Particulars
SE Corner Route, Beacon Rock, Beacon Rock State Park, Columbia Gorge, Washington
Beacon Rock is 848 feet in elevation.
Difficulty: this route consists of 3 pitches of max 5.7 rock climbing and, if you wish, another three pitches of easier ground. The approach is about 100 yards.
Appeal: Beacon Rock was named by none other than members of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805. I think this is the best multi-pitch climb within an hour of Portland, Oregon. Some people are just interested in the rock climbing so they rope off after the first three pitches. Others like the adventure, summit experience, and feeling of accomplishment from going all the way up and walking down. Still others may prefer the west side hiking trail.
Spam
Back in the day, I used to get this climb in at least once a year. Now-a-days, I just long for it. I remember the first time I did this route. I and my friends were novice rock leaders and it took three of us to get the first pitch done. I had a go at the thin crack first. It takes stoppers like sponges take water. I put in way too much gear and as a consequence spent too much time on it and blew out my fingers just below the roof. Drew took the next stab and he managed to get some pro in around the roof and lost his nerve on the friction crux. Friend number three got us up to the belay. Some one dropped their camera from here that day. We didn’t bother to retrieve it.
The alternate 5.6 start is a little off to the left of this direct 5.7 start. Its inobvious trail meanders up to an anchor from where you traverse to the top of the direct start. Ann dropped a lot of my gear in this section one year. I roped off and found some of it. What I couldn’t find, she replaced.
The second pitch starts out with a head scratcher, slightly overhung, unprotectable move over a lip to the sweetest climbing slabs I’ve ever seen. I think Drew did this one on our first day. There are a couple stuck cams in the cracks along the way here. Don’t waste any time trying to get them out. Once the slabs end you go left around a corner and up an easy face to a big rectangular platform with a solid tree right in the middle of it. Be kind to the tree – it has been a stalwart friend to many climbers. One year Terry led this pitch and instead of going around the corner went straight up to the tree. I managed to follow his lead but just barely.
Above this, a fun series of open books takes you to the south face of a big rock where some anchors await if you wish to rope off. If not, proceed up past some brush and a short off-width crack to an easy ramp that leads to the corner off to the right. Going left instead of right takes you over some 4th class ground to some ledges that you can bivy on, although I never have.
From this blocky corner, proceed up the ridge on easy ground with a couple of 5.5 moves in it. After a while a little trail veers right into the trees. Hike on up to the railing on the trail. If you want to see the summit, go right. If you want to go home, go left. One year my climbing partner turned an ankle in this section. She managed to make it to the trail where I enlisted the aid of a passer-by to carry all our rock gear and I carried her. …all the way to the car. She was cute and light and I didn’t mind but my heroics still didn’t get me a date with her.
Logistics
Beacon Rock is off Highway 14, twenty-nine miles east of Vancouver, Washington. You can find it in the Portland Rock Climbs book by Tim Olson. By the way, this is the Vancouver Washington that is just across the Columbia river from Portland, Oregon not Vancouver, Canada and not Washington D.C. Ok, I know most North American readers will find this sentence elementary but readers that are not so well versed in the geography of the United States may not know. I have met a few of these people.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Spam from Rooster Rock
Particulars
Rooster Rock, Columbia Gorge, Oregon
Difficulty: real easy with a pitch or so of 5.1 rock climbing.
Appeal: Despite its location, this basalt pinnacle is not climbed all that much. This is a great climb for the neophyte leader or the new climber or for anyone who appreciates a nice vantage point from which to admire the Columbia River Gorge.
Spam
I climbed this the first time with Tina. We were both pretty new to leading rock. I think I dorked up the lead somehow thus demonstrating how she could follow suit. One thing to keep in mind here: the freeway traffic can be a bit noisy so don’t expect real good communication with your climbing partner until you are both on the summit.
After having led several groups of neophytes up this rock, I can tell you that there are various odd peccadilloes that you can get ensnared in. Sometimes these things have the potential to turn dangerous. Like the time Sarah timidly began her rappel from the summit with a safety prussic tied above her belay device. She didn’t mind the prussic and when her feet slipped a little it did what it was supposed to and locked-up. She couldn’t seem to get her feet under her to get it released again. I rapped down to her on a separate rope, made a loop for her to stand on, and then helped her loosen the prussic and be on her way again. Once she was down, I just transferred my belay device to her rope and pulled the one I came down on and followed her down.
That wasn’t too bad but what about the time Kathy froze with fright at Matt’s bolt. She seemed fine as I led to the top but then she refused to leave the security of the bolt and follow my lead on up. I tied my end to the anchor and then using a prussic, used the rope as a fixed line. I got Kathy attached to the fixed line with a prussic too but she couldn’t get her feet to move to climb even with me next to her encouraging her. Finally, I had to attach her to the bolt again, climb my fixed line to free it, rappel back to her position and then rig an assisted rappel to get her down. She was practically screaming the whole way until I pointed out that her feet were once more on the trail. She did buy me a beer afterwards but clearly had the idea that hanging out with me would mean climbing and she knew she didn’t want any more of that. That’s my story. I’m sticking to it.
Logistics
The best way to do this is to drive east on I-84 from Portland, Oregon past Rooster Rock and take the Rooster Rock State Park exit. Now, get back on the freeway heading west and park off to the side just before the guardrail begins. Hike along the guardrail to the west side of Rooster Rock then turn right into the tall grass and head straight for the base of the rock. You should encounter a climber’s trail that will lead you to a big tree at the base of the rock. This is where you rope up. The fist little bit is just some scrambling over mossy, blocky basalt up to a face with a bolt. Matt put the bolt there. He told me so. Thank you, Matt. I suggest setting an anchor here and starting the real first pitch from this point. Climb up and right following a broken gutter up to a spiny point. Turn left and keep going, the summit is only ten feet away. Set the belay and bring up everyone else you brought with you.
Hang out and enjoy the Gorge views for a while. That is why you came here, anyway. When you get ready to leave, set a double rope rappel from the chains. You should use 60m ropes. Please remember to tie knots in the end of your ropes too.
Rooster Rock, Columbia Gorge, Oregon
Difficulty: real easy with a pitch or so of 5.1 rock climbing.
Appeal: Despite its location, this basalt pinnacle is not climbed all that much. This is a great climb for the neophyte leader or the new climber or for anyone who appreciates a nice vantage point from which to admire the Columbia River Gorge.
Spam
I climbed this the first time with Tina. We were both pretty new to leading rock. I think I dorked up the lead somehow thus demonstrating how she could follow suit. One thing to keep in mind here: the freeway traffic can be a bit noisy so don’t expect real good communication with your climbing partner until you are both on the summit.
After having led several groups of neophytes up this rock, I can tell you that there are various odd peccadilloes that you can get ensnared in. Sometimes these things have the potential to turn dangerous. Like the time Sarah timidly began her rappel from the summit with a safety prussic tied above her belay device. She didn’t mind the prussic and when her feet slipped a little it did what it was supposed to and locked-up. She couldn’t seem to get her feet under her to get it released again. I rapped down to her on a separate rope, made a loop for her to stand on, and then helped her loosen the prussic and be on her way again. Once she was down, I just transferred my belay device to her rope and pulled the one I came down on and followed her down.
That wasn’t too bad but what about the time Kathy froze with fright at Matt’s bolt. She seemed fine as I led to the top but then she refused to leave the security of the bolt and follow my lead on up. I tied my end to the anchor and then using a prussic, used the rope as a fixed line. I got Kathy attached to the fixed line with a prussic too but she couldn’t get her feet to move to climb even with me next to her encouraging her. Finally, I had to attach her to the bolt again, climb my fixed line to free it, rappel back to her position and then rig an assisted rappel to get her down. She was practically screaming the whole way until I pointed out that her feet were once more on the trail. She did buy me a beer afterwards but clearly had the idea that hanging out with me would mean climbing and she knew she didn’t want any more of that. That’s my story. I’m sticking to it.
Logistics
The best way to do this is to drive east on I-84 from Portland, Oregon past Rooster Rock and take the Rooster Rock State Park exit. Now, get back on the freeway heading west and park off to the side just before the guardrail begins. Hike along the guardrail to the west side of Rooster Rock then turn right into the tall grass and head straight for the base of the rock. You should encounter a climber’s trail that will lead you to a big tree at the base of the rock. This is where you rope up. The fist little bit is just some scrambling over mossy, blocky basalt up to a face with a bolt. Matt put the bolt there. He told me so. Thank you, Matt. I suggest setting an anchor here and starting the real first pitch from this point. Climb up and right following a broken gutter up to a spiny point. Turn left and keep going, the summit is only ten feet away. Set the belay and bring up everyone else you brought with you.
Hang out and enjoy the Gorge views for a while. That is why you came here, anyway. When you get ready to leave, set a double rope rappel from the chains. You should use 60m ropes. Please remember to tie knots in the end of your ropes too.
Spam from Symmetry Spire
Particulars
Southwest Ridge Route, Symmetry Spire, Grand Teton national Park, Wyoming
Pinnacle Peak is 10,560 feet above sea level.
Difficulty: This climb can be done from your car in a day provided all goes well and you are in good physical condition. The approach is about four miles and there are five to eight pitches of 5.6 to 5.7 granite from the base to the summit. There is only 3,777 feet of gain for this entire day.
Appeal: This is a damn fine climb to another Teton summit with views that hurt your eyes they are so beautiful. Heck, just doing the approach was a lot of fun.
Spam
Drew and I set out to do this. We parked the car at String Lake and hiked around the north side of Jenny Lake on the Valley trail then hiked up the Horse trail. A little beyond the Baxter Pinnacle climber’s trail is one that goes up Symmetry Couloir. If you encounter the Cascade Canyon trail, you have gone too far. There are a few little spots with a bit of climbing on the approach trail. I enjoyed it. It is really pretty up here. We caught up to some old guy taking a break who told us he was on his way to climb Cube Point. This is a 4th class climb and I have always wanted to go back and do it. But Drew and I were intent on our objective so we parted ways with this guy.
