Leavenworth with Aidan

Published on 2003-5-17 by Michael Stanton

Leavenworth Climbing, May 17, 2003

Aidan and I had a 3/4 day for some climbing. We drove out to Leavenworth and immediately got onto Careno Crag. I led the first pitch, finding it "dang tough"! My honor gradually crumbled on this pitch. There is a stout 5.10 crux on the thin crack about 20 feet up, where you need to make delicate face climbing moves when the crack turns into a seam. I took a controlled fall onto a nut here and tried again. This time I made it, but it was touch and go! I thought the difficulties were over as I clipped the first bolt on the second half of the pitch - a bolted face going up and right. Perhaps it was due to being tired from the first moves, but I think I ended up hanging from every subsequent bolt, and finally yarded up on the quickdraw attached to the last bolt. In true "Ben Stiller" fashion, Dave Bale walked up and got to watch me flail ignominiously. Aidan followed, also finding the pitch difficult. But the next pitch was great - a beautiful 5.7 hand crack in a corner. I talked with Dave about different mountain climbs, man, he's really been around. The 3rd pitch was an equally pleasant 5.8 crack in another corner. The 4th pitch? Who knows - we were too afraid! But seriously, it appears to be harder than the first pitch, and we'd had enough of that, so we hiked down. Good first visit though...

Now Aidan led "Meatgrinder (5.10a)," on Alphabet Rock. It climbs a 5.9 handcrack past a difficult move to gain a ledge. Then very awkward moves are made to get out of a flaring pod designed to repel any foothold you might try to find. Aidan was able to protect this crux move with a cam placed high. He had a good hand jam, and figured out a good sequence after a few tries - nimbly working his feet out to a face on the right so he could reach a higher hand jam. 5.8 jamming leads you to the anchor. I found the first difficult move tough, nearly slipping (the angles were all wrong!). In the flaring pod, I somehow found a technique where my legs rubbed together, and the right leg rubbed against the wall. This small amount of additional friction allowed me to take some wait off a hand so it could reach a higher jam. It was very strange, but I was elated at the technique (Leg stacking?). So I escaped with fewer bloodstains!

Finally, we went to Castle Rock and climbed "The Fault (5.6)", and "Catapult (5.8)". The Fault was fun, especially following with a pack! It's a cute little chimney with a tree, and a few nice hand jamming moves to get out onto a face. I ended up hanging the pack between my legs so I could put my back on one wall and my feet on another. Catapult has an intimidating appearance because you climb an overhanging wall. I was relieved to find such bomber hand jams, that I didn't mind the huge air beneath me . There was a great fixed hex to clip the rope to, and it's easy to protect the route with cams. I came to "Stoner's Ledge," and was enticed to keep going by a fun blocky crack on the left. Then easy but occasionally mossy climbing led higher. I ended up reaching Logger's Ledge in a full pitch on our 60 meter rope. Actually, I couldn't reach it, but I could tie on to a stout bush that was on the ledge. Aidan came up, feeling a little tired but overall enjoying the climb. Now we returned home, where I picked up Kris so we could attend a "Margaret Cho" concert. I don't know why I put her name in quotes, wierd, huh? It was a LAFF RIOT!