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Prezwoodz
Big Wall climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 19, 2009 - 12:53pm PT
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Hello Everyone at Supertopo! I haven't posted much before but I thought maybe this post was okay to grace the pages. It's a bit long and written so that my family could understand what was going on, so I hope its not boring! I did have a question for anyone who might have been in the Arrigetch before.
1. We found an old cache of gear, this included pitons and ropes from what we guessed was late 60's early 70's. Any ideas on the owner?
Okay off to my abnormally long trip report.
Around 4 years ago John Borland and I decided to go on a big climb into the northern areas of Alaska above the Arctic Circle. We decided on a beautiful spire called Shot Tower as our main objective. This tower included 16 pitches of climbing with one of those pitches being A2. A2 means that it is ascended by aid climbing, that is using gear entirely to ascend that portion. We began the first stage and started to learn how to aid climb. As most people know things don't always go as planned and we ended up being quoted $2000 each for our trip. "$2000?!" we said, "thats more then a trip to Thailand!". The next thing we knew we were off to Thailand and thus began 4 years of traveling and utter nomadism. Still throughout those years something was missing, something had yet to be accomplished and that was the tower jutting mightily from the earth, hundreds of miles from civilization.
It is July 2009 and I am perusing Alaska Mountain Forum as I stumble across a post asking for partners into the Arrigetch Valley. Their goal; Shot Tower. I feel a light tingle float up
my spine as again the possibilities radiate through me. I quickly shoot the idea down. Money, Planning, time, I just don't have any of those available; but still I reply. Soon I am sending emails back and forth with Marcin Ksok and he tells me that the plane ride will cost $650. That once again sends me spiraling through the opportunity and I agree to join. With just a few days of gathered planning we are all sitting in a car still chatting with the basic questions as we get to know each other. Brian Fredricks, Rob Litsenberger, Marcin Ksok, and I drive to Fairbanks and enter the equivalent of crawling into a fireplace. Choking down the air makes me feel like a smoker, and headaches are passed all around. Meeting up with Mike Miller he led us through the backwoods to a Yurt where we spent our first night of the trip.
Awaking to more smoke from the fires burning all over the interior we continued our drive onto Coldfoot, another 7 hours or so along the famous Haul Road of Alaska. After taking a painless class in Backcountry Orientation and a rather painful class in Arctic Art at the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center we hit up what would be our last real civilized meal for several weeks an $18.95 buffet that I have yet to regret.
That night we stayed at a campsite outside of Coldfoot for the first night in a tent, looking at the tent I would be living in with Brian gave me the feeling that we would be quite cozy by the end of this trip. Our two sleeping pads cuddled each other effectively and got to know one another. The first night we woke to a frost, apparently it was going to be colder then we had realized!
We headed back to the Visitor Center, as much for the bathrooms as to get information for access and decided we would try to get access to South Arrigetch Creek from Takahula Lake. At the airport we weighed all our gear, and ourselves, and groaned about pretty much anything that was going to add an ounce. Soon our packs were down to a healthy 70+ pounds. Only Marten managed to get his down below 70 lbs. and that was before adding a gallon of fuel. I put mine on the scale it seemed to yell the weight into my eardrums, 81 lbs. Ouch. After some tweaking I got it down to 74 lbs. And was probably much to proud of myself. I personally weighed 240 pounds. We put all our money together in cash with the exception of Marten, allowing us to ask the question “If the check doesn't clear do we get picked up?” oddly there are smiles and laughs, but no answer.
Coyote Air was our travel of choice, most people seem to fly through Bettles to access the Arrigetch but Coldfoot was our choice because it can be accessed by road, thus bringing down the costs of travel. Dirk was a great pilot telling us stories of his first climb, which happened to be on Mt. Hunter and with Alex Lowe and Conrad Anker, and lots of other interesting facts. He spotted at gravel bar on the Alatna River that he said would be good for a landing and skimmed the water surface as he came down gently on an uneven rocky surface. I hope that sounded like I was calm, in reality I probably ground a few teeth down to nubs.
Standing on the bank of the Alatna River in the Brooks Range with several people I had only just me in the last month I waved goodbye to Dirk.
Steven King probably would have called us a Ka-tet, 4 people bound to a single purpose and it was our goal to achieve that tower. It also happens that the only book I brought along was the Wizard and Glass by Stephen King.
We threw on our packs and headed off into unbroken trail up the creek which leads to the valley. A mist was followed by a light drizzle which didn't matter to much because we had only made it a few miles before our feet were wet.
At times we would be walking the creek bed, happy that the going was so easy and only feeling the pain of our packs. Then we would soon be brought back to the reality of the situation by a bushwhack over alders and through trees which would last hours. The breaks were numerous and each time we would learn we had only gone a few miles, usually less. Every few seconds one, or all, of us would yell “Hey Bear”, “Yo Bear”, “How you doing bear?”, or some sort of combination. Whenever Marten would yell “Oh Hey Bear” it sounded to me as though he was actually talking to one and I would gaze around nervously expecting a reply “Hows it going? Which one of your is the heaviest? Its getting late and I'd like to stock up.”
Our first campsite was at the pass one would use to get into the other creek, if someone was so inclined to do so. We could smell sulfur nearby and knew about a hot springs in the vicinity although we had also heard not to get our hopes up. After a good meal Marten headed off to find the spring while the rest of us collapsed into a deep stupor. The spring, Marten would later tell us, was like holding down the button on a water fountain and was either too hot or too cold.
The next morning it continued to drizzle, thanks to our already wet shoes it didn't seem to bad. We also all knew that it would be only 4 miles to the upper campsite. That was only half of the distance we had covered the day before and that was something to celebrate about. We left camp in good spirits, which were soon shattered in sounds of alders as they splintered under our feet. The immediate mile took 3 hours. Some of the walking your feet never touched the ground they simply limped along amongst the alders which decided to grow horizontally instead of vertically. I would duck my head and just dive in, sometimes they caught the pack tipping my already teetering body in all directions. Then we finally emerged onto the other side of the stream to a much easier hike of boulders under tundra. The next few miles went at about a mile per hour but felt like we were sprinting after the previous epic.
The campsite was a beautiful knoll of soft grass with the occasional boulder that was hard to find until you were laying on it. Rob found a friend in his piece of granite and named him Gary, one could often hear them cuddling in the night with Rob doing most the talking. We setup the site which would be our home for the next few weeks and rolled into our sleeping bags.
The next morning the weather was decent but the smoke obscured most of our views. Sometimes we would get a glimpse on the shadow of Wichman at the head of the valley, others it was merely a blank spot in our vision.
