[TR] Spring Mountain Crags - Wild Rosy 9/14/2013

[JonNelson]

Trip: Spring Mountain Crags - Wild Rosy

 

Date: 9/14/2013

 

Trip Report:

On Saturday, Sept. 14, four of us headed up to do the recently completed Wild Rosy on the Spring Mt. crags.

 

Meeting in Lynnwood around 7 am, we felt some drizzle. But the forecast for Darrington that day was clear with a high of 86 F, so we kept on.

 

Fifteen point six miles south of Darrington, we turned left up FS 49. Heading uphill, we got above the low clouds, and at 2.4 miles reached the small pullout on the right. Someone was camping there by the river. Just across the road from the pullout lies the trail. It is uphill from the start.

 

After passing a few boulders, the trail splits just below some large forest boulders. We took the right fork, passing next to some potential boulder problems. Further up, twin cairns mark another fork in the trail. We took the left fork to get to the routes on the left side.

 

Soon we hit the base of the wall (about 20-min from starting), passed a spring, and noticed the route "Other side of the tracks" above. We continued left a few minutes, then went up a steep slope covered in wild roses.

 

Moa and Miho pulling up through the wild roses.

 

We didn't realize this at the time, but it would have been better to have left the packs below and gotten into our harnesses and shoes below the roses. The present start of pitch one does not have much room for packs and gearing up.

 

Pitch one is about 5.8 or 5.9, very pleasant face climbing protected mainly by bolts. I think we placed one 2" cam between bolts. As a team of four, we climbed by having the leader trail a rope, then belaying up two at a time. One of the seconds then belayed the fourth while another led the next pitch.

 

Miho near the top of pitch 1.

 

Pitch two looked deceptively dirty from below, but like the first, was very fun and clean face climbing, about 5.7. The rock was even more textured than that on pitch 1, with large jugs wherever you desired.

 

The crux pitch is the third, which follows the right side of a steep ramp. The crux is probably on small crimps near the start, though the whole pitch has interesting climbing. To fill in where the fixed gear (bolts, one pin)was sparse, I used one 2" cam about 2/3rds of the way up.

 

Jonathan above the crux on pitch 3.

 

Moa enjoying the traversing moves above the crux on pitch 3.

 

Miho starting the layback section near the top of pitch 3.

 

There was another party on the neighboring route "Other side of the tracks". So far, this has been the most popular route on the crag, but who knows, Wild Rosy might someday take that prize.

 

Party on the route just east "Other side of the tracks".

 

The fourth pitch is on very rippled rock, and completely protected by bolts. A 5.7 blast.

 

Moa starting her lead of pitch 4.

 

This pitch ends at a large ledge. It was very tempting to 4th-class over to the large fir marking the end of P4 on the "tracks" route, and join the other party in the shade. But we continued on. Perhaps the funnest pitch of all was the last pitch, a fully bolted 5.6 face climb that ended all too soon.

 

Following pitch 5.

 

To descend, we made three raps on two 60-m ropes. From the top of pitch 5, we rapped to the anchor on top of pitch 3, then rapped to the top of pitch 1, and then to the ground.

 

It had been a very hot day, and it was really nice to get back into the forest.

 

Jonathan, Moa, Miho, and I, recovering from the heat.

 

Then it was down to the river for a real cool down.

 

Gear Notes:

Bring several alpine draws, 8 quickdraws, and perhaps a few cams to 2". With one 70-m, it is 5 raps; with two 60-m ropes, it is 3 raps.

 

Approach Notes:

A pleasant hike through a forest, maybe 20 minutes. The trail starts right across from the pullout, 2.4 miles up FS 49.

[Riley81]

Sweet TR. Great to see some Stoke for Spring Mt. I think that the picture of Moa starting pitch 4 is a great representation of how much scrubbing goes into those routes as pretty much every light colored spot in the picture is where a big patch of moss was. The more the traffic the better to kepp fighting off the moss.

[shapp]

Is this the project to the left of Traxs that Chris Greyell started severl years ago then abandoned?

Edited September 18, 2013 by shapp

[G-spotter]

a great representation of how much scrubbing goes into those routes as pretty much every light colored spot in the picture is where a big patch of moss was.

 

Coming from Squamish where a route's not considered scrubbed until it's a buffed white path ten to fifteeen feet wide, all those patches of moss that are left, even if they are on spots that don't get used for the climb, look kinda strange... moss makes more moss

[wesdyer]

Jon, it was fun climbing with you at Index last week.

 

That looks like a fun place that I'll need to visit sometime. I'm glad to see Miho getting out and getting it done.

[JonNelson]

Hi Shapp. Yes, it is that project of Greyell's, but recently finished by Mark Hanna and others. It is to the climber's left of Trax.

 

Riley - you are right on. It looks like a tremendous amount of cleaning. But the climbing is so fun -- we really appreciate the great efforts involved. I was tempted to clean some, but as it was, satisfied myself by just tossing a few odd moss clumps lying just off the route.

 

Hi Wes. We ought to visit this place. Yeah, Miho did well on the 5.10 crux pitch, despite the heat.

 

 

[shapp]

I got to TR the first couple pitches and did some moss scrubbing several years go with Chris and a few others when he was working on the route. I thought it would have made a great route if finished.

 

Edited September 18, 2013 by shapp

[hanman]

Great TR Jon- glad you enjoyed. What do you give the crux moves? I'll post up a lo fi topo soon

 

MH

[JonNelson]

Hi Mark, thanks for cleaning up such a fun line. The rock texture is amazing -- seems like lines could go up everywhere.

Anyway, I'd put the crux rating closer to your original 10a. But I might have just been too stoked.

[hanman]

As Jon has noted, here is a new route first begun many years ago by Chris Greyell and myself, and finally finished a couple months ago. This spring I was called back to take another look at the line, and finished it ground up complete with a bit of moss here and there .

 

 

This is a fun route with approximately 450 feet of climbing, much of it being very moderate hueco hauls, which allowed ground up stance drilling quite well. The crux pitch (P3)is some manner of 5.10 and features cool thin crimps and a really nice variable sized crack behind a dihedral in a great position.

 

Looking to the east, some great photos of climbers on Tracks would be possible. Like many of the climbs here, the extended road closure has lessened visitation. I would encourage you to bring a brush and adopt a climb if so inclined. The features are entirely worth it.

 

To get there, follow the trail past the Spring, about 200 feet to the east of Tracks start. Head up a steep path to the right, to be deposited on a rosy pedestal. A fixed belay pin marks the start. As Jon mentioned, might be best to harness up lower.

 

Enjoy!

 

M.Hanna

4934.pdf

Edited September 19, 2013 by hanman

[hanman]

Bump for my own damn route- weather looks nice up there, Mtn Loop is apparently open. Heading up for some fun in the sun-

 

MH