Witch Doctor Wall

[mec]

Anyone been up there this year? Looking at doing either Voodoo or Solaris (or both), and curious what the condition of the trail is, and if there is anywhere to find water near the base? (or do we have to hike it all in...)

 

thanks,

[Alpinfox]

I haven't been up there this year, but I remember a small stream at the base near a sweet bivy spot on top of a big flat boulder. I'd wager that little stream is still running, but that was 2 years ago and I think it was earlier in the season.

 

BTW, if you find a pair of black Smith sunglasses below that big boulder, I'd appreciate their return.

[mattp]

I've been up there this time of year and the stream Fox refers to was dry on that occasion. However, 30 minutes below, and below the base of the boulderfield where you exit the woods, is a stream that should be plenty big.

 

The Gunstone memorial trail will be hard to locate if you haven't been up there and a key switchback in the woods in inobvious. It is not a bad approach altogether, and in fact probably easier than getting to Dreamer right now, but be prepared to have to look around a bit.

 

[mec]

great, thanks for the advice. i was up there about a half dozen years ago, but right after I got there, it started to rain and did not let up. So I hiked back down...

I am surprised the dreamer trail is bad. last time i was there a couple or three years ago, it was in good shape except a couple of places going up the drainage... is that washed out even more now?

 

I'll keep an eye out for the sunglasses...

[eatsleepclimb]

stay closeish to the creek walking out to the wall, don't get suckered up right heading to the base early. you will have to walk through devils club if you go this way...epic.

[mattp]

You follow the overgrown logging spur up from the road for 15 minutes or so to where it ends up very close to the creek and there is a sharp turn to the right, away from the creek. Follow this extension away from the creek for a couple hundred yards, and then turn left. It soon travels fairly close to the creek for a bit before a switchback heads uphill and rightward, well before you see any sign of the wall, and then you cut back left and it continues to climb for a bit through relatively open woods before leveling out and exiting onto the boulders again quite close to the creek. For most of the way you neither hear nor see the creek.

 

 

 

[Ishmael]

when I was up there 4-5 years ago the hardest part was finding the logging road spur as I did not know that was what I was looking for. Once we found that, it was not a tough approach to follow. We got about 4 pitches up Solaris before we ran out of time... late start and all. Fun route that was only some what dirty.

[dbb]

Alpinfox is right that there is a stream near by that runs all season long. It is not at the base of the wall, but on the other side of the boulder field from the wall. It is only a couple minute walk away from the big flat bivi boulder.

 

Matt's directions are good, and there is some flagging on the logging road right after the switch back that marks where you enter the woods. Pretty easy to follow 1.5 hour approach with gear.