McClellan Butte ..

Yet another time on McClellan Butte, and another time not making the summit. The first time I had been there, Jennifer and I hiked up the first summer we were in Seattle. In the last 500' or so before the summit it was snowing. When we arrived at the final summit scramble, it was too wet and slick for us to attempt.

This time the goal was to do the North Gully or North Couloir route. Avy conditions had been low and Steve, Julie and I were going to give it a try before more snow fell. However, we were thwarted by another individual that was in our vicinity. We were heading up the correct gully, and saw him heading farther west. Since none of us knew the route, we started heading west. After wandering around, we came back east, and eventually climbed the north west gully.

The climb was enjoyable, and had a very different flavor than what I would expect a spring ascent to have. From the parking area, the snow was bulletproof. No need to snow shoes. Almost a need for crampons. We hiked up the trail and veered off around 2800' heading directly toward the couloir. We found the abandoned road and continued up in the snow field below the gully. (Later, on descent, we would notice that we could have taken the trail all the way to the clearings below the gully.)

This is where we saw some woods above us. According to our pictures, the gully should be continuous, and this is also when we witnessed the lone individual heading farther west. We started going into the next gully, and then the next after that. We realized we were too far west, and headed back one gully and started up. This wasted some time, and it was around 11am when we stopped part way up the gully to have lunch. (There was a reasonably flat area, which we weren't sure we'd see too much more of.) With crampons and ax, we all soloed up to the top of the gully where the angle reached about 45° or more.

Steve then led out belayed up a short 3rd class rock step and more gentle snow. Things still looked promising for us to be summiting. Although where we were didn't look exactly like pictures we had. We took our crampons off and Steve led a belayed rock climb through snow and 5th class rock to a sub-summit of McClellan Butte. We could see the true summit and the correct gully. Which is much steeper for the last 200' or so. (Perhaps 60°) After Julie and I arrived on top it was close to 2pm, and we needed to get down. There were flurries in the air, and we weren't sure about the best way down. After a bit of down climbing on the hard steep snow, we rappelled a rope length, and more down climbing got us back into the gully we ascended. From there it was a slow climb down the gully, and a moderate hike out on the trail. We left the crampons on all the way to the car.

The correct gully

Overall, it was a fun time. I don't feel I climbed all that well, but I have been getting sick as Jennifer was sick most of the week. I haven't felt particularly strong because of it. Also, I was still recovering from last week's blisters. (I did a lot of work to the right foot, but none to the left foot before the climb. The left foot wound hurts more than it did this morning, while the right foot does not.) Also the McClellan Butte trail has some of the largest Douglas Firs I've seen in the I90 corridor. We saw some mountain lion tracks in the snow on the way down as well.

My pics are here.
Julie's pics are here.

Recent activity

Recent searching led us to this interesting looking line.

Fun days ahead! The crack moving left after the ice appears to be

solid and should take gear all the way to the top. Is it possible

to have too many projects?

We've been climbing a good bit. Several days with Ray Burnsworth A.K.A. Wildfilm Productions. He's been shooting some incredible footage on several recent outings. Should be seeing some really cool stuff from him soon. He's been really psyched and working hard to highlight the climbing offered here in SWPA. I've been continuing work on several projects while Laura has been getting on the sharp end more. We've discovered a great way to help one another accomplish personal climbing goals. We've been alternating "personal days" which is a day that is only focused on one person's training or goals. That way the belay slave gets a rest day for their "personal day" to follow. Some days are hard and some are easy, but most of all we've been pushing each other to climb stronger and smiling while being miserable and sore.



So far it's been a good season despite the couple warm ups that caused some serious damage. Things are finally getting back to normal at the smaller crags. Water is seeping and the flows are forming nicely and getting fat. The Big Climbs are in a state of funk that is challenging to say the least. Most of them are very aerated and spooky. Currently they're formed like early season climbs, which is expectedly hollow and difficult to protect. Amplify that with exposure to near 50 degree temperatures (two near melt outs), its made things WILD to say the least. This weekend when it rapidly dropped to zero from above freezing things became almost no fun at all. Notice that I said almost. Looking back it was fun. Its not everyday that we get the chance to climb such scary stuff. Might as well enjoy it while we can! After all... this is climbing in SWPA, make the most you can out of nothing.



Saturday 1/22/Some nice folks we met from VA last weekend decided to return to PA to sample some more ice. We met them at Lower Meadow Run to show them around. We led Hemlock with an icicle start. It's barely touching down, but with some gentle climbing it supported us up to the better ice and eventually solid rock gear. Fred from Exkursion was there with some friends that were new to ice. They were climbing away and having a great day. The weather was sunny and made the chilly day feel very comfortable. By afternoon the ice was soft and everyone was spent. We joined the VA folks for dinner at NY Pizza and Pasta after climbing. They spent the night at The Melody Motor Lodge in Connellsville. Many visiting climbers seem to enjoy staying here. Rooms are warm and reasonable, breakfast is right next door at Ed's and climbing is only minutes away. What more could you ask for?

