Leavenworth

Our plan was to rock climb and paraglide in Leavenworth (WA). The paragliding part didn't work out, but we got in a few good days of climbing. The first day we did a couple of three pitch trad routes. The second day we did some single pitch sport routes. Granite slab climbing with no holds takes some getting used to! There is lots of climbing around Leavenworth but it is spread out over a bunch of different locations so both days we climbed we had the sites to ourselves.







We also visited Silvara Winery, where we enjoyed the wine (particularly the unoaked Chardonnay, Meritage, and Malbec) and the tons of flowers in their gardens. When it rained all the next day we went back and enjoyed the live music (and more wine, of course!) There are lots of tasting rooms in Leavenworth, but it's much nicer to visit the wineries. It's a hard life being dirtbag climbers :-)

Shelley read her book while I took photos of the flowers. Don't worry, I still managed to drink my wine :-)







The bees were enjoying the lavender: (check out the load of pollen)



I'm not sure what these interesting flowers are:



I love nature's intricate designs and small details.





(two handheld shots focus stacked)

For more of these, see all 32 photos as a slideshow or an overview

Smith Rock State Park

On our way north we stopped in Bend to visit Smith Rock, a well known climbing area that we had never visited. It was midweek so we thought it would be easy to find somewhere to stay. But the nearby campsite was full and so were the next few hotels we tried. Eventually we found a motel with a room. We asked what was going on, but no one seemed to know why it was so busy. Waiting for supper we hung out at the Patagonia store, where I picked up a copy of Tools for Grassroots Activists. When we went to leave we found the store had been closed for some time.



Climbing areas aren't always very scenic, but Smith Rock certainly was. There are a ton of climbs here, most of them well beyond our level. But with the help of Smith Rock Select we found a few fun routes to do. (For simplicity we stuck to bolted sport routes.) The climbs were quite busy, despite it not being a weekend.







See all 6 photos as a slideshow or overview

Climbing Shasta

Since Woodrat, where we were paragliding, is close to Mt. Shasta (14,180 ft / 4320 m) we had planned to try climbing it. The normal route (Avalanche Gulch) is on snow, but not crevassed glacier, so we didn't need a rope, but we did need to dig out our ice axes and crampons, which shamefully have not seen much action lately.



We started at the Bunny Flat Trailhead at 6940 ft. The scene at the parking lot brings back many memories. People with gear strewn over the pavement trying to get their stuff together. Even though we haven't done much alpine climbing lately, we've had lots of practice and it didn't take us long to throw our packs together. (I did forget my toothbrush, but I survived.)

Most people camp at Helen Lake at 10,440 but that's a long slog with a big pack. We chose to camp at Horse Camp (7900 ft) instead. It's only about an hour hike so we headed up about 5 pm. At Helen Lake you need to melt snow, but there's running water at Horse Camp so we didn't need to carry a stove. (A few people climb in a day from the parking lot, but I enjoyed camping at Horse Camp. And it's easier to get an early start if you're already on the mountain.)



Camping lower meant we had a longer climb the next day, but we could do it without big packs, and early in the morning when the snow was hard. It was a dark night but luckily the route is straightforward since all we could see was the circle of snow illuminated by our headlamps. Shelley went first. She claimed this was so she didn't have to "keep up with me". Instead, I had to keep up with her fast pace! We left Horse Camp about 3am and reached Helen Lake at about 5am. Two hours for 2500 ft is respectable, although there was a time when we could crank that out in an hour. We could see some lights above us on the route, but there were also people leaving Helen Lake after we passed.

Soon after Helen Lake it got light enough to put away our headlamps, and steep enough to put on our crampons and switch from hiking poles to ice axe. The route isn't especially steep, but the snow was hard and icy so you'd have a long slide if you slipped. Unfortunately, with the light we could now see that the clouds were just above us. And the higher we climbed, the windier it got.