We took this day as a sort of rest before doing Shot Tower. It was my goal not to move any muscles and just let them recover a bit before going into the big climb. Within a few hours however I was following Marten up the valley that would be our approach. We did a two hour hike to get a good view of the approach and stared at the massive hunk of rock we had all come to climb. We stumbled our way back down the talus which was mostly large loose boulders over small loose blocks. After a good dinner we sorted gear and decided on teams of Rob and I and Brian and Marten for the climb. We would leave first at 4am with Brian and Marten following next at 5am giving us some time to get a few pitches before they got behind us.
My little alarm clock beeped away at 4am, I awoke and grabbed it in my hand hitting snooze quickly and with the effectiveness of a professional. Soon I was falling back into a deep serenity of quiet and darkness. Before the impact however I opened my eyes, it was my job to get Rob up and if we were going to do this climb then it wasn't going to not happen because of me. I rasped on Robs tent and we made our way to the cooking area. A nice stream bed that ran only when the water was high and was itself only a few seconds walk from the main stream. Breakfast was made and enjoyed before we left at 4:30am to begin. The smoke had not left the valley and the hike up was a long trudge through boulders and gigantic loose blocks. As they rolled they seemed to spew obscenities for being moved on such short notice. It appeared they were angry whenever they came rolling onto a foot or attempted to take a finger. After a few hours we were at the base of the climb, with that behind us we once again became excited about what appeared before us.
We racked up and headed into the climb and were barely a few pitches up before Brian and Marten were racking their own gear below the climb, we were the slower hikers. The first few pitches of climbing were easy and of average quality. Every now and then we would pull out the sheet of paper which described, loosely, the pitches ahead and wonder at what the description really meant. What does “slow” really mean as the entire description for a route?
After a few hours and a good clump of pitches we were past a traverse of the mushroom. The mushroom is a large overhanging block that is normally done by skipping it entirely.
After a few excellent pitches of climbing we finally came to the crux of the route. A 60ft overhanging thin crack that is done by aid climbing. Rob took this moment to lay his head down, Marten mentioned that he hoped rob didn't sleepwalk. About one foot from his head is a 1000ft drop.
After some discussion I started the first portion of the route and got half way up before I came down and switched off with Brian. It was nice to break this pitch up into two and not half to lead the entire portion. During the climb my hand and arm began to cramp up which led me to think I hadn't had enough water for the day, this was surprising because I had probably drank 2 liters of water since beginning the climb and that really didn't seem so long ago. Brian had never aid climbed before and after showing him how to use the etriers and easy daisy he jump right into his first aiding experience. After a while he was very quiet and seemed to be moving along well so I asked an arbitrary question “How's it going up there?” and retrieved a rather quick reply of “I'm about to F#&^ing S**@ myself.” This garnered some good laughter from those of us on the ground and Brian continued his quiet exaction of the route at hand.
Soon he had finished and we were all above the headwall with Rob and I heading toward the summit with just a few pitches of climbing left. Rob was the first to the summit and I followed shortly thereafter. The views, although smoky, were incredible. The smoke gave it an otherworldly view and the peaks unfolded around us. Brian took a summit video and the sound of camera shutters were very evident.
Shortly thereafter were headed back down. Marten looked at his watch and we were all surprised to hear that it was 9:30pm. We had been on the wall now for 17 hours with no rest.
Some of the rappels were nice and quick, we backed almost every one of them up with new webbing we had brought for the occasion. At one of the rappels, back to the mushroom, it was just a large stone. To sling the block I moved it out of its current resting place, wrapped a sling around it and put it back in. The block itself couldn't have weighed more then 60 lbs, had it given away the fall would have been around 1300 ft and rather unpleasant. The night wore on and at times patience wore on with it. At one spot we were all crammed into a small corner with ropes piled out our feet. Normally a spacious place for two this hole became a pile of people and gear in a matter of minutes. Grumpy voices followed quickly and slightly anxious movements before finally we were off and continuing down the face. I decided to backup a hex placement with cord while Rob watched me anxiously, finally asking “Are you going to pull the rope?!” Questions here on the face had a funny way of sounding like instant requests at this time of night. Still we continued down, there were a few moments when the dark seemed almost that, dark. I had left my headlamp at the base of the climb, a reoccurring theme for me, and used Robs to finish up the last few pitches to the ground. By the time we reached the base of the climb it was beginning to get light once again and a look at the clock alerted us to the the time. 4:00am.
So far it had been a 24 hour climb with no rest and we still had the hike back down to go. This was a slow laborious process where every now and then you would see someone fall down and wait to see if they were going to get back up. If they didn't you assumed they were just resting anyway, maybe they'll be at the tent later. After a few hours at the base of the last steep field of seemingly never ending rock Marten sat waiting for everyone, as we came upon him he said rather non nonchalantly “I fell asleep and just woke up.”
The last person arrived at camp at 7:30am. 27 hours after we had started the morning before. Brian and I talked about making something to eat before sleeping, I got as far as the creek and made some water then remember opening my eyes in the tent thinking “Well this is an odd place to have something to eat”, then I was off to sleep again.
My eyes came open at about 1:30pm that same day and my stomach commanded me to rise. Breakfast was a wonderful feeling to behold as was the rest of that day while we talked about the blur in our memories that was Shot Tower and made sure we didn't move further then 100 yards from camp.
The day passed quickly and we were all soon back into our sleeping bags. Next day we talked about what we should do as the next objective and settled on Pyramid Peak. Pyramid Peak rose from the back of the valley out of a glacier lined in all sides by rock. Sounded excellent, unfortunately we wouldn't be climbing that peak on this trip. For the rest of the day we decided it was time for a little self cleaning. Which for some of us meant launching ourselves off a 25 foot cliff into a wonderful blue pool of glacial goodness. Hitting the water was an instant shock but it was great to get out and feel the warm sun on our skin. The day from there was a breeze of relaxation.
Eating in the morning was slow, we took our time getting out toward the peak because we had decided to bivy at the base after the rumored 6 hour approach. We took gear and our sleeping bags with us toward the peak. I was at least 30 minutes from camp before I realized I had left my climbing shoes in the tent and decided that I would just do the climb in hiking boots.
After a few hours of hiking we came to a glacier with rocks balanced precariously over the edge.
Brian ran ahead and said that he felt it was not to bad and Marcin climbed a ridge behind saying it wasn't going to be easy.