Sunday 1/23/The temperature hovered just above zero which quickly chilled our hands and feet. With poor conditions and cold temps, Laura and I jumped on the Infinite WI5. I climbed about 1/2 of it and lowered off to rewarm my frozen hands. I went up a second time reaching a reasonable high point where I could safely lower off. Conditions were not favorable for pushing too hard. Our friends from VA were in town again. They made an attempt of Called on account of Security WI4. They made it to the center pillar and made the decision to call it quits and top rope the lower portion. Maybe next weekend things will be looking up. Unfortunately the left wall isn't showing much hope. The new additions Mad Rocket WI5+and Double A WI6 are far from being "IN". On a positive note The Beast WI5+ is making an appearance for the 2nd year in a row. Currently it's about the most promising looking line on the left wall.

On approach, the first view

Galen belaying Sean on Called on Account of Security WI4

Tuesday 1/25/

Today it was Laura's day and she chose to go to Lower Meadow Run. She's recently made a clean go of Season Finale M6. She's been after it a for quite a while now. After a few tries this season she did it with no falls. She wanted to try it again and I wanted to try out the new pocket camera I purchased for shooting seconds coming up. I'd like to get away from lugging a body/lens combo up routes. I've not been very pleased with any pocket camera I've tried so far. This time I'm trying the NIKON S8100. The size is nice. Its small and light, reasonably fast and cheap (almost disposable). Seemed worth a try. Here are a few of the images we shot today. Not bad for a point and shoot.

Supporting the park we frequent

checking Laura's screw placements

Pulling over the crux bulge

Look out guys, Laura shows how its done

For any taker who want the novelty of climbing

Cucumber Falls WI2+. This is as "IN" as I've seen

it in years. Go get it while its still up! P.S. Don't expect gear

Devils Claw Wild Flower

Each summer I get a couple of these Devils Claw Wild Flowers. They are more common in other areas of the Southwest states than here, so I try to keep some of the seeds to replant. This is the leaves and blossom on one.

Pinto Horse

It is a dead horse... (more on stainless crampons)

but do you really want to be riding it?



OK, this got my attention. In less than 10 days counting back from todayI got reports of 3 pairs of bent, broken or crackedBlack Diamond Stainlesscrampons.



Call me cynical but it was exactly this time last year that the same thing happened...actually within days of each other one year apart. Over a dozen cracked or broken pairs of Black Diamond stainless crampons poppedup over the last year. But 3 in a row, in mid Feb ! Again?!



edit for an update: Same scenario again in Feb. of . More reported BD stainless failures.

It is mid season for ice climbing world wide. Check your crampons. If you are on stainless, check them twice!






This one bent while climbing ice. It isn't trick photography. The front point simply straightened out under body weight,




"The one front point flattened out when he was 5' off the deck. He fellto snow."






cracked using a rigid soled boot









Crack here is circled in red.



And these are crampons I really liked initially, BD's Sabertooth and Serac. Crampons I climbed and soloed in. And the most recent faulty crampons are all the reinforced 2nd gen. versions.



I could care less about Black Diamond. They made it clearlast winter that they have littleconcernabout yoursafety while using thisproduct. The sales samples and prototypes excuses are really long in tooth a full year later. These cracks and failures are all in the same place. Make damn sure you inspect yours closely prior to EVERY use. Thefront point collapsing under body weight is a new one for me.



Check your gear, be attentive and pay ATTENTION if you are still climbingin any of the BD stainless horizontal front pointcrampons. When thesedo come apart, make no mistake, it is a catastrophic failure. Falling off an ice climb because of gear failure can very easily get you dead.



So one more time...



Since Black Diamond won't tell you this, I will.



You all be careful out there on Black Diamond stainless 'pons!Friends don't let their friends climb on stainless horizontals.



More here if you want the enterainment:

http://rafalandronowski.wordpress.com//02/15/broke-my-crampons/



http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8972&page=all



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//02/soft-shoe-shuffle.html



http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1004766/Broke_my_crampons



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//08/crampon-durability-stainless-or.html

More from Washington DC

Ingalls Lake and Ingalls Peak

A big group ready to hit the trail to Ingalls Lake and the South Summit of Ingalls Peak.

Ingalls Lake on a beautiful fall day.

Dave, Pete and Jim on the South Summit. Mt. Stuart in the background.