cheamclimber Posted May 7, 2008 Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) Trip: Harrison - Labour Days to P2 Date: 5/4/2008 Trip Report: On Sunday my friend Mike, Reinhard and I went to Harrison Bluffs to check out the A. Dunlop J. Macdonald route called Labour Days. It goes right to the top of the main face (Falcon Wall) and the crux is 5.10+. I camped out on Saturday night and went tofind the base of the route early on Sunday Morning. When Mike and Reinhard showed up we hiked up to the base of the climb. P1 was in a horrendous state, the first two thirds of it were basically a garden, but I racked up and started kicking steps up the dirt and pulling on gear where it was too slimy to grab. I made it up to the crux and balanced on a little ledge where I changed to rock shoes, I placed a cam and started into the 5.8 stemming crux but it was dirty and I couldn't do it. I finally decided to tension traverse left over an arete into a layback crack that I took to the belay tree near the top of the corner. After bringing Reinhard and Mike up it was decided that Mike would start cleaning P1 while I led P2 and Reinhard and I cleaned it. P2 started with a layback around a block then turned into easy slab climbing up weird depressions. Unfortunately P2 was also dirty and I couldnt find any pro placements so I had to do a 50ft runout to the top of the pitch while running up the slab before the moss peeled off on me. Reinhard followed the pitch quickly and we both started cleaning the pitch. Mike did some scrubbing down on P1 but soon rapped to the base and went home. Me and Reinhard cleaned the entire P2 and then rapped down and went home. I decided to go back today and armed myself with a shovel and garden hoe to aid my cleaning efforts. I quickly reached the base of the route and stared soloing P1. I got to the 5.8 crux but it was still a bit dirty and I didnt feel good soloing it so I put in three peices and did the tension travese then free soloed up to the tree. I managed to get some pictures and clean off the entire upper section and the crux of P1. However, I had my boots clipped to my harness and one lace came untied and I watched in horror as one of my 320$ boots plummeted earthward. The forest leading up to the route is not flat it is a network of steepish gullies running up through the forest, I saw my boot dissapear down one of the gullies and I finished cleaning and rapped down. I couldnt do the regular walk off from the base because my boot was down one of the gulleys so I set a rappel off a tree and started down the gully I saw my boot fall into. Luckily it had been caught between a tree and a bush 50ft down and I managed to get it and put it back on. I finally got back to the parking lot and went home at 8:30. Labour Days looks like an excellent route and the only pitches that really need cleaning are the first two.. now I get to go back and clean the lower section of P1 tomorrow! Yay! My pics are coming soon! Edited May 7, 2008 by cheamclimber Quote
marc_leclerc Posted May 19, 2008 Posted May 19, 2008 oh.. srry... ill do that when I get back from climbing today! Quote
marc_leclerc Posted May 20, 2008 Posted May 20, 2008 (edited) The start of LD is the big corner at the base of the wall. The Falcon's Crest Wall The roughish trail P1 needs some mega cleaning! 5.8 crux of p1 (clean now) My escape route from the dirty 5.8 crux Start of P2 (clean) Looking down P1 Looking over at p2 of Glamour Boys Nice View A preview of the upper wall! Route Marker at base of climb Edited May 20, 2008 by marc_leclerc Quote
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