We really didn't come to do anything easy however so after some discussion Brian and Rob decided to try a small bit of slab to access the glacier and from there see if they can find a way up. None of us had come expecting glacier travel so we had left all crampons and glacier equipment at home, not that I would have wanted to add onto our already overloaded packs. After Brian had crawled his way over a few large blocks with Rob trailing closely behind those same rocks he used to ascend released their loose hold on the ground. Rob hopped nimbly downward in an interpretation of “Cirque de crush you with granite” and narrowly avoided another catastrophe. “F@#$ this I'm done.” Was all it took for us all to shake our heads in agreement. Nobody wanted to be the one who turned the whole group back. We sat staring at the glacier in different modes of agreement before we watched a rock as big as myself come crashing off the glacier ripping down one of the paths we thought would be a good route for ascent. It had barely found its rest before we were headed back. We stopped and did a short hike to the top of a small peak on the way back just to get some good views over the valley and all agreed that we were happy to have attempted the peak.
When we returned to camp I was very tired, I had awoken at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep thanks to the vivid dreams that seemed to pervade every inch of my sleep. So I dragged my sleeping bag by the fire and slept laid over an alder.
In the dream I was laying under granite pillars, the sound of rushing water melting into every sense of my being. The sun had crept off behind clouds which played with rain. Soon little drops of water were changing the color of my sleeping bag from blue to dark blue and each little drop sounded like it fell alone into an empty bucket. My eyes opened and I hadn't dreamt at all. Everyone was running about and the rain began to increase in intensity. I wondered why nobody had bothered to tell me and I ran to the tent to crawl back into my now damp bag. Shortly after the real dreams took me over.
It rained all night and was glad to see that the tent had held it all out. This seems like something you would expect since it is, after all, covered with a rainfly but there has been to many times of leaky tents for me to trust it simply on name. That morning I leaned over and unzipped the tent doors, by this time fully expecting the normal smoke and obstructed views. What I did see was a totally different valley. Suddenly peaks were protruding from everywhere. The blue of the sky gave me the impression I had fallen into the ocean where giants roamed about in granite wonder. I excitedly grabbed my camera and started to take pictures. Brian leaned his head and was able to mutter a “Oh Cool” before reentering his sleep state.
Normally I felt as though I had to crawl from the tent but today I was out in a flash. Feeling the energy of the sun lift me beyond the peaks as my camera shutter worked itself into a frenzy. The sun dipped behind a peak and suddenly a shadow appeared, this simple thing seemed so foreign. There hadn't been any shadows when the clouds and smoke were blocking the sun.
I giggled excitingly as I spoke “Lets go climb something!”
“Whats the weather like?” was the response I garnered from the yellow tent.
“Its amazing bluebird skies, sunshine, beautiful, amazing!” I could harldy contain my elation and thought for sure everyone would come bustling out of the tent any moment.
“Yea right.”
“Seriously!”
“If it is so sunny why is it so cold?”
“Were in the shadow of a giant mountain!”
Soon Marcin came out of the tent and looked around before saying a surprised “Its Beautiful!”. I nodded my head in agreement. We decided it was to beautiful not to go climbing and we settled on heading up the opposite ridge as we had before. It looked like a straight hike up scree, talus, tundra, and boulders but I don't think any of us expected what we got. The boulder hopping field seemed to go on forever. At times we would hike for 20 minutes before looking up and thinking “did it just get further away?”. It took hours to get to the top of the ridge and when we arrived Brian instantly spied a line that looked fun on a formation near to the Maidens. The Maidens are two peaks which sit side by side with rounded tops.
It is hard to know how many peaks got their names but some seem pretty obvious. The formation we approached was rounded at the base and much smaller then the maidens. Sitting on top of the round was a rather excited looking protrusion. It would come to be known as the Maidens Nipple, after much discussion.
Brian led the first few pitches of climbing up to a great ledge, both pitches of climbing were great and it was nice to be on unknown ground.
I decided to lead the next pitch so we switched over gear. Rob took a trip to the ridge to get a good view of the valley below so we decided to climb this odd formation in a 3 person party, because of rockfall one person would usually wait at a belay for a while so that the other two could climb and hook up a follow rope. I put a piece of gear in near the belay and climbed on the easy ground for a few feet, my mind hadn't yet warmed up to climbing today apparently as my legs began to shake. My grip seemed weak and all I could think of was the rocks that were going to come following me down as I fell to my belayers ledge. In reality this couldn't have been more then 8 feet away. Not really something to worry about but it can be hard to explain the way a brain works when climbing, today I felt nervous. I continued the climb over gripping most holds and nervously shuffling my feet until I came to an overhanging hand crack. Brian suggested that I move left along a large ledge and gain the ridge and after inspecting the possibilities I found that that it was easy enough to do so. This is, however, something that spoke into the back of my mind and asked “Are you going to really miss out on hand jams? You have the gear, give it a shot.” A minute later I had my hands cupped to increase my grip in the crack. I had put a piece of gear below at the start of the crack and now it was time to put in another. I reached down to my right to find the correct size and realized that I put them all on my left side. Unfortunately my left hand was doing all the work at the moment and every time I had reached for the gear with my right across my body I nearly fell from the wall. After a few moments thinking I climbed to what I hoped would be the end of the crack and large hold. I was rewarded as hoped and bellowed a “Jesus, that was hard!” before continuing to a good belay point. Brian agreed to the difficulty after he had followed and Marcin only looked at me with the response of “You are crazy” after he followed successfully.
The rest of the climb was a mix of traversing and down climbing which lead us to the final summit sitting over the Arrigetch Valley and allowing us all a view of the 30 pitch route that is on Central Maiden Peak.
We also were allowed something that seems not normally found in the Arrigetch, that is we were able to walk off from the summit and not use any slings or webbing for rappel. Thus began the slow and laborious trek back to camp. Everyone would eventually speak of aching knees and joints. It was hard not to when it felt like we were jumping inch by inch down the mountain, each time landing on unstable ground. At one point I ran down the edge of a rock and put all my weight into a boulder larger then my own bulk but that didn't keep it from tipping downward. Suddenly I was a little kid on the playground who pushed a bully, now he was rushing at me snickering “nanana na na boom thump”. I faced downhill and sprinted along on a few boulders before finding my way to safety and continuing the slog back to camp.
That night we sat around the camp and talked about names for the route and the formation. Eventually we called the route the South Ridge of the Maidens Nipple. Not having names for routes but instead just letters from the compass.