I led the first pitch. As I was belaying Drew another climber came up to my position and casually set a single chock for an anchor and began hauling up his second. He was an older fellow and seemed so at home on the rock that I thought maybe he was guiding someone. I asked him if he was of the Exum Guides. He said that he used to work with them but didn’t any more. He didn’t seem like he wanted conversation so I left him to his belaying and did likewise. As Drew crested and saw the fellow he said, “Are you Ivon Chounard?” Well, I haven’t been keeping up with climbing celebrities but I did know that Ivon Chounard was the founder of Black Diamond Equipment Co., a maker of climbing gear, and of Patagonia, Inc., a high tech outdoor clothing manufacturer. I had read about Ivon in books like Camp Four and an article in Outdoor Magazine.
Next Ivon’s second showed up and she turned out to be a beautiful young lady of about 20 from New York. As we climbed, we entered into various conversations with Ivon and his pretty second who kept distracting us from the sensational Teton scenery. At one point she had difficulty cleaning one of Ivon’s placements. I was in a good position to come over and try my hand at it but even whacking at it with my cleaning tool and a rock proved ineffectual. I was sorely disappointed because I thought the piece was too damaged at that point for anyone to want to continue to climb on it so possibly Ivon might have given it to me as a souvenir. But alas, I could not remove it.
The four of us shared a lunch spot. As we were polishing off the last of our sandwiches, Ivon was gazing at the route above and his second was applying a generous coating of white chalk to her hands. We had just been discussing some point of climbing ethics and she said to Ivon, “What do think about chalk?” “I hate the shit,” was Ivon’s reply and I couldn’t help but emitting a chuckle. Ivon turned to look then seeing her hands he grinned too.
Once we were back down at the base of the climb I asked Ivon if he would pose in a picture with Drew and I. This is it:
{picture of Ivon, Drew, and Greg}
Too bad his second had to take the picture so she is not in it. Come to think of it, I should have asked Drew to take the shot. She is a lot better looking than Drew.
At this point Ivon explained to us that he had parked at the Jenny Lake ranger station and taken the southern trail around Jenny Lake. He thought that the trail to where we had parked was shorter and asked us for a ride. I was pleased to oblige. In the article I read about Ivon in Outside Magazine he was described as being a sort of climbing bum in his early life and had rose to become the millionaire owner of Patagonia. During one phase of his life he lived in an abandoned boiler at the foot of the Tetons. I guess old habits die hard.
Logistics
Take a look at the logistics section of Spam from The Grand Teton.
Southwest Ridge Route, Symmetry Spire, Grand Teton national Park, Wyoming
Pinnacle Peak is 10,560 feet above sea level.
Difficulty: This climb can be done from your car in a day provided all goes well and you are in good physical condition. The approach is about four miles and there are five to eight pitches of 5.6 to 5.7 granite from the base to the summit. There is only 3,777 feet of gain for this entire day.
Appeal: This is a damn fine climb to another Teton summit with views that hurt your eyes they are so beautiful. Heck, just doing the approach was a lot of fun.
Spam
Drew and I set out to do this. We parked the car at String Lake and hiked around the north side of Jenny Lake on the Valley trail then hiked up the Horse trail. A little beyond the Baxter Pinnacle climber’s trail is one that goes up Symmetry Couloir. If you encounter the Cascade Canyon trail, you have gone too far. There are a few little spots with a bit of climbing on the approach trail. I enjoyed it. It is really pretty up here. We caught up to some old guy taking a break who told us he was on his way to climb Cube Point. This is a 4th class climb and I have always wanted to go back and do it. But Drew and I were intent on our objective so we parted ways with this guy.
I led the first pitch. As I was belaying Drew another climber came up to my position and casually set a single chock for an anchor and began hauling up his second. He was an older fellow and seemed so at home on the rock that I thought maybe he was guiding someone. I asked him if he was of the Exum Guides. He said that he used to work with them but didn’t any more. He didn’t seem like he wanted conversation so I left him to his belaying and did likewise. As Drew crested and saw the fellow he said, “Are you Ivon Chounard?” Well, I haven’t been keeping up with climbing celebrities but I did know that Ivon Chounard was the founder of Black Diamond Equipment Co., a maker of climbing gear, and of Patagonia, Inc., a high tech outdoor clothing manufacturer. I had read about Ivon in books like Camp Four and an article in Outdoor Magazine.
Next Ivon’s second showed up and she turned out to be a beautiful young lady of about 20 from New York. As we climbed, we entered into various conversations with Ivon and his pretty second who kept distracting us from the sensational Teton scenery. At one point she had difficulty cleaning one of Ivon’s placements. I was in a good position to come over and try my hand at it but even whacking at it with my cleaning tool and a rock proved ineffectual. I was sorely disappointed because I thought the piece was too damaged at that point for anyone to want to continue to climb on it so possibly Ivon might have given it to me as a souvenir. But alas, I could not remove it.
The four of us shared a lunch spot. As we were polishing off the last of our sandwiches, Ivon was gazing at the route above and his second was applying a generous coating of white chalk to her hands. We had just been discussing some point of climbing ethics and she said to Ivon, “What do think about chalk?” “I hate the shit,” was Ivon’s reply and I couldn’t help but emitting a chuckle. Ivon turned to look then seeing her hands he grinned too.
Once we were back down at the base of the climb I asked Ivon if he would pose in a picture with Drew and I. This is it:
{picture of Ivon, Drew, and Greg}
Too bad his second had to take the picture so she is not in it. Come to think of it, I should have asked Drew to take the shot. She is a lot better looking than Drew.
At this point Ivon explained to us that he had parked at the Jenny Lake ranger station and taken the southern trail around Jenny Lake. He thought that the trail to where we had parked was shorter and asked us for a ride. I was pleased to oblige. In the article I read about Ivon in Outside Magazine he was described as being a sort of climbing bum in his early life and had rose to become the millionaire owner of Patagonia. During one phase of his life he lived in an abandoned boiler at the foot of the Tetons. I guess old habits die hard.
Logistics
Take a look at the logistics section of Spam from The Grand Teton.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Spam from Liberty Bell
Particulars
The Becky Route, Liberty Bell, North Cascades national Park, Washington
Difficulty: This is an easy jaunt: the approach is short and the climb consists of only four pitches of 5.6 on YDS scale.
Appeal: The North Cascades are breath-takingly beautiful. This climb is on excellent granite, is easy enough for the casual rock climber, and makes for a nice day. It seems to me that most North Cascades approaches belong to the excruciatingly difficult and harrowlingly strenuous category but here is one that does not. It is a great climb to sample this wonderful place without loosing 20,000 calories to do it. There are several other short climbs in this vicinity so if four pitches of granite is not enough for you, keep on climbing.
Spam
The first time I went to this place was with Drew and Edward. Drew and I swapped leads and trailed Edward. We arrived in the parking lot and hustled the two mile approach to try and get on the route in front of other climbers. This climb may not be listed in the 50 most crowded climbs book but is should be. We did our part to try and shoo away a curious mountain goat while we waited our turn at the base of the climb. Drew did the first pitch which is pretty easy then I got the second lead. I generally don’t like chimneys but this one is pretty cool. There is a tricky move or two but they protect nicely and I always felt safe. The next pitch fell to Drew again who encountered some route finding difficulty. “Go right, young man,” is my advice; however, if you are a real rock jock, try the left option. After this is the supposed 5.7 step. I don’t think it is 5.7 but if you want to feel like this route is more difficult, go ahead and call it a seven. A bit of rambling leads to the summit. We were all elated.
You can get down from the top of Liberty Bell with a little down climbing and one double rope rappel.
My subsequent visits to Liberty Bell have been due to failed climbs elsewhere in the North Cascades. There is no better way to retrieve a big road trip that takes a south turn than to get an easy – but not too easy – summit experience.
Logistics
This climb is written up in Selected Climbs in the North Cascades by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield. I’m pretty sure that Fred Becky wrote it up in one of his guides as well, after all, the route bears his name. If you can bear the tedium of reading Fred’s stuff, you go girl. If you head east after this climb, the town of Winchester is interesting and you will certainly be able to find some food and a beer somewhere in this tourist magnet.
The Becky Route, Liberty Bell, North Cascades national Park, Washington
Difficulty: This is an easy jaunt: the approach is short and the climb consists of only four pitches of 5.6 on YDS scale.
Appeal: The North Cascades are breath-takingly beautiful. This climb is on excellent granite, is easy enough for the casual rock climber, and makes for a nice day. It seems to me that most North Cascades approaches belong to the excruciatingly difficult and harrowlingly strenuous category but here is one that does not. It is a great climb to sample this wonderful place without loosing 20,000 calories to do it. There are several other short climbs in this vicinity so if four pitches of granite is not enough for you, keep on climbing.
Spam
The first time I went to this place was with Drew and Edward. Drew and I swapped leads and trailed Edward. We arrived in the parking lot and hustled the two mile approach to try and get on the route in front of other climbers. This climb may not be listed in the 50 most crowded climbs book but is should be. We did our part to try and shoo away a curious mountain goat while we waited our turn at the base of the climb. Drew did the first pitch which is pretty easy then I got the second lead. I generally don’t like chimneys but this one is pretty cool. There is a tricky move or two but they protect nicely and I always felt safe. The next pitch fell to Drew again who encountered some route finding difficulty. “Go right, young man,” is my advice; however, if you are a real rock jock, try the left option. After this is the supposed 5.7 step. I don’t think it is 5.7 but if you want to feel like this route is more difficult, go ahead and call it a seven. A bit of rambling leads to the summit. We were all elated.
You can get down from the top of Liberty Bell with a little down climbing and one double rope rappel.
My subsequent visits to Liberty Bell have been due to failed climbs elsewhere in the North Cascades. There is no better way to retrieve a big road trip that takes a south turn than to get an easy – but not too easy – summit experience.
Logistics
This climb is written up in Selected Climbs in the North Cascades by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield. I’m pretty sure that Fred Becky wrote it up in one of his guides as well, after all, the route bears his name. If you can bear the tedium of reading Fred’s stuff, you go girl. If you head east after this climb, the town of Winchester is interesting and you will certainly be able to find some food and a beer somewhere in this tourist magnet.
