[TR] Squire Creek Wall Grand Tour - UpNOver 6/9/2013

[hanman]

Trip: Squire Creek Wall Grand Tour - UpNOver

 

Date: 6/9/2013

 

Trip Report:

Over the last 15 or so years, I have been out on some outstanding “Grand Tours” in the Darrington area. Most have been instigated by Chris Greyell, who has a passion for discovering all that the area has to offer.

 

Some memorable prior trips have included a complete circumnavigation of Exfoliation Dome, Chrome Dome circuit, Wawetkin Dome, and a nice foray up the Clear Creek/Green Giant headwaters up over Squire Creek Pass. As could be expected, all of these share some common features, like beautiful knobby granite, wonderful views, impenetrable cedar thickets, and a healthy dose of moss. When Chris called a few weeks ago with the plan, I knew it would live up to all previous expectations. The chosen route encompassed a large portion of Squire Creek Wall and flanking Illusion Wall, with a planned descent of Slab Daddy. While not technically difficult, it did have some unique features and much travel over some thousands of feet of moderate slabs and ridgeline in the alpine. I believe the whole trip was about 13 hours car to car.

 

Thanks Chris!

 

Here are the specifics for a 12 step success plan-

1). Biked in, dropped bikes at Slab Daddy approach

2) Hike up to Illusion Wall near Holy Grail start

3) Climb 1st pitch of Excalibur (5.9), trend left for a couple rope lengths of 3rd/4th class traverse under The Page

4) Walk around the Engineer’s Buttress to gain the Chickenshit Gully connector slabs, approx. 300’(5.6)

5) Traverse into Chickenshit Gully, climb about 1000 feet up to the top of Illusion Wall (5.0)

6) Climb Dick Ridge (5.7) near the chasm, about 300 feet

7) Descend into little saddle, wrangle cedars and occasional slabs to the true summit of SQW (D2+)

8) Climb and downclimb tricky gendarme ridge for an exposed ½ mile to final tower just south of Slab Daddy (D3+), protect your follower carefully. Gear opportunities magically appear like wings of a unicorn.

9) 30M rappel to slabby ledge system in the basin at a saddle below the tower

10) Traverse north several hundred yards to the top anchors of Slab Daddy (4th class)

11) Rappel Slab Daddy’s 22 pitches, hike to the river, fiord frigid late day runoff

12) Easy bike ride back to beer.

 

Disclaimer: Photo onslaught looks to be somewhat reversed cause I suck. Just pretend you're traveling backwards in time I think....Sort of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Small rack to 3, lotza exteno draws, 2 60 M skinny rope

 

Approach Notes:

Up Squire Creek Valley, Down Squire Creek Valley

Matt Perkins overlay photo credit

Edited July 2, 2013 by hanman

[Tyson.g]

Heard about this over the weekend from rainman.

Outrageously fantastic and what an effort!

Way to go guys!

[Riley81]

That was definitely a perfect Darrington day. Cloudy morning opening up into a temperate day. Awesome climbing weather.

[genepires]

nice! very creative.

[Otto]

I heard about this trip from Chris at the trailhead the next weekend. He was still stoked about it! One big traverse, way to go!

[benmurphy]

Well done guys, looks like an awesome adventure!

[crazedmaniac]

nice Mark!!! have done this more than a dozen times. (starting and exiting different ways tho.) Going down one of the walls to the north of Bowl in alley can be very exciting, and challenging. I couldn't IMAGINE doing what you did with a rope tho... that would be very time consuming. Have had a lot of fun taking huge packs with mass beer and food to camp along the way, about 1/2 of the times. That is a VERY LONG DAY, with a rope out... KUDOS!!!!! my 'best' trip was up illusion wall, then down zips wall. Have started from our property, and came down zips or illusion many times. Going up Primal Scream, (south wall)then to the top, then down the ridge just to the north of Daddy without breaking the ropes out was very fun also. (were all the bolts and hangers ,drill bits, hammer... still on top of the ridge just south of the top of Daddy??? looked like a bear had strung and spread em out when i found em, just as they were starting to work on the route, many ,many years ago) haven't been up there in 3 yrs now.