The next morning, after our 8th night in the Arrigetch we all moved slowly out of the tents and to the cooking area. It was another beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies although we all noticed that since the clouds had left, so did the heat. It was starting to get chilly and those of us with large coats were wearing them, in fact we were wearing them with a large smile hugging ourselves and humming “mmmmmmmm thats so warm mmmmmmm” so that the onlookers thought about how a simple knife slice would deflate our satisfaction. We were still a bit sore from the day before but it's just to hard to skip a beautiful day so Marcin, Rob and I grabbed some gear and headed back up toward Shot Tower to climb a chimney I had seen on a separate formation. We hiked the hour back up to the valley and I launched into one of the most enjoyable climbs I have had in quite a while. It was short and not very difficult but something about the situation and the place makes every climb in the area amazing. I climbed up to the chimney, slung a chockstone and lifted my feet high to the only foothold around. Then I lunged up and wedged my whole body into the crack. At first I couldn't quite fit and found I had prematurely launched headfirst, jamming myself in a very awkward stance. It took some finagling but soon I was able to continue from inside the crack itself. Large boulders lined the edge precariously perched upon one another waiting for the gentle touch to begin a not so gentle fall. After climbing the crack Marcin followed and I tried another harder crack to the left. After donating a good amount of blood to the granite gods I decided it wasn't going to go and I moved around it to climb a higher section. Rob scrambled around the formation with the enthusiasm of a child eating a popsicle. Marcin smiled looking graciously at Shot Tower and our other surroundings, if life could be better I almost didn't want to know about it.
The night fell and we fell with it, I had moved on from my book and now it was Brian who was engrossed within its pages. I felt euphoric and almost positive that I was awake, all made sense. I looked up at Brian and told him something along the lines of;
“Its better on the ridges.”
“What?” Brian looked confused.
“The ridges where we are.” Obviously Brian had forgotten that we were perched high on a ridge with other mountain people of lore who were depending on us to stay alert.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Whats going on over there?” It was Robs time to chime in, obviously he knows how important it is that we stay on the ridge!
After some more rambling where I am pretty sure Brian just gets tired of me and continues to read his book I still feel that what I am saying is correct even though I am now slowly coming to the realization that we are still on the same grassy knoll at the base of the valley. I drift back off to sleep with Brian's laughter at my obvious sleep talking the last thing I hear.
Marcin took the job of Head Fire Chief seriously as he tended to the pile of alders and smoke nearly all day. Brian agreed to some bouldering and we had a good time finding routes on the lichen covered boulder at the head of the valley.
Soon we were back to the fire watching the process. Put on sticks, blow, wait for flame, blow again, sit back and pretend it's warm. Near the end of the day Marcin decided to go picking for blueberries, which were a little tart but still tasty in oatmeal. It was a bit of a surprise when Marcin returned with a climbing rope that looked about 30 years old, and that it had come from Home Depot. He led us all back to what appeared to be an old cache of gear, we are not sure how old it was or how long it had been there but after some searching we guess sometime in the 70's. There were ropes, draws, glacier glasses, hob nail boots, pitons, and food strewn through the rocks and tundra; damn Krakauer. The holes in the cans gave the impression that there was food, before an animal got to it. We spent the remainder of our night pretending to be archaeologists, guessing the dates on equipment and looking for date clues on every piece of garbage. Thus ended our last night in the Arrigetch Peaks.
We had decided to hike to the first came, four miles down valley, and continue from there if we felt like it to a good place to camp for the night. So at noon we looked back at the place that became home and whispered our goodbyes. The hike was going well and soon we were back at the first campsite, everyone was doing well and had plenty of energy so we continued on. Miles passed below our feet as we continued on, usually in silence. The river had gone down significantly since we had arrived in the valley and that made going much easier along the creekbed. All the areas that had caused us issue on the way in were now much easier on the way out. After 7 hours of hiking we had come to within the last mile of camp. My shoes were dry, as were Marcins and one of Robs but that didn't last. This last section of river necessitated a crossing and so we dove in thinking “hey its been pretty easy going comparativly, lets just get this over with.”
We appeared at the river an hour later panting and covered in mosquitos, although I am not sure they could eat me through the sweat and tree's that stuck to my body. I looked at Brian and muttered “That was hell.” It was possibly the worst mile I can ever remember. Crossing swamps that went from dry to soaking, diving headlong into alders, walking tussocks, watching a Barbara Streisand special, nothing was enjoyable. In my small daily notes I put it as “Sucked Royally” and I can't think of how to better describe it now. At least we had finally reached our destination and wouldn't have to hike again before we headed out. The plane wouldn't be in for another day and a half so we spent the entire next day sleeping, reading, and generally enjoying the sunshine.
Dirk picked us up on the morning of the 14th where we would head back to Coldfoot and I would find I had lost 17 pounds. As we headed out we had our final glimpse of the valley which will stand stall and clear within all our dreams.
On a side note, if you are ever on the Haul Road and are near Yukon Crossing, don't forget to stop at the Hot Spot Cafe. A Boo Boo burger is where it's at. I got a double...it was incredible.
Well that's it for this Trip Report, I hope someone managed it all the way through!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:01pm PT
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Ultra-Badass!!!!!!!
That is an awesome TR, dude. Beautiful country back there! Those climbs look fun too.
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Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:07pm PT
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This is AWESOME! Amazing pictures, great words and a beautiful place. Thanks.
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franky
climber
Davis, CA
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:16pm PT
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Wow!
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lele honu
Trad climber
san diego, ca
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:27pm PT
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Nice TR. Back in '93 I walked from the Dalton to Anaktuvuk Pass with YMCA group. Spent 30 days hiking. Beautiful, remote country. Way to stick it way out there and climb.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:44pm PT
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wonderful!
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:47pm PT
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Awesome TR, what an amazing Valley...
No photos of the gear cache?! Thats a cool little find.
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hooblie
climber
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:51pm PT
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best ever! if i'm wrong dig 'em out i want to see those too. you're pilot dirk nickisch is a friend of mine from when i was doing aviation weather south of there in tanana. shared my manuals with danielle so she could become certified for the same job. i particularly admired their partnership of equals that was forged in a part of the world where pulling your weight makes a difference.
i'll always remember the little bump in pride i felt when dirk flew in, and refering to my newly acquired 1947 stinson tied down next to the station, said "let's check out your steed." i did my first cross country solo up to bettles and helped him move mattresses out of their winter quarters. he was flying a 185 then and just starting a family. it's great he got set up with the beaver over in coldfoot. if you end up suffering a weather delay, stumble around the little "town" of wiseman for an equally authentic, virtually unique brooks experience.
there should be some serious recognition for the pilots from amongst the mountaineering crowd. there's been a few we've all heard of but in so many cases i consider them the unnamed member of the team. they are the ones that make it feasable, make critical judgements about the place trying to do best by you, suffer the weather maybe even more, sweat bullets about getting you out, and put every bit as much at stake getting it done. it ain't right to think of them as taxi drivers, just cause they're off to do it again for someone else. we come and go while those guys stick to their knitting so that we CAN come and go. there's love enough to share with the whole darn team. great to see you dirk, and best to the whole fam damily! ... rick hooven
http://www.flycoyote.com/
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micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
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Aug 19, 2009 - 01:52pm PT
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Killer! Way to get lost in the big 'ol wide open. Well done. Thanks for the effort you put into the TR. Way to keep the torch burning.