Spam from the Grand Teton
Particulars
The Owen – Spalding Route, The Grand Teton, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
The summit of the Grand Teton is 13,770 feet in elevation.
Difficulty: the two books I know that feature this climb claim that it is a grade II. This means that it is of moderate overall effort and will probably take most of a day. The definition of the grade goes babbling on about experience necessary and how easy it is to bail if things go badly. Let me just say that if things go badly on this mountain you might as well wish to trade places with Shackelton during his famous attempt to reach the South Pole. As far as the rock climbing goes, this is a 5.4. If the route is coated with ice, 5.4 will take on a whole new meaning for you. By the way, did I mention that the summit is at 13,770 feet? It is and this is high enough to make you wish for more oxygen.
Appeal: This is supposedly the easiest route to the top of the Grand Teton but don’t take it lightly – it is not easy. This summit is the highest in the Teton Range and is among the most majestic chunks of rock on our planet. Getting to the top of it is an experience of a life time. Do this. Don’t let your life slip by without climbing this peak.
{summit photo}
Spam
This was the second summit of my honeymoon with Tina. That said, I think my audience should be able to appreciate the depth of my sickness. She commented later that she would have preferred a trip to the Caribbean or Hawaii like other [more sane] people do. I have never really understood her perspective anyway.
This was also my first Teton Range summit and I had not any great depth of experience with leading big alpine climbs. Wanting to impress my new bride, I carried most of the gear including two ropes, a sizeable rack of rock protection devices, and enough camping gear and sundries to make us as comfortable as anyone staying in the Hilton Hotel at Cozumel. I made it about two miles up the Garnet Canyon trail from Lupine Meadow with all this junk and then stashed half of it in the woods. We continued on another six miles to Petzoldt Caves where we made camp. It was at this point when we discovered that all the food had been forgotten in the car. I made another round trip to retrieve the food and the junk in the woods.
The next day I got up and expounded on how it looked like a thunderstorm was approaching so we should take a rest day and maybe just day hike up to the Lower Saddle to check it out. This is what we did. Tina thought that I was just being lazy. In retrospect, I know she really wanted to be on a beach on some sunny island anyway and so I discount her opinions.
On the third day we got up appropriately early for an alpine start and hiked up to the Lower Saddle again. We kept going past the Black Dike, past the Chockstone Chimney, past the Eye of the Needle, and all the way to the Upper Saddle. Here we put on our rock climbing shoes, stashed our packs, and roped up. We marveled at the extreme exposure as we did the Belly Roll and the Crawl. Looking down at Idaho from this place is certainly awesome. The trees some several thousand feet below look like astro-turf. It was at the Double Chimney where we started finding trouble. The floor of this chimney was coated with ice and there were precious few foot holds on the sides. I recall jumping up, grabbing a horn of rock and doing a pull-up on it. I belly flopped over it and set an anchor. When Tina reached the point directly below the horn, she said, “How do you think I am going to get up there?” She is only five-foot-four but somehow endowed with enough skill to follow any stupid thing I climbed. I gave her a tight belay and up she came.
Beyond the upper reaches of the Double Chimney a wide series of slabs slant gradually upwards for almost a rope length. This feature, called the Catwalk, must certainly be easy if it is dry but it is still quite exposed. On this particular day the Catwalk was coated with verglass – a thin clear coating of ice that was beginning to melt on its surface. I proceeded up these slabs for nearly half a rope length without finding anywhere to place any protection. Finally, I found an old piton and I gladly clipped into it. More old pitons followed. From the end of the Catwalk we wandered upwards and after crossing an exposed snow field on the east side found the summit. I don’t remember how many pitches we belayed but it was a lot. I think under other conditions we wouldn’t have needed to belay so much of it but all the ice tended to make everything rather dicey.
The decent from the Grand involves finding a point near the south end of the Catwalk where a nice long free rappel begins. It is best to have a double rope for this. I think it is possible to get down with only one rope but you may have to swing to the belay. By the time we got to this point, we didn’t want to take on any more challenges. I recall that I set one more rap to get down the Chockstone Chimney just before reaching the Black Dike again. This probably isn’t really necessary but as tired as we were, it was for the best.
It was late when we returned to our camp at the Petzoldt Caves and I was happy to have completed such a wonderful adventure. Tina was happy to have survived and vowed to become more assertive about choosing vacation venues.
Logistics
Jackson, Wyoming is the nearest town. It is mostly a tourist hangout and a skiing venue in the wintertime but there is a climbing shop and there are numerous places to get a beer or a meal. The Climber’s Ranch owned by The American Alpine Club is the place to stay if you are a climber. They have cool little log cabins with bunks, communal showers, and a communal al fresco cooking and eating area. It is inexpensive. There are campgrounds in the park (you need a reservation) or a very expensive KOA a little south of Jackson.
It would be a good idea to understand the Grand Teton National Park system of permits. It is not necessary to have a permit to climb; however, you must have a permit to camp and most climbs in the Tetons will involve at least one overnight. The Park Service does not issue permits for the same day. You must get a permit for at least tomorrow but no more than three days in advance. Also, stays in a particular area are limited to two days. Therefore, it will help to be well versed with the various camp sites and areas for the climb you want to do. In general, it will not be possible to say, camp at the lower saddle and climb the Grand one day and Middle the next.
If you are coming from afar you will probably fly into Salt Lake City, Utah and drive up from there. Alternately, Horizon Airlines flies to Idaho Falls, Idaho and I’m pretty sure you could rent a car from there. You really need a car to get around when you go the Tetons so bring your own or rent one.
The Owen – Spalding Route is detailed in A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson as well as Teton Classics by Richard Rossiter. There is enough stuff to climb in the Tetons to keep you busy for most of a lifetime, I think and the heft of Ortenburger’s book attests to this.
The Owen – Spalding Route, The Grand Teton, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
The summit of the Grand Teton is 13,770 feet in elevation.
Difficulty: the two books I know that feature this climb claim that it is a grade II. This means that it is of moderate overall effort and will probably take most of a day. The definition of the grade goes babbling on about experience necessary and how easy it is to bail if things go badly. Let me just say that if things go badly on this mountain you might as well wish to trade places with Shackelton during his famous attempt to reach the South Pole. As far as the rock climbing goes, this is a 5.4. If the route is coated with ice, 5.4 will take on a whole new meaning for you. By the way, did I mention that the summit is at 13,770 feet? It is and this is high enough to make you wish for more oxygen.
Appeal: This is supposedly the easiest route to the top of the Grand Teton but don’t take it lightly – it is not easy. This summit is the highest in the Teton Range and is among the most majestic chunks of rock on our planet. Getting to the top of it is an experience of a life time. Do this. Don’t let your life slip by without climbing this peak.
{summit photo}
Spam
This was the second summit of my honeymoon with Tina. That said, I think my audience should be able to appreciate the depth of my sickness. She commented later that she would have preferred a trip to the Caribbean or Hawaii like other [more sane] people do. I have never really understood her perspective anyway.
This was also my first Teton Range summit and I had not any great depth of experience with leading big alpine climbs. Wanting to impress my new bride, I carried most of the gear including two ropes, a sizeable rack of rock protection devices, and enough camping gear and sundries to make us as comfortable as anyone staying in the Hilton Hotel at Cozumel. I made it about two miles up the Garnet Canyon trail from Lupine Meadow with all this junk and then stashed half of it in the woods. We continued on another six miles to Petzoldt Caves where we made camp. It was at this point when we discovered that all the food had been forgotten in the car. I made another round trip to retrieve the food and the junk in the woods.
The next day I got up and expounded on how it looked like a thunderstorm was approaching so we should take a rest day and maybe just day hike up to the Lower Saddle to check it out. This is what we did. Tina thought that I was just being lazy. In retrospect, I know she really wanted to be on a beach on some sunny island anyway and so I discount her opinions.
On the third day we got up appropriately early for an alpine start and hiked up to the Lower Saddle again. We kept going past the Black Dike, past the Chockstone Chimney, past the Eye of the Needle, and all the way to the Upper Saddle. Here we put on our rock climbing shoes, stashed our packs, and roped up. We marveled at the extreme exposure as we did the Belly Roll and the Crawl. Looking down at Idaho from this place is certainly awesome. The trees some several thousand feet below look like astro-turf. It was at the Double Chimney where we started finding trouble. The floor of this chimney was coated with ice and there were precious few foot holds on the sides. I recall jumping up, grabbing a horn of rock and doing a pull-up on it. I belly flopped over it and set an anchor. When Tina reached the point directly below the horn, she said, “How do you think I am going to get up there?” She is only five-foot-four but somehow endowed with enough skill to follow any stupid thing I climbed. I gave her a tight belay and up she came.
Beyond the upper reaches of the Double Chimney a wide series of slabs slant gradually upwards for almost a rope length. This feature, called the Catwalk, must certainly be easy if it is dry but it is still quite exposed. On this particular day the Catwalk was coated with verglass – a thin clear coating of ice that was beginning to melt on its surface. I proceeded up these slabs for nearly half a rope length without finding anywhere to place any protection. Finally, I found an old piton and I gladly clipped into it. More old pitons followed. From the end of the Catwalk we wandered upwards and after crossing an exposed snow field on the east side found the summit. I don’t remember how many pitches we belayed but it was a lot. I think under other conditions we wouldn’t have needed to belay so much of it but all the ice tended to make everything rather dicey.
The decent from the Grand involves finding a point near the south end of the Catwalk where a nice long free rappel begins. It is best to have a double rope for this. I think it is possible to get down with only one rope but you may have to swing to the belay. By the time we got to this point, we didn’t want to take on any more challenges. I recall that I set one more rap to get down the Chockstone Chimney just before reaching the Black Dike again. This probably isn’t really necessary but as tired as we were, it was for the best.
It was late when we returned to our camp at the Petzoldt Caves and I was happy to have completed such a wonderful adventure. Tina was happy to have survived and vowed to become more assertive about choosing vacation venues.
