Leavenworth, WA (short gear climbs)

The town of Leavenworth has an interesting twist. The old logging town turned to tourism and took on a Bavarian look. By chance we happened to be there at the start of Oktoberfest. A few people dressed in Bavarian outfits where walking the streets as we went to have dinner on our last night in town. As for the climbing, it was almost all traditional (All gear, no bolts). All of the climbs we did involved walking off the backside afterwards. We found some of them tough for the grade (sandbagged) given in the older guidebook we were given. Most of the climbing was on lower angled rock (slab) with fun cracks. We started off our first day at an area called Castle Rock. The approach was short (10min) and the climbs were mostly good although the interesting climbing on the longer climbs typically only lasted for one pitch then rambled on. On the 30^th we drove up to Icicle canyon and had a day seeking out the recommended climbs around. The two routes we did on Givler’s Dome were great despite the longer approach (about 30min uphill). “Givler’s Crack” had a fun and long crack that lasted two pitches on lower angled rock. It was a contrast to “Bo Derek” which was slightly overhanging. We then used our mountain bikes to go the short distance up the road towards Duty Dome. It was a shorter hike up this time and the climbs we did were low angled slab. “Off Duty” was mostly bolted with a few gear placements along the way. The bolts were spaced out a fair bit which made things spicy. After dinner we began our drive towards the border of Oregon.

Here’s a list of climbs we did.

Sept. 29^th

Castle Rock (Lower):   The Fault (5.6)

                                     Catapult (5.8)

                                     The Bone (5.9)

                                     Smut (5.10a)

Castle Rock (Upper):   Angel (3 pitches 5.10-)

                                     Canary (2 pitches 5.8)

Sept. 30^th

Givler’s Dome:             Givler’s Crack (2 pitches 5.7)

                                     Bo Derek (5.10b)

Dudy Dome:                Heart of Gold (4 pitches 5.10-)

                                     Off Duty (5.10a)       

Castle Rock

Castle Rock, Angel (first pitch)

Givler's Dome, Bo Derek

A shot along the streets of Leavenworth at night.

Mt. Stuart, North Ridge (attempt)

Mt Stewart's South face.

We woke up to a cold morning and left the parking at 1300h. A late start, but it would allow us enough time to approach up to Stuart Pass where we planned to spend the night. We hiked along Ingalls Creek trail for 2hrs and gained 1500m of elevation. We topped a second mountain pass and reached an alpine lake (Ingalls Lake) where we had a good view of where we were supposed to go next up Stuart Pass. At this elevation we found some snow and the ground was frozen on shaded north facing aspects. Not a good sign for us. We were equipped to climb on rock. We sat and had a bite to eat while debating to keep going or not. Would we encounter the same higher up on the North Ridge of Stuart? After a few minutes sitting around we chose to call it and turned around. The cold wind and temperature (around 5C) brought down our drive to sleep in our bivy even higher up at the base of Mt. Stuart tonight. We returned to the van around 1700h a little disappointed but happy to be sleeping somewhere warmer for the night.

Squamish & Whistler, BC



Tree huggin'

We kept driving west and stopped in Squamish, BC to have lunch in town and coffee at the information center. I was looking forward to climbing here. Squamish is known for quality climbs on granite. We used the internet at the info center to look up the forecast. It was supposed to rain for the next week. Too long for us to sit around and hope for good weather. We drove up to Whistler, BC to visit our cousin. It rained constantly while we were there with the occasional break. To avoid getting too rusty we visited the small indoor climbing gym in town and went for a run around town. On the 27^th we crossed the US/Canada border to meet a friend in Seattle, WA. We had met him in the Bugaboos and had pair of sunglasses he had left. He had good suggestions and information on where we should go climb. He even had an older guidebook on the climbs around Leavenworth, WA which he gave us. He told us that there was a great alpine climb on Mt. Stuart’s North Ridge which was on the way to Leavenworth. According to the local guidebook written by the great Fred Beckey: “Certainly its northern and eastern faces are the alpine climax of the Wenatchee Mountains”. We drove that night towards Mt. Stuart and found a quiet spot along the road to sleep.

The Critter has been captured!

I forgot to post an update about the critter that was woke us up during our trip to the Bugaboos at the beginning of the month. While in Lake Louise, we had purchased two mouse traps to place in the van and hopefully capture the culprit who was eating our food. We didn't have any luck on the first night we placed them. Although the second night was a different story. Now we can sleep in peace and not worry about our food or other items being chewed. Especially our climbing ropes!

Here's a panoramic photo of the sunset bellow Mt. Gimli. I finally had the time to finish working on it today while sitting out the rain in Squamish. The information center has free refills on coffee!

