[TR] Overnighter at Harrison Bluffs - 4/13/2008

[marc_leclerc]

Trip: Overnighter at Harrison Bluffs -

 

Date: 4/13/2008

 

Trip Report:

So a few days ago me and a couple friends were out rock climbing at Harrison Bluffs and I got the idea to find an easy route to one of the highest sections of the cliffs. I scrambled top the top of the highest fixed line and found a way to traverse a 3rd class ledge to a mostly 4th class corner with a few moves to 5.4 or so. We belayed this section then scrambled more 3rd class terrain to the area called The Change room. There are four climbs here that were lichen covered and some had moss on them. But before going back down we found a huge flake had detatched from the rock forming a cave that looked really cool. On Friday I gave my friend a call and asked if he wanted to bring all our gear up to the cave and camp in it overnight then climb all day Saturday, he liked the idea but was busy until about 10:00 Friday night. I decided to go and bring all my gear and food (about 45 ibs in my bag) to the cave that afternoon and leave a fixed line up the corner for my friend to come up by headlamp that night. I flexed up fixed lines and then soloed the 5.4 corner while fixing a rope for my buddy until I reached the cave and set up our campsite. It was only 5:00 so I had 5 hours to explore the area and look at old routes I wanted to clean the next day. I got a fire going when it got dark and ate food. Lorne managed to climb to the cave by headlamp with his gear and we hung out in the cave for a while before going to sleep. Just as we were falling asleep we heard a bunch of twigs snapping and a rock rolled down the hill by the cave, alarmed we turned on the light to see who the culprit was but couldnt see anything. When we got up at first light and found deer prints around the cave! After breakfast we took a trail through the woods to the top of the cliffs and set a rappel down a climb called Friction Addiction (5.9+) and spent forever cleaning second growth moss and lichen off of it, I led it in its mostly clean state bt fell a couple times when I steeped on loose moss on the friction slab. Mt friend stared cleaning a 5.8 groove called root picker (he pulled about 300 ibs of dirt off this one) while I pulled a tick out of my shoulder and burned in the hot sun. After this we went down a ways to get water and climbed back up to the site so I could clean lichen off of a 5.10d arete that I toproped afterwards. We decided to pack up and rapped all the way to the base with our heavy bags and went home and fell asleep. Now its raining anf hopefully the rain will was all the loose moss and lichen off of the routes we cleaned so thay will be really nice the next time we go there.

 

Red circle shows the location of cave.

 

Gear Notes:

Bring a full rack.

 

Approach Notes:

Drive, Walk, climb.

[tlinn]

Fantastic! It's great to hear that people are cleaning the bluffs. There are some great climbs to be had at Harrison/Hope. All that is needed is a few more people to start working at it and hopefully people will become more aware of the great climbing to be had in the area!

 

[marc_leclerc]

Yeah, its a great area, lots of really nice crack and slab climbing especially!

[jordop]

Take a beacon and a probe - I got burried by a pretty nasty dirtalanche at Nicomen a few years back . . . ran on decomposing hemlock facets

[G-spotter]

That's cause you were off route.

[marc_leclerc]

Take a beacon and a probe - I got burried by a pretty nasty dirtalanche at Nicomen a few years back . . . ran on decomposing hemlock facets

 

haha! you should have seen how much dirt fell off of the climb called route picker!somewhere between 300 and 500 ibs. You couldnt tell there was a crack there... it only took 1/2 hour because it all rolled off the climb like carpet though.

[cheamclimber]

Me and Marc Leclerc are one schizophrenic being

[G-spotter]

So what's the deal with the two climbs, two and three routes left of Great Expectations, that both have missing hangers? There is a 10+ slabby arete and a one-move wonder face climb (hard to grade, maybe 5.9) under a huge log that both have a couple of hangerless bolts? We climbed them both yesterday with small wires cinched over the hangers, but figured maybe they were supposed to still be projects and so didn't redpoint either one.

 

Climbed those, Crystal Ether and Shark Tooth Flake - good times.

Shaun is psyched to work on the offwidth roof, he gave it a couple of burns 10 years ago, and thinks it will go this time.

[marc_leclerc]

I did the FA of the Arete an Mike wanted me to take the hangers off so he could get the second ascent, the face climb was Mike Project... hes gonna be pissed off... he hasnt got to try it cuz hes in Mexico right now. I scrubbed the top of the offwidth and Im looking forward to trying it too. What is Shark Tooth Flake BTW? Oh.. you didnt redpoint it NVM Mike wont care...

Edited April 28, 2008 by marc_leclerc

[G-spotter]

Shark Tooth Flake is an old route of Shaun's - #33 in the guidebook. Easy flake leads to Exasperator-like finger locks, good fun, 5.9+ or 10a.

[marc_leclerc]

oh yes.. my favourite finger crack there! I put up a new direct start on that

[marc_leclerc]

btw.. Mike got his project done and the hangers are all up... you can climb the routes all you want.. Im not sure what Mike's is called yet but its 5.9+ and my climb is Called Murder in the Dark and is 5.10d or 5.11a (not sure yet) The second pitch is going up soon too. Did you see the cave to the right of the two routes? I managed to climb out the cave and up the face on TR.. it goes at about hard 5.11d or 12a