Shiny new bolt on Castle Rock

[el jefe]

Those new bolts off to the left of the midway step across have been there at least 5 years. They do not protect the step across. They are too far away. They are part of that other route that comes up the face left of damnation. If someone has added something new since I was up there last fall to protect the midway step across, that is lame.

 

Those bolts might be residual anchors from the retrobolting of Dan's Dreadful Direct...rightfully chopped a few years ago. I think the choppers might have left them as a top-rope anchor for those not bold enough to lead it as was done in decades past (including clean ascents in the 1980's by the likes of Dan Lapeska). If they do protect Midway....they gotta go...that scary step-across has been a rite-of-passge for generations.

 

It kind of irritates me that the routes in the pinnacles continue to get harder due to trees falling (slender thread, washboards, etc) and no protection is added to replace the missing safety points. With that tree on Slender thread, and the tree on washboards, they were a lot safer.

 

If it's all about safety, better to stay home or in the gym. Or top-rope those suckers, which is easily doable. Those routes have evolved courtesy of nature - those "safety-points" were trees at the base of the routes - and me and numerous others have adapted to the longer run-outs and continue to cimb them. Add a bolt and I'll be in line, with alot of others, to make it disappear.

 

I can just imagine the hue and cry if bolts were added. I think our generation (of bolt police) will have to die out before common sense comes back into play.

 

By the time that happens, the ethical pendulum will have swung in our direction, toward a future where permanent additions to the rock environment will be shunned and rare. Get yur dang top-rope out and quit yur whinin'. (and us "bolt-police" are going to be around at least as long as you will!)

 

okay, the balance of the universe has been re-established because now i disagree with raindawg again. thank goodness. i was feeling really confused there for a couple of minutes.

[lancegranite]

We have replaced many old bolts in the last couple years with new hardware donated by generous private donors.

As my peaceful friend Spore has stated Castle Rock has received exactly no new bolts because Castle Rock is considered sacred ground to our people.

 

*I however did remove, er... "enhanced" 90 cubic yards of dirt/moss and 3 hornets nests off of Clean Love, an excellent Doug and Karen Klewin route to the right of the Fault. Sorry everyone!

[Raindawg]

*I however did remove, er... "enhanced" 90 cubic yards of dirt/moss and 3 hornets nests off of Clean Love, an excellent Doug and Karen Klewn route to the right of the Fault. Sorry everyone!

 

Ain't-cha proud of yerself? by the way, it's "Klewin".

[lancegranite]

Sorry Dawg, good catch.

Yes, I am proud to clean the moss off of great climbs done in the past by people I respect so that they can be climbed by others.

[olyclimber]

I hope you cleaned that on lead in the style of the original climbers.

 

Klewin was nice enough to give us a slide show at Ropeup a couple years back!

[Rad]

Sorry Dawg, good catch.

Yes, I am proud to clean the moss off of great climbs done in the past by people I respect so that they can be climbed by others.

 

Thank you for the work!

[Peter_Puget]

Jeesh you guys are tougher than the A’s! Ok my last suggestion may have been over the top and Lance’s picture and some of the other posts have caused me to reconsider my stance on bolts at Castle Rock.

 

It seems we all agree that Castle rock is “sacred” ground and that we should honor our “forefathers”. Some of the first crag climbs in the Wa were establish at Castle rock. Gardening while commonplace now was novel and new when logger’s ledge earned its moniker. In the late 70’s and early 80’s Castle was the scene of full on scrubbing adventures. Many of the routes still admired today were inspected and top roped before their FA (eg No Free Lunge) Several non-bolt “sport” routes were established. For example Monkey Lip is a pin ladder and Das Musak was as all pin protected when it was first climbed. Bolts are not foreign to Castle Rock; there are many routes with bolts. Starting in the later 80’s Castle Rock fell out of favor and entered into a “Dark Age.” Moss buried many quality routes. From the looks of things Lance and his people seem to be unearthing these buried treasures. (sacred relics?) Why stop there? Why not continue the Castle Rock traditional of being “untraditional” and start putting up some sport routes on the steep section to the left of Das Muzak? Wouldn’t continuing the tradition and keep Castle a living area be the best way to honor its history as a ground breaking climbing area?

 

[rob]

You guys are so uptight you could take the fun out of a blowjob.

[Off_White]

*I however did remove, er... "enhanced" 90 cubic yards of dirt/moss and 3 hornets nests off of Clean Love, an excellent Doug and Karen Klewn route to the right of the Fault. Sorry everyone!

 

Ain't-cha proud of yerself? by the way, it's "Klewin".