Click on the photo to enlarge



Yak Peak, Yak Chek 5.10a (13 pitches)

Yak Peak

Approach: 45min asc 280m

Climb: 5hrs asc 490m

Descent: 1hr 35min

Total time: 7hrs20min

We arrived at the suggested departure for Yak Chek around 2200h last night. Our sleeping spot was at a truck stop along highway #5 last night. Not the typical side road which we had been using. We left the van at 0800h this morning. We felt some pressure to hurry since another group arrived and also prepared to leave from the parking. We wanted to avoid climbing behind another party due to the rock fall hazard they could create. The climbing was mostly lower angle slab. A great climb offering an interesting mix of friction climbing on the lower angled rock, crack climbing and some short steep steps to pull over. We did encounter some small pebbles coming down on pitch 9. It wasn’t a big concern since it was small. Like “kitty litter” as one of the guys we met along the way put it. On the drive out we stopped along a small river and went for a dip to wash and refresh. Can’t wait for the warmer rivers and creeks down south!

The 2nd pitch.

A view from on top of Yak Peak.

An updated picture for Erin. Nope, I haven't shaved yet.

Sport and Trad Climbing in Skaha, Penticton (BC)

It was a nice change to arrive in Skaha and climb in warmer weather. A bit of a contrast compared to our last days in Lake Louise and Mt. Gimli. Our last day in Skaha was so warm. We needed to plan our climbs according to the sun and try to time it so that we would be in the shade. We were surprised to see a fair bit of wildlife in this dry desert-like environment. We walked back to the van in the dusk on our first day in Skaha. Along the way we were startled by a rattlesnake on the trail. It was sitting still until we unexpectedly got close to it and then rattled away into the tall grass. We also saw a praying mantis eat a wasp while climbing on the Diamond Back Wall. We really enjoyed all the climbs we did and stuck to climbing all the classic ones according to the guidebook. There was a climb I needed to settle called “Plum Line” that I had unsuccessfully attempted two years ago while stopping by on a non-climbing trip to Penticton with my Mother. I had only been climbing for about a year at the time. It was the first climb I went on when we arrived in Skaha. We had originally planned to stop here for a day as we moved on to the climbing Mecca of Squamish, BC. But the forecast for Squamish wasn’t inviting with lots of rain. So we stayed a few more days in sunny Skaha before heading off to Yak Peak (about 2hrs south of Kamloops).

Sept. 21^st

The Fortress East Face Wall; Plum Line         (5.9 sport)

The Fortress East Face Wall; Saging Bum Line (5.9 sport)

The Fortress East Face Wall; Stoutearted       (5.10a sport)

The Corridor Wall; Fortuitous                        (5.10d sport)

The Turret Wall; Glorious Land                      (5.10a sport)

Nacho Wall; Cheese Nacho                            (5.10d sport)

Sept. 22^nd

Great White Wall;

Mrs Palmer, 2 pitches                                      (5.9, 5.8 gear)

Gang Bang                                                      (5.10c gear)

Fun Run                                                          (5.10a gear)

Chalk Addiction                                             (5.10a sport)

Wings of Desire (attempted)                          (5.11b sport)

Sept. 23^rd

Great White Wall: Wings of Desire                (5.11b sport)

East Portal Wall; Double Exposure                (5.9 gear)

Grassy Glades Wall; Grassy Glades               (5.10a gear)

Raven’s Castle Wall: Raven and the Bear      (5.9 sport)

Diamond Back Wall; Ready to Strike            (5.10a gear)

Pat on the "Plum Line"

Pat on "Fun Run"

Skaha landscape

Praying Mantis with it's dinner.

Pat on "Ready to Strike"





Grand Forks, BC

Here are two photos I selected from the sunrise this morning. Click on photos to enlarge.

Mt. Gimli, South Ridge (5.10a)

 


Approach: 1h50min (Ascended 700m)

Climb: 5hrs15min (Asc. 300m)

Descent to camp: 1hr10min

Return to van: 55min

Total time: 9hrs (Total ascention: 1080m)

The drive up the logging roads this morning went well except for a short, rough and steep section. The overnight rain softened up the dirt road and made it more challenging. To get by we took out the Rubbermaid bins to lighten the load, which solved the issue. As we approached our intended destination in the Valhalla Provincial Park, we noticed that quite a few higher peaks received a layer of snow. This concerned us a little. We were starting to think that Mt. Gimli might not be in climbing condition for maybe a few days. At the parking lot we met up with a guy from. France named Florent who was in Canada for a few months working at a winery near Penticton, BC. He joined us for the hike up and also planned to spend the night bellow Mt. Gimli. We planned to go up and see what the conditions would be like with the snow. We had enough food to wait around for a few days if needed. We left the parking at 1500h and placed our temporary camp within a 10 minute walk bellow the South Ridge of Mt. Gimli. We seemed to be in good luck. Most of the snow seemed to have melted by the end of the day which means that we would probably climb tomorrow if the weather permits. Our camping position offered great views into the valley bellow. To top it all off the sunset was amazing! It was quite cold once the sun left the horizon so we didn’t waste time before retreating to our sleeping bags. Florent had the luxury of a tent while Pat and I lightened our load by only bringing our bivy sacs (a waterproof bag that goes over a sleeping bag and zips up completely if it rains). The stargazing overnight made the bivy sacs a good choice!