Logistics
Jackson, Wyoming is the nearest town. It is mostly a tourist hangout and a skiing venue in the wintertime but there is a climbing shop and there are numerous places to get a beer or a meal. The Climber’s Ranch owned by The American Alpine Club is the place to stay if you are a climber. They have cool little log cabins with bunks, communal showers, and a communal al fresco cooking and eating area. It is inexpensive. There are campgrounds in the park (you need a reservation) or a very expensive KOA a little south of Jackson.
It would be a good idea to understand the Grand Teton National Park system of permits. It is not necessary to have a permit to climb; however, you must have a permit to camp and most climbs in the Tetons will involve at least one overnight. The Park Service does not issue permits for the same day. You must get a permit for at least tomorrow but no more than three days in advance. Also, stays in a particular area are limited to two days. Therefore, it will help to be well versed with the various camp sites and areas for the climb you want to do. In general, it will not be possible to say, camp at the lower saddle and climb the Grand one day and Middle the next.
If you are coming from afar you will probably fly into Salt Lake City, Utah and drive up from there. Alternately, Horizon Airlines flies to Idaho Falls, Idaho and I’m pretty sure you could rent a car from there. You really need a car to get around when you go the Tetons so bring your own or rent one.
The Owen – Spalding Route is detailed in A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson as well as Teton Classics by Richard Rossiter. There is enough stuff to climb in the Tetons to keep you busy for most of a lifetime, I think and the heft of Ortenburger’s book attests to this.
Spam from Monkey Face
Particulars
The Pioneer Route, Monkey Face, Smith Rock, Oregon
Difficulty: this route is rated 5.7 A0 and is only five pitches long. Only one short pitch is 5.7 but it is one of the most frightening things I have ever done. Getting off of this thing requires a really long free rappel. I find these things scary also. I can’t help from thinking, “If my rope breaks, or my harness, or my belay devise, I will go splat and have about 3.4 seconds to think about it while I free fall first.” Of course, the ropes, harnesses, and belay devises are designed to never fail. If they do (in the USA anyway), many lawsuits get filed and fortunes change hands. Just ask Ivon Chounard if you don’t believe me.
Appeal: some people like getting the shit scared out of themselves.
{picture}
Spam
I set out to do this with Will, Dave, and Isaac. My fiancé at the time came along to watch. She had accompanied Will and I on a previous attempt. She is a quicker study than Will and I. Dave suffered from poor judgment (he accompanied me on other climbs later) and Isaac from inexperience. We all made it up to the Bohn Street ledge without any difficulty. There is a good place to bail from this ledge. None of us had the good sense to do so. Isaac and Dave set off up the bolt ladder above and Will and I sat and waited. Neither of us was able to think of a good excuse to go home. When it came to our turn, Will led up the bolt ladder to the cave. The bolt ladder consists of expansion bolts placed in holes drilled in the rock about every three feet or so. Each bolt has a bolt hanger attached to it. To climb it, you use a pair of little ladders made of nylon webbing called aiders or etriers which you clip to the bolt hangers. The pioneer route sees a lot of traffic. I don’t know how long the bolts have been there and I don’t know how many climbers have used them. I do know that most of them are loose and some of them are so loose that you could pluck them out with your little finger. No one does. Everyone wishes them to stay in place. Somehow they do. I think.
Once Will and I made it into the cave, we had to wait on Dave and Isaac again. Hanging out in the cave is not that much fun. The floor is slopey and polished. You can’t stand. If you drop anything it will skitter over the edge and be lost to you forever. There are, at least, plenty of bolt hangers on the floor of the cave and I clipped into one of these to enhance my safety as we waited for Dave and Isaac to get up their courage and get out of the cave.
The 5.7 pitch above is called Panic Point. To lead this, you go to the edge of the cave and clip a quick draw to the highest bolt hanger you can reach, clip your rope to that, reach up and find hand holds, squirm your body around so you face the rock and climb on up. It doesn’t matter if you look down or not. Nothing can block the image of the 500 feet of space between you and the ground at that point. You know it is there whether you look at it or not. You would think that all the adrenaline that this must generate would make your hand feel stronger. It doesn’t. You feel weak as a kitten and this 5.7 might as well be a 5.14. After the panic passes, get on up there. Once past this, there was only a little more easier rock to the top.
The decent consist of two raps. The first takes you over the cave – watch out that you don’t hit your head. The second is a long free rappel that brings you back near the starting point. The Springboard is an over hanging lip on the opposite face from the cave. It is an excellent vantage point to watch the entire climb and decent. The wiser members of your party will hang out here.
Logistics
Smith Rock is an Oregon state park and features tent camping. It is also possible to find a cabin to rent in the neighborhood. Terrebone, Oregon is the closest town and you can find breakfast, dinner, or a cold beer there. Bend is the nearest place with an airport and Horizon Airlines flies here from Portland, Oregon. Alternately, you can drive from Portland in about three hours.
The Pioneer Route along with many other great climbs are cataloged in Climber’s Guide to Smith Rock by Alan Watts. The book is pretty hefty and it is likely that you will find lots of great climbing here.
The Pioneer Route, Monkey Face, Smith Rock, Oregon
Difficulty: this route is rated 5.7 A0 and is only five pitches long. Only one short pitch is 5.7 but it is one of the most frightening things I have ever done. Getting off of this thing requires a really long free rappel. I find these things scary also. I can’t help from thinking, “If my rope breaks, or my harness, or my belay devise, I will go splat and have about 3.4 seconds to think about it while I free fall first.” Of course, the ropes, harnesses, and belay devises are designed to never fail. If they do (in the USA anyway), many lawsuits get filed and fortunes change hands. Just ask Ivon Chounard if you don’t believe me.
Appeal: some people like getting the shit scared out of themselves.
{picture}
Spam
I set out to do this with Will, Dave, and Isaac. My fiancé at the time came along to watch. She had accompanied Will and I on a previous attempt. She is a quicker study than Will and I. Dave suffered from poor judgment (he accompanied me on other climbs later) and Isaac from inexperience. We all made it up to the Bohn Street ledge without any difficulty. There is a good place to bail from this ledge. None of us had the good sense to do so. Isaac and Dave set off up the bolt ladder above and Will and I sat and waited. Neither of us was able to think of a good excuse to go home. When it came to our turn, Will led up the bolt ladder to the cave. The bolt ladder consists of expansion bolts placed in holes drilled in the rock about every three feet or so. Each bolt has a bolt hanger attached to it. To climb it, you use a pair of little ladders made of nylon webbing called aiders or etriers which you clip to the bolt hangers. The pioneer route sees a lot of traffic. I don’t know how long the bolts have been there and I don’t know how many climbers have used them. I do know that most of them are loose and some of them are so loose that you could pluck them out with your little finger. No one does. Everyone wishes them to stay in place. Somehow they do. I think.
Once Will and I made it into the cave, we had to wait on Dave and Isaac again. Hanging out in the cave is not that much fun. The floor is slopey and polished. You can’t stand. If you drop anything it will skitter over the edge and be lost to you forever. There are, at least, plenty of bolt hangers on the floor of the cave and I clipped into one of these to enhance my safety as we waited for Dave and Isaac to get up their courage and get out of the cave.
The 5.7 pitch above is called Panic Point. To lead this, you go to the edge of the cave and clip a quick draw to the highest bolt hanger you can reach, clip your rope to that, reach up and find hand holds, squirm your body around so you face the rock and climb on up. It doesn’t matter if you look down or not. Nothing can block the image of the 500 feet of space between you and the ground at that point. You know it is there whether you look at it or not. You would think that all the adrenaline that this must generate would make your hand feel stronger. It doesn’t. You feel weak as a kitten and this 5.7 might as well be a 5.14. After the panic passes, get on up there. Once past this, there was only a little more easier rock to the top.
The decent consist of two raps. The first takes you over the cave – watch out that you don’t hit your head. The second is a long free rappel that brings you back near the starting point. The Springboard is an over hanging lip on the opposite face from the cave. It is an excellent vantage point to watch the entire climb and decent. The wiser members of your party will hang out here.
Logistics
Smith Rock is an Oregon state park and features tent camping. It is also possible to find a cabin to rent in the neighborhood. Terrebone, Oregon is the closest town and you can find breakfast, dinner, or a cold beer there. Bend is the nearest place with an airport and Horizon Airlines flies here from Portland, Oregon. Alternately, you can drive from Portland in about three hours.
The Pioneer Route along with many other great climbs are cataloged in Climber’s Guide to Smith Rock by Alan Watts. The book is pretty hefty and it is likely that you will find lots of great climbing here.
Spam from Outer Space
Particulars
Outer Space, Snow Creek Wall, Leavenworth, Washington
Difficulty: About seven pitches of rock climbing – you should be able to do this in a day with no problem. The most difficult is the 5.9 traverse.
Appeal: this climb has been called the best rock climb in Washington State. From Two Tree Ledge upward it is a lot of fun. The 5.9 traverse is a great pumpy challenge. Right on its heals is some easier but still interesting ground. Then, come two pitches up the Shield on the sweetest hand crack with lots of chicken heads for your feet. This is definitely not to be missed.
{need picture}
Spam
Friday afternoon:
Chris and I headed up to the make-believe Bavarian village of Leavenworth this afternoon. It is a six hour drive from Portland, OR. We parked our cars at the Snow Creek trail-head just over four miles from Leavenworth. From there, we hiked about two miles and made a camp near the creek where a climber’s trail leads off to the base of Snow Creek Wall. During the night a wind storm sprang up and dead trees from an old burn in the area came crashing down all around. We calculated the odds of getting hit by one of them was probably pretty small so we snuggled into our sleeping bags and got as much sleep as we could. Daylight brought calm and we were filled with excitement over the prospect of our climb.