 

Raindawg, why exactly to you feel compelled to reply like a snide jerk? I think scrubbing up Clean Love and returning it to circulation is a positive thing, as is replacing any number of rusty quarter inch bolts, and I fail to understand why you think being rude is cool.

[ivan]

i concur - cleaning off a route so a new generation can determine for itself if it's classic is hardly worthy of scorn - have you always been a grumpy old man?

[JosephH]

Aand you guys wag fingers about incessant babbling over inconsequential choss piles...?

[Peter_Puget]

Clean Love is a fun climb...you guys should get on it. I remember having to fiddle around with gear...I bet modern gear will be far easier to place. Doesn't the 10a climb a couple routes to the left have

 

(sssshhhhh)

 

BOLTS?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peter_Puget]

Aand you guys wag fingers about incessant babbling over inconsequential choss piles...?

 

Castle Rock has some really groovy climbing on it. Along with some of the first crag routes it also has some fo the first 5.10s (Jim Madsen FAs?) in the NW. The lower section has some really fun roofs. The most climbed is Brass Balls because of its huge holds and general benign nature but there are several hard routes (some with funky protection) that are rarely climbed. The upper section has highly featured rock which lends itself to funstastic face climbing along with several good crack climbs. (TM Herbert did the FA of Damnation crack) The left side of the upper section has a different feel steep & blocky it only has routes on its far right but there appears to be several quality overhanging routes ready to be done to the left. In short it is a crag with a little bit of everything.

 

 

[Peter_Puget]

 

Raindawg, why exactly to you feel compelled to reply like a snide jerk? I think scrubbing up Clean Love and returning it to circulation is a positive thing, as is replacing any number of rusty quarter inch bolts, and I fail to understand why you think being rude is cool.

 

As long as any Leeper hangers are put back on the new bolt I am good with it!

[Off_White]

As a bonus, the dark rusty Leepers are much easier for aging eyes to spot way out there on slab climbs. Up on the Glacier Point Apron for instance, dull stainless hangers 40' away just disappear into the background dazzle. Now a Leeper, that stands out.

 

Pity that even Ed Leeper wouldn't install a Leeper hanger these days.

[Off_White]

Aand you guys wag fingers about incessant babbling over inconsequential choss piles...?

 

This thread only exists to mollify Lost Cam Kenny and make him feel that there is fairness in the world.

[markwebster]

I love castle! Everything you need to learn about crack climbing can be learned there. Where else can you find 2 high quality 3 pitch 5.4 routes? I've taken many beginners up Saber and Midway for their first leads. Midway Direct is even better at 5.6.

 

It amazed me that Castle was abandoned during the nineties and early years of this century. You can work your way up through the numbers, learning your craft, and almost every route is awesome, with rock that rivals yosemite.

 

And no, raindawg was not always grumpy. Back in the day he did not carry a big chip on his shoulder. We spent many days climbing together in the pinnacles and places like jtree. He was very funny guy back then, and a far better climber than I. Even my wife liked him, and she is picky.

 

I can remember raindawg standing on the tree 10 feet up slender thread with my wife, spotting me as I led the runout to the first bolt. The tree is gone, and the longer runout makes it a deal breaker for me. I wonder if guy who put the route up is still alive? Would he approve replacing the missing tree with a bolt?

 

Why should we allow nature to change a route from an r rated route to a double xx? Can you say maintenance? Flame on.

[ConorB]

 

Raindawg, why exactly to you feel compelled to reply like a snide jerk? I think scrubbing up Clean Love and returning it to circulation is a positive thing, as is replacing any number of rusty quarter inch bolts, and I fail to understand why you think being rude is cool.

 

As long as any Leeper hangers are put back on the new bolt I am good with it!

 

From Ed Leeper

 

http://www.safeclimbing.org/education/Leeper_recall_0402.pdf

[Raindawg]

 

Raindawg, why exactly to you feel compelled to reply like a snide jerk? I think scrubbing up Clean Love and returning it to circulation is a positive thing, as is replacing any number of rusty quarter inch bolts, and I fail to understand why you think being rude is cool.

 

Dude...not trying to be a jerk nor rude and definitely not trying to be cool.

The scrubbing off of a massive amount of this and that is what I'm calling attention to. At some point you just got to deal with nature. Castle Rock has a curious history and apparently many years ago, Logger's Ledge was gleefully logged by climbers and apparently similar stunts have been pulled at Index (not so long ago) in order that "the rock will dry faster", a better view will be had, etc..

Scrubbing off a bunch of stuff on Lower Castle rock doesn't necessarily mean anyone will then come to visit. Even so, unless it's climbed regularly, nature will add its touch again. So there's another perspective for you: such farming isn't seen the same way by everybody.

