Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Ney Grant
Trad climber
Pollock Pines
|
|
Update on flight:
My plane is grounded for a few weeks for maintenance. My main heading gyro (HSI) died and is being rebuilt. I'm taking the time to redo the audio/intercom system with new shielded wiring, which entails removing a lot of the interior panels. I'll let you guys know when I'm back in the air.
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
Ney, anytime you want to sample the remote but accessible rock would be fine with me. No airplane scouting trip necessary. Its sometimes difficult to recruit people for new routing in the wilds and it sounds like you have the bug for such mild adventure.
|
|
jonnyrig
climber
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 6, 2015 - 06:46am PT
|
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
I think you exagerate my lack of exageration Ron.
Im not out their finding world class rock. More like viable alternatives for the local yokels who like a bit of adventure off the beaten track.
I compared our current area of development as being better than Donner and/or Woodfords. Well, that could be accurate given enough will and work. We'll see how our fellow yokels like it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
|
|
Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
|
|
To dream, you have the really good stuff, far flung out west
But soon as the snow melts this is gonna break out! the trail is in
I have freed 36 lines some on lead some on top rope,5.6-5.12,
five yellow Blazes incuding the tree in the fore ground
the six lanes wide road it sits on, puts it in plain view, and parking on state land
granite, 70 feet and higher good pro,
it needs boltzs to count on the east cost!(some say coAst )
the two pictures above are on the same formation
I have no Boltzs,
Some more of 'mine' is all somewhere that climbing would be frowned
upon due to rickety real estate values.I do not let it stop development, a real estate license, can be a plus. . .
Screw my anonymity those who can do , Do!!
While others drive by to boulder along the power lines.
Gauntlet thrown
Happy spring
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
[photoid=401784]Another awesome day in the NV wilds. The sun shined brightly from a cloudless sky, the temperature perfect, the rock, partners and climbing were phenomenal. Two new high quality routes done by Bob, laine and myself. Both approx 300', both about 5.9 and well protected, though they weaved improbable paths for such a moderate grade.
|
|
pinckbrown
Trad climber
Woodfords, CA
|
|
Rick - I think it is "Park Laine"' not "Park Lane"
(take off from Park Lane Mall in Reno)
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
Much more vast Ron.
|
|
jonnyrig
climber
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2015 - 03:52pm PT
|
|
|
T?S
Trad climber
Reno, NV
|
|
I just want to say how happy I was to see my three favorite threads right now on the front page this morning... This being one of them.
Sounds like Laine got to pluck a sweet cherry with you guys this weekend! Right on.
I spent my weekend exploring the mysterious Wild Granites in the Toiyabe range.
We took a highly recommended "detour" (I actually think it may be faster) on State highway 2 (aka 722) and saw some awesome country.
I think there is definitely some untouched stone as you pass through the Bald Mountain range.
We got to the Indian Burial Ground Rd by night fall and were giddy about what lay above us.
We got the main campsite for our first night, which is really cool. Fully set up for a dirtbag to park there for many-a-day.
The hike was more involved and longer than we both thought it would be. The formations are so massive, that it seems like it will be a casual 45 minutes to get to them from the campsite, but those looks are definitely deceiving. We cliffed ourselves out once, and had very large packs on with camping and climbing gear, and the approach took us over 2 and half hours.
The place is certainly not one that you will conquer on your first outing. If places like Lover's Leap beg you to climb them, then the Wild Granites might be double-dog daring you to climb them. The highly discontinuous crack systems, the eerie and all too consistent sound of rock fall, and the untouched feel of the place all add to its mystique.
I'll be back.
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
I know what you mean about that approach T?s. We camped at the site with the topo 2x12 nailed on the tree in september 2008. Is this the same camp you were at? Anyway with a full moon and with the aid of a mushroom dinner we marveled at the perfect visage of an indian Chief, feather headress and all, near the prow of the largest formation. I dont imagine you picked out the same image, did you? Anyway the next morning arrived cloudless, and thinking we were going to make a day climb out of the easy looking approach and crag we marched off in the 80 degree morning packs stuffed with big wall racks two ropes and two quarts of water a peice. Two and a half hours later and in now 95 degree temps we arrived waterless at the base. We did a decent recon but climbing was out of the question without water in the heat. What that place needs is a mass assault with a well stocked spike camp.at the base.
|
|
Laine
Trad climber
Reno, NV
|
|
Nice pics, Tyson. We'll need to go out there soon and see what we can get done.
|
|
T?S
Trad climber
Reno, NV
|
|
Yes, rick agreed on the gear stash needed at the base of the towers. Even then it will be a big task.
