| Riding The Whale Trip Report |
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| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Washington, United States, North America Date Climbed/Hiked: Oct 28, 2006 Activities: Scrambling Season: Fall | Page By: tazz Created/Edited: Nov 10, 2006 / Nov 10, 2006 Object ID: 242887 Hits: 1680 Loading... Page Score: 89.71% - 27 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Oh what a ride it was!
When we received an e-mail from Klenke, about this trip, I knew it was going to be a fun one. It was a fun one and so much more! It had a little of everything, bushwhack, class 2-5 climbing, exposure up the ass, awesome rappels, and incredibly great company. It was also a great technical learning experience for me with three great partners to teach me.
Met JeffR, Klenke, and dicey in Morton around 8am. Drove a long logging road with drainage berms for miles and miles. It was a beautiful, clear, cold morning. We started hiking down the logging road from where we are forced to park at a berm. The further you hike on the road the brushier it gets. There is a small path through the brush to stay on. Maybe a little over a mile or so we headed into brush. Mainly shooting for the Saddle SE of the ridge. We all picked, swhacked, and thrashed our way to the saddle. The Saddle is forested but fairly easy travel.
From here it gets steep and trees are your friend. We headed strait up the ridge to a small rock step. Each of us found our own way up and over with the help of veggie belay. Then you arrive at the base of a big 200' cliff.
The only way around it is to drop to the right into a steep, exposed, nasty, loose unprotectable gully. The rock is crumbly and hard to find a good hand hold or foot holds through it. We roped up here with a running belay with Jeff in the lead.
From there we thrashed our way up through more trees. This was where poor Klenke and dicey got tangled up quite a bit as they are in the middle of the rope. Dicey had a good wrestling match with a tree branch for quite some time. (“Stupid $#@%$ trees!”) Then the slope gets a little bit easier till you reach the entrance to the open rock ridge. Some class 3/4 rock and we are up on the open ridge.
After changing order in the running belay Klenke leads us up the “Whales back”.
Mainly class 3 but the exposure is, well....AWESOME!!! We climbed up to a more or less level spot and climbed to a notch. Down climbing this was sketch for me. Class 3 on loose unpredictable crap. Once down we had some good exposed class 4 to climb up and out of the notch. Klenke found a good spot for pro and we moved on.
At the top of this rise sets a bunch of trees that we had to crawl around, through, over and under to reach the descent to the next notch.
Klenke climbed down and set pro for an exposed rock step. Dicey added a handline. Klenke could not find any protection as he climbed up the nasty loose class 3/4 rise out of the notch.
I didn’t feel comfortable to down climb that without pro. A fall here would result in, well...you know. I stopped here and told them to go ahead without me. Time was ticking away and they could get the summit faster with one less person on the rope. I was perfectly happy to wait for them. I was proud that my fear was not running things this time though. It was just a safety decision for me this time. (No Pro No Go!)
I made it most of the way and through some big exposure and was proud I made it that far. If that section could have been protected and time was not running out, I would have finished the climb.
I hung out and ate lunch, took pictures. I could hear them communicating as they climbed and knew when they made it to the summit (great work guys and gal!). The day was so perfect! Temps were warm, Rainier was looming in the distance.
I guess I missed out on some fun on the summit block :(. Something about Jeff soloing 5.3 no pro, crux and a blowhole :o.
I didn’t wait too long before Jeff popped over the top and started to head down the nasty class 3/4 rise into the notch. They all carefully down climbed it as I held my breath and watched (or didn’t watch).
We all scrambled back up out of the notch unroped and crawled under the trees. Just beyond the trees is the first notch to rappel down. One 30M rap and we are on the other side of the notch.
This is when I asked to be on belay again. We had several class 3 very exposed spots and I preferred the rope. Klenke took the other rope looking for a spot to anchor for the next rappel. It was fun scrambling down to the next rap.
We rapped down to a forested bench and hiked to the BIG rappel. Looking down from the anchor all you could see is the tops of the trees. No bottom! Two 60meter ropes just make it to the bottom200 feet below. Glad Jeff went first hehe. When it was my turn I was excited and the adrenaline was flowing!! You drop down through some scrub and moss to the edge and weeeeeeeeeeee! I looked down and WOW, PUMP, PUMP goes the adrenaline! “Don’t do that again!” I said. Then the rock drops out from underneath and I was free hanging. I was fine till I started to spin and got a look away from the rock. “HOLY SHIT!” Dicey down below is saying “Hey look at me I am taking your picture” I said, “There is no friggin way I am looking down there.” The free hanging lasted for 30 -50 feet or so to the base. What a RUSH! I almost wanted to climb back up and do it all over again it was that fun! It was the icing on the cake I had been eating all day. SEE IMAGES OF FREE HANGING RAPPEL SUBMITTED BY DICEY AND JEFF ON THE MOUNTAIN PAGE.
We finished the climb, now it was just a bushwhack back to the road. The hike back was pretty as the sun set on Rainier and the alpine glow was touching everything. Back at the trucks celebration of a great climb, mountain, and partners commenced.
This trip was perfect! I learned so much about myself and learned more about technical alpine climbing. This was my first running belay (off glaciers), my first 60m free hanging rappel, and the first time meeting Klenke whom I have wanted to meet for a long time. The communication while climbing was top notch. I had one of the best days out ever! ( I know, I say that every time) To me it is the partners that make a trip work for me. Everything else falls in line from there.
Thank-you Klenke, dicey and Jeff for an amazing day. I hope we can do it again.
If anyone wants real beta for this little not often climbed peak read Klenke’s excellent mountain and route page.
Captions on my images are written by Klenke. He writes sooo much better than I do! Some are quite funny! Images
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