Official BALCH FEST Invite: Nov 16-17th

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Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 02:30pm PT

Epic, Alexey and Chris! That looks very frustrating.
Did you hike from the road to one tower, then follow the lines left, and leave the powerlines at the next tower? (The notes on your map are a little unclear).
My version of the satellite photo has the powerline towers marked as T.
With the shredding of your hazmat suits, I hope you are not seeing signs of poison oak exposure today.

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

Nothing creative to say

Nov 5, 2013 - 02:38pm PT

I recall walking along the powerlines clearing for a short distance, then uphill slightly. Sound right Jay?

Alexey

climber

San Jose, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 02:45pm PT

Clint, I think all "T" on your topo versions are Power Towers.
The real trail start same place as your yellow line and goes exactly to "T" Power Tower as on your topo. Your topo does not have second smaller Power line which is further and higher than first and pretty parallel to the big one.
On my topo below I depict small power line as red as a trill because I can not use another color ( this is confusing because trail for some distance follow the small power line before took off the small power line uphill).
I depict our pass as red line with arrows.
So far no poison oak for me, checking with Chris, yesterday she was ok, but we wash ousels with technu afterward

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Nov 5, 2013 - 02:45pm PT

Yup! - Munge

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 02:50pm PT

Thanks, Alexey. So there is a second set of powerlines, wow.
I see them on the satellite photo now, and I will draw them in.

micronut

Trad climber

Fresno/Clovis, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 5, 2013 - 03:11pm PT

We're goin' in Saturday with a plan to take a real close look at coming in from the upper right hairpin. A beeline west from that upper right bend. Paul Martzen knows his way around this area pretty well....We think the wooded line above the creek is nearly the exact same distance, and may allow for smoother walking, thus dropping down and around to the flake, passing by the other formations that have some good climbing on them. We're takin' machetes, saws, nippers, clippers, chippers, adzes, blades, chains, swords, a mace, a flamethrower, sixty lbs of white gas, and a push lawnmower.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 03:27pm PT

Alexey,
I located the Power Poles for the smaller power lines and put them on my map.
And I changed the route to line up with your map.
The Poles were a bit closer to the Towers than you had drawn.
Hopefully this will jog Jaybro's memory.
Especially about the color of the flagging.
[Edit:] GREEN flagging - see below (also this is what Alexey concluded).

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 03:36pm PT

Scott,
I agree starting from the right (where road crosses seasonal stream),
the first half or 2/3 looks wooded.
Looking at the terrain contours,
it starts at 3900',
climbs to 4500',
then descends to 4200' (total gain 900' = 600' in, 300' out).

Jaybro's trail starts at 3500' and rises to 4200' (total gain 700').

The key question is whether Jaybro's path can be found and how much work it will take to reclear it.
(vs. clearing a new path)
[Edit:] Best to use Jaybro's path, but be very careful not to deviate from the GREEN flagging.

Aaron Stireman

Gym climber

Siege tactics

Nov 5, 2013 - 03:39pm PT

Micronut, thanks for organizing.

My Name/Screenname is Aaron Stireman.
I'm a hardcore plastic climber. I weigh 300lbs and Im a child. I have no sense of hygiene, red hair and I'm a total emo. I hope that helps with the shirt sizing, Medium I think. I have $ for you whenever I see you!

Driving up Friday afternoon/eveing was the plan, where do we meet?!

805.215.3660

Probably have 1 more coming up with me Friday.
Thanks

Alexey

climber

San Jose, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 03:47pm PT

Scott,
I think you should take care about your post-surgery knee more than about trail.
It would be fine general if you coordinate the trail works from commander bunker, but I really not suggesting you to go into the battle field.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Nov 5, 2013 - 03:54pm PT

Green tape. I'll find it Monday or Tuesday. i know where the trail goes when I'm there. Just no descriptors. Look for the pruned marks,?-and sawed off trees.? They were visible in 2010 from 1996. They are definitely visible now from 2010. There was a pretty complete cairn set in the last part, that may be hard to see this Ike of year. Trail goes past several isolated house size boulders. One of which has a for foot (?) iron bar or pipe in it.
There ate photos of many of these landmarks
On the two threads about it on widefetish.

most of the P. Oak is in the last third.

Forget the hairpin start, life is too short to be reinventing the wheel. Total waste of previous time.

Also, try to contact Mike Archiega, he has followed my trail in without someone to guide him. And is the most recent to ave done so. He is on Facebook or setting routes at PGSV and Belmont.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 04:00pm PT

Thanks, Jaybro.
Mike Arechiga posts as "mike a." here.
Contact info:
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/view_profile.php?dcid=MDo8PDQ3PCI,
I remember him posting about hiking up the trail, and eventually getting to a lot of poison oak.
Here's part of what he wrote on another thread:

amy and i did go check it out in the spring of 2011, saw no one the 3 days we were there, followed the green tape to the balch camp flake, holy cow that was a goat trail, op ever where :-), but we had tek new and showers to wash off after hiking, super beautuful place

micronut

Trad climber

Fresno/Clovis, ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 5, 2013 - 04:02pm PT

Roger that Jaybro. We'll focus on finding your route and working thus. Alexey, if my knee bugs me, I'll bow out. I'm no tough guy. I'll be smart about it. Thanks!

Alexey

climber

San Jose, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 04:04pm PT

We follow green tape. We took off uphill from small power line following green tape.
And very soon we lost it and bad bushwaking started

goatboy smellz

climber

Nederland-GulfBreeze

Nov 5, 2013 - 04:19pm PT

Looks like a blast, take a lot of photos and try not to beat yourselves up to much.

Willoughby

Social climber

Truckee, CA

Nov 5, 2013 - 04:20pm PT

As much as this sounds like a hoot, the poison oak situation sounds like my worst nightmare. I was a little tempted before the date was ultimately set, and luckily I have a Board Retreat that weekend. I still think you y'all need to send in Joe Kinder with some power tools to clear a nice trail.