We hiked up the climber’s trail to the base of the wall and found the start of the climb without any difficulty. I led off and we simo-climbed the low fifth class pitches up to Two Tree Ledge. Here is a choice: a 5.8 crack on the left or a 5.9 crack a few feet to the right. Having been smoked on the polished 5.9 version before, I suggested trying the left side. Chris obliged then did the 5.9 traverse with aplomb. I found the traverse to be rather reachy and balancy and pumpy and just a bit exposed. I only notice the exposure when I worry I might be hanging (literally) in it at any second in the future. However, I managed to get past it without letting on to Chris. I got the next lead and wandered up around a corner to a place where I could find a belay about half-way to the Pedestal. Rope drag is the killer here. Chris continued the lead from the Pedestal to Library Ledge. This pitch gets about half-way up the Shield. The Shield is a big expanse of granite covered with chicken heads that make great holds. Going up this crack entails moving from one excellent hand jam to the next with numerous choices for foot holds. The crack takes gear anywhere you wish to place it so I always felt quite safe. There is one section along here where the chicken heads disappear and you have to use the crack for foot jams also.
I got the lead back at Library Ledge. The first ten feet or so above this point are the most difficult but then comes a return of that wonderful hand crack and foot hold studded face that makes this climb so much fun. To top it off, at the summit you are rewarded with some of the prettiest alpine vistas you could ever wish for. The decent is another matter. The trail off of this thing is steep and covered with small ball bearing like rocks and strewn with broken trees. But don’t let this thought spoil it for you – at least there is a walk off and you need not rappel.
Logistics
See A Climber’s Guide to Washington Rock by Don Brooks and David Whitelaw, Selected Climbs in the Cascades by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield, or Leavenworth Rock by Viktor Kramar. I think this is featured in the 50 most crowded climbs book too. Kramar has the best layup and Jim & Peter do the best description. If you were me, you would stay with my cousin in Leavenworth and try to get him to lead the hard pitches. But since even I can’t get him out to the rock these days, you might just cop a bivy at a campground in Icicle Canyon or even near the base of the climb. Please practice no trace etiquette. The KOA in Leavenworth is a great place to get an inexpensive shower later on.
Outer Space, Snow Creek Wall, Leavenworth, Washington
Difficulty: About seven pitches of rock climbing – you should be able to do this in a day with no problem. The most difficult is the 5.9 traverse.
Appeal: this climb has been called the best rock climb in Washington State. From Two Tree Ledge upward it is a lot of fun. The 5.9 traverse is a great pumpy challenge. Right on its heals is some easier but still interesting ground. Then, come two pitches up the Shield on the sweetest hand crack with lots of chicken heads for your feet. This is definitely not to be missed.
{need picture}
Spam
Friday afternoon:
Chris and I headed up to the make-believe Bavarian village of Leavenworth this afternoon. It is a six hour drive from Portland, OR. We parked our cars at the Snow Creek trail-head just over four miles from Leavenworth. From there, we hiked about two miles and made a camp near the creek where a climber’s trail leads off to the base of Snow Creek Wall. During the night a wind storm sprang up and dead trees from an old burn in the area came crashing down all around. We calculated the odds of getting hit by one of them was probably pretty small so we snuggled into our sleeping bags and got as much sleep as we could. Daylight brought calm and we were filled with excitement over the prospect of our climb.
We hiked up the climber’s trail to the base of the wall and found the start of the climb without any difficulty. I led off and we simo-climbed the low fifth class pitches up to Two Tree Ledge. Here is a choice: a 5.8 crack on the left or a 5.9 crack a few feet to the right. Having been smoked on the polished 5.9 version before, I suggested trying the left side. Chris obliged then did the 5.9 traverse with aplomb. I found the traverse to be rather reachy and balancy and pumpy and just a bit exposed. I only notice the exposure when I worry I might be hanging (literally) in it at any second in the future. However, I managed to get past it without letting on to Chris. I got the next lead and wandered up around a corner to a place where I could find a belay about half-way to the Pedestal. Rope drag is the killer here. Chris continued the lead from the Pedestal to Library Ledge. This pitch gets about half-way up the Shield. The Shield is a big expanse of granite covered with chicken heads that make great holds. Going up this crack entails moving from one excellent hand jam to the next with numerous choices for foot holds. The crack takes gear anywhere you wish to place it so I always felt quite safe. There is one section along here where the chicken heads disappear and you have to use the crack for foot jams also.
I got the lead back at Library Ledge. The first ten feet or so above this point are the most difficult but then comes a return of that wonderful hand crack and foot hold studded face that makes this climb so much fun. To top it off, at the summit you are rewarded with some of the prettiest alpine vistas you could ever wish for. The decent is another matter. The trail off of this thing is steep and covered with small ball bearing like rocks and strewn with broken trees. But don’t let this thought spoil it for you – at least there is a walk off and you need not rappel.
Logistics
See A Climber’s Guide to Washington Rock by Don Brooks and David Whitelaw, Selected Climbs in the Cascades by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield, or Leavenworth Rock by Viktor Kramar. I think this is featured in the 50 most crowded climbs book too. Kramar has the best layup and Jim & Peter do the best description. If you were me, you would stay with my cousin in Leavenworth and try to get him to lead the hard pitches. But since even I can’t get him out to the rock these days, you might just cop a bivy at a campground in Icicle Canyon or even near the base of the climb. Please practice no trace etiquette. The KOA in Leavenworth is a great place to get an inexpensive shower later on.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Spam from Guadalajara
Particulars
Nevado de Colima, Jalisco, México
About 13,845 feet in elevation – I have seen other figures that range up to as high as 14,600 but I don’t think it is so high.
Difficulty: This is a walk up on good trails, well marked and straight forward. The elevation is a factor so don’t take it too lightly but someone in reasonably fair physical condition can do this.
Appeal: This is the nearest mountain to Guadalajara. For me the logistics of getting there and away provided the biggest part of the adventure but this is still a nice hike on a cool volcanic mountain. It has birds-eye views of Vulcan de Colima which is a recently active volcano.
Spam
Friday
This is my third trip to Guadalajara and I'm a bit jaded by it now, especially since I've seen nothing but the airport, the hotel, and work. I certainly haven't seen anything worth taking a picture of. However, tomorrow I am going to go climb a mountain. It isn't technical or anything but it is a little over 4200m (probably about 13,845 ft -- higher than Hood, Adams, or Borah but less than Whitney or Rainier). I have brought my hiking boots and a minimal pack with the kind of things I usually take hiking. The only thing I need is to fill my Camelback with water. It takes no less than seven requests of the hotel staff to get four liters of bottled water. They just can't understand why I want that much of it. I'm sure they now think I am as loony as Howard Hughes but I have my water.
Saturday
Using my entire Spanish vocabulary I manage to take a taxi to the Guadalajara bus station, get a ticket, get on the right bus to Ciudad Guzman, and get a taxi to take me about 25 kilometers to the National Park of Nevado de Colima. The road up here is rough and steep and rocky and I am quite amazed that the taxi could do it. Frankly, I didn't really think I could get this far! The taxi driver asks for 500 pesos for the trip. I think this is way too much but I give it to him without question because I want him to come back to get me later in the day. We have to negotiate this. He doesn't want to come later than 3:00pm but it is already 11:00am and now that I am here, I want enough time to get to the summit. He finally agrees to 4:30pm.
Next I have to pay 10 pesos (about $1) and listen to a park ranger tell me not to attempt to go to Nevado del Fuego or any other peak besides Nevado de Colima. I don't understand much of what he says but I say "si" a lot and he thinks I understand. The hike is great. I don't take any breaks and I hike as fast as I am able because I really want to get back in time for the taxi. I see 2 white tail deer. I am accosted by another ranger about a half mile from the summit who gives me the same warnings as the first one. It got really cold up there and I even have to put on a jacket. There is a little snow hiding here and there. There are lots of great views and I get some nice pictures at the top. Yeah! I made it! I head down and make it to the ranger station by 4:15pm. Plenty early enough for the taxi.
I enjoy a break for a few minutes and continue hiking down the road thinking I will meet the taxi on the way up. By 4:35pm I am convinced of the truth: the taxi is not coming. I am not to happy about the thought of hiking the 25 km (15 and 1/2 miles) back to town. But I am saved! I hear a truck rumbling down the road and it stops. The front seat is full but the driver nods and points to the back in response to my request for a ride to town. The back of the truck is full of garbage! But it is mostly cardboard boxes and black plastic bags and it doesn't smell so I count my blessings and hop in. The truck takes off like the devil is driving it. Tree branches whack the sides. Every bump tosses me into the air and I am afraid I will be thrown out. I lean back on the trash which fortunately makes a good cushion and brace my feet up on the rails in an attempt to stay on board! At every turn I hear and feel the wheels skidding in the gravel and I pray that all the garbage will save me. Dust billows in so much that I have to keep my eyes closed most of the time -- just as well because it is too scarry to look out. My left arm is wrenched and to add insult to injury, it starts to rain.
Glory be! We arrive back on a paved road at the base of the mountain! But we don't stop! In fact, without hesitation we zoom past Ciudad Guzman and I am sure I am about to get to see the local dump. Sure enough, that is where we go. I help throw the garbage out of the truck. I don't let on but I am a bit worried about the whole situation. I am again about 10 miles from town and seemingly at the mercy of a garbage truck driver. However, when the truck is clean, the driver asks me where I want to go. I tell him about Hotel Tlayolan (gly-o-lon). He confers with the other guys on the scene then says, "ok" and we head off again. The truck drops me right at the hotel. This is supposed to be the nicest hotel in Ciudad Guzman so I am sure they don't have too many guests show up in garbage trucks but my American Express card was accepted quickly enough. Like they say here, "llavays al mundo" (the keys to the world).
Now, I am sure Dave J. will say, "I told you, you should rent a car." However, I am still safe and sound and I don't have to contemplate the complexities of driving in Mexico. Damn, I am ready to come home. Oh, and just in case riding in a garbage truck could have negative health consequences, I **am** taking my Cipro!
All my best,
Greg
Logistics:
Guadalajara is served by several major airlines from the United States. It is about a four hour flight from Los Angeles, California. Ciudad de Guzman is about 60km south of Guadalajara (Mexico’s second largest city). Judging by my experience, you may want to rent a car in Guadalajara but taking public transportation definitely adds to the adventure of the experience.