Our first hint of things to come was a sole climber descending out of the cloud. We assumed he wasn't feeling well. Then another group descended, close enough to tell us the weather was awful up above. We continued on. There was a guided group above us and we figured they'd know which way to go and we could follow them. But as we ascended, more and more people passed us heading down. Eventually the wind, lack of visibility, cold, and frost forming on us was too much and we joined the procession headed down. We reached a high point of about 12,200 ft in roughly 4 hours, not bad for a couple of old farts. Although at that point I could start to feel the altitude slowing us down. A bit later, looking back up, we could see what looked like everyone on the route headed down.





The frustrating part was that as we descended, the clouds gradually lifted and cleared, and soon we were descending in beautiful sunny weather. Although judging by the speed of the clouds flying by it was still very windy up high.





This route on Shasta is well known for long glissades down, but the snow was hard, icy, and rough and we just walked down. It didn't take long to descend to Horse Camp, pack up our tent, and hike out to the car.

For more of these photos, see all 17 photos as a slideshow or overview

Group Therapy

We decided to do a multi-pitch trad climb called Group Therapy. It was beside a popular route we'd done a couple of times before (and really enjoyed) - Tunnel Vision.

Although it was the same grade as Tunnel Vision, Group Therapy sounded a little more challenging. It had an off-width crack - too small to get inside, but too large to jam a hand or foot. Think knees and elbows and shoulders and jamming feet lengthwise. It also had a big overhang to surmount. And the protection sounded a little sparse. We bought a #4 cam but some people were recommending #5 or larger. But the climbing was rated well within what we should be able to handle so we decided to do it.



We found the start of the route without any trouble. (That can be the first challenge!) Shelley led the first pitch. The description sounded simple - up and left to the base of the off-width. But how far left, and where the heck was the base of the off-width? After some up and down she picked a place to stop and brought me up but it was unsettling not knowing if we were in the right place.

Meanwhile, belaying at the bottom, I was freezing. It had been warm hiking up, but now we were in the shade and it was only about 10c. To make it worse I could see the sun on the bushes about 10 feet away. We froze all the way up, with every belay either out in the breeze or in the back of a cold damp corner. It's hard to do jumping jacks when you're on a little ledge hanging on your harness. Shivering and isometrics are pretty much it.

I headed up the next pitch and it turned out that we were in the right place since I was soon into the off-width. It turned out to be relatively easy - there were enough holds in and beside the crack and it wasn't too steep. There wasn't a lot of protection but it didn't feel too bad.

But the next pitch we were back to not knowing where we were supposed to be. The climbing wasn't too hard but it was frustrating (and worrying) being uncertain. I'm pretty sure we were off route at least some of the time. We found some stuck gear that others had left behind, so we weren't the first to come this way, but it wasn't much reassurance - they were probably off route too!

A pitch that was supposed to be an easy scramble was harder and very run out. The last 35 feet I didn't get any protection. I kept looking down and imagining what a 70 foot fall would be like on this broken terrain. Not pretty. I wasn't a happy camper. The climbing wasn't hard, but that doesn't stop soft sandstone holds from breaking off. I belayed where someone had rappeled off a single nut. That was a little unnerving - did they rappel off because they were off route? I was pretty sure I should have been in the crack / chimney to the left but I hadn't been able to find a way to get over there.

We considered rapping down to where we thought we should be but it would have been a hassle and it looked like the ramp above would get us to the base of the overhang and back on route. And it looked like there would be some protection, at least at first.

Shelley headed up. Unfortunately, there wasn't much protection higher up. Almost at the base of the overhang she went to traverse on a large surf board sized flake. Except once she was hanging on the flake it started to move. There were no screams but I could tell from the panic tinged curses that she was in a bad situation. I was thinking "what can I do?" But there was nothing. My belay was as secure as I could make it. I held tight on the rope, again imagining the consequences of a long lead fall, only this time Shelley and not me. Thinking about the aftermath, I think I'd almost rather be the one to fall than the one to pick up the pieces.

Thankfully (understatement) Shelley managed to get off the flake without dislodging it. I could tell she was freaked out but she kept her s**t together and made the tricky moves above and around the flake and into the chimney at the base of the overhang. She was ready to keep climbing but I knew she had to be shaken and I offered to take over the lead.

