[TR] Juno Tower- Clean Break 9/24/2006

[Otto]

Climb: Juno Tower-Clean Break

 

Date of Climb: 9/24/2006

 

Trip Report:

I had a cold on Friday while packing for our planned two days to climb Clean Break. I usually feel weak

and miserable with a cold, so I almost called it off. Fortunately, I kept on and excoriated the bug by clean living and hard climbing, dehydration and lack of sleep - everything the doctors don't recommend. By Sunday

night I was almost symptom-free and bashing through the dense trees next to Silver Star creek...

 

We planned a two day trip, fixing the first two strenuous pitches the first day. It all went as planned,

except for the three hours we spent chipping snow off the nearby patch to melt on our tiny, underpowered

stove. Thanks to Bryan for the notes; we followed them but skipped the "wild 10a hand crack" at the top.

Sorry to say neither of us brought a camera, no pics.

 

Afterwards, Jake pointed out that in the first seven pitches, five of them have 5.10 climbing. None of

it is sustained, except the famous first pitch, which is mostly good hand jams. On Saturday afternoon, I

wasn't sure I'd have the energy, so he performed the hand stylings. We climbed to the top of pitch 3 and

fixed, since that takes you back above the first belay so the ropes will be in line.

 

We were both a bit exhausted on the descent, and Jake took a horifying fall in the sharp talus field just

below the bivy site. I looked back to see him do a cartwheel totally out of control. Amazingly, the

only damage was a small cut on his eyebrow. We then messed up the descent to the creek by not traversing

the hillside far enough, and cliffed out. Two short rappels got us past that, before dark. Another great climb in the Cascades to finish out the season.

 

Gear Notes:

No need for a #4 cam.

 

Approach Notes:

If going back down Silver Star creek, descend the hillside the same way you went up it.

[chucK]

Nice job Otto-man!

 

After we did Clean Break my partner also took a horrifying cartwheel in that talus field (but was also relatively unscathed). Can it possibly be a coincidence?

 

I think not.

 

Some sort of strange magic there perhaps.