From Ciudad de Guzman, here is a map sketch to find the park and the start of the hike:
{insert sketch here}
Take Highway 54 south. Take the Ciudad Guzman exit. Turn left and cross the overpass back over the highway. After about 500m turn right at the first big intersection. Look for a sign to the “instituto tecnologico”. At the traffic light 500m later exit to the right, and follow the road going under the bridge. On the right you will see the Instituto tecnologico. Continue straight ahead and pass by a jail and a gas station. Veer right and about 400m later you will see a white building on the left side, and a sign, “Parque Nacional Nevado de Colima”. Turn left, into the dirt road, continue 16 km till the ranger station. There park the car and start walking. The park ranger at the gate gave me a little brochure with a map but I found the trail easy to navigate to the summit intuitively.
If you need a hotel in town, I recommend the Hotel Tlayolan, Javier Mina No. 35, Cd. Guzman, Jalisco, telephone 011.52.412.33.17.
Nevado de Colima, Jalisco, México
About 13,845 feet in elevation – I have seen other figures that range up to as high as 14,600 but I don’t think it is so high.
Difficulty: This is a walk up on good trails, well marked and straight forward. The elevation is a factor so don’t take it too lightly but someone in reasonably fair physical condition can do this.
Appeal: This is the nearest mountain to Guadalajara. For me the logistics of getting there and away provided the biggest part of the adventure but this is still a nice hike on a cool volcanic mountain. It has birds-eye views of Vulcan de Colima which is a recently active volcano.
Spam
Friday
This is my third trip to Guadalajara and I'm a bit jaded by it now, especially since I've seen nothing but the airport, the hotel, and work. I certainly haven't seen anything worth taking a picture of. However, tomorrow I am going to go climb a mountain. It isn't technical or anything but it is a little over 4200m (probably about 13,845 ft -- higher than Hood, Adams, or Borah but less than Whitney or Rainier). I have brought my hiking boots and a minimal pack with the kind of things I usually take hiking. The only thing I need is to fill my Camelback with water. It takes no less than seven requests of the hotel staff to get four liters of bottled water. They just can't understand why I want that much of it. I'm sure they now think I am as loony as Howard Hughes but I have my water.
Saturday
Using my entire Spanish vocabulary I manage to take a taxi to the Guadalajara bus station, get a ticket, get on the right bus to Ciudad Guzman, and get a taxi to take me about 25 kilometers to the National Park of Nevado de Colima. The road up here is rough and steep and rocky and I am quite amazed that the taxi could do it. Frankly, I didn't really think I could get this far! The taxi driver asks for 500 pesos for the trip. I think this is way too much but I give it to him without question because I want him to come back to get me later in the day. We have to negotiate this. He doesn't want to come later than 3:00pm but it is already 11:00am and now that I am here, I want enough time to get to the summit. He finally agrees to 4:30pm.
Next I have to pay 10 pesos (about $1) and listen to a park ranger tell me not to attempt to go to Nevado del Fuego or any other peak besides Nevado de Colima. I don't understand much of what he says but I say "si" a lot and he thinks I understand. The hike is great. I don't take any breaks and I hike as fast as I am able because I really want to get back in time for the taxi. I see 2 white tail deer. I am accosted by another ranger about a half mile from the summit who gives me the same warnings as the first one. It got really cold up there and I even have to put on a jacket. There is a little snow hiding here and there. There are lots of great views and I get some nice pictures at the top. Yeah! I made it! I head down and make it to the ranger station by 4:15pm. Plenty early enough for the taxi.
I enjoy a break for a few minutes and continue hiking down the road thinking I will meet the taxi on the way up. By 4:35pm I am convinced of the truth: the taxi is not coming. I am not to happy about the thought of hiking the 25 km (15 and 1/2 miles) back to town. But I am saved! I hear a truck rumbling down the road and it stops. The front seat is full but the driver nods and points to the back in response to my request for a ride to town. The back of the truck is full of garbage! But it is mostly cardboard boxes and black plastic bags and it doesn't smell so I count my blessings and hop in. The truck takes off like the devil is driving it. Tree branches whack the sides. Every bump tosses me into the air and I am afraid I will be thrown out. I lean back on the trash which fortunately makes a good cushion and brace my feet up on the rails in an attempt to stay on board! At every turn I hear and feel the wheels skidding in the gravel and I pray that all the garbage will save me. Dust billows in so much that I have to keep my eyes closed most of the time -- just as well because it is too scarry to look out. My left arm is wrenched and to add insult to injury, it starts to rain.
Glory be! We arrive back on a paved road at the base of the mountain! But we don't stop! In fact, without hesitation we zoom past Ciudad Guzman and I am sure I am about to get to see the local dump. Sure enough, that is where we go. I help throw the garbage out of the truck. I don't let on but I am a bit worried about the whole situation. I am again about 10 miles from town and seemingly at the mercy of a garbage truck driver. However, when the truck is clean, the driver asks me where I want to go. I tell him about Hotel Tlayolan (gly-o-lon). He confers with the other guys on the scene then says, "ok" and we head off again. The truck drops me right at the hotel. This is supposed to be the nicest hotel in Ciudad Guzman so I am sure they don't have too many guests show up in garbage trucks but my American Express card was accepted quickly enough. Like they say here, "llavays al mundo" (the keys to the world).
Now, I am sure Dave J. will say, "I told you, you should rent a car." However, I am still safe and sound and I don't have to contemplate the complexities of driving in Mexico. Damn, I am ready to come home. Oh, and just in case riding in a garbage truck could have negative health consequences, I **am** taking my Cipro!
All my best,
Greg
Logistics:
Guadalajara is served by several major airlines from the United States. It is about a four hour flight from Los Angeles, California. Ciudad de Guzman is about 60km south of Guadalajara (Mexico’s second largest city). Judging by my experience, you may want to rent a car in Guadalajara but taking public transportation definitely adds to the adventure of the experience.
From Ciudad de Guzman, here is a map sketch to find the park and the start of the hike:
{insert sketch here}
Take Highway 54 south. Take the Ciudad Guzman exit. Turn left and cross the overpass back over the highway. After about 500m turn right at the first big intersection. Look for a sign to the “instituto tecnologico”. At the traffic light 500m later exit to the right, and follow the road going under the bridge. On the right you will see the Instituto tecnologico. Continue straight ahead and pass by a jail and a gas station. Veer right and about 400m later you will see a white building on the left side, and a sign, “Parque Nacional Nevado de Colima”. Turn left, into the dirt road, continue 16 km till the ranger station. There park the car and start walking. The park ranger at the gate gave me a little brochure with a map but I found the trail easy to navigate to the summit intuitively.
If you need a hotel in town, I recommend the Hotel Tlayolan, Javier Mina No. 35, Cd. Guzman, Jalisco, telephone 011.52.412.33.17.
Why Spam?
I have inflicted many of my stories on my friends and relatives via e-mail. Mass, unsolicited e-mail is referred to as spam. I don’t know why. I’m sure that it has no reference to the meat product that the Marine Corps used to feed me occasionally. Mostly, my kind and indulgent friends ignore my spam but occasionally, they respond with a comment along the lines of, “You should write a book.” Well, I reasoned, if Bill Bryson can write a whole slew of books along the lines of A Walk in the Woods, then surely someone will appreciate my prattling on about my experiences. After all, the only passage I recall from A Walk in the Woods that I thought was actually funny was the description of his friend casting aside canned hams from his backpack a mile or so into the Adirondack trail. I should note that I don’t know Bill Bryson. I have never even met him. I’m pretty sure that he will want to keep it that way.
Other than that, I have noted that I have a whole bookshelf filled with guidebooks: travel guides, climbing guides, hiking guides, paddling guides, and etc. There is a recipe to them all. Each pertains to a specific sport and vicinity: for instance, hiking and Idaho, or climbing and Smith Rock, or kissing and the Northwest. Frankly, I am bored with this recipe and I want to do something different. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because Mark Twain’s travelogues are boring. He did something different and wrote Huckleberry Finn and found success. Great, now someone will accuse me of maligning Mark Twain.
Mostly I hope that some description, or idea, or story that I have put down on these pages will inspire some wonderful adventures for others. Also, I hope that none of the people I have mentioned (Would it help if I just claimed that I made up all the names?) will take offence at my recounting of our experiences. I will go only so far as to allow that they may have a different recollection than I do. I hope they are having good times wherever they are. This especially pertains to my ex-wife who was party to several of the adventures I’ve shared here. I admit that I am not always so kind to her memory; however, what man ever places his ex-wife on a pedestal? I also hope that my ex-wife’s successor will not take offence at my telling of my adventures with my ex-wife. If I have learned nothing else, I have learned that wives can be sensitive. Ok, that is as deep as I wish to dig this hole I am standing in right now.
Cheers,Greg
Other than that, I have noted that I have a whole bookshelf filled with guidebooks: travel guides, climbing guides, hiking guides, paddling guides, and etc. There is a recipe to them all. Each pertains to a specific sport and vicinity: for instance, hiking and Idaho, or climbing and Smith Rock, or kissing and the Northwest. Frankly, I am bored with this recipe and I want to do something different. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because Mark Twain’s travelogues are boring. He did something different and wrote Huckleberry Finn and found success. Great, now someone will accuse me of maligning Mark Twain.
Mostly I hope that some description, or idea, or story that I have put down on these pages will inspire some wonderful adventures for others. Also, I hope that none of the people I have mentioned (Would it help if I just claimed that I made up all the names?) will take offence at my recounting of our experiences. I will go only so far as to allow that they may have a different recollection than I do. I hope they are having good times wherever they are. This especially pertains to my ex-wife who was party to several of the adventures I’ve shared here. I admit that I am not always so kind to her memory; however, what man ever places his ex-wife on a pedestal? I also hope that my ex-wife’s successor will not take offence at my telling of my adventures with my ex-wife. If I have learned nothing else, I have learned that wives can be sensitive. Ok, that is as deep as I wish to dig this hole I am standing in right now.
Cheers,Greg
Spam from Snake Dike
Particulars
The Snake Dike route, Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California
The elevation of the top of Half Dome is 8,842 feet.