She set up a belay and brought me up. I carefully avoided the flake. The moves around it weren't easy and I was impressed that Shelley had kept her cool on it. Not easy when the adrenaline is pumping.

The flake was an accident waiting to happen and I would have liked to kick it off but we had no idea if anyone was below us.

After my run out pitch and Shelley's close call I was a little psyched out myself. The overhang above us looked intimidating. I took a couple of minutes to catch my breath and get my head together.

The chimney up through the overhang wasn't too bad. I indulged my bad habit of jamming myself too far in so I feel more secure and don't feel so exposed. Of course, once you're wedged in securely it gets hard to move, making it more of a struggle than it really needs to be. On the positive side, thrashing up the chimney was the only time on the whole climb when I was warm! Again the protection wasn't great but a little creativity found me a few placements. I could have used the big cam but Shelley had it in the belay so I used the biggest hex, old school :-)

determined to lead the last pitch

In the spirit of getting back on the horse, Shelley led the last (easy) pitch. It felt good to be finished the climb. But, as any climber will tell you, getting to the top is only half the battle. We still had to get down. And having flailed on the route and wasted a lot of time, it was now 3:30 and the gate closed at 5:00. So we had no time to relax or eat lunch.

The descent was mostly straightforward since it was a walk off and we'd done it before. But first we had to find a way to get to the descent gully. I traversed right but was blocked by cliffs. I came back and tried to go left. That didn't work either. We descended and crawled through a tunnel under some huge blocks to get into a gulley that led downward. Unfortunately it ended in a cliff as well. Back up the gully and over into another only to reach another drop off. Except this one had rap slings and at the bottom we could see the path in the descent gully. Thankfully the remainder of the descent went smoothly and we made it out before they locked the gate.

Don't get the wrong idea, this wasn't some epic dramatic adventure. Just a moderate climb that we fumbled on a bit and had a close call on. I doubt we'll do this particular route again, but we'll no doubt do other multi-pitch trad routes, hopefully in a smoother more enjoyable style!

NOTE: If you're looking for a more gentle introduction to multi-pitch trad at Red Rocks you might want to try Johnny Vegas - shorter, easier route finding, well protected, bolted belays, and a straightforward bolted rap route down.

See also Shelley's post about this climb

Red Rocks

We're three days into climbing at Red Rocks. The first day we warmed up on bolted sport climbs at first pullout (Panty Wall and Hamlet). The next day we did a longer multi-pitch trad route called Johnny Vegas. And today we did more sport climbs at Meeting Wall at the second pullout, including a few (for us) harder ones. We usually alternate days of sport climbing and multi-pitch trad routes. If you come to Red Rocks and only sport climb you're really missing out. The longer trad routes are great, and even if you're not that confident trad climbing there are lots of good moderate routes.

It's always hard to take climbing photos when there's only the two of us. Here are a couple from Johnny Vegas.

Shelley starting to lead the first pitch

Shelley following the second pitch

After three days of climbing I'm starting to feel a little worn out. Tomorrow we're planning to take a rest day and go to Springs Preserve (recommended).

8 out of 10 ain't bad

We've climbed 8 out of the last 10 days. (Missed one day due to rain and one day to driving.) It's been great but I'm beat! My hands hurt, my feet hurt, not to mention my collection of bumps, scrapes, and bruises. Could also have something to do with age :-) On the positive side, we're climbing as well as we ever have, not that that is saying much relative to current standards! Doesn't hurt to get in more time on the rock than when we were both working full time.

Time to go back to work and recover!

Phoenix Climbing

After spending the morning at the arboretum we went to the nearby Queen Creek climbing area for the afternoon. I don't know if we were having a bad day or weren't used to the rock, or whether the grades are really stiff here, but we struggled on 5.9 sport routes whereas normally we'd find that grade straightforward.





The next day we chose a climb called The Crying Dinosaur which is on the end of Superstition Mountain, accessed via Lost Dutchman State Park, just near where we were staying. It took us a while to find the route, partly because you can't see it until you've already gone too far on the main trail. It was easy but fun, with great views from the top, and a long free rappel on the descent.