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KlimbIn
climber
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:01pm PT
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Freakintastic!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:03pm PT
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What an awe-inspiring location! Nice trip guys. Thanks for the TR.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:03pm PT
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Wow! I've been wanting to go there since seeing Walt Vennum's slideshow about ten years ago. Glad you had a great trip!
Jerry
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Prezwoodz
Big Wall climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2009 - 02:11pm PT
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Thanks everyone for the wonderful response! I really enjoy the community you guys got going here!
More pictures of the trip can be found on Bryans Page (including a few of the cache):
http://picasaweb.google.com/bryan.friedrichs/ArrigetchPeaksBrooksRangeAugust2009#
Chris we all talked about how wonderful it would be to jump from the summit and float down to camp or at least the lower saddle. Elevation on this peak is around 1600ft I believe and the Magnum Wall, The main wall located in the photo's looks pretty overhanging. None of us base jump but I would love to see it happen from Shot Tower! If you ever decided to give it a shot let me know. I would go back there in a heartbeat. ;)
hooblie: I agree with how great the pilots are. He dropped us off even closer then we thought we would get and was an awesome guy. He even handed off a few of his Kokanee stash to some of the guys on the way out!
http://www.flycoyote.com
On another note he actually has several beavers now. A 1952 and a 1953 I believe!
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:12pm PT
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The goods!
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bearbnz
Trad climber
East Side, California
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:13pm PT
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Nicely done TR. I've been back there in the Arrigetch, but I didn't get to climb anything. Gonna go back.
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drljefe
climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:15pm PT
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Awesome documentation of an incredible locale and radical trip.
Thanks for taking the time to put that together and share it.
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fluffy
Trad climber
boulder
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:21pm PT
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proud!
your pics are unbelievable
i especially like this one
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Aug 19, 2009 - 02:28pm PT
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Remote - that's where it's at! You guys hung it out, a long way out there. That builds character better than anything I know of. You have begun on the road of building a controlled confidence that will serve you well for the rest of your life.
I love the pic drying the footware by the fire. It brought back so many tactile memories that I can actually feel and smell.
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kubok!3
climber
Austin, TX
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Aug 19, 2009 - 03:19pm PT
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Great TR!
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Aug 19, 2009 - 03:28pm PT
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really great!!
wowza!!!!
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Aug 19, 2009 - 03:41pm PT
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Very refreshing and inspiring TR--thanks for sharing your experiences here.
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Aug 19, 2009 - 03:46pm PT
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KICK A$$ ADVENTURE TRIP REPORT!!!!!
Love it.. so many photos, so much story.. can't get enough...
Thanks for the post...
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Aug 19, 2009 - 04:09pm PT
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Great TR!!!
I just need to check it out from a computer that doesn't block the pics :-(
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TLloyd-Davies
Trad climber
Santa Clara, ca
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Aug 19, 2009 - 04:10pm PT
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Wow such a fantastic Trip Report.
Seriously one of the best I have seen in a long time, it looks like you guys had a fantastic trip!
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micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
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Aug 19, 2009 - 04:23pm PT
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Yall should contact Alpinist Mag and see if they'll get some of this in print somehow.
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tomtom
Social climber
Seattle, Wa
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Aug 19, 2009 - 04:29pm PT
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Ding! Ding! Ding!
We have a winner!
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Barcus
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, Ca.
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Aug 19, 2009 - 05:12pm PT
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A TR like no other!
thanks so much for sharing all that energy.
Marcus
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TomKimbrough
Social climber
Salt Lake City
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Aug 19, 2009 - 05:31pm PT
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Some friends of mine air dropped some gear and food in the Arrigetch for a trip in the mid sixties. They then walked in quite a long distance and never located the air dropped gear. They got some climbing done but I think there was quite a bit of belt-tightening involved due to not having the food that was in the drop.
There should be an American Alpine Journal article (maybe 1965 or 66) on that trip but I don't have the volumes to research it.
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Aug 19, 2009 - 06:42pm PT
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Great trip report! Maybe the best ever. I've been up to the Arrigetch two times and can't wait to get back again. Thanks for the killer photos and story.
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Ralph S.
Trad climber
Boise, ID
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Aug 19, 2009 - 06:55pm PT
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Excellent TR and inspiring pictures!
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Aug 19, 2009 - 07:00pm PT
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Absolutely spectacular, a trip you'll remember for the rest of your life.
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Redwreck
Social climber
Echo Parque, Los Angeles, CA
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Aug 19, 2009 - 07:04pm PT
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Awesome. Just plain awesome.
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hooblie
climber
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Aug 19, 2009 - 07:31pm PT
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i'm surprised anyone bothered to go there back in black and white. aren't we glad you waited till color?
seems like there was a picture in an early (chouinard catalog?, sierra club pub!) picture somewhere that had me inspired about those peaks.
i didn't have access to much the first year of the pipeline, but i knew i wanted to go there.
stopped in at the sandvik house back then but the idea wasn't well recieved amongst those alpinists. they sent me out to the tors.
one trip out there and i headed back to yosemite.
i've been spreading a rumor about alaska as if it were true. after wrestling heavy loads across muskeg, grizzly willow thickets, alder matrix and on and on. tell me if you think this might have some merit. that comment about wondering if the peaks had gotten farther away for all your effort makes me think you'll understand.
alaska is like you never really arrive there. where ever you get to, you've just reached this smidgeon and IT is out there further still. if you happen to be off by one drainage you'll end up settling because the overland logistics are overwhelming. this assures me i'm not made of sourdough stock.
i'll say this. to your youthful, exuberant, everlovin' credit, it appears that you definitely got there!
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lars johansen
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Aug 19, 2009 - 08:15pm PT
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Absolutely top notch. I can only dream.....
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Aug 19, 2009 - 10:59pm PT
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Fantabulous !
Magical !!
Stupendous !!!
'Read that pup eagerly, rapidly, word for word & straight from top to bottom, all chomping on your happy meal 'n shitt.