Temps for us were very good, and there is still some spring snow left, so we had all the water needed. The next month or so seems to be prime time if you want to stay camped up there for multiple days to try and get something done... but, like I said in the first post, the rockfall was really consistent, and I'm sure it has alot to do with the spring meltoff shifting things, so it's a bit of a catch-22.
Yes the first night we stayed at the site with the topo, it even has a swing now, ha... and a vagabond stove of sorts, plus an awesome table built by some the FA dudes. The IPA's we brought didn't quite elevate us to Indian Chief sighting levels, but we had fun anyways.
|
|
Greg Barnes
climber
|
|
T?S, I think there is an old 1/4" bolt leading up to that chimney system you mention. Here's a photo from directly below:
And this might be the bolt:
If not there it's nearby. Maybe leading up to the roofy thin crack left of the chimney? In any case, definitely scope very carefully with binocs - and even then assume 5.11 R slab climbers may have been there first. There's at least one multipitch slab route a bit up to the right, also with old rusty 1/4" (VERY hard to spot even with binocs). Might be nice to bring a replacement kit while you're up there!
|
|
Laine
Trad climber
Reno, NV
|
|
Greg, we can make that happen. If you can spare some ASCA gear, we can replace them. Probably better stuff than my SS wedge bolts.
|
|
jonnyrig
climber
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2015 - 11:20pm PT
|
Looks like a good trip T?S. Droolworthy.
|
|
T?S
Trad climber
Reno, NV
|
|
Very cool info Greg. That is definitely the same chimney system. We never saw anything shining in the binocs the whole weekend, we had a spotting scope, but left in the truck cause it was too heavy to justify, in hindsight I wished I would've lugged it up there. I definitely wasn't squinting hard enough to spot old rusty leepers with the binocs we did have up there.
I would have been surprised if a line as clear and good looking as that hadn't been climbed, it just looked so untouched, everything did really, that I started to convince myself that things like that might possibly be undone! Looks like it has been many seasons since it has seen a repeat attempt.
We didn't see much more than a pin the whole weekend, the hard men of yesterday appear to have kept it relatively clean up there. And a slab route to the right? wow. I'd love to learn more about that, considering the lack of hardware on that face and lack of protectable sections! Bold!
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2015 - 12:20am PT
|
On our 2008 recon we saw that single bolt, a widely spaced 2 or maybe three bolt line to the right on the slab, and a pin or two with attached tat hanging a couple pitches up on the very steep wall to the right of the prow. This place has been climbed on sporadically by a relative few for over forty years. Im sure there are at least a few dozen climbed lines and room for a few hundred more in the greater area. Too bad the route establishers dont come clean with some route descriptions. It's not like, given its distance from amenities and long approach, that it will ever see crowds.
Yeah, that too high picnic table and improved rock walled fire pit with cook setup was there in 2008 T? S.
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2015 - 08:40am PT
|
Somewhat in agreement DMT. But the Granite Wilds are the biggest (rivals Calaveras in size but exceeds it in quantity of formations) highly visible chunks of granite in the state and in full view of hwy 376 that has seen a fair amount of traffic since at least the 1950's. I know Alvin McClane put up some routes their in the 1960's. Before that I could see the Colorado or Utah or alternately the Californian pioneer modern climbers of the fifties taking a break to sample it on their cross country pilgramages. Anyway, just a location of the routes start and some description like upwards following the line of least resistance for ten pitches would suffice. Anything, so one doesn't find themselves halfway up a grade four FA only to find themselves confronting fixed gear on a used route. These highly visible and Impossible to Ignore crags are a little different than the smaller more obscure gems we are finding-it has a long and undeniable history. So, I ask any of the participants in that history to please cough up a little general info.
Tyson, any more pics or general locale of any routes you completed?
|
|
Greg Barnes
climber
|
|
|
Mar 10, 2015 - 01:29pm PT
|
I don't know Rick, like Dingus said you can't put info back in the box.
On the other hand, the Wild Granites are pretty dang obvious. As you know, the approach is kinda brutal with the endless sand slopes wandering among boulders. The season is short since you will fry most of the year when it's not freezing and snowy. And they are a long, long way from anywhere.
I think you and a lot of obscure FA folks would really like a way to know what's been climbed before. It doesn't much matter for remote crack systems, but faces - particularly runout faces - are important.
Most folks see both sides of the coin. But leaving some places "unknown" is getting harder and harder in the internet age. It's kind of cool to have huge expanses of obvious granite in the "unknown" category. When we went there in April '08, there weren't even any footprints until a few very old ones near the base of a wall.
And I just checked…as of less than a month ago, Wild Granites are now on Mountain Project, posted by some folks who did a 5.7 on a small formation. So the writing is on the wall...
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!