P.S. and I also think cutting trees to enhance climbing areas is pretty dang weak!

[ThorDog]

If you read up on Leeper hangers, they are timebombs! During heat treatment Leeper suffered from minute hairline fractures. Too small to see with the naked eye they later caused the hanger to fail under loads. You certainly will not hear me complain about competent bolt replacement, because that saves me time, labor and money!! I say minimal cleaning, but enough to make the climb passable, like Raindawg said, "unless it's climbed regularly, nature will add its touch again." And you can take that to the bank in the Northwest, moss begets moss!

[Sol]

[

The scrubbing off of a massive amount of this and that is what I'm calling attention to. At some point you just got to deal with nature. Castle Rock has a curious history and apparently many years ago, Logger's Ledge was gleefully logged by climbers and apparently similar stunts have been pulled at Index (not so long ago) in order that "the rock will dry faster", a better view will be had, etc..

Scrubbing off a bunch of stuff on Lower Castle rock doesn't necessarily mean anyone will then come to visit. Even so, unless it's climbed regularly, nature will add its touch again. So there's another perspective for you: such farming isn't seen the same way by everybody.

 

It's getting climbed regularly. Thank you Mr. Granite!

[lancegranite]

Dawg makes a valid point. Not everyone will agree about everything.

The route was scrubbed last summer and I said nothing here because it's 30 feet from The Fault, one of the most popular climbs in the area.

Anybody can now look over and see that it's a good looking line.

Don't be suprised if some of the other good routes in the area get brushed up this summer.

We will have a cooler of cold beer waiting for those wishing to join us... including you Dawg.

 

 

[mattp]

I'm sorry to disagree with my pal Puget here, but I think it is definitely WEAK to put a Leeper hanger on any new bolt. I have a large jar full of Leeper hanger's I've removed from cliffs and I have a friend that wanted to have them so he could recycle and I refused.

 

As to Dawg's complaints, I have never cut down a tree at a climbing area but I DO remember when, at Index, someody cut down a whole bunch of trees 25 years ago and a bunch of climbers complained at first but then agreed that it was a good idea. I don't know what the effect may have been at Castle Rock but it may well be that the cutting of a tree or a couple of trees enhanced the climbing experience and that their removal did nothing to threaten any special area gem in any broader conservation or ecological sense.

 

There are a couple of stumps there at Logger's Ledge (the base of Upper Castle Rock) but does anybody have any information on this?

[Off_White]

All that bit about Leeper hangers, well, let's just contemplate this old portrait of Peter Puget as Jonathan Swift and cogitate a little bit...

 

[bwrts]

I love castle!...

 

It amazed me that Castle was abandoned during the nineties and early years of this century... Flame on.

 

Um, Castle Rock, was never abandoned in the nineties, nor the early years of this century...maybe by markwebster and others, but not a LOT of other people. Routes were obviously avoided, but not forgotten.

 

It seems we all agree that Castle rock is “sacred” ground and that we should honor our “forefathers”. Some of the first crag climbs in the Wa were establish at Castle rock. Gardening while commonplace now was novel and new when logger’s ledge earned its moniker. In the late 70’s and early 80’s Castle was the scene of full on scrubbing adventures. Many of the routes still admired today were inspected and top roped before their FA (eg No Free Lunge) Several non-bolt “sport” routes were established. For example Monkey Lip is a pin ladder and Das Musak was as all pin protected when it was first climbed. Bolts are not foreign to Castle Rock; there are many routes with bolts. Starting in the later 80’s Castle Rock fell out of favor and entered into a “Dark Age.” Moss buried many quality routes. From the looks of things Lance and his people seem to be unearthing these buried treasures. (sacred relics?) Why stop there? Why not continue the Castle Rock traditional of being “untraditional” and start putting up some sport routes on the steep section to the left of Das Muzak? Wouldn’t continuing the tradition and keep Castle a living area be the best way to honor its history as a ground breaking climbing area?

 

No keep the sport routes on other rocks. Not every inch of rock needs to be climbed.

Honoring Castle Rock would be best by just tidying it up a bit and climbing the established lines...aren't there like 64+/- routes on the crag?

 

Anyrate, kudos to Lancegranite for sweeping the dirt and hornets off from cleanlove. (makes a little more sense as a route name now ). No doubt the hornets will return in the fall, they always do--- something about afternoon fall-time sun for those little nuisances.

Although the exeperience of leading cleanlove with full on dirt conditions (at the crux) is now a part of the past, I really do think this is a "better" asset. Cheers!