See all 12 photos as a slideshow or overview

See also Shelley's blog post

Red Rocks Two

After our "rest" day, we headed back out climbing. First day we went to "The Hamlet" at the first pullout and did a bunch more sport routes. Second day we got a little more ambitious and did Olive Oil - a 5 pitch, 600 foot, 5.7 trad route. Third day we went back to the first pullout and climbed on Panty Wall and Civilization Crag, finishing on a couple of 5.10's which is about as hard as we wanted to climb by that point. Both of us were feeling a little worn out after six days of climbing.













Our La Quinta was full on Friday night - Valentine's Day and a long weekend here - so we moved to the Red Rock Hotel and Casino. It's the closest hotel to the climbing, except there was a police shooting that closed down the highway and meant we had to make a 20 mile detour! Of course, all the restaurants were totally booked, but we managed to get a table in the pub type place with only a 45 minute wait. And, being Vegas, we could carry a glass of wine from the restaurant back to our room.

See all 19 photos as a slideshow or overview

Red Rocks Climbing

We've spent the last three days climbing at Red Rocks. I wish Red Rocks was anywhere but just outside Las Vegas, but what can you do. We're staying at our usual spot - the La Quinta on W. Sahara. It's on the edge of town nearest to Red Rocks, the rooms have kitchen facilities, and it's reasonably inexpensive. We haven't been anywhere near the strip (it's about 15 km away).

Our first day we climbed on Ultraman wall at the first pullout on the loop road. We did a bunch of moderate sport routes and got warmed up on the rock.





The second day we went to the Ragged Edges area and did a bunch of moderate single pitch trad routes. It's been a while since we did any trad climbing so it was good to warm up on that as well.

Both days it was pretty cool in the shade, although reasonable in the sun. Today was warmer.

Today we climbed Cat in the Hat - a classic Red Rocks route. We climbed most of this route in 2006, but it's very popular and we got caught up in a gaggle of parties, many of which were slow and awkward. We gave up before the top and still had a gong show getting down since you rappel the same route everyone is coming up.

We left the hotel at 6:30 am to grab coffee and get an early start on the route. The sunrise was quite nice.



It's about a 45 minute hike to the bottom. Cat in the Hat is on the left hand skyline of the middle tower.



We hoped it would be quieter on an early season week day. We were a bit disappointed when another couple of climbers arrived at the start just before us. But they climbed quickly and efficiently and weren't a problem at all. We did the 5 pitch route up and down in about 3.5 hours - not super fast, but reasonable time.

This is Shelley leading the first pitch:



Shelley looking up at me while I'm on the second rappel of the descent.



When we got down three climbers arrived at the bottom asking if this was Cat in the Hat. They had had trouble finding the route and had been climbing round the next corner. We had heard them when we arrived, but assumed they were on another route. Although it was bad luck for them, I have a feeling it was good luck for us. They decided to climb the first pitch as we were leaving, and they were very slow. We were glad we hadn't got stuck behind them.

On the big ledge at the top of the first pitch, Shelley had spotted an animal with a striped tail. Racoon? When we eating our lunch at the bottom after climbing the route, I saw an animal poke its head over a rock and look at us. For a second I thought someone had brought their Chihuahua with them. But then it scrambled over the rock and I saw its body and long striped tail. We stopped in at the visitor center on the way back and found out that they are ring-tailed cats, which are related to racoons and not actually cats at all. Strangely, they are "strictly" nocturnal and very seldom seen. I'm not sure why both these individuals were out and about in the daytime.

We also had another animal visit while we were climbing. I hadn't completely sealed the top of the pack and it found its way in, chewed a hole in the nylon pouch containing our food, and ate half a banana! Strangely, it didn't touch our trail mix or our bagels. Maybe the jalapenos in the bagels discouraged them :-) Shelley wasn't impressed because the nylon pouch was quite new. But better that than a hole in my pack. Judging by the size of the hole, I'm thinking it was a mouse, except I'm not sure how a mouse could eat half a banana! Maybe it was a team of mice :-)

The only other creatures we saw were little lizards running around on the warm rocks in the sun part way up the route.

Tomorrow Shelley is letting me have a rest day. We're planning to go to Springs Preserve and to REI.

