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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Jan 13, 2014 - 10:10pm PT
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there are some rocks that never caught my eye before i was a climber. but now, every time i drive back from kirkwood my eyes are drawn to them. i tried to hike to them today from big meadow trailhead but only got to the outskirts.
here's one i stumbled across on the way there
the formation is the furthest of the ones i saw from 88, and the closest from 89
i climbed the right facing corner on the left in the pic. the start and lower portion of the climb is obscured by the white pyramid shaped boulder in the shadows.
climbing
about where i was in the pic i cloved the rope into a piece and climbed on absentmindedly. got up to a shelf where i could go no higher because of the clove hitch. my choice was to down climb back and move the piece up or untie and climb up easier parts hoping i could walk off. fortunately walking off was an option. then i climbed back up and retrieved the gear.
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jonnyrig
Trad climber
formerly known as hillrat
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Jan 15, 2014 - 01:31am PT
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Nice rock, gumby. Still up there on limited gear or did I miss something?
Looks like I'm getting one more free day before the kid arrives, so I'm thinking of heading back out to the little towerish thing in my last set of pics. Flakey biscuit loaf, I think I'll call it. I will either find a suitable anchor at the base or drill a couple bolts in. Unless I find a partner to go.
Any takers?
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Jan 15, 2014 - 01:43am PT
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yeah i was putting in a piece there with a dynamic sling and then one clove hitched to the rope. that's when i sort of forgot what i was doing and climbed past where i could reach those pieces. i unclipped the sling from my harness which wasn't an issue since i had more. the bigger issue was not wanting to climb 10' back down to undue the clove hitch, so i untied the rope and kept going, making sure i didn't climb up anything i couldn't backtrack comfortably.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Jan 15, 2014 - 02:36am PT
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Found this 30 foot face (and crack) right under the noses of everybody. There is nothing that tall in like a 7 mile radius. Posting a few photes at the risk of it being grid-bolted by morning.
Weird window/ brace holding it up from the back ...
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jonnyrig
Trad climber
formerly known as hillrat
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Feb 18, 2014 - 12:54am PT
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It's now been almost a month since my son was born, and I finally have a little something to report. He's doing well, and his mother is too. She is now recovering from last weeks hernia surgery, which occurred from coughing during the pregnancy.
So, after many weeks of crying, colds, doctors office visits, stomach upsets, lack of sleep, and dirty clothes, I was going nuts. And then there's the kids! Clearly, the family needed a break from me.
One of my friends got conned into an obscure climb on a backcountry cow trail (where, incidentally, the cows would most likely resemble that dried out cow skull and horns in some desert cartoon), hours from nowhere, on a balmy winter Nevada day. I promised him sunshine and a FA on a south-facing, easy, two-pitch slab. One blown tire and a steady thirty mph wind chill not withstanding, the sun DID grace us with its presence. Promise fulfilled, we gave it a go.
Ten minutes of hiking had us at the base of the upper slab. The lower outcrop has some potential routes, but I'll leave those to the boulder monkeys who like to grid-bolt, or, you know... my next life-cycle as my friend might have said.
I led the first pitch on the flakey-biscuit-quality rock. It's easy climbing, relatively easy protection after a little feng-shui rock gardening of the crack along the way. The surface, while offering an endless variety of portable holds, also has a great crack system that runs bottom to top with enough adequate holds to propel even an untrainable goober like myself in a direction that resembles up. The hardest part seemed to be positioning one's feet in such a manner as to not rain down biscuit/pancake size shards of volcanic muck upon your windbitten lifeline handler below. Oddly, the comparison had me craving a second helping of waffles and syrup.
After anchoring in an alcove out of the wind just below the chimneyish pitch and starting the partner up, the wind changed direction and I was suddenly both ecstatic to be wearing an insulated plaid bubba shirt and distraught that I'd foolishly left the thermal leggings at home. My partner easily cleaned the pitch and dished me up a healthy admonishment that I'd not place enough gear for this middle-of-nowhere type of shenanigan, then did a brilliant job of both leading the chimneyish pitch, and sending the flapjack style rock flakes careening down the chute in front of me, instead of on top of me. Bravo sir! After a brief handshake and a presidential selfie on my first two-pitch (ok, so the 1st pitch was over half a rope, maybe 120 ft, and the second was probably under half a rope, so I guess technically some brave soul with a 70m could link up and make it a single pitch slabhappy thingy of it) FA, we elected to get out of the wind-tunnel-like vortex of not-so-warming breeziness and slung a large block with a baby angle backup (sharp edges) 70ish ft rap off the top side.
All together, it was fun day starting with waffle breakfast, two easy pitches of pancake-flakey biscuit crack, minor teeth-chattering wind-chill, and a blown out tire. Sure beats a dirty diaper. Which was the most immediate need-to-do when I walked in the door at home, followed by a Killians Irish Red and some warm soup.
