[TR] Midnight Rock - The Flame>Traverse 9/30/2008

[olyclimber]

Trip: Midnight Rock - The Flame>Traverse

 

Date: 9/30/2008

 

Trip Report:

I bashed my toes on the drive up when running to the bathroom in flipflops. Went up the Flame and finished to the top via the Traverse. Hard 5.8 climbing. Wasn't sure about rap, so walked off to climbers left. Walkoff sucked.

 

Disregard this, testing board modification.

 

Gear Notes:

Duct tape to stop toes from bleeding.

 

Approach Notes:

The trail up. Are there any spaces in this text?

[mkporwit]

Yes, I can see the spaces just fine in the Approach Notes

[Alpinfox]

 

BEST TR OF THE YEAR!

[olyclimber]

wish i had brought the camera, rollercoaster chimney is so cool looking. it almost pulled jerf into it, but we weren't sure about the gear and only had small stuff. rollercoaster looks like buttlips at index, but longer and it spirals upward.

[olyclimber]

who here recalls the Steven's Pass Hotel (Croft named a pitch after it up at Midnight)? Apparently it rented by the hour? (and no, not the one in Goldbar on Croft Road).

[ScottP]

A good friend of mine lived there until he was 5 years old. His parents owned the place until they both died in a car accident in Snohomish. Apparently, the hourly rate thing is true.

[Braydon]

[pink]

burly

[AlpineK]

who here recalls the Steven's Pass Hotel (Croft named a pitch after it up at Midnight)? Apparently it rented by the hour? (and no, not the one in Goldbar on Croft Road).

 

I remember passing by that motel a few times with my parents when I was a kid and asking them why the motel had hourly rentals. I wish I remembered what they told me.

[MisterMo]

who here recalls the Steven's Pass Hotel (Croft named a pitch after it up at Midnight)? Apparently it rented by the hour? (and no, not the one in Goldbar on Croft Road).

 

Known locally as the "No Tell Motel".

[mattp]

I liked the decor when they had the four paintball dummies up on the roof. I remember driving by there with climbing buddies who talked of kidnapping one of them but I don't recall exactly what we thought the dumb guy would add to our team.

[olyclimber]

Went back up during Ropeup so we could take a look at Roller coaster. We went up Easter Overhang, and I thrashed around a bit in that. From the ROTC rap, you can drop right into Roller Coaster. Looked hard at the top, and Jeff confirmed this. Then sun went behind the ridge right as he led past the middle of the chimney.

 

Jeff said the top part is eight inches and the "gear to 2 inches" from the current Leavenworth guide is a bit off. He used a number 4 a bit, but it was getting tipped out.

 

Good times, I didn't follow as we didn't have 8 hours for me to thrash up, and we rapped from there and ran down to the party at Eight Mile.

 

 

 

[stevetimetravlr]

Have the few bolts in Rollercoaster chimney been upgraded?

[olyclimber]

when this TR was written, no.

[stevetimetravlr]

Does anyone climb at Midnight anymore? Its the best crag in the Leavenworth area for crack climbing without compare, but I never see any trip reports or photos on it besides this one. I haven't been there in years but next summer got to get back as miss the place. Years ago we were running down the trail one evening and my friend jumped over an enormous rattlesnake curled up sleeping on the trail. 10 feet long, must have been a timber rattler.

Edited November 11, 2009 by stevetimetravlr

[olyclimber]

Yes people still go up there, but its a longer hike than Castle Rock, so less people end up there. Also, due to bird closures it has had limited use.

 

And this is info from a Seattlite. I'm sure an L'worth local can give you a better scoop as to traffic up there.

 

It is a fun place to climb, and I know that a couple people have been replacing bolts and working routes there in the past couple of years that have posted here or in the Rock Climbing forum.

[Skeezix]

I remember it. Also a vague memory of a restaurant in Monroe. --Was it The Holiday Inn restaurant? Known for blueberry pancakes. Can't quite remember...