Difficulty: This climb is rated 5.7R. The “R” for “runout” means that there is substantial distance between protection. In other words, you could fall a long way. What is not said here is that most of the runout is on easier ground and the 5.7 sections are short and have a little more protection. Still, I would not advertise that anyone should regard this climb as anything less than a potentially dangerous, intrepid, arduous adventure. This is a sixteen mile round trip with a gain of 4,842 feet for the day.
Appeal: rock climbers like to say they have done this 5.7R quietly, like modest school marms, and then describe the dangerous 80 foot runouts and the terrifying view from the Springboard as their audiences gape in awe. Rock climbers that have done this climb many times are just sick. Please be understanding of that sort, there is no cure for their addiction. Once I even did this climb two days in a row.
Spam
Cindy was looking for a boyfriend. I wasn’t it but she did think of me as a friend. She would hang out a Camp Four and talk to climbers and take them for test drives. Chris was one of the climbers who she talked with but wasn’t inclined to test out. Chris wanted to climb Snake Dike and was looking for a partner to do it with. So was I. Cindy hooked us up. Chris knew how this was done: get up early but not too early. Carry only four quick draws and two or three small cams, water, and lunch. A small lunch. Hike fast.
Early the next day we did that, starting at Happy Isles and hiking up past Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls on the Merced River before splitting off on a climber’s trail that led us to the start or Snake Dike. This climber’s trail is a little hard to follow at times and there are numerous cairns that can lead you on a circuitous hike. Never-the-less, a lot of climbers seem to navigate this path without too much difficulty. When we arrived at the start of the climb a lot of climbers had preceded us even on that early morning. There were six climbers in line before us waiting to rope up and every belay station above was occupied with at least two people. Chris took one look and said, “tools”, and turned away in disgust. Being the neophyte that I was, I wasn’t ready to start criticizing every other climber that I saw but I do recall it being quite a circus.
Eventually, we did get our turn and Chris led off. We alternated pitches after that so Chris got to do all the 5.7 sections. The first pitch starts off with a steepening ramp and then a little traverse over some “glacier polish” below a step. It is possible to set a piece of protection high and to the right of the step but I don’t recommend it. It really won’t help the leader if he or she falls and it imperils the second. Once around the step, it is short jog right to an anchor. The second pitch protects fairly well and is 5.6 at most. There is a little route finding difficulty as the leader approaches the anchor which is up on a dike after a short traverse. I know of one climber who missed the anchor and continued traversing onto more difficult terrain. They took a long skidding fall. This granite is about like a cheese grater if you slide on it. I have heard it suggested that one should run down the slope rather than allowing yourself to slide down it. This makes sense but is not instinctive. On the third pitch, there is a deceptive bolt off to the left after an initial traverse. Don’t clip it. Again, it positions the second for a big swing. After the first three pitches, the dike starts. It is knobby and easy to climb and there is a mid-pitch bolt every eighty feet and a two bolt anchor at the end of every rope length. We climbed without hesitation until we ran out of bolts and the grade eased to about 5.2. At this point we loss patience with the rope and untied and hiked solo up over the long shoulder to the summit.
On top Chris showed me the Diving Board. This feature protrudes a little over the vast vertical face of Half Dome. It slopes outward just a little and its surface is a little sandy. I crept out, unroped, and lied down on it then looked down at a team of climbers coming up the Regular Route. My mind said that I was slipping slightly outward. I struggled with this feeling and waved to the team below. I think I tried to say, “Hello,” but I’m not sure I was actually able to get the words out of my mouth. The team below returned my greeting. Feeling that I had accomplished what was necessary to show I wasn’t afraid, I retreated, trying not to do so too quickly. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.
Logistics
Fly, drive or hitch a ride. Merced, CA is the closest city of any size and if you are coming from far away you will probably fly into San Jose near San Francisco. There are busses from Merced and the big city. For train buffs, Amtrak will get you to Merced also. Once at the park, there is a shuttle bus service. You might stay in your own tent in Camp 4 or the Pines Campground, a tent cabin at Currie Village, or at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel – it all depends on your taste and your budget. In fact, there are so many transportation and lodging options that I couldn’t possibly describe them all. Try the Yosemite National Park web site. It is fairly comprehensive.
You need a wilderness permit to camp in the back country of Yosemite. It is permitted to camp on the shoulder of Half Dome so if you want to be first on the route, this is the way to do it. The price you will pay will be that you will need to carry your gear over the route. I wouldn’t recommend stashing it somewhere. I watched a bear mauling a backpack one day. Of course, this won’t happen to you, bad things only happen to other people. It is not permitted to camp on top of Half Dome and there are a few other camping area restrictions in the Yosemite back country. Again, the NPS has a good web site with lots of good info and advice.
Hiking Yosemite National Park by Suzanne Swedo and Rock Climbing Yosemite Free Climbs by Don Reid are good references. Snake Dike is also featured in Yosemite Valley Free Climbs by McNamara, Barnes, Roper, and Snyder from Supertopo. Supertopo does a really nice job with route descriptions and includes critical details that other authors leave out. The other authors might feel that supplying all those details would detract from your experience of adventure. If you buy this argument, you might as well not pick up any guide book at all and just figure it all out on your own after you get to your destination. For that matter, why decide on a destination in advance, anyway?
The Snake Dike route, Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California
The elevation of the top of Half Dome is 8,842 feet.
Difficulty: This climb is rated 5.7R. The “R” for “runout” means that there is substantial distance between protection. In other words, you could fall a long way. What is not said here is that most of the runout is on easier ground and the 5.7 sections are short and have a little more protection. Still, I would not advertise that anyone should regard this climb as anything less than a potentially dangerous, intrepid, arduous adventure. This is a sixteen mile round trip with a gain of 4,842 feet for the day.
Appeal: rock climbers like to say they have done this 5.7R quietly, like modest school marms, and then describe the dangerous 80 foot runouts and the terrifying view from the Springboard as their audiences gape in awe. Rock climbers that have done this climb many times are just sick. Please be understanding of that sort, there is no cure for their addiction. Once I even did this climb two days in a row.
Spam
Cindy was looking for a boyfriend. I wasn’t it but she did think of me as a friend. She would hang out a Camp Four and talk to climbers and take them for test drives. Chris was one of the climbers who she talked with but wasn’t inclined to test out. Chris wanted to climb Snake Dike and was looking for a partner to do it with. So was I. Cindy hooked us up. Chris knew how this was done: get up early but not too early. Carry only four quick draws and two or three small cams, water, and lunch. A small lunch. Hike fast.
Early the next day we did that, starting at Happy Isles and hiking up past Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls on the Merced River before splitting off on a climber’s trail that led us to the start or Snake Dike. This climber’s trail is a little hard to follow at times and there are numerous cairns that can lead you on a circuitous hike. Never-the-less, a lot of climbers seem to navigate this path without too much difficulty. When we arrived at the start of the climb a lot of climbers had preceded us even on that early morning. There were six climbers in line before us waiting to rope up and every belay station above was occupied with at least two people. Chris took one look and said, “tools”, and turned away in disgust. Being the neophyte that I was, I wasn’t ready to start criticizing every other climber that I saw but I do recall it being quite a circus.
Eventually, we did get our turn and Chris led off. We alternated pitches after that so Chris got to do all the 5.7 sections. The first pitch starts off with a steepening ramp and then a little traverse over some “glacier polish” below a step. It is possible to set a piece of protection high and to the right of the step but I don’t recommend it. It really won’t help the leader if he or she falls and it imperils the second. Once around the step, it is short jog right to an anchor. The second pitch protects fairly well and is 5.6 at most. There is a little route finding difficulty as the leader approaches the anchor which is up on a dike after a short traverse. I know of one climber who missed the anchor and continued traversing onto more difficult terrain. They took a long skidding fall. This granite is about like a cheese grater if you slide on it. I have heard it suggested that one should run down the slope rather than allowing yourself to slide down it. This makes sense but is not instinctive. On the third pitch, there is a deceptive bolt off to the left after an initial traverse. Don’t clip it. Again, it positions the second for a big swing. After the first three pitches, the dike starts. It is knobby and easy to climb and there is a mid-pitch bolt every eighty feet and a two bolt anchor at the end of every rope length. We climbed without hesitation until we ran out of bolts and the grade eased to about 5.2. At this point we loss patience with the rope and untied and hiked solo up over the long shoulder to the summit.
On top Chris showed me the Diving Board. This feature protrudes a little over the vast vertical face of Half Dome. It slopes outward just a little and its surface is a little sandy. I crept out, unroped, and lied down on it then looked down at a team of climbers coming up the Regular Route. My mind said that I was slipping slightly outward. I struggled with this feeling and waved to the team below. I think I tried to say, “Hello,” but I’m not sure I was actually able to get the words out of my mouth. The team below returned my greeting. Feeling that I had accomplished what was necessary to show I wasn’t afraid, I retreated, trying not to do so too quickly. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.
Logistics
Fly, drive or hitch a ride. Merced, CA is the closest city of any size and if you are coming from far away you will probably fly into San Jose near San Francisco. There are busses from Merced and the big city. For train buffs, Amtrak will get you to Merced also. Once at the park, there is a shuttle bus service. You might stay in your own tent in Camp 4 or the Pines Campground, a tent cabin at Currie Village, or at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel – it all depends on your taste and your budget. In fact, there are so many transportation and lodging options that I couldn’t possibly describe them all. Try the Yosemite National Park web site. It is fairly comprehensive.
You need a wilderness permit to camp in the back country of Yosemite. It is permitted to camp on the shoulder of Half Dome so if you want to be first on the route, this is the way to do it. The price you will pay will be that you will need to carry your gear over the route. I wouldn’t recommend stashing it somewhere. I watched a bear mauling a backpack one day. Of course, this won’t happen to you, bad things only happen to other people. It is not permitted to camp on top of Half Dome and there are a few other camping area restrictions in the Yosemite back country. Again, the NPS has a good web site with lots of good info and advice.
