[TR] The Hedley Ice Pillar Saga Culmination - "The

[G-spotter]

Trip: The Hedley Ice Pillar Saga Culmination - "The Hitching Post" 60m WI4-

 

Date: 12/23/2007

 

Trip Report:

Dec 05 - Dru sees ice on the hillside in Hedley while driving to Rossvegas to ski the freshiez with snoboy.

 

Dec 06 - Dru, stemalot, Jmace, jordop drive to Hedley to check out ice. Climb "Private Reserve" instead.

 

Dec 06 again - same 4 climbers go back for the "Hedley Pillar" but it's a warm, sunny day on a south facing slope. No one wants to climb it after a quick binocular inspection from town. What a bunch of chickens!

 

Dec 07 - Dru and jmace drive to Hedley again but nothing's in. Back to Hope for the consolation prize up Hope Mtn.

 

Dec 23 07 - It's +2 and raining in Lillooet but Princeton is -6 with light snow. Princeton is some sort of refrigerator. Dru, stemalot and jmace once again drive to Hedley. It looks like it's in.

 

Hike to the base - talus slog

 

It looks pretty good from the base. Jesse takes the first shot, climbs cauliflowers to the pillar, gets some screws in, gets a bit higher, cleans a lot of bad ice off, gets another screw in and is quite pumped. Comes down for a rest.

 

 

Steve goes up with his new Vipers and, with Jesse's screws in place, continues to the top, realizing part-way up that there is a 2" crack across the whole column.

 

 

 

Jesse follows. Dru follows. An Abalakov is made. No sign of any anchors on top*.

 

 

A nice rap off, and back down to town for an excellent dinner at the Hitching Post restaurant.

 

Back to town. Crazy blizzard in Manning Park. No snowplows. 3 hours Princeton to Hope, WTF.

 

Dru drinks 2 shots of espresso in Hope. Dru is wide awake at 12:30 AM.

 

Gear Notes:

Screws, tools.

 

Approach Notes:

Hwy 5 to Hedley. Turn off into town, drive past Hitching Post and Hedley Market, take a right. Go over bridge, take a left. Drive past grass field and fork in road to parking area at next fork. Walk up right fork, then left at junction to ruined mine buildings. Traverse talus right and up to ice - 30 mins from ruin.

 

* To the top of the pillar is just under 30m but the ice thins right out. We traversed the drainage above back another 30m of low angle WI2 before finding adequate ice to rap off, hence the 60m length quoted.

[jordop]

I hope to god you played Neil Young on the way out.

Edited June 18, 2021 by jordop

[pink_chalk]

sweet!*

 

 

[jmace]

The Line

 

 

The crack with steves glove in it