See all 13 photos as a slideshow or an overview

Banff Rock

We just spent five days rock climbing around Banff using the new Banff Rock guidebook by Chris Perry. We hadn't rock climbed in the Banff area for a while and it was nice to find a bunch of moderate stuff to do.

This guide is a long awaited update to the old Banff Rock Climbs by Murray Toft. I'm pretty sure I bought my copy when it came out in 1985, probably at the Banff Book and Art Den at its old location in the Clock Tower Mall. (Sadly, this bookstore is no longer with us.) This guide led us up a lot of great climbs in the Banff area. My copy eventually got so worn from use that a friend had it rebound hardcover for us.

We arrived in Banff after lunch the first day so we just went to Robbie's Rock - about a 10 minute walk from the Mt. Norquay road. There are four bolted routes - a 5.7 and three 5.8's. It was a good warm up.

The next day we went to the Black Band area on Tunnel Mountain. It's another short approach. We did the two 5.8's, the two 5.9's, and two of the 5.10a's. We gave up after that because it was just too darned hot in the full sun! We hadn't expected +30c in the middle of September in the mountains!

Aftonroe is on the right hand buttress

Thursday we did Aftonroe - a nine pitch 5.7 sport route in the Guides Rock area of Mt. Cory. It's pretty cool to have a long easy bolted sport route. It wasn't especially challenging, but it was a lot of fun and great views. It took us about two hours to climb the route. (Some of the pitches are quite short.) We had the route to ourselves until the descent when we passed two other parties coming up as we rappelled the route.

We followed with a day at Sunshine Slabs and Paddock Wall. These are just at the start of the road up to Sunshine. The road was closed due to flood damage, but parking at the gate only added a few minutes walking to the climbs. Again, we climbed till the heat got to us.

Our last day we went back to the Black Band and did the rest of the 10a's and the 10b. We both agreed that these are some of the easier 10a's we've done. Not that we're complaining!

Shelley rappelling off one of the Black Band routes

A Near Death Experience

Thankfully not my death, and also thankfully in the end no one was hurt. Here's the story.

Shelley and I were climbing a route called Dryathlon, a trad route up a corner crack. A couple of girls asked if it was ok if they climbed the bolted sport route beside us. We said sure.

I reached the top and was belaying Shelley up. The girl reached the top and clipped into the anchors. She was young and fit and full of life. And also a bit distracted and in a bit of a hurry. I could hear someone down below yelling "off belay" (meaning they were no longer securing the rope). But the girl up at the top with me wasn't paying any attention so I assumed it must be another group. (There were about four groups climbing, all yelling to each other.)

She barely stopped to catch her breath and she began to back over the edge, expecting her partner to lower her. But it turned out it had been her partner yelling "off belay". She stepped back over the edge and dropped like a stone.

Her rope beside me flew through the anchors. She didn't make a sound. No last shriek from this girl.

For a fraction of a second I waited for the most sickening sound of my life, as her body hit the rocks a hundred feet below

And then the rope stopped. She'd fallen 30 or 40 feet, but luckily the cliff was vertical and relatively smooth and she hadn't hit anything. Shelley was shocked to see her plummet past her. And down below a guy in their group said "what the f*** just happened?"

After a few minutes her partner lowered her the rest of the way to the ground. Shelley finished our climb and we rapped off (carefully!)

When I got down she was belaying her partner on the same route. She was trying to act as if nothing had happened but she had to have been shaken. I asked her if she was ok. She said, "yes, thank you". I said "that was scary" and she answered simply "yes". Her earlier exuberance was definitely muted.

Honestly, we can't figure out how she survived. If her partner had really taken her off belay, she should have fallen all the way. And if she was still on belay, then she shouldn't have fallen at all. Maybe the rope snagged. Or maybe the rope was still through the belay device but hands off, and she managed to catch it, or it snagged. Whatever happened, she was extremely lucky.

It was a good reminder, to them, and to us, and to everyone, that climbing is a sport where you have to pay attention. Not because the teacher tells you so, but because if you don't, it can kill you. Every year there are fatal accidents just like this one.

 

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