Anthony Lakes-Lees Peak

[bfiles]

Can anyone tell me any history on or share experiences regarding climbing in the Anthony Lakes area of Eastern Oregon. Despite being unable to find any real information on climbing in this area (smoke and mirrors keeps the crowds away) I'm having a blast climbing up here in the indian summer. Just finished the central dihedral on Lees Peak. Until someone squabbles with me I'm going to tell everyone I know that it is a three pitch 5.6 R. We stayed out of the corner itself and climbed the face out to the left on Tuolomne-like slabs of perfect granit. I'll get some pictures up as soon as possible. My wife and I parked at the top of the ski area and hiked over Lakes L.O. peak to the saddle between the two. Down the saddle and east to the bottom of the dihedral. Pitch one to a small ledge, pitch two to the grassy ledge that angles across the slab at the 3/4 height. A short pitch three to the notch. Hike over the west peak back to the saddle, over Lakes L.O. to the trail and back to the car. 5 hours car-to-car without really pushing it. If anyone knows anything about climbing in the Anthony Lake area or better yet lives over here and wants to climb let me know.

[billcoe]

I did a 3 pitch route at that grade that went up a slab in that area out of Angel Basin near Anthony in 1977 (nuts and hexes only) with Richard Candelaria and the late Ken Cronk. Don't know the peaks name. We consensused it at 5.6 as well. Sounds very similar, out on the face for most of it. I can see that route in the distance when I'm skiing Anthony just as I'm about to get off the chairlift looking to the left about 10-11 o'clock or so.

 

Sweet Sweet Granite!

 

My brother has suggested to me that it had been done earlier, in the 60's.

 

The late Lute Jerstad (Lute Jerstad Adventures) had a climbing school as well, and all the lil 1/4'ers on the short wall near the basin the other direction were his for the school. You'll probably trip over those soon enough, thats where they came from. (Lute was on the first American Everest expedition, and the Sherpas said he had a heart attack while hiking in that area of Nepal 2 days after visiting his old climbing teamates Barry Bishops ashes and the remains of Jake Brietenbush at Tengboche Monestary about 10 years ago.)

 

I think Don (?) Jensen is still alive and living over there someplace, but sorry I can't direct you his direction. I think he did most of the cliffs in the area at one time or another including some real amazing shit. Like lots of people over that way, they just quietly go about doing world class feats and not only don't chestbeat, but often rarely mention it.

 

 

[dan_forester]

sweet granite...in Oregon?

[vert]

nice climbing on lees peak, another good route goes up the yellow dihedral to the left. you start it via a traverse from left to right to the first stance. then you traverse left (kinda exposed) and up over a bulge to another really cool stance. the fixed gear is like visiting a vertical museum on this route! the original route goes left here, but bring some cams and step right into the dihedral for a few moves and then on up right to the second stance of the ramp route. it takes good pro throughout and is 5.8.

over behind angell peak above the crest trail is another really good crag. it is like most stuff around here (short) but you can do two routes that are worth the hike- the hike is worth the hike! they are both on the east face of the formation. county line follows the obvious dihedral for two pitches with exicting undercling crux action at 5.10. the next crack to the right (cant recall the name) is a fun 5.9.

lakes lookout has a fun 5.8 on its north face. flake of july starts left of the black slab and follows flakes and cracks to the shoulder in one long rope. bring large cams and i think a long sling to loop the flexing flake! its really fun.

for more challenge, try the dutch flat wall. it is about 300 feet tall and has a line up of mostly steep friction routes but at least one vertical twin crack line that goes around 10d or so. it is on the divide between antone creek and dutch flat creek facing east.

there is long history out here for sure. dave jensen has been very prolific. anselm baud and lionell wibault visited and skied on the ramps at anthony lakes way back, but not before the locals!! all told, regionally there are close to 500 rock climbs unofficially documented by thier authors and not a decent guide book out there yet.

have fun out there!

 

 

[ivan]

sweet granite...in Oregon?

yeah, but as long a drive from portland as to much better places in warshington

[billcoe]

dave jensen has been very prolific. anselm baud and lionell wibault visited and skied on the ramps at anthony lakes way back, but not before the locals!! all told, regionally there are close to 500 rock climbs unofficially documented by thier authors and not a decent guide book out there yet.

have fun out there!

 

 

Thanks Vert! Meant Dave Jensen. Baud came through this area in 1982 or 3? Think they skiied the North face of Hood that tour. I asked him "How to you stay in such good shape for climbing"?

 

He looked at me funny, confused. All he did was climb. Then climb some more.

[bfiles]

Thanks guys. Interesting to hear the history and thoughts. I fly regularly over the area and have often thought that the back of Angell Peak looked promising. Also, there is a butte that looks good northeast of the ski area, one drainage north of the road, facing west/northwest. Anybody know anything about it or how to get out there?

[bfiles]

Here's the pics on a kodakgallery website. For anyone interested, the butte I mention in the last post is visible in pic overlooking the valley just past the last meadow on the right...just left of the top of the tree.

 

The other pics are a hiking trip to Rock Creek Lake with my wife and three friends.

 

 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=tdq0i0y.251nbbbq&Uy=-dspdbq&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

 

 

 

If there's a better way to do this somebody please let me know. Isn't there a way to stick a pic in the post itself?

[shapp]

While trying to find some more correct info to challenge some of the B.S. that was recently printed on Anthony Lakes in a crappy guide book by a couple of idiots from the west side, I contacted Dave Jensen. Incidently, Dave said he was not contacted by the authors of this recent book (P.S. don't buy it, there are is a ton of inaccurate stuff in there).