We woke up the next morning (Sept. 20^th) to the sun warming our toes through the sleeping bags. The weather seemed to be cooperating. We started climbing around 1000h and were happy the ridge was on a sunny South facing aspect. The crux pitch was at the start in a corner/crack. It offered a good warm-up! The climb was an enjoyable eight pitches of steep cracks and grooves on a startling narrow line along the ridge. According to the author of the guidebook “It ranks with the best of its class anywhere in the world”. The most memorable part of the climb was a roof traverse on the seventh pitch which was quite exposed. On our way up we heard Florent cheer from bellow as he made his own way hiking along. We met up afterwards for the hike back down to the van.

On the drive up to Mt. Gimli.
Notice the snow on the peaks in the back.

View of Mt. Gimli from the parking.

The approach once past treeline.

A nice lookout near camp.

A shot of Mt. Gimli silhouetted at dusk.
I didn't even get out of my sleeping bag to take this photo.



Pat lying down in his bivy.

The view from the opposing side of camp.

Pitch 6 along the exposed ridge.

Final steps to the summit.

View from the summit. Small "icebergs" in the lake bellow.

A closer view of the "icebergs".

The Gimli trio. Our new friend Florent in the middle.

Sport and trad climbing at the back of Lake Louise

We intended to go up the East Ridge of Mt. Temple on Sept. 18^tt and spent the 17^th climbing at the back of the lake. The weather was quite grey with some light snow coming down as we climbed which made for a different cragging atmosphere. We managed to stay warm enough climbing on a 5.10b gear route (named Another Trailside Attraction) and a 5.10a and 5.11a sport routes (named Traffic and Howard the Duck). During the day we could see that the alpine surroundings higher up were holding on to the snow and it kept accumulating throughout the day. The weather didn’t seem to cooperate with us for tomorrow’s objective. The amount of snow seemed too much on Mt. Temple and this would have made the climbing conditions harder if not impossible for us. We decided to stay in Lake Louise on Sept. 18^th to have another day of cragging behind the lake. This time we projected a route named Mr. Rogers (5.11b). I don’t spend the day projecting and working on a single route very often. It was fun though to work on a harder sport climb that was close to my maximum ability. I was able to finish it off on top rope the second try and led it clean on my third.

We drove the van Westbound around 1700h and drove through a storm on our way to Slocan, BC. Our plan is to climb Mt. Gimli’s South Ridge which is about 25km up logging roads outside of Slocan.

Here are a few photo's I took before and during the sunrise along Lake Louise (click on any photo to enlarge).

Icefields Parkway, Mt. Athabasca, North Glacier II

From parking to the bottom of north glacier: 1hr10min (Ascended 560m)

Bottom of north glacier to AA col: 1hr 20min (asc. 685m)

Time for Pat to reach summit and back to AA col: 50min

AA col to parking: 1hr50min (asc. 30m)

Total time: 5hrs (Total asc. 1275m)

Pat and I arrived at the Icefields information center yesterday evening and planned to climb the North face of Mt. Athabasca. While cooking dinner in the parking lot a storm quickly swept over us and the surrounding mountains. The forecast also called for chances of a storm tomorrow afternoon. We talked it over and decided to wake up at 0400h and make up our mind then to climb or not depending on the weather. At 0400h we woke up to the sound of a howling wind and a slight drizzle on the roof of the van. It was enough to convince us not to head out right away. We woke up at 0900h with slightly improving weather. The later hour meant that attempting the more technical and time consuming North face was out of the question. Instead we went out to do the mellower North Glacier route up the mountain. We left the van at 0945h and walked up a path dusted with snow to the toe of the north glacier. There were dark clouds and a light snowfall that lasted all day with moderate gusts of wind. Travel on the glacier wasn’t too bad since there wasn’t enough snow lower down to hide any crevasses. As we reached higher ground we encountered fresh boot top snow (about 20cm). This slowed down our pace somewhat but didn’t cause any concerns. We reached the Andromeda/Athabasca (AA) col in good time but the weather still seemed unsettled with dark grey clouds surrounding us. I had reached the summit of Mt. Athabasca before but this was Pat’s first time. There wasn’t any risk or technical climbing left to reach the summit which was only another 200-300m above. I waited for him at the col while he went to the summit. He passed by two other guys along his way to the summit who had left at 0600h and quickly made it back to find me. We continued with our plan to go down the AA col instead of going back the same way we came up to make things more interesting. The col dropped us onto the AA glacier which we descended to reach the van by 1445h. Unfortunately, I forgot to put a memory card in the camera during the climb. So I don’t have any photos during the climb and I had to lug around useless weight! We would have rather climbed the classic North face on Athabasca today. Although the more casual outing we had today was a good time.

View of the Athabasca Glacier.

View of the Athabasca Glacier and the oncoming storm.

Mt. Athabasca

Mt. Athabasca with the oncoming storm.

Mt. Athabasca and the North Glacier route outlined in red.