Mazama Sport Climbing: The Perfect Rest Day

This is my perfect rest day:

...sport climbing (not too easy, not too hard)...

...hammock nap....

 ...catching the end of the rope after pulling it (beeeeeer!)...

...ice cream...

...river bath before it gets too cold...

...racking up for an adventure the next day...

...campfire and early bed.

Seriously, this day was THE PERFECT REST DAY.

Mazama isn't destination climbing, but it's a fine way to spend a day or two if you're in the area.  The rock is ok, the grades are soft, really nothing super special, but the approach from the parking area is <1 a="" href="http://www.goatsbeardmountainsupplies.com/" minute.="" nbsp="" o="" to="">Goat's Beard Mountain Supplies
in Mazama and buy a photocopy of the route topos for a few dollars on the way in, then buy ice cream at the Mazama store on the way out.  And enjoy your rest day!

Early Season Hiking in the North Cascades

After the Olympic peninsula, we turned east and started heading home.  I always notice that point in the trip - when I am the farthest away - and that first step that takes me back the way I came.

That step took us through Seattle.

Like, literally, through.  We drove right through and didn't stop.  Yeah, it's cool, and it's a city and it just wasn't that interesting. I did see the Spacey Needle from the ferry, which was all I wanted.

On to the North Cascades!

The North Cascades are AWESOME because there is NO way to experience them from your car. The drive through Rt. 20 shows tall green hills - and that's it.  The landscape is SO rugged that it's simply impossible to build roads through it (like Nepal!).  The mountains reveal themselves only to hikers, climbers, and skiiers.  In contrast to Yosemite Valley, the North Cascades is one of the least frequented National Parks.  Le sigh.

not building a road across that for sure.

The downside to the ruggedness of the landscape and the higher altitude?  Most everything is still snowbound.  Axe and crampons and the experience to use them properly are strongly recommended, if not required.  None of which we had packed in The Matrix's turtle shell top.

we did not cook dinner at this trailhead. because we could not get to the trailhead.

We were able to do two moderate day hikes (9-10 miles, 2-3000 feet elevation gain):  Cascade Pass and Fourth of July Pass.

Cascade Pass takes you past up to the shoulder of Johannesburg Peak and/or The Triplets (don't have a map at the moment) and gives you views of the Pelton Basin.

johannesburg panorama

The hike itself is super easy.  I like how these western trailbuilders use switchbacks.  No erosion, and you can chug along at a steady pace.  Adirondacks, take note!

The last switchback had several snowfields, one of which covered a talus slope.

this was a little sketchy

We had microspikes, and I had poles.  It was late in the day and the snow was mush, so Dave punched down steps for me, and we were fine.

And we got views like this:

looking into pelton basin

at the foot of the triplets (?)

On the bright side, because it's so early in the season, we were able to hike the most popular trail in the park without seeing more than a half-dozen people.  Score!

The next day, we hiked up to Fourth of July Pass.  This is a lower pass, and we didn't encounter any snow at all.  But holy switchbacks: this trail was pretty steep, and we had The Day Three Blues (third consecutive day of hiking to mountain passes = tired legs).

holy switchbacks batman

From the top, you get some nice views of the Neve Glacier and Klawatti Peak and Klawatti Glacier.

klawatti peak and glacier

neve glacier

Honestly, it wasn't as pretty as Cascade Pass.  The color of Thunder Creek was so cool, though - a pearly turquoise green blue.  The glaciers grind down the mountains to dust, and this "rock flour" gives the water it's color.

neat color, eh?

I'd love to come back here when there is either a) less snow (=awesome backpacking) or b) more snow and the right gear.

Slowing Down on the Olympic Peninsula

The first few weeks of this trip were really hectic.  We'd hike or climb during the day, then drive, finding a place to crash when the sun was low in the sky.  Dave set camp while I cooked; we'd eat, clean up, and crash.  In the morning, the tent came down as the sun came up, and we were on to the next adventure.  With the big Yosemite adventure smack dab in the middle of the calendar, we had so many places to visit, and so little time left.  So we'd go faster and harder.

It rained in Washington.  Not very hard - but constantly.  Big mountains hid in the clouds, and I never did see Rainier, except the visitor's center diorama.  

I spent a few days damp to my core, wrapped in layers of fleece, trying to stay warm.  The car smelled like wet hiking socks, slug mucus, and last night's rice and beans.  All of our gear was sitting in puddles of water in contractor bags.

tent floating in 3-4 inches of water

It was mildly miserable, just uncomfortable enough to make us realize that our deeper discomfort from constant running-running-running-faster was totally self-inflicted.

tent covered in 3-4 inch banana slugs

The Olympic peninsula wasn't on our original itinerary.  But people kept mentioning it, again and again, with intensity.  It was special, they said.

