[TR] WA Pass. - The Clean Break on Juno Tower (and the lost boot) 7/27/2014

[JonNelson]

Trip: WA Pass. - The Clean Break on Juno Tower (and the lost boot)

 

Date: 7/27/2014

 

Trip Report:

Things can happen on the approach. On our way up Burgundy Col, I lost one rock shoe, going down the other side, Nicola injured his knee.

 

Burgundy Col the evening before. Juno Tower is left of the photo.

 

The shoe, which had been clipped via its laces to a sling around my neck, must have come untied. But it was the talus on the other side that got my partner's knee. We decided that sliding down the snow was the best way after that.

 

 

The first pitch is the crux. Nicola laybacked up the start, then cruised up the remaining finger and hand jams.

 

 

His knee was swelling up, but you sure wouldn't know it from the way he climbed. On the other hand, I was resting on the rope from the start. Later, I got used to climbing with one approach boot.

 

 

 

The mismatched boots.

 

It worked out pretty well this way, with me following most pitches. When things eased up, I led. Pitch four starts with a fun traverse, then up some flakes.

 

One should be careful leading this pitch, as one finishes up on hollow flakes directly above the belayer. The next pitch has some thoughtful face moves, and then it is a fight through trees and a wide crack. I was glad not to be the guy following with a pack on this one.

 

Then, on pitch 7 there is a 5.10 wide-hands crack (presently with a fixed cam), followed by some delicate face and corner moves.

 

The remaining 8 pitches or so are much easier, but still on good rock. One can wander about yet remain on the rib. A final steep section at the end has another fixed cam. Overall, the route is no Liberty Crack, but has some fun pitches in a scenic setting.

 

The descent initially follows a gully, but soon one is wandering across numerous slopes of fine-scale scree. We stayed high as we traversed west back to the camp, and just missed the campsite by a hundred yards or so.

 

 

It was nice for me to get back into matching boots. Nicola's knee was still in sad shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Light rack to fist-size. A few wide-finger-sized cams useful for P1, but for the most part one can use stoppers and hand-sized cams.

 

Approach Notes:

It took 2.5 hrs to Bench Camp below Burgundy, then about 2 hrs the next day to go over the col and down past two ribs to the start of the route.

[ivan]

getting hurt while not climbing seems to be the theme of my summer - nice to see i ain't the only one

[JonNelson]

I forgot to add that I am still hoping to get that shoe back. The pair was once Terry Lien's, and I think it oozed special climbing power, but only as a matched pair. Boreal Fire with red cotton laces.

[jtodorovich]

Jon I was up there this weekend and, as unlikely as it seems, I'm pretty sure I saw your shoe. It was a little ways beneath the col on the bench camp side. Unfortunately, I left it in its place thinking that it was meant to ooze its special climbing power to the whole valley. Good on ya for doing that whole route with only one climbing shoe!

[JonNelson]

Jon I was up there this weekend and, as unlikely as it seems, I'm pretty sure I saw your shoe. It was a little ways beneath the col on the bench camp side. Unfortunately, I left it in its place thinking that it was meant to ooze its special climbing power to the whole valley. Good on ya for doing that whole route with only one climbing shoe!

 

Thanks! There it lies, helping all who wander past to succeed on their route...

 

I hope you had a great climb!