Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
lee d
Trad climber
Oakland, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 21, 2014 - 12:31am PT
|
Hi, new to posting here. Was introduced to climbing a little over 4 years ago, mainly gym climbed, but in the last year have finally gotten outdoors! Had some great times at Donner Summit, Pinnacles, the Valley, and Tuolumne. More to come...
Am considering relocating to the Olympic Peninsula (Port Townsend) in the not too distant future, and am wondering about climbing possibilities there. Looks like the neaerst gym would be in Seattle (sigh), and wondering about where the trad climbing is. Currently I have skills in the 5.7 range. Not leading yet. Would appreciate info from climbers in the area. Thanks!
lee d
|
|
Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
|
|
|
Sep 21, 2014 - 01:42am PT
|
Trad climbing on the Olympic Penn?
YGBSM. 120 inches of rain annually. Compared to about 30 inches in Yosemite.
See this thread:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2490272/rock-climbing-in-the-great-Northwest
You'd be better off taking up scuba diving. Or alpine climbing.
P.S.
You're going to be in Paradise. Take advantage of what's there.
Don't forget to hit the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island.
The Annual Rain Festival is excellent, Jan 1- to Dec 31 every year.
|
|
Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
|
|
|
Sep 21, 2014 - 09:22am PT
|
Hey Lee,
I am a long time resident of the port angeles area and also a pretty avid climber.We have a limited amount of developed rock climbing out here, there's around 20 sport rts.near the former elwha dam mostly around 5.10,there's half a dozen short cracks 40 to 60 ft.long out by freshwater bay 5.8 to 5.11a and there's some 3 pitch bolted climbs on Sorethumb about an hour west of pa.5.7 to 5.9. All of it is less than inspiring in appearance if you are a granite purist.
In order to get my fill of climbing I spend quite a bit of time heading over to the cascades (index, levenworth etc.)you will probably wind up doing the same.
Don't let the ledge rat scare ya annual precip for pt townsend is about 19 inches. Drop me a line if you do relocate up here.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
|
|
|
Sep 21, 2014 - 09:29am PT
|
It takes looooong front points to get through some of that moss. Just ask Ghost.
Kidding.
World class beauty sometimes trumps pure stone anyway.....
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Sep 21, 2014 - 10:21am PT
|
Ghost? I'm yer man for the moss.
Trad in the Olympics? NO WAY!
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Sep 21, 2014 - 11:41am PT
|
I'm yer man for the moss.
Reilly, thy name is Moss!
Me? I've climbed on the peninsula for exactly one day. That was on the sport cliff at Elwa, back when the approach was a two-minute walk across the dam. Back when there was a dam.
I see the big mountains over there every day, but I've never climbed on them. Or even hiked among them. Reilly certainly has, though that was back in the pre-Cambrian period when the mountains were much smaller and easier than they are now.
Hardly Visible is the local expert on rock climbing in the Port Townsend region. My wife has climbed with him some, and vouches for him as a really good partner, so take him up on his offer.
|
|
lee d
Trad climber
Oakland, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 21, 2014 - 11:59pm PT
|
Thanks, Hardly Visible. I'll keep all this in mind, if my plans to relocate fall into place. Some folks think that the whole peninsula is as wet as the Hoh Rain Forest. Yeah, Port Townsend and San Francisco get about the same amount of rain each year. Would love to see the Elwa without the dam, after seeing the story of its removal in the documentary film Dam Nation.
lee d
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
Sep 24, 2014 - 01:48pm PT
|
hey there say, just a bump, to help our FIRST PAGE,
HOWEVER, awww, yes, i DO love the post that i am bumping, too...
you are of value, ...
just that i can't always visit everything and post...
but today, is REALLY NEEDED FOR HELP, TO US ALL...
WILL TRY to bump some more...
this 'message will repeat' for a bit, in the bumps...
:)
hope i am helping...
|
|
Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
|
|
|
Sep 24, 2014 - 08:39pm PT
|
Some folks think that the whole peninsula is as wet as the Hoh Rain Forest.
I lived in the San Juan Islands and we were also in a rain shadow.
|
|
seniorclimber
Trad climber
port ludlow
|
|
anyone interested in helping to clear the way into the mt. zion cliffs out of quilcene?
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
Wait, you mean those cliffs that face SW just below the summit?
Are you kidding me? BwaHaHaHaHa! Dude, get treatment!
|
|
splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
|
|
|
Jul 28, 2016 - 01:05pm PT
|
any climbing up this drainage to Royal Lake?
|
|
Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
|
|
|
Jul 28, 2016 - 08:16pm PT
|
Buy a surfski and paddle yer brains out!!!
|
|
Redacted
Trad climber
Bainbridge Island, WA
|
|
|
Sep 14, 2016 - 04:42pm PT
|
senior climber,
i just saw those cliffs the other day on the way back from finding that shooting pit a bit further up the road on the southwest side of the ridge. i'd be interested in at least scoping out the climbing there with you.
also, reilly, what's wrong with those cliffs?
|
|
bchains
Trad climber
Bay Area, CA
|
|
|
Sep 14, 2016 - 06:49pm PT
|
YOU'RE GONNA DIE!
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Sep 14, 2016 - 07:12pm PT
|
any climbing up this drainage to Royal Lake?
Give us directions to whereever this Royal Lake is, and by next year there will be climbs.
|
|
John Morton
climber
|
|
|
Sep 15, 2016 - 08:29am PT
|
Port Townsend rainfall averages ~18 in./yr., same as Berkeley.
There is a rock gym on Bainbridge, 1 hr. SE: http://www.islandrockgym.com/
The Elwha sounds like a good bet, didn't know about that. That would be 1.5 hrs. or so from PT, west, not south.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Sep 15, 2016 - 08:44am PT
|
Redacted, nuthin wrong with those cliffs. They just seem like a bit of a hump for a little choss.
NTTAWWC! :-)
|
|
John Duffield
Mountain climber
New York
|
|
|
Sep 15, 2016 - 08:47am PT
|
I did a Trail Race out there last month. What a great place. It was amazing. My time was less than amazing, you can see it near the bottom of the 7 mile results.
http://www.sheltonharriers.com/
|
|
Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
|
|
|
Sep 15, 2016 - 09:54am PT
|
Ghost,
Royal Lake is in the northeast corner of Olympic National Park 7.5 miles of hiking from the Dungeness trailhead and the rocks (The Needles) a little further still. A lot of potential for new climbs, but climbing has been happening there for 60 years. Given the logistics not very likely this will become the new mecca of Olympic Peninsula rock climbs. Today's new warriors seem to be content with retro-bolting already well bolted Elwha climbs that the rest of us led for 20 years with the bolt spacing that was there. Needless to say I've kinda given up on the Elwha and I keep my mouth shut about where I climb out here these days.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!