A special rainforest is a good place to wait out the rain.

Time to slow down on the Olympic peninsula.

There's nothing to see except what's close to the ground.

There's nothing to do except that which we are doing right now.

There is time to look at moss.

There is time to count the blades on a fern.

There is time to stand in the rain.

ruby beach

There is time to be with wildflowers.

There is time to make friends with a slug.

There is time to hike ten miles up to a mountain pass, even when you know you won't see anything in the clouds at the top.

There are plenty of mossy green streams on the way up for your eyes.

We camped in the Olympic National Forest,

...walked along Ruby Beach,

......took 2 hours to meander the ¾ mile “Hall of Mosses” trail at the Hoh Rainforest, and

.........hiked to Marmot Pass on the east side of the peninsula.

And I can say I agree with every person who mentioned this place.  It's special, very special.

Before and After Oregon

Quick update on our travels from Yosemite to Mt. Rainier (and beyond!)

---From Yosemite, we stopped by San Francisco to see Dave’s lovely cousin Jess, who had graciously received our passports that we had forgotten at home. The Mission District where Jess lives was TOTAL SENSORY OVERLOAD after a few weeks disconnected from civilization.

---We escaped the city and headed toward the Redwoods on the northern California coast. It’s hard to appreciate redwoods to the same level of awe as sequoia, because redwoods aren’t as large as sequoia at their base, where we walk around. But the forest surrounding the redwoods is amazing… huge ferns, dripping mosses, and quiet.

redwoods

---After camping north of the Redwoods, on to Oregon! We drove by Crater Lake, but there’s not much hiking in the area. I don’t think you’re even allowed to hike into the crater. The lake was SO blue and SO still and SO beautiful. Best picnic ever!

crater lake

---We stopped at Smith Rock for sport climbing. I totally, absolutely loved the rock and the place. Smith Rock gets its own posts.

asterisk pass @ smith rock

---Sadly left Smith and decided to pass on a few other hikes in Oregon. We are already more than 1/3 of the way through the trip and still have Washington, Montana, Idaho, Canada, and more Wyoming on the radar. Plus, the hikes are snowed in at higher elevations, anyway.

mt. hood

---Stopped by Portland for lunch (cities = small doses) and Hipster Watching. We ate at the little waterfront park, which is full of runners and homeless people and very few Hipsters. Went a few blocks toward the city center and found all of the ironic facial hair and ugly eyeglasses we could ever want.

hipster mum on skateboard

---Continued to Washington and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mt. St. Helens National Monument. Got an insane stack of maps and information from the forest service folks (thanks guys!). We did a short little cave walk through a basalt tube. Not very beautiful (it’s basically a pitch black, 100% humidity, 42 degree subway tube). But different.

into the dark...

---Thereafter, Mt. Rainier, which should really be called Mt. Rain-y. Weather was upper 40s and raining. I didn’t actually see the mountain, and the short walk we took through snow the consistency of a slushy was uninspiring and awkward. So, we hung out in their amazingly beautiful visitor’s center and caught up on pictures and journaling and generally sitting still for once.

