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Trad
Trad climber
Northern California
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 7, 2008 - 12:52am PT
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Recently...
Trad Muenter: Hey everybody, I just climbed North Country!! Check out these pictures!
ST Forum: Sorry, that's not North Country.
Trad Muenter: D'oh!!
Sure it's embarrassing, but I tend to analyze things and how can you screw up and climb the wrong route? Plus, more importantly, I still wanted to climb North Country!
It wasn't too hard to talk Patrick into a return trip for another go at North Country, and this time we scoped it out more carefully from the base beforehand.
Here's another view of (what I hope is) Absolutely Billy to North Country:
We considered taking the alternate"alternate" approach to the 3rd pitch (i.e. North Face or Stemmeister to Great White Scoop, then easy 5th class) before deciding that the 1st pitch of Absolutely Billy would probably be faster (plus it's a fun pitch). There was a questionable roof area on the NC 2nd pitch but it looked doable, so soon enough we were back at the Absolutely Billy 1st belay where I had a chance to ponder my recent route faux pas.
Almost straight up you can see the AB 2nd pitch, the way we went last week. The .10c section is just above the center of the photo.
I think one reason for the screw-up was that the NC topo showed a piton near the start of the NC 2nd pitch, and there's an old piton not too far above the AB belay. The topo also shows a roof above the piton, so I guess it wasn't hard for me to imagine it was NC. Since you can't see the 3rd pitch of AB from the belay, I figured I'd find the 3rd pitch NC crack once I got higher. (Ever heard of "magical thinking"?)
Enough analysis. The 3rd pitch North Country crack was now obvious. We'd have to traverse almost straight left and then up through a dirty-looking roof section to get to the base of NC 3rd.
Well your mileage may vary, but I thought that 2nd pitch roof was WAYYYY harder and scarier than the .10c section on AB (mostly because of the choss)!!! Abject terror can be amazingly motivating, though. On the plus side, there's an old rusty piton for psychological pro.
A few more scrummy moves up and then rightward led to the (cleaner) face and dikes into an ~easy gully and the belay.
I saw a small dead bird on the way past. Maybe the unlucky object of target practice by the falcons? Anyone know what kind of bird this is?
It felt good to clip the anchor and relax. Looking east and down through the gap, I could see that the alternate approach, via Great White Scoop probably WOULD be easier than the way we came. Next time I'm going that way.
There was a nice view of Travellor Buttress:
Here's Patrick coming up the 2nd pitch after pulling the roof:
OK, now we could finally check out the 3rd pitch crack. Looked cool!
It was fun climbing, too. Less crack-climbing than I anticipated, but each section was an interesting puzzle to be solved. Every time you got through a hard move expecting easier times above you discovered it wasn't over. I love that kind of stuff. Not scary like the second pitch, but more intriguing.
Towards the top the routefinding got even MORE intriguing. There's a new bolt up right and an old bolt a little farther up left and...well...you'll figure it out. Suffice it to say that the loose flake didn't pull off THIS time (whew) and after a couple more moves I was happy to come around the corner and see some beefy metolius rap bolts.
The clouds were dissipating and the view was spectacular (note Patrick down at the 2nd belay):
A few shots of Patrick coming up the third pitch:
Since we already experienced the "4th class" topout last week, and given the solid rap bolts staring us in the face, we took the easy way down. With a 70 m rope we got to the ground in 3 raps (just barely - last rap requires some easy downclimbing).
Patrick led Arctic Breeze and then we toproped Nirvana to top off the day.
So...that WAS North Country, wasn't it?
--
Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.
- Benjamin Franklin
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Yup!
That was it. Good job.
Now go climb April Fools and Wallflower.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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bad ass off the beaten track
BAOTBT
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Trad
Trad climber
Northern California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 7, 2008 - 01:26pm PT
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Yep, Wallflower is definitely on the list. For most of the way up North Country there's a great view of the first pitch or two of that route and it looks really nice.
I've been up April Fools 2 or 3 times now. That second pitch is one of the best, most fun cracks at the Leap! If the first pitch was better there'd probably be people lined on it all the time.
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L
climber
Flat-faced Buddha Cat City
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Nice job, Trad!
Nothing's ever wasted as long as you can learn from it, eh?
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Strong work! Congrats to Team Trad for getting out and getting the job done!
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Trad
Trad climber
Northern California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 7, 2008 - 09:42pm PT
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I have a question for some of you folks who climbed North Country 10 or more years ago. Was that 2nd pitch ever clean? The roof sequence is kind of cool but with everything covered in lichen and moss it's also pretty sketchy. At one point both my feet slipped and I thought I was going for a ride, but somehow I didn't. Anyway, I was wondering if at one time it was cleaned off but over the years the choss built back up.
Patrick brought his camera this time and just sent me the pics so here are a few more shots.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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I really want to do this route.
Z
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Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 3, 2009 - 09:17pm PT
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Well if you do the 2nd pitch don't forget the cleaning supplies. Getting around the roof involves some cool moves and wouldn't be that hard/scary if not for the lichen and dirt.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 16, 2009 - 02:45pm PT
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I’ve been wanting to do this climb for a long time. About six years ago I gave it a try but the first pitch was too daunting. I met Chad (salamanizer) here on ST and he had it on his list too so we gave it a go. Chad led the first pitch. The climbing is pretty cool- very sustained 5.9, kind of gritty in places with occasional daunting strange blocks overhead that you must grab. The crux, if there is one, is a flaring, gritty chimney/corner about half way up. You better be very solid if you decide to lead this pitch. The pro is OK just not always where you want it.
