[TR] Smith Rock - Multiple 2/27/2013

[bedellympian]

Trip: Smith Rock - Multiple

 

Date: 2/27/2013

 

Trip Report:

Wednesday I went to Smith spur of the moment to solo some stuff. My original goal was to solo South Buttress of Brogan Spire in the Marsupials (5.5X 3P). I somehow confused this with West Face of Brogan in the guide book (also 5.5X 3P) so climbed that instead. I ended up down climbing top 2P of South Butt, rapping to dirt, and climbing Living Blindly to top of Opossum (5.7 3P).

 

Rapped off the recommended anchors on Opossum but they are awfully placed and rope would not pull. Climbed 5.5ish ramp system back up, tossed off rope, downclimbed.

 

I then climbed Round River Direct up the Koala (5.8 3P) and Birds in a Rut up the Wombat (5.7 Watts calls 6P but really a 4P). Someone decided to replace the rap webbing on Wombat but left cut pieces of the old webbing on the summit. They also replaced the webbing with a tiny sewn runner girth hitched to the bolt hanger. If you are going to replace a rap anchor like this please do a good job and don't leave a bigger mess for the next folks! Also, worth noting that the down climb is VERY EASY (read walk off with a jump down to a flat dirt patch with no exposure) If you can climb Birds it won't be an issue, don't waste your time threading the rope.

 

Scree surfing back down the side of Wombat and Koala is the mandatory descent from there. Not wanting to rehike the trail I boulder hopped the river (its low right now) and climbed some basalt crack up to the rim of the gorge. This puts you in the parking lot and halves the approach hike.

 

Check out photos and more typity typity typing on my blog...

Mountain Mischief

 

Gear Notes:

Nuts and a big enough rucksack to hold them.

 

Approach Notes:

Cross the bridge and turn right, follow signs to Burma Road.

[wayne]

Nice shots! Always wanted to look at the Marsipital Traverse. Some day.

[ivan]

Nice shots! Always wanted to look at the Marsipital Traverse. Some day.

i bet you find it very underwhelming, lord knows i did - fact, we bailed halfway along to go drink beer n' climb something else

[KirkW]

Did the traverse last summer and found it to be a rather leisurely, if not a bit contrived, way to waste a day at smith. Not sure about soloing it though. Or anything at Smith really. Did you do the original first pitch Ivan? The climbing looked 5.stupid on it so we started around the corner on one of the easy lines.

[ivan]

i don't recall - done it twice, one time w/ lucy in the sky w/ diamonds, once w/o - think the first time was on some hard sport-line when i had a rope-gun, the other on something easier, as fit the mood at the time, and to the left maybe - at any rate, both starts just a mouse-fart away from the delerium tremons boulders (which are pretty much worth the walk in themselves, and were the focus of the more intoxicated of those two trips )

 

anyhow, yah, quite contrived - and both times a big bottleneck of gapers round brogans spire coming up the cave route or some-such conspired us to heave it into the crapper

 

birds on the rut, on the other hand, is sweeeet - and i recall both times doing the short cowards rap off as that's a looooong way to walk back to the parking lot w/ a busted ankle

[bedellympian]

Yeah Marsupial Traverse is lots of 4th on lousy rock. You can bypass Living Blindly on the Traverse and cut off a couple pitches by going direct up the Tail. That pitch plus the first two to gain the Mudpile are the only ones where traditional belays are really necessary (ie harder than 5.5 one move slab pitches). It is a fun way to link a lot of realestate and practice your alpine rock skills. If you are used to North Cascades alpine climbing don't bother but if you live in the area and want a cool adventure climb its worth it.

 

If you do Birds in a Rut there is a lot of scree so linking it after Thin Air (5.10 3P) or Round River Direct (5.8 3P) makes for an awesome day. Also, Ivan, I didn't mean to literally jump off the Wombat! I was just referring to the shortness of the downclimb, bad use of terminology! You could also stick a cam in the crack by the down climb. #3 camalot maybe? You could "rap" off that and still reach up and take it out to prevent the sprained ankle. Although I guess you might as well just use the rap station at that point! Ideally we'd just get some real chains up there.

[ivan]

not flipping you shit at all - i've only been up there twice and the second time i'd forgotten the first - it is, as you say, only a short scramble from the summit down to easy ground for the walk off, though i recall it still feels plenty serious enough that we didnt' do much more than a casual attempt at the downclimb before coming back up to do it safely. i seem to recall you end up at a spot where your 10 feet or more off the ground and goddammit, ya kinda just have to let isaac newton take over