[TR] Lillooet - New Routes in Texas Creek 1/20/200

[G-spotter]

Trip: Lillooet - New Routes in Texas Creek

 

Date: 1/20/2007

 

Trip Report:

Mer and I went up to Lillooet for the weekend in order to get some ice in before the big melt.

 

A couple of years ago when Fern and I climbed Lone Star we saw some other bits of ice trying to form. Fern was in Texas Creek last weekend and reported that there was an unusual amount of ice formed so we decided to go check it out.

 

This was my fourth trip into Texas and most of the stuff that we saw "in" I had never seen before, or never seen this fat. Unfortunately the forecast for this week is rain and highs of +8c so it will all probably fall down and never form again

 

On Saturday we drove up to Lillooet early in the AM, drove partway up the Duffy, decided to hit Texas instead, drove down there, and hiked in to around 1.5km where we saw a big fat gully line across the river that appeared to run upwards approximately forever.

 

Da route from da road.

 

Although it was 10:30 or so by this time we crossed the river on ice jams and slogged up a couple hundred meters of scree to where the ice started. Merran soloed off up the initial WI2 and I came along behind more slowly. After soloing maybe 200m of WI2 steps and flows in the gully, with the occasional large rock falling off the sunlit wall above, we reached the first real step and started belaying. 60m of WI3 led to 80m of low angle ice, then a 60m pitch mostly WI2 with a 15m WI3 step in the middle, leading to a final Y fork with a steep column on the right and more steppy ice on the left.

 

M leading the left-hand option with the right-hand column visible at far right.

 

The left hand line gave a good 60m WI3 (avoiding the direct finish up a narrow column over a roof) and finished to a small tree belay above the ice on some snowy scree, making for fun finishing moves.

 

By now it was getting kind of late...

View down Texas Creek to the Clear Range in the distance.

 

The descent involved 5 full length (60m) rappels, mostly to climbers left of the route, plus a fair bit of downclimbing. Only one was from an Abalakov, the others were from trees It got dark somewhere around the 3rd rap and we did the rest via headlamps. We did not have a knife so we cut rap tape using the old guide's trick of smashing it between two hammers, which works surprisingly well. The ropes were frozen and snarling and the whole thing was starting to feel a little bit epic after it got dark. Then I could not find my car keys and one of my pockets was unzipped and I began to believe that I had dropped my keys somewhere near the top of the route I was getting pretty worried about the possible upcoming epic and thinking even that maybe it would be better to climb up and look for the lost keys by headlamp but M kept things under control and focussed on the descent. When we got back down to my pack at the base of the climb, though, the keys were safe in a pack pocket whew!

 

By the time we got out to the car, it was around 6. Then I hit a sharp rock while driving out under the mistaken impression it was a snowball, and ended up with a flat tire. After changing the flat, we got into Lillooet around 7:45, and got a ghetto room at the 4 Pines.

 

M became captivated by the Canadian Nationals figure skating competition on TV and so by the time we got over seeing Emmanuel Sandhu's eyeshadow and yellow tight pants and made it to the Reynolds, the kitchen had closed. Fortunately Dina's was open until 10, we were the last customers in there. Supposedly there had been 15 ice climbers earlier. I went over to the Mile-0 afterwards but it seemed like all the climbers were in bed already instead of up partying so I made the sign of the sheep on a couple of vehicles with Washington plates baa and went back to the motel.

 

This morning we slept in, got up late, got the flat fixed at Race Trac (new tire, $95 ) and then headed back for more ice. After walking all the way up to Texas 2-Step to check all the possibilities we settled on a thing about 150m down-canyon from Lone Star, a seep with a steep start and then a ramp above. I had seen this thing half-formed before but never so fat and it was rather inviting.

 

The ice was quite drippy (it was +2C all day) but soft and took good screws. The route ended up being about 40m in total, a 15m stepped column to start (WI3+) and then rambling ice to an Abalakov at the last thick bulge 3m from the top.

 

M seconding

 

Rapping off.

 

Conditions wise, south of Lillooet, I can report that Texas 2-Step is as fat as it has ever been and was staying dry.

 

Lone Star is in the reverse of the FA conditions, fat at the bottom and thin at the top.

 

Spray Creek Falls looked quite good from the road

 

Polar Cow looked to be in. Or anyway there was ice in the area where Polar Cow is supposed to be. In 10 years of climbing in Lillooet this is only the second time I have ever seen any ice in this specific area. It looked like it might be harder than WI2+ though. Only Lyle could probably say if it really was PC or something new nearby.

 

 

Now since all the ice in Texas Creek is going to fall down tomorrow and never form again I may as well highlight some of the unclimbed mixed route potential...

 

Unclimbed, not touching down stuff in a gully

 

Close up of the thing on the right wall of gully in the above photo.

 

Just to the right of what we climbed today, was a bit too thin at the bottom for me.

 

So anyways we named the routes we climbed,

 

Longhorn ~400m WI3

and

All Hat No Cattle 40m WI3+

 

Here is a little Texas Creek ice map for easier routefinding.

1 and 2 are the first and second bridges

A is All Hat No Cattle

B is Lone Star

C is Longhorn

D is Texas Two-Step

 

The lengths of A, B and D are exaggerated on the map for purposes of visibility.

 

Gear Notes:

A mix of stubbies and regular screws.

 

Approach Notes:

Drive south from Lillooet 18km on west side of Fraser River.

Walk up Texas Creek FSR (new bridge, but road blocked by rockslides and currently undriveable)

[DirtyHarry]

Right on Dru!

 

so I made the sign of the sheep on a couple of vehicles with Washington plates baa and went back to the motel.

 

But you shouldn't be drawing porn pictures on the back of other people's cars.

[Dechristo]

fookin' nice, dude!

[Weekend_Climberz]

Nice find Dru. :tup:

 

Am I the only person who finds it ironic that there's a creek with the name of an American state in Canada (the home state or our great president none the less). Dru is really a closet Canadian cowboy.

 

[G-spotter]

There's a town called Ontario in California... and another one called La Canada

[Weekend_Climberz]

Well, Americans wanting to be Canadians is nothing new. Canadians wanting to be Americans is something to behold

[G-spotter]

On your way to Lillooet, have you ever driven past American Creek or Boston Bar?

 

All these place names commemorate places where Americans were killed back in the day skull

[Weekend_Climberz]

Aw, that's a better explanation. Anyway, nice jorb goobs :tup: