a week in the North Cascades

We couldn't plan a long climbing trip and not spend some of that time in our own backyard. So after returning from Colorado, we packed up the car yet again for a 5 day jaunt in the North Cascades. The first and main objective was Liberty Crack on Liberty Bell up at Washington Pass. This is a climb that has been on Michiel's mind for the last 3 years. This is the rightmost spire in the photo below, viewed from highway 20, and we climbed the 1200 foot East face. This is considered a North American 50 Classic, and they weren't lying. Oh man what a climb.


Liberty Crack is a 11 pitch 5.10 C2 climb, but most people climb it as 5.9 C2. This climb contains 3 pitchs of solid aid, Michiel's second time aiding, 3 pitches of solid 5.10 climbing, 2 pitches of 5.9 and then easier going on a long crack system climbing the main face of Liberty Bell. This climb has gone free once in the past, and we were able to see the second free ascent.


Since this was our first real aid climb, and unsure about our speed we decided to fix the first two pitches the afternoon before, and came back to finish the climb on the second day. Below, on the first day, Michiel is nearing the top of the pitch C1, while Kate Rutherford is heading up over the roof to meet up with Mikey Schaeffer while they were working on freeing the roof. The next day we witnessed Mikey freeing the roof, which goes at 5.13b, making him the second person to have freed it.

Michiel working his way over the Lithuanian Lip on the second pitch. This was one of the best parts of the climb. It was even fun for Kelly to jug up, who swung out across the face every time she cleaned a piece of gear.

After fixing the first two pitches and rapping off. Kelly and I went to our campsite, made dinner and went to sleep. We had stashed our gear at the base of the climb so that the next days hike in would be easier. We had an easy morning hike in to the base and began jugging our fixed lines to the top of the second pitch.

The third pitch also goes at C2 with an apparent hook move that Michiel never found, leading to the base of a sweet 5.10 hand crack.
After a long 165 foot 5.8, 2 5.10 pitches and a long 5.7 we came to Kelly's starring pitch. A long 180 foot 5.9+ pitch that took us to the top, and Kelly to the edge. After climbing and jugging up 1000 feet of rock of hard climbing, Kelly got to finish it off with a long lead at the top end of her abilities. Way to go!

Kelly starting her way up Pitch 9 of Liberty Crack--quite steep but lots of fixed pins.

After a stiff climb, we knew we'd be tired, but wanted to get out and explore a little more of the North Cascades, so we picked out a new area to head into. Michiel has been near this area a couple times, but for Kelly it was a first. From Marblemount, we headed up Cascade River Road for 19 miles, then hiked our way 5,600 feet up through big cedars, large boulderfields, heather meadows, and then gained the Eldorado Glacier before setting up camp on Wednesday night at the base of Eldorado. We thought it was a little early in the season to try for Early Morning Spire, which seems like a fun climb, so we aimed for the mellower Southwest Buttress on Dorado Needle. However, Thursday morning we woke up and some clouds had rolled in. It still looked okay, so we set out across the glacier. Only to find that 30 minutes later, at the col at the edge of the large Inspiration glacier, much more menacing clouds had rolled in, and stormfronts coming in from the south and the north seemed to be converging above us. We could hear the crackling of electricity in the rock beside us, and lightening was striking just over a mile away. Rather than get stuck on a long rock route should the storm hit, we turned around and headed back to camp.

After waiting it out for a little while, we decided the window was at least big enough for us to run up Eldorado Peak looming above us. So we booked it up the East Ridge and gained the crazy summit--which is a snow knife edge, though easy because many climbers before us have kicked out solid footsteps. A group of four other climbers had converged on the same mountain, having also backed off their rock objective. Rather than get rained on when we had brought up only one bivy sack between the two of us, we headed back down the long approach that afternoon, conspiring to crag at Index on Friday before heading back into Seattle for a couple days, which has stretched into a week with Michiel putting in a little time at work. It's all good, and now we are off to British Columbia for a couple weeks. What do you think of that, eh?

Evening sun on Forbidden (the peak at right) and Moraine Lake below it, all just east of our campsite.

About to set out from camp, on the rock, on Thursday morning, headed for Dorado Needle. Viewed from the north. Our approach was from the south.

Some of the menacing clouds over us on Thursday as we changed objectives. Definately a change in the weather forecast from when we'd seen it last....

Colorado: Eldorado Canyon, the Rockies, and more...

Two great weeks in Colorado hanging out with Michiel's brother Sebastiaan and his girlfriend Jamie really kick-started our climbing trip. We drove down after a fun wedding weekend in Bozeman (thanks and congrats to Hannes and Laura!) over the 4th of July. After a full day's drive we arrived at the doorstep of their little house that sits next to the creek in Eldorado Canyon, a world class climbing site. Being in Colorado, we had to get used to how dicey it can be to climb with the possibility of storms in the afternoons. Being halfway up a tall spire with a lot of metal dangling from your body during a lightening storm is not such a good idea. So that made early morning alpine starts a must.

Thankfully, with Sebastiaan and Jamie's doorstep only 10 minutes by foot from the sandstone climbing of Eldorado Canyon, we were still able to, some days, enjoy both a lazy coffee-filled morning and quality climbing. Eldorado Canyon has sandbagged ratings, fairly polished though solid sandstone, and some finnicky gear. Large towers in the colors of warm sunsets rise up on either side of the creek, and are covered with florescent yellow lichens. Quality multipitch cragging routes are bomber here.


We hit some great routes in Eldo, the favorite being the 7-pitch Yellow Spur a Grade III 5.10b (Michiel's second time on the route, Sebastiaans's 5th), where we forgot to take a camera and document Kelly's onsight on the highly exposed crux pitch 800 feet up. And the 5-pitch 5.10a Handcracker Direct.