not my favorite hike, let's say

And that’s where I’m writing this journal entry. Who knows when and where I’ll get to post it…

~~~~~~~~~~

Amazingly, I'm posting this the day after writing it.  At 3-something hours, this is the longest I've been on the computer since leaving Ithaca.  I have a headache and a stomache and want to go outside.

We're currently in the little town of Forks on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, in a lovely quiet public library.  Waiting out the rain (all of our gear is SOAKED).  Doing some trip planning (i.e. trying to find hikes that are not under 2-10 feet of snow).

And from here, every step brings us back east...  and back home!

Moderate Sport Climbs at Smith Rock

This could have been a part of the previous post, but really I want to write more about my love affair with Smith Rock. So, here is a tick list of moderate to moderate-hard-ish routes (mostly 5.10s).

clicky to make bigger

The cliffs run roughly north/south. Because of the strong desert sun, you want to climb on the west side in the morning, then chase the shade to the east side in the afternoon. We looked at the forecast and we were all like “awww, only a high of 82, we climb in 82 degrees all the time” but HOLY GUACAMOLE 82 sunny desert degrees will fry your skin. Follow the herd and chase the shade.

Morning West Side Climbs - Mesa Verde Wall

Both mornings at Smith were Super Lazy. Day one we climbed at Mesa Verde, day two we didn’t get to the cliffs until noon.

Cosmos – 5.10a*

Little pebbles, golf balls, and tennis balls embedded in the rock. Great intro to Smith Rock pebble pulling. Recommended.

Screaming Yellow Zonkers – 5.10b*

Like Cosmos, but a little harder and a little longer. Recommended.

screaming yellow zonkers

There is also a 5.10d, Moons of Pluto, which is directly right of Screaming Yellow Zonkers on the arête. Heard good things about it but didn’t climb it.

Early Afternoon East Side Climbs – Phoenix Buttress/ Llama Wall

We spent a bunch of time at Phoenix Buttress, because it comes into the shade around noon. Roughly from left to right…

JT’s Route – 5.10b

The “open book” top seems difficult until you see the sequence. Fun route.

Fred on Air – 5.10d*

Feels 10c if you escape left, feels 10d if you stay right and take the steep part like a woman. I fell once but decided to stay right anyway, and was I did – it kept the character of the route consistent. Recommended.

License to Bolt – 5.11b/c

Gave it a burn – it was super sharp and aggressive. Didn’t get very far and decided to save my skin. Dave climbed it and said it felt hard.

Phoenix – 5.10a

All the way on the right of the wall. Gets a ton of traffic and people seem to like it – there are a few moves on sharp pockets and that was it. Ok.

The Struggle Within – 5.11a*

Finger crack to easy slab to hard smears to very hard pockets and crimps to steep moderate edges. Long, varied, and super fun! I took one random fall while resting (I know, wtf) and one more at the crux because I couldn’t reach far enough on my first try. Recommended.

Llama Enlightenment – 5.10b or c, don’t remember

Blah. I got on this thinking it was a 5.9 warm-up. Slightly overhung jug haul on sharp, abrasive rock. The rock sounds extremely hollow here – creepy.

Later Afternoon East Side Climbs – Morning Glory Wall or Dihedrals

Zebra and Buckets are at Morning Glory Wall. Wedding Day is at Dihedrals.

Zebra Direct – 5.11a*

This was my first 11 followed cleanly, in good style and with good fun. It’s shorter, the real business is ~50’ or so, but it’s a bit vicious. Sharp crimps and one or two finger pockets on a steep yet off-vertical face. The first clip is pretty darn high – stick clip recommended. This is my style of climbing, so it gets Recommended.

zebra direct

Five Gallon Buckets – 5.8*

Climb the huge huecos. Like most routes at this wall, first clip is high-ish, but the climbing is very moderate (this is Gunks 5.5-5.6). Thereafter, very well protected and lots of fun. I led this one and felt super comfortable. Recommended.

five gallon buckets is all the way to the left

Wedding Day – 5.10 b or c

Just like a wedding day – terrifying, hard, committing, unrelenting, and painful. The first bolt is SCARY high, especially for the boulder-y start. Use the arête for 10b or stay on the face (like silly Nicole) for 10c. Thereafter, the climbing doesn’t relent, and I found the last few moves pretty hard too. 

wedding day

Icing on the terror cake: a rattlesnake hangs out at the bottom of this climb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, now go buy your plane ticket (get one for me, too) and get climbing!

P.S. Don’t forget your stick clip.  The grades seemed fair (not sandbagged), but MAN some of those first clips are high...

10 Reasons Why Smith Rock... Rocks!

Smith Rock is a state park in central Oregon known for sport climbing.

It is my current favorite place to climb!

Why is it so awesome?

(1) 1300 sport and trad routes, from tip-splitting micro mono pockets to hand-shredding cracks. Super fun, super challenging, super aesthetic. Loved the climbing.

(2) Folks in the area are so nice, relaxed and friendly. Reminds me of Ithaca, actually. I have to give a shout out to Mountain Supply in Bend; we stopped in to chat and they basically planned our climbs for us. Thanks guys!!

can you spot the highliner in this photo?

(3) The self-pay register station at the “bivouac” site accepts credit cards. No fumbling for exact change.  Save your dimes for beer.

(4) Camping within ¼ mile of the climbs is only $5/ person/ day, which includes admission to the park the next day. Take that, Mohonk Preserve.

gunks, you don't have this, either...

(5) It also includes a shower. Limited hot water, but in the summer, who cares.

hadn't seen one of these in a long, long time...

(6) All of the facilities are cleaned daily by the nicest volunteers. Yes, volunteers.

who needs facilities when you have this?

(7) The cooking area in the middle of the bivouac has plenty of picnic tables and even some desert trees.

(8) The water fountains are designed for doggies, too. (Dave pointed out that one might water their children this way, as well.)

(9) There are little bouldering walls for kids (or adults!) at both the bivouac site and the main park.  Didn't get a picture, though.

(10) Awesome desert sunsets.

The amenities and the climbing at Smith Rock is going to make it difficult to return to the Gunks, that's for sure!