[TR] Yellow Jacket Tower 6/1/2008

[Layback]

Trip: Yellow Jacket Tower -

 

Date: 6/1/2008

 

Trip Report:

Fullt trip report with photos at: http://alpinetarn.com/yellowjackettower.aspx

 

Alex, Brian, Peter and I met in Monroe at 6:00 AM and lazily drove east over Stevens Pass. Full of blossoming trees and melting snow, spring has most certainly come to the pass. After a nice ride with great conversation we arrived in Leavenworth where we met Dennis and Kent at 8:00 AM.

 

With our group fully assembled we drove to 6.1 miles down Icicle Creek Road to a turnoff just past a bridge. We began our approach to the base of Yellow Jacket Tower at 8:15 AM. After leaving the cars, we crossed a bridge and walked along a gravel road for a brief stint before finding the climber’s trail on the right. We walked blissfully through a purple meadow of blossoming Lupine. The fun stopped there…

 

The trail from the meadow to the base of the climb gains 1,500 feet in what I would estimate to be a mile or less. We made our quad and calf-burning ascent gaining that ground in less than an hour. At the base of the rock we rested, ate and cooled off while we enjoyed the fact that the approach was over.

 

After that, Alex and I scoped out a route up into the gully. Normally one goes right around a large chock stone (actually a boulder) and then back left. Unfortunately the easy route around the obstacle was wet so we had to take a more extreme route to the right over 5th class terrain, which required a belay. I led out and brought Alex in. Peter, Kent, Brian and Dennis soon followed.

 

Once around the obstruction, we worked our way up the gully past rappel anchors to the base of the hidden gully that marks the entrance to the climbing. Alex and I again tried to scope out a route. Alex had almost made it around a second obstruction when his footing suddenly failed (on sand) causing him to slide down the small slab he was on. An on-the-fly spot from Dennis and myself stopped him. I gave it a quick try and decided that the sand on the slab was going to cause problems. Alex gave me a quick belay and I covered the ground placing a few cams as I moved up. At the base of the actual climb, I used a tree as an anchor and established a hand line allowing others to cover the terrain aided by a prussik. We hung our packs on an anchor I built using my pink and brown tricams.

 

The climb itself is two pitches of 5.4 rock climbing with reasonably good protection. The first pitch was very enjoyable. I worked my way up a crack in the middle of an open book placing protection as I went. After about 80 feet and, a bit of unprotected but easy face climbing, I reached a belay ledge and brought Alex up. From there we scrambled up to a broad ledge at the base of the final tower. After a quick break to get our rope sorted, Alex belayed me again as Brian and Dennis made their way up the first pitch.

 

The second pitch, which is only about 35 feet of climbing to the top of the tower, is notorious for being poorly protected. After placing 3 cams and gaining about 25 feet of ground, I reached what many believe to be mental crux of the climb. It’s a some-what airy 10 foot section of 5.3 rock that can be protected by placing a pink tricam in a small pocket. It was then that I realized the error in my ways. Like a total jackass, I had used my pink tricam (that the guide book calls for) to make sure out packs were secure! “Well at least my water will be there waiting for me”, I thought as I cursed my stupidity. I tried to place a red tricam in the pocket that was perfectly designed for the pink piece of protection and it nearly fit.

 

As I yarded on the red tricam, trying to convince myself it would hold a fall, I quickly realized that there was significant evidence to conclude that it would indeed not. With all the force I could muster, I ripped the tricam from the rock and sent myself cart-wheeling backwards over the ledge. It’s the most time I’ve ever been airborne in a lead fall. I actually had time to realize I was falling, yell to Alex, and think to myself, “This is not going to be pretty.” I hit the ledge, left butt-cheek first, and toppled over. I landed in a way that left me hanging nearly upside down over the ledge looking down a face 100 feet. I think I actually had time to aim my fall, push off and avoid the ledge but I really don’t remember actively thinking it. Miraculously, I only had a few cuts on my palm, wrist, hand and butt and I did not appear to be injured.

 

As I looked at the tricam still in my hand, I shouted to Alex that I was okay and mentally prepared myself to finish the last ten feet. With my two of my fingers and the palm of my left bleeding a little bit from being put through the cheese grader that is granite, and a little bit of shock from what had happened, I started to think negative thoughts and lost my nerve. I decided that it would be wise to come down, have a snack and think about things.

 

As I ate my snack, and thought about my tricams at the base of the climb, Brian and Dennis joined us on the ledge. Alex and I recounted the experience for them. Poor Brian had to hear my tale as he prepared to lead his way to the top. As Dennis belayed, Brian did a great job of leading the final pitch without the necessary tricam. He tagged the summit and Dennis lowered him down. As I sat there and assessed my mental and physical state, the two changed places and Dennis tagged the top using Brian’s top rope. As Peter and Kent made their way to the large ledge where we were all seated on, I decided that a top rope was sounding pretty darn good. When Brian lowered Dennis I tied into the rope and Brian belayed me so I could tag the top. Not wanting to mess with Peter’s head the way I had assumingly messed with Brian’s head, I told Peter that I was just going to have a look at something that Brian had pointed out. I reached the summit and Brian lowered me so that Peter and Kent could have their turn. The pair made their ascent flawlessly and we started our rappel down the climb and gully towards the cars.

 

Brian and Alex went ahead to set up the rappel ropes as I recounted the story to Peter and Kent. Peter was happy that I had kept the details to myself. Glad to be on our way out, we worked our way down the the climb and the gully through a series of four rappels. Soon after we found the climber’s trail. Happy to be done with the technical portion of the climb, we descended quickly and found our way back to the cars.

 

Gear Notes:

A pink tricam fits the small pocket on the last ten feet of the climb really nicely.

[Rad]

Glad you are ok Joe. Whatever lesson you learned is not one you're soon likely to forget.

[Layback]

Thanks Rad. After ten years of climbing, it's about time I took a more significant leader fall. Next time less yearding, more pink tricams...

[spotly]

Ouch. ...the magical pink tricam. Glad it was only a flesh wound. I'm thinking bout hauling up some gear and soloing it - what'd ya take/use for a rack?

[Ishmael]

Nice TR and good to hear that you did not hurt yourself... What guide book did you use?

Edited June 3, 2008 by Ishmael

[Layback]

Spotly - If I were to do the climb over again, I'd bring Aliens Green - Purple, Camalots #3 and #3.5, a set of nuts, and a pink tricam.

 

On the first pitch I placed 4 cams, a nut, and I slung a tree. On the second pitch I placed three cams and the would-be tricam.

 

Good luck on the climb. The climbing is actually pretty enjoyable. It's a lot of work to get there for 1.5 pitches of climbing so I'm not sure I'd do it again, but it's probably worth doing once.

 

Ishmael - Beckey doesn't really offer a good description, but if you go onto the Mountaineers website and download the Basic Climbs Guide (pdf) there a good route description with gear recommendations that are spot on. Shoot me a PM if you'd like a hand locating it.

[bwrts]

just curious where the route is located on the face...

i assume this is the standard route.

 

can you draw a line on a photo of Yellow Jacket Tower?