Unique mountains those: all pointy & story book like.
Super whimsical write up to go with...
YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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adam d
climber
CA
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Aug 19, 2009 - 11:05pm PT
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The best TR's either make you say "Holy Sh!t" or "I wanna go"
well...I wanna go!
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arsenalcrater
Trad climber
Vista, CA
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Aug 20, 2009 - 12:00am PT
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Holy Fuk, what an adventure! I thought I was doing something cool getting to do the Chilkoot this Summer, now I want a rebate to go toward something like this! Great job there guys!
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 20, 2009 - 12:06am PT
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What Tarbuster said:
Fantabulous !
Magical !!
Stupendous !!!
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
the ground up
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Aug 20, 2009 - 01:26am PT
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i hope your stuff is going to the print media , alpinist or whatever .
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crøtch
climber
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Aug 20, 2009 - 03:20am PT
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Awesome adventure adn great TR, Prezwoodz. You have a knack for the written word.
Is the Maiden's Nipple to the left or right of the Maidens if you are looking from the vicinity of Shot Tower?
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Aug 20, 2009 - 04:42am PT
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Adventuretasmic!
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MisterE
Trad climber
Canoga Porn, CA
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Aug 20, 2009 - 05:04am PT
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Well done, Gentlemen!
There is nothing like the energy of the sun after a rainy two-day slide alder and creek-scramble sesh - funny how the reward always seems to come to the intrepid...
Amazing shots, and world-class TR!
Thanks.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 20, 2009 - 10:25am PT
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Great trip report. Awesome photos!
Looks like a great adventure.
Zander
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Aug 20, 2009 - 10:29am PT
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Now THAT is a TR! And from an exotic locale, no less! Thanks for the fabulous post. Wild country!
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Mikemcee
Trad climber
Mill Valley, CA
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Aug 20, 2009 - 12:10pm PT
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Top notch adventure to an amazing place. Really well done.
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cowpoke
climber
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Aug 20, 2009 - 01:09pm PT
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fabulous trip, fabulous trip report, and fabulous pictures...wow.
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BigNick
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Aug 20, 2009 - 02:05pm PT
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Re: 1. We found an old cache of gear, this included pitons and ropes from what we guessed was late 60's early 70's. Any ideas on the owner?....
It could be mine!?!
A few years back I went there with a friend with a couple of unclimbed formations in mind. On our way in, a team (stronger then us) was leaving and let us know they ticked those lines. We managed to establish some new pitches in the rain on yet another formation. With time running out, we committed to return to the area in the near future to continue the fun. Embarrassingly, and reluctantly, we did stash some pins, rope and some other gear.
As of now, my friend is planning to return next summer so that at least one of us will honor that obligation and clean up our shite.
Can you guys tell me if you left it there and what the condition was?
I am also wondering if it is actually the same stash we left… because you did not mention the other gear. A lot would depend on how deep you went into those valleys. I know exactly where the stash was.
Thanks!
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 20, 2009 - 05:52pm PT
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Terrific TR. Interesting that you went from Coldfoot instead of from Bettles, since Bettles appears to be closer in air miles.
Anyway.
What did you do for bear repellent and protection from?
Did I say your adventure was most excellent?
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Ezra
Social climber
WA, NC, Idaho Falls
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Aug 20, 2009 - 07:03pm PT
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great job!
-bump for the real deal
-e
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Guernica
climber
s x sw
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Aug 20, 2009 - 09:09pm PT
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Dang, those photos were absolutely captivating. Really nice work and thanks for sharing! : )
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Aug 20, 2009 - 11:38pm PT
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What can you say to that?
What an adventure!!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!!!!
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Aug 21, 2009 - 12:09pm PT
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Wow. Fantastic !!
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Prezwoodz
Big Wall climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 21, 2009 - 03:25pm PT
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Thanks again everyone for all the awesome replies! It makes me want to go out and do more adventures just so I can write them up!
crotch: The Maidens Nipple is to the right of the Maidens.
BigNick: The ropes we found were pre-kernmantle ropes. How long ago did you guys go in there? The stash was low in the valley, if you look high on the ridge you can see it was between The Maidens and the Citadel. The cans looked like they were punctured and strewn about. We could tell there were cans of cream of mushroom soup and Secrets. We figured this looked like a bear got to it or some other animal. We stashed the gear under a rock and concealed it with more rocks so that it would blend itself back into the area. We did take a few pitons out with us. Is it yours?
HighTraverse: The difficulty with Bettles is that you have to fly in from Fairbanks adding another ticket price, and they use float planes so you are further from the creeks. We brough one can of bear spray and Rob carried a firearm in with him. We saw only one bear although lots of bear scat. We also had no problems with the animals at all. We did use bear canisters for our food. :)
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Aug 21, 2009 - 03:41pm PT
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Fantabulous!
If someone can scan it, David Roberts' narrative 'Shot Tower' and 'Roman Dial and the Alaska Crazies' from _Escape Routes_ and _Moments of Doubt_ would make a great accompaniment.
Jerry, getting any ideas?
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Aug 21, 2009 - 04:52pm PT
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Nice report - thanks!
What does "Arrigetch" mean?
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Aug 21, 2009 - 04:56pm PT
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Looks like people may have missed this nugget regarding the gear cache upthread:
TomKimbrough wrote:
"Some friends of mine air dropped some gear and food in the Arrigetch for a trip in the mid sixties. They then walked in quite a long distance and never located the air dropped gear. They got some climbing done but I think there was quite a bit of belt-tightening involved due to not having the food that was in the drop.
There should be an American Alpine Journal article (maybe 1965 or 66) on that trip but I don't have the volumes to research it."
So I went and searched it out and here it is:
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/documents/pdf/aaj/1965/315_Bergen_Arrigetch_aaj1965.pdf
Maybe the impact strewn the gear about?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 21, 2009 - 04:58pm PT
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> What does "Arrigetch" mean?
Try searching on google? :-)
"arrigetch" = "fingers of a hand outstretched".
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Aug 21, 2009 - 06:19pm PT
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Thanks, Clint - I'd guessed that Arrigetch was a word from a local indigenous language, but one too obscure to be google-able. Apparently not.
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BrownB
Trad climber
Tucson AZ
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Aug 22, 2009 - 06:37pm PT
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Re: First climbing trips in the Arrigetch-1963, 1964.
I discovered the climbing potential of this area through reading Bob
Marshall's book Arctic Wilderness, which included a photo of the north
wall of the Maidens taken probably in the 1930's.
