[TR] Orygone - Abraxas and Barious Vailures 10/30/2011

[ivan]

Trip: Orygone - Abraxas and Farious Vailures

 

Date: 10/30/2011

 

Trip Report:

jogging jesus in a goddamn sequined gym-suit, i've been overtaken in the tr-department by a no-doubt teetotaling clean-livng californicator who can't seem to go a few days w/o running a mountain marathon and then crafting a wordless tr about it! a humorous version of the old tortoise and the hare story really, w/ me ironically cast as the rabbit, staked to a huge-lead all of a sudden a few years back, and content ever since to contain my amoral adventures to just them that had some humorous angle or vague sucess to warrant them...

 

had a good kick-off to the summer in kkkalifornia meself, finally cluster-fucking my way up el capitano, but then fell into a hohum cycle of binge-drinking and minor adventuring, battling w/ the beatards, wrangling kids along the coast a'camping, and generally living the life of a half-awake hero

 

at some point mid-summer met up w/ tvashie for a 2nd shot at thin red line - our first time i'd gotten dog-sick sleeping on the slabs after fixing the first 3 pitches - this time pat had been practicing the retard-art himself a bit, and got to do some leading

 

the polymath professor cleaning p1

him having fun, falling n' flailing in good style, on p2, where his homemade cheater stick saw service

what a loser i am - how did i forgot the horror-show-for-fat-asses that was p3? huge blocks all stacked and overhanging, no choice but to dry out my dumptruck sized ass on them, then the wierdness of having to go back down to an anchor after traversing across more trash? pat cleaning it...

we had quite the hoe-down on the highway that night, having fixed to 3 - hundreds of mozzies in a handful swipe - bug nets are for rock stars! the next morning we jugged back up in good form

yeah, then the wheels fell off my wagon - started up 4 and just couldn't get excited - climbed up to a slung stunted tree, didn't like the shitty pro on the blocks i hooked past towards the traverse crack which seemed to be missing a bunch of pins - shoulda been wearing free shoes - couldn't get the thought of falling, ripping the blocks and falling all the way back down to the belay, maybe killing pat in the process - he wasn't excited about leading it either, so we bailed to crag on the lower liberty crack....there'll be plenty of summer for something else suitable for sure, i thought?

 

but then it was the last weekend of summer - shit! weeeeell, i'd been wanting to repeat the ne butt of jberg for some time, and it worked out that the notorious 'nastia, over-stuffed w/ alpine adventures of late, and a revivified tvash were game

 

it had all the hoofmarks of a hellacious beat-down from the git-go: angry yuppies in seattle traffic and a gas-pumping incident that left me fearing for my life anytime i struck a smoke in the backseat the rest of the trip

 

we had a beautiful forecast, and were up and at it to the tunes of the squirrel nut zippers at dawn as the lot filled up w/ degenerate mounties

the plan was to reproduce my trip w/ josh from years gone bye - overnight up at the start of the upper glacier, then down by dougs direct the next night - but holy shit, i managed to fuck this one up too - coulda just looked at my original tr and the nice red line showing where we went, but some motherfuckers just can't take anything seriously, and so soon after commencing the slide-cedar'swack we got off-route, losing time n' swatting 'skitters till it was clear we'd gone and fucked up our window for getting to camp - luckily i had plenty of burgundy back in the car to drink that failure over properly

 

the next morning, betaless and under a strict timegun, we could think of no better plan than to run up to cache-col and see if we could scramble up magic mtn before we had to make tracks for home - great hike but reaching the base of magic we realized we didn't have nearly enough time to tackle the climbing required - we settled for baking in the sun and passing around smokes in the shade of our impromptu heat-shields

september passed - school set in - settled for beatardia and the pleasant site of elk and jim opdycke howling at the hills, but then early october was in and i made my annual visit to an oregon adventure crag - wolf rock.

