Magic Bus at Darrington

[ian]

Did the first two pitches the other day and saw that there were bolts continuing up from the top of the second pitch...anyone know anything about the upper pitches....in the new Whitelaw guide he mentions something about them but nothing concrete

 

 

thanks....

[ScottP]

The old (orange) Whitelaw/Brooks guide talks about another 5 pitches heading right that eventually ends above the Big Tree.

PM Markmckillop. I believe he was in on the FA.

[ian]

Thanks for the info....so would the route cross one of the Kone pitches or does it go above them? any ideas on how old the gear is?

[ScottP]

I have not gone above the top of the second pitch, so the following is purely conjecture...

Looking at various pictures of the south buttress, it looks as though it would go up the forked dihedrals visible in the picture below, then left into the, curving dihedral to the south. From the top of that dihedral, it seems it would go up the slabs, or perhaps the other corner system up and left, ending somewhere above, and maybe south of, the BIg Tree.

I am guessing it stays south of the Kone.

 

Again, purely conjecture.

 

Adventure climbing at it's finest.

 

Whitelaw's guide says the FA was in 1979 which leads me to believe any bolts or pins above pitch two are probably nearly 40 years old, any excavated cracks are again filled with dirt and any 'logged' shrubbery is mature second growth.

 

PM me if you need a partner.

 

[mattp]

I believe the third pitch, if my memory is correct, heads up a blunt rib left of the "A" pitch on Tidbits. There are maybe three or four bolts heading up the rib, and for years there was a blue poot sling on the top one. It always looked like an obvious place to bail, as there was little in the way of features apparent beyond that point (except maybe one could do the Darrington-dive-for-the-bushes thing). I don't know anybody who has actually tried it - if that is "the route."

 

Above that, I have poked around a bit and I didn't see any sign of prior passage. If it does as Scott envisions, it would probably closely parallel the last pitch of Tidbits, and then hit the steeper wall above which is the highest "clean" looking piece of rock in the photo he posts. I've looked at that from below, and it looks worthy of exploration. I would be surprised if you found much sign of the McKillop expedition.

[mattp]

Here's a picture that shows a slightly different angle. It also shows Scott's "4:00 rock" off to the right. Sorry about the poor quality.

 

[MarkMcJizzy]

I was asked to comment on this route. I led the first pitch on the Saturday before Mothers Day, 1979. I drilled several bolts, and the climbing was never harder than 5.8.

 

Peter Wojcik returned with Steve Risse soon after, and they may have drilled a couple of more bolts on the second pitch, and then bush wacked to near the summit. Bolts were only placed on the first and (?) first 50' of the second pitch. Any bolted fourth pitch is not Magic Bus. No cutting of trees was done. No excavation of cracks were done.

 

I always thought this was a poor and forgetable route, "When Butterflies Kiss Bumblebees" being a much better effort.