Hiking Yosemite National Park by Suzanne Swedo and Rock Climbing Yosemite Free Climbs by Don Reid are good references. Snake Dike is also featured in Yosemite Valley Free Climbs by McNamara, Barnes, Roper, and Snyder from Supertopo. Supertopo does a really nice job with route descriptions and includes critical details that other authors leave out. The other authors might feel that supplying all those details would detract from your experience of adventure. If you buy this argument, you might as well not pick up any guide book at all and just figure it all out on your own after you get to your destination. For that matter, why decide on a destination in advance, anyway?
Spam from Royal Arches
Particulars
The Royal Arches Route, Yosemite Valley, California
Difficulty: This is a serious, long rock climb on a big cliff. It is about 16 pitches long with the most difficult pitch being 5.7 A0 or 5.10b. Most of the route is easier and quite varied. If you do the A0 version, it amounts to a fixed pendulum – not hard as long as the rope is in good shape. Although it is possible to rappel this cliff (10 raps), it is not recommended. However, the walk off is difficult to navigate and strewn with false little trails that lead to drop offs.
Appeal: This place is beautiful! It is a gorgeous route on excellent rock and a great adventure. Definitely a world class experience.
Spam
On my first ever trip to Yosemite I teamed up with Jeanie to climb the classic Royal Arches route. While this climb is not as prominent as Half Dome, the cliff is still pretty daunting when viewed from the valley. We planned to head up in the afternoon and bivy on some fourth class ledges to get a head start on the morning crowd. A 5.6 chimney, a 3rd class scramble, a short 5.4 crack, more scrambling, and a 5.6 crack should have taken us to our bivy site but somewhere we went wrong. The first chimney was boot polished and more difficult than I expected. I hauled our packs up on a second rope before belaying Jenny up. The sun was still hot even at 5:30pm and I felt heat exhaustion coming on after only the first pitch. Thirty minutes rest in the shade of a Manzanita restored my energy and we kept going. The route finding seemed obvious, telltale chalk, pin scars, and poot polished rock marked the way. We didn’t question it much when the 5.6 crack that was to lead to our bivy site looked more like an open book that wasn’t marked on the topo in the guide book. But one pitch of this dihedral led only to a second and not the 4th class ledges and bivy we were looking for. “Maybe if we do another pitch we’ll find something,” we reasoned. Jenny was in the lead now and she set the belay at another tree and hauled up the packs. “She’s a tough little girl”, I thought to myself. When I reached her I surveyed our surroundings and saw a nearby opening in the rock to our left. I peered in and could see a level place about two feet wide and maybe five feet long and only darkness after that. “I want to go on up a bit,” Jenny said. Above us the dihedral continued up to yet another Manzanita. Dusk was gathering.
“You should take a head lamp,” I suggested. “No, it will only take a couple minutes to do this,” she replied. “Your belay is on,” I acquiesced. She climbed up but soon her pace slowed and she began placing more pro as the climbing was becoming more difficult. The dimming light faded to dark. “Greg, I can’t see to place anything. Can you bring up my head lamp?” “Sure,” I said and found my head lamp in my pack and turned the lamp on but nothing happened. The battery was dead. I turned my attention to Jenny’s pack and rooted around until I found hers. The battery was missing. Carefully I pulled each item from her pack and placed it on a six inch wide ledge beside me. Finally, I found the battery and got the lamp working. I replaced everything in her pack. I followed the pitch and when I reached her, we discussed what to do. The climb was at the limit of our abilities and the darkness just made it plane dangerous even with the head lamp. We decided to lower to the cave I had seen earlier.
Jenny wriggled into the cave first and exclaimed excitedly that it was huge. It wasn’t huge but it did continue for about ten feet beyond what I could see earlier and widened just enough to lay down on. So we did with me farthest into the cave and her near the entrance. We made our selves comfortable in our bivy gear and went to sleep, but not for long. I think I hadn’t slept for ten minutes when she screamed. Her scream and the shock of being awakened practically paralyzed me with fear. “What is it?” I shouted, my voice matching the volume and urgency of hers. “A cat. A big cat,” she gulped out. It was a few moments before I managed to convince myself that a mountain lion could not up so far up a cliff. Though the animal remained a mystery to us that night, we later deduced that it must have been a ring tailed cat. These cute little creatures are more closely related to raccoons but they do look kind of cat like and have a bushy ringed tail. They are also quite curious animals. I know this because they kept returning to the cave entrance to sniff around and play with some of our climbing gear outside. Jenny and I didn’t get much sleep as a result.
The next morning I finished climbing the pitch above in order to retrieve our gear then we bailed. Simply put, we were just too tired at that point to take on a big route. Below, at a bus stop near the Ahwahnee Hotel an older couple began a conversation with us. They were going hiking they explained and noticed that we looked like we had been out hiking also. “Yes,” we admitted. “Where did you go?” they asked. “Up there,” we pointed at the Royal Arches. “Oh my. That looks very steep,” they commented. We thought so too.
Logistics
Check out the logistics section in Spam from Snake Dike.
The start of the Royal Arches route is just east of the Ahwahnee Hotel. The trail is pretty worn by this time and shouldn’t be too hard to find. Rock Climbing Yosemite Free Climbs by Don Reid features this route as well as Fifty Classic Climbs in North America, by Allen Steck and Steve Roper and Yosemite Valley Free Climbs by McNamara, Barnes, Roper, and Snyder from Supertopo.
The Royal Arches Route, Yosemite Valley, California
Difficulty: This is a serious, long rock climb on a big cliff. It is about 16 pitches long with the most difficult pitch being 5.7 A0 or 5.10b. Most of the route is easier and quite varied. If you do the A0 version, it amounts to a fixed pendulum – not hard as long as the rope is in good shape. Although it is possible to rappel this cliff (10 raps), it is not recommended. However, the walk off is difficult to navigate and strewn with false little trails that lead to drop offs.
Appeal: This place is beautiful! It is a gorgeous route on excellent rock and a great adventure. Definitely a world class experience.
Spam
On my first ever trip to Yosemite I teamed up with Jeanie to climb the classic Royal Arches route. While this climb is not as prominent as Half Dome, the cliff is still pretty daunting when viewed from the valley. We planned to head up in the afternoon and bivy on some fourth class ledges to get a head start on the morning crowd. A 5.6 chimney, a 3rd class scramble, a short 5.4 crack, more scrambling, and a 5.6 crack should have taken us to our bivy site but somewhere we went wrong. The first chimney was boot polished and more difficult than I expected. I hauled our packs up on a second rope before belaying Jenny up. The sun was still hot even at 5:30pm and I felt heat exhaustion coming on after only the first pitch. Thirty minutes rest in the shade of a Manzanita restored my energy and we kept going. The route finding seemed obvious, telltale chalk, pin scars, and poot polished rock marked the way. We didn’t question it much when the 5.6 crack that was to lead to our bivy site looked more like an open book that wasn’t marked on the topo in the guide book. But one pitch of this dihedral led only to a second and not the 4th class ledges and bivy we were looking for. “Maybe if we do another pitch we’ll find something,” we reasoned. Jenny was in the lead now and she set the belay at another tree and hauled up the packs. “She’s a tough little girl”, I thought to myself. When I reached her I surveyed our surroundings and saw a nearby opening in the rock to our left. I peered in and could see a level place about two feet wide and maybe five feet long and only darkness after that. “I want to go on up a bit,” Jenny said. Above us the dihedral continued up to yet another Manzanita. Dusk was gathering.
“You should take a head lamp,” I suggested. “No, it will only take a couple minutes to do this,” she replied. “Your belay is on,” I acquiesced. She climbed up but soon her pace slowed and she began placing more pro as the climbing was becoming more difficult. The dimming light faded to dark. “Greg, I can’t see to place anything. Can you bring up my head lamp?” “Sure,” I said and found my head lamp in my pack and turned the lamp on but nothing happened. The battery was dead. I turned my attention to Jenny’s pack and rooted around until I found hers. The battery was missing. Carefully I pulled each item from her pack and placed it on a six inch wide ledge beside me. Finally, I found the battery and got the lamp working. I replaced everything in her pack. I followed the pitch and when I reached her, we discussed what to do. The climb was at the limit of our abilities and the darkness just made it plane dangerous even with the head lamp. We decided to lower to the cave I had seen earlier.
Jenny wriggled into the cave first and exclaimed excitedly that it was huge. It wasn’t huge but it did continue for about ten feet beyond what I could see earlier and widened just enough to lay down on. So we did with me farthest into the cave and her near the entrance. We made our selves comfortable in our bivy gear and went to sleep, but not for long. I think I hadn’t slept for ten minutes when she screamed. Her scream and the shock of being awakened practically paralyzed me with fear. “What is it?” I shouted, my voice matching the volume and urgency of hers. “A cat. A big cat,” she gulped out. It was a few moments before I managed to convince myself that a mountain lion could not up so far up a cliff. Though the animal remained a mystery to us that night, we later deduced that it must have been a ring tailed cat. These cute little creatures are more closely related to raccoons but they do look kind of cat like and have a bushy ringed tail. They are also quite curious animals. I know this because they kept returning to the cave entrance to sniff around and play with some of our climbing gear outside. Jenny and I didn’t get much sleep as a result.
The next morning I finished climbing the pitch above in order to retrieve our gear then we bailed. Simply put, we were just too tired at that point to take on a big route. Below, at a bus stop near the Ahwahnee Hotel an older couple began a conversation with us. They were going hiking they explained and noticed that we looked like we had been out hiking also. “Yes,” we admitted. “Where did you go?” they asked. “Up there,” we pointed at the Royal Arches. “Oh my. That looks very steep,” they commented. We thought so too.
Logistics
Check out the logistics section in Spam from Snake Dike.
The start of the Royal Arches route is just east of the Ahwahnee Hotel. The trail is pretty worn by this time and shouldn’t be too hard to find. Rock Climbing Yosemite Free Climbs by Don Reid features this route as well as Fifty Classic Climbs in North America, by Allen Steck and Steve Roper and Yosemite Valley Free Climbs by McNamara, Barnes, Roper, and Snyder from Supertopo.
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