We also got into Rocky Mountain National Park for a few alpine climbs. Started with the Petit Grepon, heading in with two parties of two--Michiel and Kelly on the South Face, one of the most popular alpine climbs in the country and immortalized in the 50 Classics of North America, and Sebastiaan and his buddy Chris beside us on the Southwest Corner. Amazingly, the four of us had the mountain to ourselves that day, and did not have to leapfrog around other parties. That's when climbing in the alpine is at its best. The South Face was a fun route, pretty low-key and enjoyable.


The boys gearing up on the Petit Grepon at dawn.


The crazy profile of the Petit Grepon from the base. The face steadily narrows into a tiny blade of a summit.




Climbing up easy chimney sections.

Kelly attaining the summit.




Our next main alpine climb was on Hallett Peak. We headed up there with Chris Taylor to tackle this imposing 1100 foot face via the Culp-Bousier route, Grade IV 5.9.

Leaving Boulder at 2 in the morning and the car at 3:45 we got an early alpine start and were greeted with a beautiful sunrise before hopping on the climb. Although not much higher by grade than the Petit Grepon, it is a much more committing climb. Fun, but mostly full length (200 foot), pitches combined with two ropes added up to a lot of rope drag. We enjoyed the quality of climbing on this one for sure though. Luckily, we narrowly missed a thunderstorm complete with hail and driving rain which came in as we were descending down the gullies and boulder field.




Michiel leading the crux pitch of the route.

Chris bringing us up to the summit in a rope-stretching pitch with some wet sections.

Our last Colorado climb was probably the best for both rock quality and challenge presented to all of us. Michiel, Sebastiaan and Kelly headed out to the park one last time to tackle the Barb on Spearhead, an 8-pitch 5.10c. The approach was gorgeous, especially once we got to Black Lake (below).

Spearhead sits in a beautiful cirque of peaks at the backside of the Diamond. It is the pyramid-shaped mountain behind Michiel and Kelly as we make sandwiches for the next day's climb. Soon after, we called it a day and crawled into our awesome little cave of a bivy spot protected from the strong winds of the day.






Mac started us out on the climb on a fun little section although fingers were still a little numb.

Kelly leading her first 5.9 alpine pitch, a fun traversing fingers crack.

Sebastiaan on the fun 5.9+ hand traverse before the roof on pitch 5. This long sustained rattly hands pitch that brings us up to the crux. The belay spot is about the size of a postage stamp and we are all hanging on gear as we shift climbers.

Then Michiel takes us on the 5.10c crux pitch with a fixed piton in it. Starting out with a 5.9 section of off-fingers to a hard section just barely large enough to fit fingertips in, the crux, and then easing off to a fun 5.9 crack that brings us around to the North Ridge. From here we belay to the summit.

The Colorado trip was a blast. We would spend our evenings eating meals at the house, having nice dinners in Boulder (hooray for happy hours) or seeing Jamie at work at the bar. Two weeks was not long enough, but the Cascades and a couple of engagements were calling....

Transitioning to North America

Apparently we've been neglecting the blog since embarking on the North American part of our trip. There is something about travelling overseas that makes blogging more enticing. Even if only to assure our families that we are alive and well. The novelty of travelling somewhere new does it too. You are presented with all sorts of cultural situations and exotic landscapes, as well as the conflicts of emotion presented by each of these situations. The greatest moments of cultural exchange prove to be some of the hardest bits, maybe even the ones that provoke you to keep moving on....

But all that is a memory now. (For more photos of Africa though, see Kelly's facebook page. Easier to post there.)

We've been back in the USA for a month and a half now. We talk about Obama a lot less here. Although the focus of our trip has shifted from travel to climbing, our identity as dirty bums has not seemed to change much. We are still mostly living out of our tent and going days between showers. But we are a lot more fit. Walking around loads while travelling, coupled with the occassional bike rental, is okay. But it just doesn't compare to spending all day climbing and hiking, almost every day of the week.

In order to jumpstart this change in fitness requirements, we knew we were going to have to get into shape. Our running shoes had been stolen in Madagascar, so it had been a long time since we'd hit the pavement. Michiel was getting really amped, pounding his fist in his hand when he talked about our upcoming workouts. But we do have different styles in this respect. A few days after getting home, we had already flown across the country to Vermont for our friends Marion and Ethan's wedding. We decided to hit the hills around the farm for a morning run. (One of the things I miss about college is the amazing running on Vermont farm roads.) We lace up and quickly realize that the only option from the farm is downhill to the left or downhill to the right, which of course means that the long haul uphill comes at the end, always a little daunting. We take the left route. We jog downhill at an even pace, but by the time that I'm ready to turn around, Michiel hasn't gotten enough out of it so far. So he decides he's going to sprint uphill all the way back to the barn, while I jog back up at my slow but steady pace. He started off strong, leaving me in a tiny cloud of dust. But guess who made it farther uphill before slowing to a walk?

So...by the time we get back to Washington he's of course so amped for some climbing that it's almost unbearable. I 'let' him go out with another buddy in order to get a little fix. That gives us a little more focus as we take a couple days to see families and friends and get all of our gear together to prep for the first roadtrip of the summer.

We're currently in Seattle for a couple of days, but since Vermont, we have spent a week warming up in Washington's mountains, then headed east for another fun wedding in Montana over the 4th of July, then down for two awesome weeks in Colorado to hang out with Michiel's brother Sebastiaan and his girlfriend Jamie, and get lots of climbing in. We came back for another week in the North Cascades of Washington. The next stop is British Columbia. Our plan is to continue posting onto the blog occassionally with some pictures and climbing trip reports. More details on Colorado and the North Cascades forthcoming.....