[TR] Omens and Triumph - NERidge Mt Triumph 9/15/2007

[Freeman]

Trip: Omens and Triumph - NERidge Mt Triumph

 

Date: 9/15/2007

 

Trip Report:

When I climbed Mt Triumph six years we damn near died on the way home. The combination of 11 hours of climbing, 5 hiking out and a 4 hour drive home dodging suicidal Bambies in the Methow convinced me that when I did it again I would spend a second night on the mountain. My chance came when Tom, the Founding Father and President of the CFCC, told me he could escape the mine on Friday. We knew it was a good omen when on the drive over we saw an eagle posing for a totem pole sculptor. At least we thought it was an eagle.

 

 

Had we known do you thing we would have changed plans? Naw. At the bivi just over the notch we watched tendrals of fog drifting up the valley below the Picketts. The bet was whether darkness or fog would befall us first.

 

 

The next morning it was obviously clear just above the whiteout, and since every day in the mountains with Tom is a sunny day, we headed for the climb. Four youngsters from Seattle and a team from Oregon/Ohio joined us at the notch. We let the youngsters go ahead. Starting slow and easing off we were able to stay comfortably behind them, with the fog still in the valley.

 

 

The climbing is sustained 5.fun and we had the Fun-o-meter on the peg all day.

 

 

The last time I had climbed it we came to a steep wall on the other side of a deep gash near the top. My partner and I played Rock Scissors Paper ("your lead", "no your lead") as the climbing looked 5.hard. After a few minutes we discovered that by wandering up the gash a bit a trail led to a couple of pitches of class 4 and the top.

 

 

Several raps and some down climbing we were back at the bivi at dinner time

 

 

and the next morning, fully in the clouds.

 

 

Mist turned to full on rain during the hike out, but we did spy the official bird of the CFCC.

 

 

Coffee in Newhalum, IPA in Mazama, and dinner in Wenatchee, and the Methow Valley dear herd didn’t lose a member.

 

Gear list: the first time we must have just used nuts but a small rack up to #2 or #3 works well. The #3 was nice for the top of the crack pitch but you could probably finagle smaller stuff. A 60m rope works for rappels, the second one just touches down.

 

Bit of advice, spend a second night at the bivi, it is just too good to leave.

 

 

 

[TrogdortheBurninator]

I was one of the youngsters you guys met up there. Nice to meet you guys. Thanks for the approach beta saturday morning. What an amazingly fun route!

 

Jared and I were lucky enough to enjoy mucho relaxing time on the ridge on one of the most beautiful days I've spent in the hills.

[goatboy]

CFCC???

 

Nice job enjoying a lovely route -- I love it when the weather threatens and ultimately cooperates!

[Winter]

Nice work! Thanks for the photos.

 

I'm no bio-type, but isn't that a Turkey Vulture?

[Lowell_Skoog]

Nice job, Freeman and Tom! CFCC indeed!