[TR] Alpine Lakes: The Chisel - 6/1/2004

[telemarker]

Trip: Alpine Lakes: The Chisel -

 

Date: 6/1/2004

 

Trip Report:

I love all these retro-tr's. So, I thought I would add my own. My climbing friend Kyle Flick wrote up a brief TR shortly after we did this, but I think it deserves a more comprehensive account with photos. So...enjoy.

 

In the Fall of 2003, I was tooling around on Wedge Mountain, the long ridge being within easy striking distance of Wenatchee. Added to the fact that you can park within a mile and a half of the crest that overlooks the high expanse of the Enchantments. I really wasn't looking for anything in particular. Climbing was still very new to me, and I was fascinated with the idea of discovery, undeterred by lichen and dirt.

 

I cruised the crest north, checking out the small bumps of solid granite along the way, imagining a private crag where we eastsiders could enjoy in relative solitude. Looking down towards Nada Lake, my eye was caught by a solitary spire of granite stained yellow and black by lichen. As a climber, you know that rush of adrenaline, a visceral reaction that you've found something good. I filed away that image, and made sure to recruit someone to climb it the following weekend. I think I even scoured CC.Com the following week to make sure no one climbed it in the meantime

 

A little research in the Beckey Guide, I matched up a description of The Chisel with what I saw. At least now I knew there was a route on it. There was even a reference to a photo being in the 1950 AAJ, Pg. 506.

 

As bad luck would have it, it snowed the following week, and kept doing so until the spring, so I had to shelve this project. During the winter, I found myself in Seattle, and dropped by The Mountaineer's library to dig up the photo of this Chisel. Sure enough, there was an Ira Spring photo of the first ascent, on pg. 506. I photocopied it and kept it with me for the following spring.

 

Once May rolled around, I convinced Ed Hobbick to join me for a look at this. We crested the ridge, and after some lowball bouldering, headed down to the objective.

 

 

The climbing was fairly straightforward crack, well protected, with a thick coating of black lichen to keep us from smearing too much outside of the fissure. It was just one pitch, and at the top, it was as exposed of a position I had ever been in.

 

 

If I recall, there was one buttonhead "Beckey" bolt at the top with some bleached tubular webbing. Ed and I backed it up with a couple stoppers and spectra and rapped, feeling good about our modest accomplishment.

 

The locale and solitude compelled us to slow down and savor it for a bit.

 

 

 

But I wanted to get a photo of The Chisel, from the same perspective of the one taken by Ira Spring in the AAJ. A couple weeks later, in June, 2004, Kyle and Ed agreed to climb, and let me get a few photos.

 

Ed and Kyle on route:

 

 

 

On our way back up to the crest of Wedge, we climbed the Herronhead feature, a very unremarkable pitch of dirt climbing with a shoulder stand finale.

 

Those moments of discovery come fewer and further between, so it's always nice to remember when the forces conspired to allow for a memorable climbing experience.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2011 by telemarker

[kevino]

Looks like fun John!

 

That second to last picture is great. So you ended up approached from the east side of the crest, correct? Using the mountain home rd? I've always wanted to go check out that road...

[telemarker]

Thanks Kevin. Yep, we approached from the east side, Mtn. Home Road, from Blewitt Pass Hiway. There's lots of fun stuff up there to explore.

[kevino]

Might have to do some of that exploring this spring with the icicle being clogged up! Lets go ski that couloir on McClellan..as soon as my knee heals.

[Tyson.g]

Man that is a great TR!

 

The photos are awesome and I gotta say it reads real nice.

 

Thanks for sharing that and causing me to recall my own enthusiasm for adventure when "Climbing was still very new to me, and I was fascinated with the idea of discovery, undeterred by lichen and dirt." great line totally captures it!

[The Ospray]

Classic! I love that area.

 

Todd

[Friedrich]

Great pics! Love your TR

[telemarker]

Thanks for the nice words! looking at the photos I miss shooting with slide film, until I remember how expensive it was.

Edited April 2, 2011 by telemarker

[Ed_Hobbick]

Good Times Indeed! Those photos may very well become my all time favorites.

With them in mind, I'm headed back toward the treadmill, gotta lose 15 pounds, gotta get back up there, that was awesome.

[AlpineMonkey]

Inspired by these pictures, went up there yesterday to climb The Chissel. We climbed pretty sweet tower that I believed was it, but from looking at your pictures now, this is not what we climbed.

We left the Snow Creek trail right where there is kind of a water fall that goes over the trail and then climbed up a gulley all the way to the top of the ridge. At the top of the ridge we thought we found The Chissel below us and that we climbed too high. We made two steep raps down the ridge to this feature. It was a sweet pitch. You started in this huge chimney, climbed a hand crack and then cork screwed around the tower up another 5.8 hand crack to a big flat ledge load with snow. From there it was about 10 feet to the summit. We found no bolts like mentioned in this TR, so I threw a sling around a horn and we did about a 30 meter completely vertical rap to the bottom.