great time for a short weekend, but the weather was uncooperative and we had to work hard to salvage things - a big ass route up that middlish area w/ only a handful of bolts but plenty of moderate fun, then an afternoon of hiding from the drips down under the arch - i was happy we didn't have to go w/ Plan B, as i was fairly sure i'd end up a goddamn wild animal all over again

 

good times that 2nd night - roaring bonfire - justinp made an appearance - bacon and grilled onions - more beer n' wine than an honest god-fearing man can stand - i resorted to self-photography and thought about the team-building excercise i'd attended a few days earlier

my spirits were suitably dampened the next morning when the rain-storm burst and our campsite reverted to the seasonal bog it must be, my down bag busy sopping up the 4 standing inches of water on the tent floor

 

a couple weekends later pat n' nastia and i thought the portents for a coe glacier romp proper - we rambled up the elliot moraine and sauntered over to below the snow-dome to have a dry camp before the adventure

it poured rain all night - pat snored - i blew dehydrated lasagna gas out my ass literally every 30 seconds for 8 continuous hours - god knows what 'nastia did, but i doubt it involved sleeping

 

ultimately that fine plan went all to hell too - relatively late start to allow route finding - good conditions, but never could find a spot to get down to the route base that didn't seem stupid - eventually after a good bit of poking around we wandered up the sunshine route, me growing bored and soaked well below the horseshoe and heading down to have a nap while the dynamic duo kept failing upwards - it was worth it just to watch nastia nearly kill herself coming back down the elliot moraine

 

shit, at this point, coulda had that nike-nerd a few tr's behind me if i'd wished to rollick in ruinous prevarications, but i thought i'd insist instead on a more honorable, and for that of course i'd need a fucking rope-gun, so dime-a-goddamn dozen 'round here and yet still too rare to find unengaged of a sunday

 

the plan was abraxas - i do the aid, powderh'und does the man-work

 

tombstone crack. fuck your mother. would have a permanent line of 3 parties at a time and blazing chalk-white edges if it was a little closer to terra firma and not guarded by 2 pitches of aid chossmaiteering

bryan at the end of our first pitch - basically do any of the # of pothole half-pitches, then hop over the anchor, do some fun climbing past some bolts to a bit of gear and a traverse at an anchor almost 60 meters up - yosemite length pitch!

i got the next 2 pitches, best shortfixed together - no gear needed on the first one if you have a stick-click and not too much on the 2nd either - a couple offset nuts, a brassie, a #4, #1 and that's about it - the 'hund cleaning below our 2nd belay

i wasted time as i needed to fix my dr suessian cheater stick - so proud was i of crafting it the day before, having managed to non-disclose to the good folks at art-media that my intent for the 10 feet of artist's aluminium tubing i requested was likely outside of warranty or common-sense - i made good time w/ it at first, but managed to cross-load the taped-open gate after fighting the bob dole effect for minutes - i was harldy suprised when i began falling - the bolt was shit, my biner was shit, the cord i choose was shit - think rei will take this back?

3rd pitch was fun enough - more bolts, some even occasionally decent, to a fixed pin and gear in a steep crumbly section - mandatory free after the last bolt requires forethough as to how to escape your etrier - brian cleaned quickly, eyes on the tombstone prize just above us now

cool terrain - luckily the climbers had cleared out below as you can't help sending down chunks

"you can never tell what a chinaman is thinking, that's why he always bests you in cards"

and he's off! gnarly start to a 10d, 140 ft, near constantly overhanging, continuous handcrack - Our Boy did well - no falls and only a few hangs

it just keeps getting better

wish i'd had the time n' cajones to be able to follow it free, but it was most prudent to just jug it, arriving at the anchor on a great golden godamn ledge, basking in the last rays of sun fast setting behind misery ridge

we stopped to smell the scenery and catch our breath

we were unsure if there was any sort of anchor up on the false summit and had heard what might be there was shit - didn't look like much more than some easy choss-wrangling, and w/ another mandatory mountaineers-delight pitch to the true top, we opted to rap from there - need a 2nd rope, and the pull ain't exactly easy, but it's easy enough and in 3 raps you're down - we packed up and walked out in the dark, drinking fine beer and hooting at the stars

