[TR] Molar Tooth - North Ridge 8/31/2009

[tazz]

Trip: Molar Tooth - North Ridge

 

Date: 8/31/2009

 

Trip Report:

This trip is one of my favorite of the season. To have the opportunity to climb with and get to know such incredible well seasoned climbers was a real treat. Fred and Moni Spicker are from Spokane and climbed together in Europe and many us states since 1972. I have known them online thru summit post for few years. Moni and exchanged a few e-mails tossing peak ideas around. Moni mentioned the Molar Tooth. I said where the hell is the molar tooth? After getting a slight bit of beta that is out there (Beckey has a snippet about some routes and two reports on CC none of which was the route we planned but they helped with some clues here and there) I wanted to do this peak it looked interesting and fun! It has everything I like. Alpine rock, bushwhacking, route finding, and pure fun! Then to top it all off I got to hear wonderful climbing stories, learn some tricks of the trade and enjoy a wonderful couple of climbers.

 

The Molar tooth is a 7547’ peak on the ridge running north to south from cutthroat to cutthroat pass. It is located just north of the north peak of cutthroat. It is not often climbed. We planned on the north ridge but spiced it up with a variation with some extra climbing on a rib that runs westerly off the north ridge. One could hop on this rib much earlier than we did. It is solid rock and looks like it would be fun.

 

About 1.5 miles from rainy pass trailhead take a right at 5200’, before the log bridge over porcupine creek; take a turn east into the forest. This will start you up the broad end of a ridge that is forested. We hugged the northern side and discovered the error of our way on our descent. We encountered more brush and downfall on our ascent. Stick to the ridge proper if not a bit to the right at times. It is nice open forest floor with less low trees and brush. The ridge runs east - ne east. This leads you to the northern most gully that take you up to the saddle at the base of the North ridge route. The gully is loose but not too bad. As we worked our way up we came to a notch on the west rib. We set up and climbed solid rock with lots of lichens. No sign of anyone on this ridge till we reached the north ridge. Most was class 4 low class 5.

 

first pitch

second pitch

It was 3 short pitches. The rock was fun and very solid. Then we turned right and scrambled along the flat part of the north ridge to the last 2 pitches of the day. These last 2 run around 5.5 maybe. There are many variations. The rock was solid. The entire route was much more solid than cutthroat the day before. All pitches are well protected.

 

4th pitch up the summit block

last pitch to the summit. from here it is a easy scramble

After hanging at the summit for a bit it was time to get going. One rappel down to the flat part of the ridge. Then two rappels down the end of the north ridge got us back to the class 2-3 gully to start our descent.a shot of the orute up the summit block

some class 4 scrambling

 

last rap to the base of the north ridge.

 

 

We came out about 30-40’ away from where we entered. SPOT ON!!

It was a great fun climb with some mystery to it and I loved every second. Then to top it off I learned a lot from two wonderful people who filled my head with dreams of climbing in the Alps

 

 

Gear Notes:

30m twin ropes

 

webbing and rap rings. we set up new stations as the webbing was very old and not used in a while.

 

pro was a few nuts and some mid size to small cams.

Edited September 2, 2009 by tazz

[DPS]

Thanks for the report. I'll have to add this route to the list.

[spotly]

Nice job Tazz. Thanks for the detailed trip report. Don't slow down

[rob]

Oh man, I miss climbing! Looks like fun!

[YocumRidge]

I like the comment "solid rock"...

This is what I was missing a lot this summer.

 

Does it have more technical routes to the summit?

[tazz]

well I should rephrase that to "more solid than reports on other routes." I know of an FA on the west face reported here maybe 2 yrs ago. then the route 'issue 119' is reported to be crap buy a poster here but then who knows. Then there are several other routes.

 

I found that most of the loose stuff was predictable and what we played on was solid.

 

beckey beta

 

 

[LostCamKenny]

Hmmmm... this sounds familiar - a lot like something I did just a few days ago, except time kept us from the summit. Nice pics and TR! Alpine bushwacking... ain't it fun?

[tazz]

Did you try for this one or another peak "like" it, a few days ago?

 

And YES! I love bushwhacking! (minus the devils club and going against the grain of slide alder) All part of the fun!

Edited September 3, 2009 by tazz

[LostCamKenny]

Did you try for this one or another peak "like" it, a few days ago?

 

And YES! I love bushwhacking! (minus the devils club and going against the grain of slide alder) All part of the fun!

Oh yeah... ivan and i made a half-assed attempt at the north peak of mt index (TR yet to come when ivan has the time and I give him my pics), though it was only half-assed because he had me following him - talus hopping, bushwacking on low angle slabs while free-soloing them: probably just the upper end of 4th class, but when you're unroped even halfway steep stuff can seem like mid 5th class! I won't give away the TR though since I'm sure ivan's will be full of the usual spice and wine

[tazz]

ahhhh...well, Now I am looking forward to the report. Suffering and puckering always makes for a good report and trip.

 

 

[LostCamKenny]

Suffering and puckering always makes for a good report and trip.

 

I think I was the only one doing either - ivan was probably laughing in his head at my antics to get up what he practically waltzed up. And he says he can't free climb very well... well enough, I say! No doubt he will let everyone in on my epic lead of the chimney on town crier two days earlier once he writes his TR. But as always ivan has an amusing way of telling a tale of a trip... I look forward to seeing it, too