Andy has been diligently hunting for moderate alpine climbs that Anastasia would be willing to do -- Spontaneity Arete just east of Washington Pass was the latest effort. Short approach, minimal scree and loose garbage, solid rock. It sounded excellent on paper, so Anastasia, Andy, Mica, Becky and I (and two dogs) piled in the van and headed out after I finished my CPR refresher on Saturday afternoon. We camped at Early Winters, where I got to experience the joy of sharing a tent with Hopi for the first time. Nothing says entertainment like a fluffy puppy cuddling up with you at 3 in the morning.
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The climb itself was excellent, if a bit less direct than we expected. The approach went quickly and we found the start with little difficulty. The route follows the arete and, for the first 500 feet, is pretty low angle. After the second pitch (pictured above), it becomes a 3rd class scramble for what felt like a 1/4 mile. Lacking a great route description, we did a little extra rope work in here, but we got to the good stuff quickly enough.
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Anastasia led the first 4 pitches with Becky and I simul-climbing (we borrowed Nate's Reversino and were climbing on double ropes). I took over the last few pitches to the summit and we topped out at 3, just behind Andy and Mica.
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We took our time on the descent -- you can rappel the route, but it's faster to descend the gully, though it's typical loose Cascades crap. The group stayed together and made sure everyone got down with minimal stress and we rolled into the parking lot at Good Food in Marblemount just in time for dinner. Fantastic trip, with an excellent crew, as usual. I have to say, this was my best experience climbing in a 3 person team as well. While Becky's a great third teammate, I think that's mostly due to the Reversino-double-rope method. The second and third climbers finish quickly and there's a third pair of hands for rope management, so it works out to be almost as efficient as a two-person team.
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Sounds great, but where's the snow and the dogsleds?????
ReplyDeleteWe tried to get the sleds up that far, but the dogs couldn't make it up the handline. :)
ReplyDeletea pity. they would have had fun going downhill
ReplyDeleteOh ... it looks so fun! Nice helmet AP -- it fits much better. ;)
ReplyDeleteNice work, and beautiful looking day! Glad the reversino helped out. The helmet looks great, AP, although I'll miss the big, constantly crooked one.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm going to make a push for the big, constantly crooked one to make return appearances from time to time, so I remember who I'm climbing with...
ReplyDeleteAhhh, what a nice way to end the (outside) climbing season. Those are great shots! Perhaps it should also be pointed out that it would've been faster walking up the gully 20' over than climbing the arete ... but eh, where's the challenge in that?
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