 

last view of the money pitch on the way off

swinging back in to the 2nd rap station

sunset in the big bend down by the land of the golden eagles

hard not to like the desert...

so, in the time i took to write this, i see the running man has scored again - thank christ for the sweet snows and maybe, just maybe, that and a serious veneral disease will keep him off the charts for awhile! dog forbid i should have to go back to glorifying beacon-beat-offs as trip worthy trips

 

Gear Notes:

for abraxas:

single set of aliens, green to red

2-3 .75-1

as many #2s as you can manage - think we had 7?

1 #3, #4

single set of off-set nuts, plus a couple of small brassies

 

Approach Notes:

over hill and dale

[YocumRidge]

Nice sendage on Abraxas! I bet much more satisfying than soaking your ass on Hoodie in that tent of yours that does not leak.

 

Although the reproduction of the NEB on J-burg did not work out according to the plan, we did excel at the successful self-rescue. Good times!

 

Ivan flying down into the abyss off this creation:

 

 

After the successful landing:

 

 

 

 

OryGun:

Patrique clearing out the bivy site on Languille Crags on Hood:

 

Patrique on the top of Anderson Rock:

 

Our Burfday Boy heading up to the Coe's Icefall:

 

[stevetimetravlr]

Wow. I have to read this again for it all to soak in. and I thought you were just going to stick to sport climbing...

[powderhound]

Rocking TR!!!! Great times. That hand crack is one of the best in Oregon. Right up there with Solid gold imo. Thanks to Eric for rocking the aid pitches. And to all the sport climbers below us that put their helmets on when we told them too.

[Alex]

looks like alot of fun, who says you have to summit for the good times??

[ivan]

...who says you have to summit for the good times??

the wife?

[tvashtarkatena]

I fucked up the shit outta Ivan's picket on that extraction.

[billcoe]

Bravo Ivan,Bryan, Pat and Mighty Mitocondria! Ivan, that should count for 5 or 6 TR's. Woot!

 

I just found out that I'm not going to Smith tomorrow...whew, it's looks like it's gonna be butt-assed cold and wet over there, you caught the tail end of the fall it looks like.

 

 

 

[JRay]

Ivan - sounds like you found yourself all the way up Abraxas but didn't hit the Tombstone Wall. Is that right?

 

Great TR('s)! Gotta love the gas every 30 seconds like you said. I know about this too and it never seems to happen unless I'm up some mountain in a tent with others freezing my butt off.

 

TA

[tvashtarkatena]

Nastia on the way to Cache Col by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

 

Cache Col by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

Survival of the Laziest by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

Attack on Magic Mountain by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

Drinking in the Koolaid by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

Ivan and Sahale by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

CascadeRiver by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

NEButt Opproach by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

Nastia NE Butt Snow Finger by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

Slide Cedar Love by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

North Cascades Botany Seminar by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

A Healthy Serving of Veggies by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

 

[tvashtarkatena]

Ivan, the Movie:

 

 

[video:vimeo]31621139

Edited November 4, 2011 by tvashtarkatena

[tvashtarkatena]

How could I forget this rare shot of Bigfoot?

 

 

Bigfoot by PatGallagherArt, on Flickr

[DPS]

Although the reproduction of the NEB on J-burg did not work out according to the plan, we did excel at the successful self-rescue. Good times!

 

 

 

Was this anchor in situ? It looks susupiciously like the tat I left 10 years ago.

[tvashtarkatena]

No, that was Nastia's shoe lace, but she calls it 'rap cord'.

 

7 mm minimum next time!

[ivan]

Ivan - sounds like you found yourself all the way up Abraxas but didn't hit the Tombstone Wall. Is that right?

dunno - i like to be lost and so never seem to have a guidebook - thought that was the tombstone crack that abraxas went to at the end of p3? we rapped where there was a good anchor and everythign above was chossy easiness to the false summit, from which you look to do a rope-lenght of traversing, then some down and back up to the true top. i'll be back soon enough i bet, fucking beaconben is drawn to this thing like flies 2 shit!

