RPC's Tieton Cragging

Overview

This page will serve as a "personal logistical center" for our Tieton River, WA cragging outings...part of the ongoing effort to organize my own submissions to SP. Work in progress...

We've been averaging about 2 trips per year to Tieton with the first one being somewhere around 2002 I think. Though close to Portland, the area generally has a slightly worse weather than Smith Rocks in the winter and once spring arrives much of it is closed due to nesting (usually reopens in late/end of April...usually!). This therefore puts some limitations. From our limited experience, we find the climbing there to be of the sort where you jam your upper appendages into cracks while often using the textured basalt on the sides of the crack for the feet (vs. straight in jamming). The basalt itself has much different feel to it than say Vantage (not too far), Smith's Lower Gorge, or Trout Creek. The irregular cracks feel a bit funky when placing pro (at least in our experience and esp. in the beginning).

Royal Columns

This was the cliff we visted during our 1st trip to Tieton (2002?). Very nice with plenty of easy to moderate lines (<5.10). We've been back a couple of times and have always enjoyed ourselves.




List of our routes:
Jam Exam (5.9, ) Fun and straightforward hand jams.

Cactus Love (5.9, ) I recall a crux near the top?

X Factor (5.8, ) Shirley led it and I think it was good.

Cutting Edge (5.7, ) I led it when I just started climbing & I think at that time I had to work for it.

Western Front (5.3, ) Hard to believe there's a 5.3 crack climb on these basalt columns.

Rough Boys (5.5, ) Long time ago - don't recall much.

Slacker (5.4, ) Ditto.

Good Timer (5.4, ) Same - long time ago & don't remember too much.

Level Head (5.6, ) Ditto.

First Blood (5.8, ) Wide crack with climbing made easier by the highly featured/textured rock outside the crack.

Mush Maker (5.7, ) Very nice, low angle jam crack.

Little Known Wonder (5.7, ) Did it during our first visit there - it was a great time back then I recall.

Inca Roads (5.9, ) Area classic & deservedly so.














Photos:

The Bend

I'd guess this is the place for 5.10 trad climbs in Tieton (though we have not been, seems Wildcat Wall is the place for 5.11 cracks). Probably the shortest approach & some sweet ass climbing, including some two-pitchers. Really nice - I LIKE.




List of our routes:
Local Knowledge (5.10b, ) Ran the two pitches as one. The 5.10b section on the first pitch was like 2 moves long while the upper 5.9 finger crack kept on giving...a lot. Great fun line though and - if I recall - combining pitches will eat up about 55 meters of your rope.

Seizure (5.10b, ) Good, straightforward ...till near the top. Save some go-juice for final mantle moves.

MX (5.10a, ) Great climbing! No real surprises - just nice positive finger locks & smeary feet. Shirley onsighted it and enjoyed herself doing it!

Peace, Love and Rope (5.9, ) Very good. Don't recall much as Shirley led it.

Ed's Jam (5.8, ) Very good!

Salmon Song (5.10a, ) Fun, fun, fun! Fun looking roof and straightforward climbing.

Tiers (5.9, ) Just like the 10a neighbor to the left.

Treatment Bound (5.10a, ) I found it HARD for the grade!

Cruel Harvest (5.9, ) Very good I think but I don't recall much.

Pure Joy (5.10c, ) Shirley led and whipped off at the crux. The piece held but then later when she climbed past it (yellow Alien?), it jut fell out...good times.

Hallowed Ground (5.9, ) Shirley led but I also don't recall much about this line.














Photos:

Moon Rocks

One trip there with Martin Cash on a particularly chilly day in late winter. Martin led some OW & I struggled up Straight Talk (5.10a, ) which back on that day I found pretty damn hard (fist crack). Martin led Dirty Thrasher (5.9 OW) that day & we all TR'd some other line. It was a cold day.


















Photos:

Goose Egg Mountain - Ride The Lightning (5.9)

This was our first route on Goose Egg Mountain and we thought it was pretty good (). In fact, the first 3 or so pitches were very good, especially that dihedral/crack pitch. The upper part of the route features some loose rock and topping out you realize that you've been climbing directly underneath what is essentially a hanging boulder field. We chose to hike off down the gully (climber's far left when viewing the mountain). Bit painful, very loose of course, but overall OK (though next time we rapped & would do that again!). Nice and accurate topo for this one can be found online courtesy of the FA-ists.


















Photos:

Goose Egg Mountain - Dirty Sanchez (5.8)

Our second route on Goose Egg Mountain. The best thing about this one is the name. Mostly so-so climbing with a few nice positions (). Several notches worse in the fun factor than RTL. This time we rapped down the rap line (recommended). Good topo by the FA-ists can be found in the Tieton River Rocks guidebook by J. Yoder.


















Photos:

Spring!

Images

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