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[TR] Leavenworth Rock - A punk meets the Godfather 5/19/2007


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Trip: Leavenworth Rock - A punk meets the Godfather

 

Date: 5/19/2007

 

Trip Report:

A party of five met in Leavenworth on Saturday morning for some cragging.

 

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We went to a nearby crag to do some sport climbs. We had no trouble finding routes to do with just a few other climbers around.

 

....hmmm....oh well.

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Eighty years old plus and cranking 5.8 climbs. Love this guy and loved him for my whole life.

 

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We finished at that crag and moved on to another 5.8 route.

 

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The next day three people were left and we sorted gear for Snow Creek wall.

 

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Seventy years of experience leads to perfect balance crossing Snow Creek.

 

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For a variety of reasons we didn't end up doing much climbing but it was sort of a pilgrimage as we spent an hour or two at the base, scoping out and discussing routes. "Is the umbrella tree still there ?" "Hey, there it is !"

 

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Rest is also good.

 

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I'm ashamed to admit that I sandbagged Fred into doing a 5.9+. I didn't mean to do it. It was supposed to be a 5.6, but I read the guide book wrong. I knew from the start that it was harder than 5.6, but, I don't know, I thought I was having a bad day or something. Turned out the route was Kick Start, which Dave Whitelaw calls one of the dirtiest routes he's ever climbed.

 

Anyway, Fred was a good sport about it, even though he thought the route was awful, which it was- dirty as hell. How can anyone bolt a route and not bother to clean it properly? Wait, don't answer that.

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I thought maybe the umbrella tree was gone but there is a bushy flat-topped pine tree, jutting out at an angle high on the wall above the end of the white slabs route. It is only visible from certain aspects from the ground. Fred's opinion was that trees are there for a long time and it is highly unlikely that the umbrella tree could be gone. I think that it is probably hard to see from anywhere when climbing on the wall below.

My favorite question: "When you did outer space, did you know the final crack was there, or did you discover it when you got up there?" - WHAT?...(repeat question louder) - YEAH!.

"In your North Cascades bio, the climbs list ends in 1968. When are you going to add a listing of the next 40 years' climbs?" - WHAT? WORKING ON SOMETHING ELSE.

"When you first climbed around Leavenworth did you have to clean the routes much?" - NO, HARDLY AT ALL. (Those were the days).

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After all those legendary first ascents in virgin wilderness, Fred ought to feel very at home on dirty routes! ;)

 

AND...I can relate to his hearing problem cuz I've got it too (occupational hazard), but he's got a quarter-century on me!

Edited by Maestro
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I ran into Peter Croft climbing at the Smoke Bluffs this weekend. Wish I had brought my camera for pics--he was amazing to watch on the rock. And he had that wild, old-school look: crazy hair sticking out in all directions, rose-colored aviator sunglass, shredded upper body(he was shirtless), and wore pajama pants(?). Definite prototype for future dirtbags to emulate.

 

Some people make better humans than others. The rest of us just turn into climbers.

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