[TR] Index - isn't all 5/15/2010

[Rad]

Trip: Index - isn't all loose rock...

 

Date: 5/15/2010

 

Trip Report:

despite what you may have heard.

 

That said, Mike's wife was out of commission because a block fell out of Orc Tower and landed on her leg last weekend. She'll be fine, and in the meantime I got to steal Mike for a perfect day at the crag. The sun was out, everything was amazingly green, and the birds were singing. Even the Grinch would be hard pressed to frown.

 

We linked GM to Heart of the Country to warm up. HotC (p3) has got to be in the running for one of the most perfect hand cracks in WA. Too bad it's not longer. This variation is probably more fun and easier than the final pitch of GM. We thought about leading Phone Calls but that upper mantle looks hard and quite a bit above a rusty bolt. Is it possible to get a small nut in to protect the final mantle? If so, I might be willing to give it a go next time.

 

Zoom was occupied so we headed up Mourning Star and on to the Zoom anchor via vertical jungle. MS has cleaned up nicely since I was on it a couple of years ago. It looks like if the chopped stump is cleaned out it will pull out a few blocks that will change the route.

 

We sent Mike up Leave My Face Alone as he hadn't been on it before. What a wonderful climb. Don't be deterred by the moss and lichen down low. It isn't a factor. It was getting pretty hot in the sun at this point, causing some foot creep on knobs, but it was still doable. Looks like someone has ticked spots for better bolt placements. A few of the upper bolts are not in good clipping stances, but the route is well-protected. Definitely bring a 70m rope so you can get back to the Zoom anchor.

 

I then lead Hairway to Stephen. This one has some really fun moves involving multiple mantles. Thin in places, huge jugs in others. Balancy, great rock. I'm not sure where the crux was, but on the second to last mantle I got in so tight, holding onto the tiniest of holds for balance while standing up, that I scraped my sunglasses on the wall. Good thing they only cost ten bucks. A great route. I was psyched to get the onsight. You definitely need a 70m to get down to the Zoom anchor.

 

Time for one more before heading out. Mike drew the straw and headed up Elvis Nixon (aka Kite Flying Blind p1). It took multiple tries to get past the first crux, and then he got stymied by the second crux. I didn't fare much better but did manage to get to the anchors. Mike then got the whole thing clean on TR. We'll have to come back to lead it cleanly on a cooler day when we're a bit fresher.

 

But we did have fun TRing Just Say No to Frank Sinatra. Mike is 6.3" and I am 6' with a positive ape index of +3 so we were able to make both of the reaches without too much difficulty. It's basically a three bolt boulder problem to a much easier finger crack. Worth coming back to lead next time.

 

The country was very popular today. When we left there were 12 people around the base. Two were climbing, two were belaying, and the other eight were lying on the ground staring up at the clouds and the climbers. Everyone was sharing ropes and chilling.

 

We jumped in the river and headed home and found one last bonus: no traffic on route 2, 522, 405, or 520. Now that's a miracle! I made it back in plenty of time for a family dinner followed by my son's first school musical. A different kind of fun.

 

A wonderful day at a wonderful crag. Makes me want to make another contribution to the Index Fund. What about you?

 

http://www.washingtonclimbers.org/IndexFund/

 

Gear Notes:

Rack and QDs

 

Approach Notes:

Flip flops.

[mountainmatt]

 

Nice Rad!

 

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