[ivan]

Although the reproduction of the NEB on J-burg did not work out according to the plan, we did excel at the successful self-rescue. Good times!

 

 

 

Was this anchor in situ? It looks susupiciously like the tat I left 10 years ago.

this pic n' the one after go in me ma's bday card next year

[tvashtarkatena]

Us to the Big Man: "You go LAST."

 

 

[YocumRidge]

Was this anchor in situ? It looks susupiciously like the tat I left 10 years ago.

 

Interesting to know, Dan, we have similar tastes in bailout choices.

 

I'll get a steel cable for Patrique next time.

[DPS]

Was this anchor in situ? It looks susupiciously like the tat I left 10 years ago.

 

Interesting to know, Dan, we have similar tastes in bailout choices.

 

Neon orange 6mm? I bought 60 meters of the stuff and left it all over N.A.

[JRay]

Ivan - sounds like you found yourself all the way up Abraxas but didn't hit the Tombstone Wall. Is that right?

dunno - i like to be lost and so never seem to have a guidebook - thought that was the tombstone crack that abraxas went to at the end of p3? we rapped where there was a good anchor and everythign above was chossy easiness to the false summit, from which you look to do a rope-lenght of traversing, then some down and back up to the true top. i'll be back soon enough i bet, fucking beaconben is drawn to this thing like flies 2 shit!

 

Sounds like you made the tombstone crack. Heard its something amazing. I've hiked up the backside and to the true summit a while ago but will be making it via Abraxas one of these days with some Germans. Couldn't find the top anchor but I have a feeling I was close.

[corvallisclimb]

Ivan - sounds like you found yourself all the way up Abraxas but didn't hit the Tombstone Wall. Is that right?

dunno - i like to be lost and so never seem to have a guidebook - thought that was the tombstone crack that abraxas went to at the end of p3? we rapped where there was a good anchor and everythign above was chossy easiness to the false summit, from which you look to do a rope-lenght of traversing, then some down and back up to the true top. i'll be back soon enough i bet, fucking beaconben is drawn to this thing like flies 2 shit!

 

Sounds like you made the tombstone crack. Heard its something amazing. I've hiked up the backside and to the true summit a while ago but will be making it via Abraxas one of these days with some Germans. Couldn't find the top anchor but I have a feeling I was close.

 

From the summit its an easy 4th class scramble off the back side down a short chimney to the west of the true summit. There is an old anchor up there to rap of the back side, but is not needed at all.

[tvashtarkatena]

Was this anchor in situ? It looks susupiciously like the tat I left 10 years ago.

 

Interesting to know, Dan, we have similar tastes in bailout choices.

 

Neon orange 6mm? I bought 60 meters of the stuff and left it all over N.A.

 

That stuff is more like 2mm.

 

[KirkW]

Ivan - sounds like you found yourself all the way up Abraxas but didn't hit the Tombstone Wall. Is that right?

dunno - i like to be lost and so never seem to have a guidebook - thought that was the tombstone crack that abraxas went to at the end of p3? we rapped where there was a good anchor and everythign above was chossy easiness to the false summit, from which you look to do a rope-lenght of traversing, then some down and back up to the true top. i'll be back soon enough i bet, fucking beaconben is drawn to this thing like flies 2 shit!

 

The last pitch was really easy but quite dirty and loose. Just the way I like them.

 

 

I ended up on the summit looking for anchors but found only studs with no hangers. If you've got a couple medium cams with, you can build a good enough belay just shy of the true summit. No anchors up there that we could see other than the ones Tyler mentioned for rapping the easy chimney. It was several meters shy of 60 from the anchor atop Tombstone to the summit.

 

Thanks for the beta through JustinP. We had to seige it but we got up it. TR to follow in a few days when I get the rest of the pics.

[ivan]

cc'com flava-o'the-month!

[beaconben]

Awesome all. Glad to see someone do Abraxas.