Now, all that's left to do is:
Three slings and piton left on obscure rock just northeast of Lembert Dome. Free PBR to the good soul who's kind enough to return them to me!
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rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
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Feb 18, 2014 - 01:29am PT
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JohnnyRig- brilliant trip report of what is undoubtedly the first ascent and probably the last ascent of the mighty Creelman Crag. Obscurity of obscurities and a damn good adventurous find.
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jonnyrig
Trad climber
formerly known as hillrat
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Feb 18, 2014 - 11:10am PT
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Thankyou. Im saving my first real TR for something a little more worthy of Taco standards.
Next up: something taller, and with video. Aka- hold my beer and watch this...
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Feb 18, 2014 - 11:46am PT
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Great thread, keep em coming!
I still think this spot has some fun potential and it would be a good diversion driving north on the 14 on the way to Mammoth or Bishop.
Interesting rock here but access is by kayak.
I did a few routes on this wall a few summers ago but there is much more to do. It's up in the Whites.
This boulder is deep in the Sespe. Camped next to it on a raft trip a few years back.
Did a FA with Tom Woods on this dome a few years back, also in the Whites
I really think this peak has some potential and if you have a 4x4 you can almost drive to the base.
More White Mountain potential.
A horrible shot of the peak in the Inyos I posted above. Taken on a recon trip in 1986 or 1987.
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kennyt
Trad climber
Oregon
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Feb 18, 2014 - 11:54am PT
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Good thread!
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Feb 18, 2014 - 05:23pm PT
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The route done a few years ago. I went up with a non climber friend and felt bad about making him belay so I only ticked off the one route. There is a cool face to roof climb to the left that I really want to go back and try. MisterE??? you up for a little adventure this summer?
This is the Papoose Flat area down toward Marble Canyon. We did a route on the left side of the formation. Rap bolts on top.
Fun splitter hand crack right off the road in the Whites.
Another Papoose Flat climb. The route we did climbs the longest left to right crack system. Pretty chossy but could be good with more traffic.
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Feb 18, 2014 - 05:48pm PT
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In the late '90s we bootied a really old, freeze-thaw damaged hex from the second pitch of the biggest formation in that photo…people have been climbing there for a while!
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Feb 18, 2014 - 06:09pm PT
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Greg,
I remember you telling me you did some stuff on that formation. I have not ventured down to that crag yet, maybe this summer. I am hoping to spend more time exploring that whole area. My family has been camping up there for years but I have only been climbing off and on up there for maybe 10. Great place to get away from the heat.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Feb 18, 2014 - 10:22pm PT
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I was thinking a spring trip to Papoose this year, that's where split decision is or is it the cow camp?
There's not a lot of snow, but still more than you think in the canyons right now. It should be an early year for access if the winter keeps up the way it has.
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jonnyrig
Trad climber
formerly known as hillrat
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Feb 19, 2014 - 06:18pm PT
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Looks like I,m going exploring this weekend for a day. Looks like potential for as much as 1500 feet of slab. All that remote stuff you guys come up with has me drooling. Hoping for a FA worthy of posting an actual TR.
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speelyei
Trad climber
Mohave County Arizona
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Feb 19, 2014 - 09:31pm PT
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I like the 5.3d and off the beaten path stuff. I doubt I'll ever do a big wall or 5.12, or climb in some foreign locale... Seeing other people traipsing for trash and adventuring at technical limits that are within the reach of "Joe Weekender" inspires me. I'd like to see more of that stuff.
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Trusty Rusty
climber
Tahoe Area
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Feb 19, 2014 - 11:00pm PT
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Maybert Boulder
Yuba/Bowman - Falcon Crest
North Fk American R
Maybert Cliff
Other Random. . . .
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adventurous one
Trad climber
Truckee Ca.
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Feb 19, 2014 - 11:57pm PT
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Trusty Rusty:
You and I have been stepping in each others footprints.... Did you haul climbing gear all the way down there, American River, or just a camera? I've been trying to convince someone to go to both of those places with me for 25 years but nobody has been willing to pack climbing gear in there with me with all of the easy access stuff around...hiked in to the American River spot again this summer for a swim,(Keeping a look out for those that don't seem to want you down there ;) as well as the multitude of rattlesnakes in there)They both are on the radar for this summer...maybe...as I get older it keeps getting farther...
......btw...shhhh
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jonnyrig
Trad climber
formerly known as hillrat
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Feb 20, 2014 - 12:27am PT
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I would throw some gear in a pack. Maybe one of these days it would be good to meet in person.
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speelyei
Trad climber
Mohave County Arizona
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Feb 20, 2014 - 04:11pm PT
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le_bruce, awesome. Totally awesome.
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