I attempted to lead the second pitch roof, 5.9+, but just couldn’t commit. (Nice job Trad on your lead!) Chad had no trouble with it and after watching how he did it neither did I. So make sure you follow Chad up this pitch. That left me with P3, the supposed 10a crux pitch, but really this is no harder, and mentally easier, than the first two pitches- fun, steep climbing. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. This entire climb is steep and there were a lot of good pics to be had as you can see in Trad's TR above. P4 is pretty cool and also steep for 5.8. The last pitch, 4th class, is really scrappy and kind of a pain.
We had some time left so we climbed The Line, which I had never done. It is easy to see why this is so popular. My right arm was cramping a bit at the end and I really thrashed my way over the roof on the top out. Since I made it, it was pretty amusing.
A fun day. Thanks Chad.
Zander
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 17, 2009 - 04:59pm PT
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Here is the first pitch drawn in green on Trad's pic.
Z
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Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2009 - 07:51pm PT
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Nice job!
How do you distinguish the 1st pitch of North Country from Cheap Shot? (It's hard to tell from the picture above.)
Does this look like where you guys were? I was thinking that was Cheap Shot, but maybe it's NC. The Carville guide show CS to the left of NC.
(EDIT: And if that IS the way you guys went, was the "flaring, gritty chimney/corner" the part just above and to the right of where they're standing?)
Did you guys take a brush and clean up that 2nd pitch a bit? I really think the moves over the roof are pretty fun, except for the choss.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Aug 17, 2009 - 08:05pm PT
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I was never able to figure out where Cheap Shot or North Country started... but I haven't done either. Both are left of Absolutely Billy though yes?
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 17, 2009 - 10:59pm PT
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Hey guys,
Here's the topo. Route D.
In both the topo and the green dots I put on Trad's pic you can see it goes up a "ramp" to a crack/corner, past a small roof and then into the corner I mentioned. It is more of a dihedral, which since you must use chimney technique is steep and daunting. This is just below the two guys in Trad's pic. It really doesn't look like a chimney now that I'm not in it. Ha ha! I'm sure the old school dogs had no trouble with this part. Anyway, the topo matches the pic well. It is a good pitch, just in an old school, heads up kinda way.
Zander
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Aug 17, 2009 - 11:03pm PT
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Let's face it...the Carville guide is pretty much worthless for the Main Wall. The old guides are better.
Z
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Aug 18, 2009 - 02:31am PT
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Hey Trad, where the two climbers are in your photo is about 2/3 of the way up the first pitch. Just above them you can barely spot an anchor of webbing slung around a sharp horn. From where the two climbers are you can either traverse out right into the shallow corner system (which you can't really tell from the photo, but turns into a short tight squeeze chimney behind a exfoliating flake) then pull over a small roof/bulge and up to the belay anchors. Or you can continue strait up (the way Zander and I took) which cranks out over some overhanging death (seemed solid-ish) blocks to a hand traverse with no feet (exposed) past a bolt then to the belay ledge. Both ways looked exciting.
As for where Cheap Shot is, from both the topos in my Jenkewitz-Meytras and Leinad Dneba guides to Lovers Leap, it would appear "Cheap Shot" is merely a variation to the first pitch of North Country starting just to it's left.
Here is the topo in the Jenkewitz guide, Cheap Shot is O and N. Country is P.
I did count a total of 4 bolts on the route not including two bolted anchors. I didn't think any of them accept one on the third pitch were really necessary. Wonder when those showed up?
As for the route being dirty and chossy. I don't remember any dirt and choss, just a touch of grit and dust here and there that's all.
Good Times!
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Brian Biega
climber
Truckee, CA
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Aug 18, 2009 - 10:32am PT
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Nice post Trad. 70m rap routes seems to be the new standard. North Country, Hospital Corner, Fandango, Peregrine.
What ever happend to walking off? Lots of slander on the Forum related to this.
Brian
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Jingy
Social climber
Flatland, Ca
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Aug 18, 2009 - 10:43am PT
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Great TR guys......
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leonardo
climber
davis, CA
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Aug 18, 2009 - 02:18pm PT
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I climbed the route yesterday with Steve. Inspired by Trad, our original plan was to climb Wall Flower...
We didn't have a guide book and Steve had a vague memory of people "climbing something on the left and having fun..", when he was climbing AB.
After a short warm-up on the first pitch of AB, we spot a piton three-four meters from the ground, so we thought it was our route. We were obviously wrong.
I guess we climbed the first pitch of Cheap Shot and then we moved right on North Country... maybe...
1th pitch: I clipped a piton ( useless ) but then I moved to the left.
With a couple of friction movements I reached a crack (finger tips size) until a small roof/hanging block. Moved right and followed an obvious dihedral: stemming and a couple of good fingerlocks. After passing a small bulge there was the belay (two slings). 10a probably..
2th: Steve decided to go right. A short traverse -7/8 meters- and a couple of athletic movements. Then a comfortable ledge with a belay station. He didn't spot the two bolts and he made a belay with two cams on the left. 5.9+ 10.a maybe...
3th pitch : from this point we climbed what is probably North Country. I can recognize the roof in the Trad's picture: two decent pitons protect the leader. Just in case there is a good green-C3 placement. It's probably 10a/10a+. There are lichens, but is not so terrible once you know how to do... After a dikes' systems, the belay (two slings).
4th pitch: crack (finger-hand) and dikes on both sides. Short slab movement at the top protected by a bolt.
Overall a good line. Without any topo/beta, it was even more fun
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