[TR] Finger of Fate - Open Book 8/25/2007

[shapp]

Trip: Finger of Fate - Open Book

 

Date: 8/25/2007

 

Trip Report:

After first hearing about the Finger of Fate back in about 1995 from a couple Idaho dudes packing guns at Smith Rock, I was looking for a chance to do it. Went out that way for a conference last week, on the way out did a raft trip down the Lower Salmon River (54 miles on the Salmon and 20 miles on the Snake River through lower Hells Canyon). Caught and fried a lot of small mouth bass on that trip, great sand beachs for camping, fun Rapids. Then headed to a conference near Stanley. After the conference, hiked into Hell Roaring Lake friday evening, camped and had trout and fried potatoes (how appropriate in Idaho) for dinner. Got up in the morning and humped up to the Finger. The base is around 9,000 feet which means I was really sucking some O's from living at sea level.

 

Long story short, the route is fairly sustained at the 5.7 to 5.8 level. There is really only one fun pitch (the twin cracks pitch near the top). The jump accross the 4 foot ledge is kind of scary, the final mantle move at the top is rated 5.9 on the available topos, but it is really 5.7 but kind of scary. Overall a fun route, but not as good as the reports I have seen. There are some really good looking cracks on the East side of the formation. Trout fishing at the second lake up from Hell Roaring lake is great! Pics to follow soon

 

Gear Notes:

Stoppers to medium size, 3 smallest tri cams (used at almost all belays), 3 smallest TCU's, set of cams to #5 Camalot (new sizes) with a few doubles in the thin hand to slightly bigger than fist size. Actually placed the #5 several spots. Watch for rope snags on the rappel, We climbed with half ropes, 1 rappel of the top, scramble down to obvious trees to west, 1 more double rope rappel to ground.

 

Approach Notes:

Get a map and hike in there, we did the longer approach avoiding the high clearance road. Probably don't want to do that if you are doing the approach and climb in one day.

Edited August 27, 2007 by shapp

[dan_forester]

was there much smoke when you were there?

[AJScott]

sweet! after seeing john's tr for this a few years ago i have been itching to get on it ever since then. We were planning on stopping in idaho to snag this one on our way to the winds in a few weeks...you dont make it sound as fun as he did, but i still am going to get on it got any pics??

[shapp]

Not much smoke, but could see the smoke off in the distance near Sun Valley while on top of the Finger, pics to come probably next week.

[powderhound]

Did you see the Gay Robot up there?

 

The Gay Robot though that route was sweet shit. Definetley the best moderate alpine classic in the toofs. He plucked a nice number 1 Cam from that flake pitch too.

Edited August 30, 2007 by powderhound

[shapp]

No Gay Robots, but did see a bi-curious robot with at 10 inch unit, although I was hoping to see some hot lesbian robot action on the summit. We didn't see any fixed modern gear (other than the 2 pins) but I did weld a smaller WC nut for someones booty pleasure.

Edited August 30, 2007 by shapp

[shapp]

Here are some pics, not too many of the climbing (din't bring a camera on the ascent.

Edited September 17, 2007 by shapp

[AJScott]

I wana be climbing whatever your climbing if you werent stoked on this route shapp! i just got back from FoF and the winds and i thought this route was amazing! classic moderate goodness!!

[shapp]

Hold on there there AJScott, I didn't say I wasn't stoked, I just said I didn't think it was as good as some of the TRs I have seen. It was a great route, mostly for the cool fact that is is a striking feature in a great place!, but I didn't think the climbing was all that fun, except for a brief few moves in the book, the twin cracks pitch, and the final summit pitch. I thought the climbing other than these parts, was un-interesting, but totally worthy of climbing. You defenitely do want to be climbing what we been climbing up by darrington.

Edited September 24, 2007 by shapp

[billcoe]

You defenitely do want to be climbing what we been climbing up by darrington.

 

well whatch been climbing Shapp ? Link? TR?

[AJScott]

I didnt mean for that comment to sound negative...good ol internet. I really do want to be climbing whatever you are climbing...darrington has some amazing rock! but come on!:

 

 

we saw gayrobots on top...we were cracking up when we saw that. gotcha "welded" stopper too but dropped one of my own of wolfshead. Headed up one of the cracks on the east side, first picth was rad 5.10- squeeze chimney and then good jams. second pitch took me up to wierd ow cracks to a good sized roof. pulled through the roof to a really thin crack. 11+ climbing on rps for about twenty feet lead me to a bail piton and the crack welding shut. one bolt and it would be a proud line! i dont have the guide book, but we were off route of the 5.11 route on the e side. it goes right to escape the roof and it wasnt obvious when i was climbing. had we had the book with us we mighta made it up, but we were just adventure climbing.

[shapp]

Bill, been climbing hanman/DEA routes, not my place to let out of bag, besides some people apparently don't like TRs of "contrived" Darrington routes.

Edited October 4, 2007 by shapp