In 1963 we packed the air drop boxes in New York City, double boxes
lined with wadded newspaper. I bought large burlap bags as a final
covering in case a box or two exploded on impact. Unfortunately, the
burlap was very close to the color of Arrigetch granite. Buck Cass and I
flew into the Arrigetch in a Pilatus Porter piloted by Andy Anderson
with the air drop bags between us over the bomb bay doors. Andy thought
he would not be able to complete the turn in the valley, so we dropped
high, right side of the valley leading to the Wichmann Tower. I did
notice that the bags disappeared into the general color mass of the rock
prior to impact. We then took off in a float plane from the raging
Koyukok river, logs and trees impacting the pontoons (Andy cheerfully asked me if I
could swim) finally landing at Lake Takahula. A long day's slog put us in Valley 46-62. We spent a week
searching for the drop with no success.
Since we had run out of food we had packed in, I hand-lined Arctic Char
out of the creek, which we ate seasoned with ground up salt tablets. Back out at Lake
Takahula two days went by and a plane appeared high in the sky. I
grabbed a tin plate and ran a sun beam along the ground then up, hoping
to vector in on the plane... success... it was Andy on a mail run; I hit
him right in the eye. In later correspondence Andy said that he
could in fact make a turn in the valley and drop on the way out, down
valley. Therefore in 1964 we hiked in first and set up a drop zone with
reflective tarps. Andy flew in piloting the Pilatus Porter, managed to
make the drop by himself and fly the plane as well (Andy was a very
skilled pilot able to take a quick catnap in the deserted Brooks Range
air space; if the plane deviated slightly from the intended direction, he
would correct immediately). In 1964 we recovered some of the 1963 gear,
including some chrome-moly pitons made by Chouinard and some Gold Line rope donated to the expedition by Allied Chemical. We did leave a cache on top of a large boulder on the valley floor, consisting of a wall tent and a few food items; the pictured items found by the 2009 expedition do not appear to match up with the stuff we left.
Comparing these recent and excellent photos to ours from the 60's, it
would seem the glaciers have retreated about 80 percent in the last 45
years.The photo of the Wichmann Tower on the Stanford web site http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/arrig/index.htm I took in 1963, on a reconnaissance flight "donated" by
Andy, illustrates the
extensive snow and ice of the 1960's. I recall dropping into a small
crevasse bridged with snow on the glacier coming out from The Pyramid
where, from what I can see in the recent photos, there is now nothing
but rock.
For more information contact me at brownell@truchasstudio.com
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 22, 2009 - 07:39pm PT
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So cool of you to contribute your comments, Brownell !
Although the snow/ice has receded, it seems clear that some things haven't changed in 45 years - it's still a place for tough guys (and gals), and bears still have a presence!
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blacksun
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe, California
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Aug 22, 2009 - 08:22pm PT
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Wow!
What a great adventure and a fantastic presentation!
My favorite TR ever!
Your photographs are fantastic. I love how the smoke added a dream-like quality, then the blue sky arrives, amazing!!!
You should shop this for print, maybe add just a little more on the actual climbing obstacles and on route pics if you have them, and it's perfect.
Thanks for putting out the energy to share with everyone. I'm sure it is inspiring many. Good on you guys!
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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Aug 23, 2009 - 12:29am PT
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Hey!
What a great trip report.
What beautiful pictures and what wonderful times you guys had.
Thanks so much for sharing the love of the climbing adventure!
It's post like yours that make this the best climbing forum on the web.
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sollybonton
Trad climber
leavenworth, wa
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Aug 23, 2009 - 01:33am PT
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badass!
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Prezwoodz
Big Wall climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2009 - 03:54am PT
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Thank you for posting Brownell! I love the experience that radiates from this board!
Thank you to everyone who has posted as well!
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Aug 23, 2009 - 08:39am PT
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As I recall Arrigetch means "fingers of the hand outstrecthed".
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 23, 2009 - 11:26am PT
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Wow, great TR!
We flew in from Bettles to "circle lake", a little pond, for our hike around the Arrigetch in the late 80's.
Your shots of some of the full body workout climbing kinda bring back some of those memories...yikes!
And the skeeters were awful.
Wonder if the cache is from Roberts and crew?
Be fun to go back and climb...man, that's burly terrain. I'd need a Sherpa fo' sho'.
Cheers!
-Brian in SLC
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Mike Howard
climber
Taos,NM
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Aug 23, 2009 - 11:35am PT
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Brown, Thanks for the historical reference. I would love to see some of your photos of the original expedition added here, the routes you did and the names of your partners, etc. Bump for a tremendous TR, hanging some proud boys. Cheers
Late edit: The Stanford site has some remarkable photos and the routes are listed. Great stuff.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Aug 26, 2009 - 09:10pm PT
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Hahahahaha! I've been saving my bump for this, the coolest TR in a while. Peaks I haven't seen much of, photos out of the Lord of the Rings, it doesn't get much better.
Keep posting photos, if you've been there.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Aug 27, 2009 - 03:52am PT
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My god that is the best TR I have ever seen.
Perfect mountains, views, meadows, aqua green bugs, the works.
Great photography, some really stunning shots in there!
Now I have something to dream about.
Mucci
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Aug 28, 2009 - 05:59pm PT
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WOW! holy f'kn shizzle batman!
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Aug 30, 2009 - 09:17am PT
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A great TR with some stunning photos that deserves continual bumping.
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Prezwoodz
Big Wall climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 2, 2009 - 12:05am PT
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Thanks again for all the awesome posts! I sent it out to a few magazines to see if anyone would want to run a portion of it. Maybe it can make it's way in. Would be a first for me!
Here is a climb I named Derringer Chimney, it faces Shot Tower and is not all that long. We used the day as a cragging rest day. It's probably 5.7 or 5.8 and fun. These three pictures were taken by Rob or Marcin.
Me Heading in:
Me getting stuck.
Marcin Follows:
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tooth
Mountain climber
Guam
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Sep 18, 2009 - 10:51pm PT
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Thanks! That was an awesome TR!
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Hoots
climber
Toyota Tacoma
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Bump for one of my favorite TRs.
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ncrockclimber
climber
NC
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This is an awesome trip report that deserves to be back on the front page. I get wood every time i read it!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Glad this great TR has poked its head up again! Thanks!
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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Mar 24, 2011 - 01:22pm PT
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Bump
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Mar 26, 2011 - 12:27am PT
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Double bump, reading about this in Jack Roberts books and seeing this TR makes me want to go sooooobad.