 

Regarding Anthony Lakes area, Dave said that he made the first ascents of about six routes or more on the wall to the left of the Lee's Peak couloir. This was solo in 1970 in preparation (removing loose rocks, etc.) for rock climbing seminars and adventure camps which were held at Anthony in the early 70s through a guiding company called Lute Jerstad

Adventures. Ross Petrie, who then was managing Anthony, was trying to generate summer business which was how this venture came about. Dave stated that he Didn't think they named any of these routes, and was sure nobody had climbed there before. He

remembered that he and Dave Coughlin climbed the much easier couloir you refer to in 1974 approximately, but he had no idea whether they were first. Also a few pics of eastern oregon attached.

Elgin Wall

Elkhorns Dutch Flat Area

Anthony Lakes Area (Gunsite and Lee's Peak

The Lee's Peak Slab you refer to:

 

Edited September 19, 2007 by shapp

[kurthicks]

I have some photocopies from an old "summit" magazine or something that describes this area. there is at least one topo of the cragging area in with the text. perhaps I'll dig it out some day and post it here.

[ScaredSilly]

Great to see some interest in the area. I just talked with Dave Jensen a couple of weeks ago. I am currently trying to document the climbing in NE Oregon via mountain project:

 

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/oregon/north_eastern_oregon/106007730

 

As was mentioned the Falcon Guide is really poor. I am trying to use mtn. project to document things correctly. If you add something please please note your sources. You could say I am taking the Jeff Thomas point of view and trying my best to have history as well but it takes time. Anthony Lakes has several groups come through in the 70s so there is some descent documentation but I am still sorting it out.

 

The Ramp on Lee's Peak was first climbed by Dave Jensen and Mead Hargis in the early 70s. The ramp on GunSight was done by myself and Tim Bailey in early 80s. Both are good fun very moderate routes. As mentioned there are routes to the left of the Ramp on Lees as we ran into some of Dave's pins during one climb. I have also found some of Lute Jerstad bolts down around Hoffer Lakes on a route that I climbed. There are many routes on Lookout - I am in the process of sorting through them.

 

The old Summit article that is refered to is something I wrote with Steve Ryman in the mid 80s. The topo is for High Valley, which when I get a chance will be added to mtn proj. as well.

 

As for skiing the ramps yeah they got skied by the locals. What a hoot. Did Lee's in floppy leathers on some old three pins. Never got to Gunsight.

 

BTW If you want to add something to Anthony Lakes please hold off as I would like to reorganize the section by peak and area as there is a lot more routes on Lookout than I thought.

 

Ken Cronk - now there is a name I have not heard in a long long time. He, Sandy Brown and I went ice climbing one winter. My first ice climb up in Huricane Creek. Drove my dad's old sedan up the icy/snowy road with chains on. On the way back we stopped and bought some shine in a mason jar from the liquor store and drove back to LaGrande. What fun was that - I was all of 18.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2007 by ScaredSilly

[billcoe]

Sandy Brown, now theres a name I haven't heard in a while. Sandy could pretty much do it all, with rock ascents up NW face of 1/2 Dome and alpine ascents on Denali.

 

Some good ice climbing gets done occasionally on that part of the world too.

 

I wish I'd paid better attention to things I did over there, as I was climbing all the time. I can't remember FA's I named 2 months ago, so I'm pretty much a dry hole. Sorry.

_________________________________________________________________

 

BTW, since you knew Ken: in case you're wondering how he passed, it wasn't via climbing. @ early 1980's or so? (guessing on the date)Ken was a wildlife biologist working in Alaska. He died when the skiff he was running to purse seine some fish hit a wave sideways flipped. He sank like a rock and died immediately. Thats what I heard and am pretty sure about, conjecture is I heard/understand he had a survival suit on, don't know if it filled with water or what. Tht part never made sense to me, so who the hell really knows for sure. Just a sad thing to a young dude is all.

 

People in my family still will still occasionally say "He Cronked it" when referring to a person grabbing and stuffing all visible available food into their mouth.

 

Pretty much heard something similar happened to Danny Wright in Alaska too. Damn boats are dangerous. (more of a PDX- Smith climber)

 

Edited to add: Re, Mountainproject, good on you for putting this stuff down finally! Please ignore the fool yipping like an out of control lapdog.

Edited September 17, 2007 by billcoe

[ScaredSilly]

Hi BIll,

 

I did know abut Ken dying up in AK. Yeah, what happen kinda blew everyone away when we heard he fell off the boat. I am sure I heard the whole story but forgot much as it has been 25 years or so. Too Long.

 

Sandy was a character. I remember one time he got dropped off about 10 miles from home and said no problem I'll just ski home. I think it is pretty cool that there have been a few good climbers come out of that part of the state.

 

Funny as I was coming home I was wondering if you were the "Portland friend" that we originally had listed as doing some of the early routes with Richard Candelaria up at HIgh Valley. However, at this point we have them listed with Lin Casciato, Mark Kerns, and Richard Wilkins as doing the FA. The problem is that back then no one really cared who did what. At least many of the principles are still around so we can perhaps sort it out.

 

I have not heard much from that young whipper snapper since Mark Kerns chimed in.

 

 

EDIT - I have reorganized the Anthony Lakes area by area now. So if folks have something to add go for it.

 

Edited September 21, 2007 by ScaredSilly