Washington Pass Cragging and the Torment-Forbidden Traverse

In July, Jed had a week between math conferences on the west coast, and I had a week off.  So we went to the North Cascades and crushed them into dust.

First we went to Washington Pass to wait out a sketchy forecast on the coast, and climb some rocks.

Jed on the first pitch of the East Face of Lexington Tower.  Somewhere near the base of the route we read the topo for the first time to discover that a #5 camalot is required - obviously, we didn't have one.  I looked at Jed and said "your lead."  Jed shrugged.

I posed in every photo of the whole week.  They were not all unmitigated successes.  The crux of the whole route was crossing the moat and bouldering the kitty litter after it in running shoes.

The classic shot of the route.  Jed led an invisible but hugely juggy crack to his right to
bypass the  yawning chimney above.  The crack was surprisingly pumpy, and the climbing
after it alarmingly insecure.  But Jed, with a little uncharacteristic whining, persevered. 

The next pitch was the crux offwidth, so Jed got to lead again.  Looking up at it from the belay 

I swear it had teeth and was snarling, but after a fashion it wasn't too terrible.  But I was 

glad Jed had the pointy end all the same.   As an aside - the piece of gear just out of sight 

in the crack is a 2x4 that someone fixed and slung, drilling a hole in it to hold the sling.  The 

carpenter in me is offended - its a fine idea, but don't drill the hole, just girth hitch the

 damn sling and leave the block intact - its much stronger that way.

Team photo.  See me?  Its a "summit" photo because the route doesn't go to the summit at all - it passes next to it, something the guidebooks keep a healthy secret.  To get to the summit you have to hike down, around and back up to the other side of the summit tower and climb a completely different route.  The lack of a summit certainly steals some of the aesthetics from the route.

The next day was a good, old fashioned embarrassment.  We left the car at 10am with the intention of climbing Rebel Yell on Chianti Spire.  This is a late start for such a long hike - and we forgot the topo.  We ran into some guys who gave us one, luckily, and we carried on to the base.  However, it was old, had bad beta, and after a couple of false starts, we never found the damn start.  So at about 4pm we launched up Burgundy Spire from the col, climbing the 5.8 route.  It was a worthy climb in the end.

Looking down the pitch to the summit.

We rapped down this immaculate crack but we didn't find it on the way up.

Jed sets one of the raps.

Late starts make late finishes and pretty sunsets.

Jed at our trailhead bivy site.

Avalanche Lilies.  Always a hit.

The next day was the Direct East Buttress on South Early Winters Spire.  This is looking over at Silverstar Mountain.

Me, following.

Jed, following.

This is a quality pitch on which I only narrowly averted a complete meltdown when I had to some balance a ways above my last piece.  I've got to do more yoga. 

The DEB goes free at 11- but can be aided at 5.9.  The free climbing looked to be quality, but Jed hadn't been climbing much lately and I... don't climb 5.11.

I made Jed practice his yoga.

Best summit photo ever?

Descending the classic 5.4 route.

Looking back up at the Early Winter Spires from the west.

Wouldn't be the Cascades without seeing some nearly-domestic goats.

Lots of them, in fact.  Jed thought they were sheep.  I pointed and laughed.  Jed is so dumb.

After we decided that we had reduced all of Washington Pass to rubble (we didn't miss a single route there...) and that there was nothing left to challenge us, we decided to move on to North Cascades National Park.  After following all (well, most) of the Park rules, we hiked up into Boston Basin to do the classic Torment-Forbidden Traverse.  The area was pretty crowded with groups of different types attempting the West Ridge of Forbidden, which is quite nice but pretty short and easy.

If Jed were a house he would have shag carpeting throughout.

Unfortunately, my shitty camera with its shitty battery gave up the ghost on the hike in.  The above photo was the last one I took - so all the rest of the photos are Jeds.

Me on the summit of Torment, to start the traverse.  Getting to the summit was a bit complicated, but never difficult.

Views down the other side of the ridge connecting Torment to Forbidden.

The traverse: taken from the summit of Torment, this looks all the way to Forbidden Peak, which is the obvious pointy peak in the background.  The West Ridge faces the camera.

The Big Unknown for us was the snowy sections (this is steeper than it looks).  I had boots and an ice ax and Jed followed in approach shoes with aluminum crampons.  It was a bit slow, but it worked.

The section of ridge immediately after Torment was by far the most difficult - the route finding was complicated and the rock loose at times.  Descending Torment Jed and I argued a lot about route-finding, I insisted, we did as I insisted, and then we were wrong.  The first third of the ridge took well over half of the time - after that it was cruiser.

Rope management was the theme.

On the summit of Forbidden after climbing the West Ridge.  I led the whole ridge in one pitch and Jed moped.

The couloir to descend from the West Ridge of Forbidden.  I think this is the crux for most people - a steep, narrow snow couloir.  It was right at that obnoxious angle where I just wasn't willing to face out.

I took Jed's camera.  This is back at Boston Basin after the traverse.  We were 13 hours camp-to-camp, and then walked out that same evening.

...a trip wouldn't be complete....

Thanks Jed for a great trip!!

A note on photos: the pictures of Jed are usually my property, and the pictures of me are usually Jed's property.  Unless the camera is held at arm's length, then its mine again.