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Prezwoodz
climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2011 - 12:34am PT
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Thanks for the bump! I love reliving this one too and would be stoked to get another run into the area.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Mar 26, 2011 - 01:05am PT
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Amazing trip report. I remember reading about this range in David Roberts' book "On the ridge between life and death." Great to finally see it. Very, Very, Very nice report! I am jealous, in a good way! : )
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Mar 26, 2011 - 01:09am PT
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Probably was David Roberts
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davidji
Social climber
CA
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Mar 26, 2011 - 01:34am PT
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Glad this got bumped. Hadn't seen it before. Wow!
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kaiser
Trad climber
squamish
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Mar 26, 2011 - 03:03am PT
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Thanks for the great trip report and photos, it took me back there.
I went in with 4 others including Fred Beckey about 15 years ago.
What a great trip. Rick and I climbed the ridge on pyramid pk that you guys attempted, the same A2 route on shot tower and a route on the maidens while Dave and jonny climbed a difficult new line on shot tower. What an amazing and wild place. I hope it is still pristine.
Hey was there still a biner stamped "Dieter Klose" on the summit of shot tower? That was the only sign that humans had visited that valley we had come across.
For you new route adventurers out there, Wouldn't that main ridge on Arthur Emmonds peak? be an amazing climb? I'm sure it is still unclimbed! See if you can pick it out from the Trip report photos.
Kai
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Prezwoodz
climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2011 - 03:36am PT
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Kai,
That biner was still there! Oh and that line did look amazing. As did the face! So much potential up there its just crazy.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Mar 26, 2011 - 03:45am PT
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two words: friggin' awesome!
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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Mar 26, 2011 - 01:11pm PT
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Very impressive trip, and an inspiring and understated TR. Great writing. Brings back memories of when I was younger and did some awesome Canadian trips. At ago 60, I won't be doing any more such insanity, but it is still great to read yours. Digital photography and Chris's Supertopo make a great way to share your TR as well as connect with those who did it half a century and more ago. Keep it up!
The joints age and the insanity takes on new challenges, and nearly as impossible: organize people for conservation (http://www.FlyTyingGroup.org, http://www.Stonefly.US);
Cheers, David
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David Roberts
Mountain climber
Watertown, MA
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Jan 21, 2012 - 03:00pm PT
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This is David Roberts. Ed Ward and I made the first ascent of Shot Tower in 1971. It was great to see your pictures of one of the most beautiful places on earth, and to read your vivid account of your trip. And the pix on Shot Tower sure stirred my nostalgic juices.
About the cache you guys found--don't blame Krakauer! My hunch is that it's part of the lost airdrop from the very first climbing team into the Arrigetch in 1963, including Brown Bergen, Michael Westmacott (of '53 Everest fame), Chuck Loucks, and others. There's quite a story there. (For a brief summary, see the 1965 AAJ.)
The 1963 party's plan was to airdrop in what we later named Aiyagomahala Creek valley, then land on Takahula Lake and hike to base camp to retrieve the airdrop. The inexperienced pilot thought he was tossing out packages from 100 feet onto what looked like a slope of fine scree. He thought the boxes would slide gently down to the valley floor. In reality he was 1,000 feet up, and the "scree slope" was a gigantic boulderfield on the north side of the valley.
The team got to "base camp" and, despite days of searching, never found a single box. They had to hike back out to Takahula and faced a survival situation, out of food, but flashed a passing plane with a pot bottom reflecting the sun.
The guys came back in '64 and made the first ascents of Wichmann Tower, Pyramid, The Maidens, and a couple of other easy peaks.
In 1971, my wife, Sharon, and I found one of the lost boxes in the midst of the boulders. It was smashed to smithereens. What sticks in my mind is an undamaged plastic lemon (juice still in it!) and a piton hammer whose handle was broken clean in half.
I suspect that you guys found another of the lost boxes. The holes in the cans wouldn't have been from bears' teeth but from impact. Not dumped trash, but precious lost treasure.
Anyway . . . the pictures sure made me want to go back. I did 3 expeditions there, Arrigetch in '69 and '71, Igikpak (farther west) in '68. Also some camping trips with my Dad on Takahula and at the head of the Alatna.
For Ed Ward and me, Shot Tower remains the finest pure rock climb of our lives.
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OlympicMtnBoy
climber
Seattle
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Jan 21, 2012 - 04:03pm PT
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Great TR and great thread, funny to see how these connections emerge, first ascentionists and everything! I'd love to get up in that area!
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crøtch
climber
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Jan 21, 2012 - 04:07pm PT
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Hi David,
It is a brilliant route on a stunning rock. I tip my hat to you and Ed Ward. BTW, as of 2003, your coiled hemp rope from the traverse above the mushroom was neatly tucked behind a boulder. A nice piece of history to come across.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Jan 21, 2012 - 07:40pm PT
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Man what an epic TR! Photos are sublime.
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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Mar 17, 2012 - 12:11am PT
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Bump again for a VERY cool trip report!
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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Bump again for my favorite trip report of all time!
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ncrockclimber
climber
The Desert Oven
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BBST.
This is one of the most amazing TR's ever.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Heck yeah, it's a great TR! One of the top ten best on ST of all time.
And the FA'ist, a legend, chimes in!
You know, Kelsey has a TR going right now about his travels in the Middle East. You should check it out, his photography is top notch.
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Prezwoodz
climber
Anchorage
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2013 - 02:38am PT
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Thank you everyone for the excellent replies and encouragement. I really appreciate it!
David Roberts - Thank you for your reply with your story and history of the area! I don't know how I managed to miss your post but I did! It was definitely appreciated and I would love to hear more about your travels into the Arrigetch. I don't know if you had read through the earlier sections of the trip report but Brownell himself had actually chimed in and gave some wonderfull history. This thread is a gold mine of Arrigetch lore!
Thanks again everyone!
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Chugach
Trad climber
Vermont
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GREAT WORK!!!
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feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
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Bump
Super great TR! Absolutely fantastic photos!
Congratulations, and thank you for the work of putting it all together as a TR to share with us.
Your photography is beautiful
Thank you,
feralfae
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Sonic
Trad climber
Boulder, Co
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Dec 28, 2015 - 07:58am PT
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Alpine Stoke Bump!
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gumbyKing
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC
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Dec 29, 2015 - 04:54pm PT
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Bump to help remind those in the snowy flatlands (ie, me!) that climbing is possible.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Feb 24, 2016 - 09:49am PT
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bump
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Feb 24, 2016 - 12:38pm PT
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Thanks for the bump, Paul, because I missed this superb TR on its previouis two appearances. They don't get better than this.
John
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