Smith Rock 11/4-5/89 Subject: weekend at Smith Rock A 9 hour drive each way made this a long weekend (we used Friday and Monday to drive). The high pressure system of the previous week had deteriorated slightly by Thursday, when clouds had begun working down into Washington, and on Friday night it actually rained for a few minutes on our tent. The morning was cloudy, but it was sunny and warm by 9 and we cruised down to the crags. I led Barbeque the Pope 5.10b/c 90' bolted face, and Nancy's friend Kristen showed up with her partner Donna after driving 7 hours straight from Seattle. Nancy and Kristen followed, then Nancy and I TRed Golgotha 5.11a/c (reach move) -- me with a hang to check out which chalk marks were on real holds and 2 falls; Nancy couldn't reach the hold. A real 5.11, quite desperate; I could have avoided the second fall by trying to hold on after my foot blew, but my fingerhold was sharp and I didn't want to risk blowing my tips so early on (many holds at Smith Rocks are sharp, so bring good callouses with you!). The first fall was more dramatic, as I went about 20' due to excess slack in the system -- it reminded me of the fall I took on the second pitch of Outer Limits with Dan: I was staring at the biner when I blew and I could have grabbed it, then I plummeted so far earthwards that I wondered if I was gonna stop.... Next stop was Lion's Chair, but we paused along the way to check out Bobbi Bensman leading The Last Waltz 5.12c arete. It turns out that Kristen started climbing at the same time Bobbi did, along with a 3rd person named Carol who is no longer with us because she tried to clean a pitch on the Tangerine Trip without being tied into the end of the rope. Lion's Chair 5.10c deserved its star, being quite technical and interesting. A few fingerlocks, thin lieback edges, footholds, and jugs showed up at just the right moments to keep things in the 5.10 range. Kristen followed with a few hangs but Nancy flashed (as did I on lead, although I was about to grab a piece near the top before I realized that I could exit onto huge bathtubs on the arete). Last route that day was Light on the Path 5.10a, with an easy start and many rests on large flakes so even Donna could do it (although she's a beginner and had to use a lot of hangs). We retired to dinner at Mexicali Rose in Bend. On Sunday there were high clouds at dawn but it cleared again beautifully. Nancy led Revelations 5.9 (unfortunately it has several cracked, broken, and loose holds), and we TRed Irreverance 5.10a (nicer). By then Kristen and Donna had to leave, but we picked up a third person and I led Tator Tots 5.10a/b (in the Dihedrals). The knobs were indeed like Tator Tots (cylindrical hash brown pellets if you haven't experienced them), and by then the rock was reminding me very much of the Pinnacles. John couldn't follow and Nancy went hiking with Renata due to the late afternoon shade, so I TRed Trivial Pursuit 5.10d/5.11a to clean the anchors. On Monday the clouds were heavy with no breaks in sight (after a second frosty night), so we came home. The scene in general was 60% people dogging or TRing on 5.12s (I saw no successful redpoint leads of any of these), much TRing and leading of Overboard (5.11b), a few leads of Wartley's Revenge 5.11b thin crack, and maybe 30% people doing stuff 5.10a and easier. There were fixed quick draws on most 5.12s, and a steady line of people trying Latest Rage (including Hassan Saab). It's too bad the 5.12s in the Dihedrals aren't a grade easier -- they are on great rock but I'm not that great on small footholds so they're too runout for me at that grade (except possibly Watts Tots). Even Rude Boys looked too runout for me; too bad there's no easy way to put a TR on it (20' cheater stick??). Didn't get to check out Cocaine Wall, but maybe next time (Thanksgiving with Marc Sheppard for 1/2 day or in the spring). Subject: Pocket gardening at Smith Rock In case any of you are interested in the "chipping" "controversy" which has gotten some press recently, I checked out the pockets on Scarface, Rude Boys, some unclimbed rock just right of Rude Boys, and Trivial Pursuit. These pockets are often horizontal and of finger height and varying depth. On the unclimbed rock, similar pockets are filled with crumbly layered crystals which could be removed without much force by a screwdriver. I recall an interview of Alan Watts where he described how the routes could not be climbed without first gardening on rappel, cleaning out "mud". Well, I doubt it was really mud, but I don't care -- it qualifies as "loose rock" in my book. I also wonder how many other seemingly blank walls there might go if there are sufficient crystal pockets (not all walls have them).