goes a long ways towards maintaining the beauty of this amazing place. The only thing I can add is that it also really helps if you actually carry them off the mountain with you as opposed to leaving them to bake in the sun. We could smell this from several hundred yards away as we approached. If you haven’t had the opportunity to carry someone else’s bag of shit off a mountain, trade with your partner next time your out. You will be forever grateful to carry your own in the future.

 

Next, to the person who left the nice dump and covered it with snow at the Inspiration Glacier, Marble Creek Glacier Pass, for some unexplainable reason your shit didn’t evaporate once the snow melted off. We were without bluebags at this point, so unfortunately, were unable to address this. If this dump belongs to you, you can find it right where you left it. It hasn’t moved at all. It’s in plain site for all to see and smell as the walk past.

 

We also found at least five piles of used TP, a shoe sole and plenty of other trash during our trip. And it’s not like we were combing the area for detritus, it was just everywhere. Sorry to be so negative. It was just super frustrating to be in such a beautiful place and come across filth at every turn. I understand that much of what we saw may have been simple mistakes or Mother Nature calling when she’s not supposed to.

 

If you’re still reading and want to know, the route was super fun. Glacier travel between the bivy area and the rock was straight forward with one or two trivial crevasse problems. We were able to walk into the moat and get onto the rock. We climbed one pitch to the notch and belayed at a huge chock stone and one 50 meter pitch to the summit. Reversed our 50 meter pitch back to the chock stone and made a single rap with our 50 meter rope back to the moat. Aside from a few people going the down as we were going up, we had the area completely to ourselves. Please let me know if I can answer any questions.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Used crampons, small rack

Shoulda had more trash bags

[JDRodgers]

There's poo and tp all over that place it seems. There was even some in that little gully/ trail you have to descend to access the glacier. On the way up it its only natural to put ones hands down since it is steep and if you weren't paying attention...

 

Only 10 feet lower and off to the side would have been more appropriate, if thats what you think you have to do.