| Deep Creeks Rock Climbing: July | | Wasatch Climbing | | Tetons Adventure | | Wind River Range Trip | | Wasatch Climbing |
| Uintas Trip | | Beatout Hike | | Deep Creeks Rock Climbing: September | | Wasatch Climbing | | Christmas Ice Climbing |
Following the last peak of the 32 for James and Keith, the guys had planned on leaving for the Wind River Mountains in early July. Due to conditions, everybody had to wait until August. So, James and Jon decided to got to the Deep Creek Mountains to check out the rock climbing on the cliffs James had spotted when he went there in May with Dan, Duane, and Greg F. They took Jon's truck, and headed for Granite Creek Canyon via Wendover and Gold Hill. Upon arriving in the Deep Creeks, they attempted to put up a route across the creek from where they were camped. It was more of a problem than originally thought, and James backed off of it, after leading about 20 feet. Jon then attempted to toprope it from a toprope they walked around and set. The rope ended up getting snagged and Jon got stuck. He then aid climbed down to the bottom. Welcome to Deep Creeks rock climbing. James and Jon then went around the corner of the buttress to try other routes. They ended up just bouldering, and setting up a cool traverse route at the base of the buttress. They then searched around that evening, in search of possible routes for the next day, after a burrito dinner.
| James bouldering at the base of the buttress | | James bouldering on a small boulder near Granite Creek |
| Jon on a boulder at the base of the buttress |
On day 2, James and Jon did some more bouldering in the morning, followed by driving out of Granite Creek Canyon to move away from the sun. They wanted to check out climbing routes on a buttress at the mouth of the canyon, which would be in the shade. After finding that the rock there was grainy, overhanging at the bottom, and featureless for trad pro, they went back to their camp for more bouldering and exploring. After dinner, they found more boulders, and did more climbing on them.
| James on an overhang at the base of the buttress | | Jon on a small boulder near Granite Creek |
| James on the traverse boulder route he and Jon set up |
Unfortunately, they had to cut the trip short to get Jon's truck back to his dad. They packed up camp and headed for Salt Lake, after Jon drew a picture of all of the buttresses, for future use. He also did climbing topos for the boulder problems, and unfinished route he and James set up. This information would be used later when James, Keith, Andrew, Chris, Matt, and James' dad, Bill came back in September.
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After returning from the Deep Creeks, all the guys did a lot of rock climbing at Iron Curtain Wall, and many Big and Little Cottonwood locations. The Friday before they all left for the Tetons, James, Matt, and Matt's friend, Kellan attempted White Baldy. They made it to Upper Red Pine Lake before sunrise, but got sidetracked by a snowfield that was a lot of fun. They ended up sliding around for a while, then went home. Oh well, it was fun.
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James and Kellan near Upper Red Pine Lake |
Matt jumping off of a boulder below White Baldy
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In mid July, Andrew, James, Keith, Greg P, Matt, Dan, Richard, Dave, Corey, and Kevin went to the Tetons to support their old scout troop in the Tetons. One of the activities that they did was a hike up Survey Peak, followed by a 300 foot free rappel. Dan, Greg, Keith, and James also decided to sit in Polar Bear Falls and break the camp record of 6 times in, by doubling it with 12, which they accomplished.
Matt, Dan, Greg, Keith, Jeff, James, Jacob, Dave, Andrew, and Richard at the top of the rappel Matt, James, and Keith on top of Survey Peak |
James and Matt in Matt's 4 man hammock |
James in Polar Bear Falls
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In late July, the guys did a lot of rock climbing. James, Jon, and Keith were on their way to go rock climbing, when a Sandy cop pulled them over for having a dirty license plate. After the cop was finished messing with them, they picked up Matt, and recounted the story. It is no surprise, and is not the first time any of the group have been unnessicarily harasses by the Sandy police, and will probably not be the last. After that, they enjoyed bouldering at the mouth of Rocky Mouth Canyon Peak. Keith had to go home, so Jon, Matt, and James went rock climbing at Iron Curtain Wall. They did a few routes, then did the full rope length route out.
Two days later, James, Dan, and Matt went climbing at Storm Mountain, and did almost all of the moderate routes, then bouldered below 'Big In Japan.' The next day, James and Jon did 2 of 3 pitches of Commitment Buttress. They learned why it is called commitment, since it is a pain to get down unless you commit to all 3 pitches. Later that day, James and Keith went to Iron Curtain Wall and did a route, followed by the exit route. The next day, James and Alan climbed Pentapitch, which was to get ready for the Winds. Alan was going to go to the Winds, but wasn't able to attend at the last minute. Here's the Winds trip. The mountaineering following the Winds picks up just below.
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Following the Winds, and a few days recooperation, James, Dan, and Matt climbed at Penatpitch, where James gave them their first trad leading experience. He lead the first pitch, to set a toprope, then had them lead on another rope. It was a good experience, as well as fun. A few days later, Matt and James attempted Red Baldy via White Pine Canyon. It looked like a nice day, but after getting above White Pine Lake, it opened up on them. They sought shelter under boulders, and it rained for about 20 minutes. Matt had forgotten his rain pants, and the boulders were soaked, so they called it a day and went home.
Two days later, James and Jon went climbing at Storm Mountain Island, and did a few routes and some bouldering, as well as some routes in Mule Hollow. The next day, James and Chad, an old friend who was leaving for the Navy the same day, hiked up Mount Millicent. It was a great day, and they made it to the top in no time. There were also many other days of climbing by James, Jon, Keith, Chris, Dan, Matt, and Andrew that happened. Additional rock climbing pics are below Mount Millicent pics.
Matt above White Pine Lake |
James in the rain in White Pine Canyon Matt hiding under a rock during the rain |
James under a rock during the rain James on the summit of Mount Millicent with Monte Cristo behind |
Looking at Mount Wolverine from Mount Millicent James resting under the dam at Twin Lakes below Millicent |
Keith leading the second pitch of Pentapitch James ascending the third pitch of Pentapitch |
James rappelling down Sasquatch Jon climbing at Storm Mountain Island |
Keith climbing at Storm Mountain Island
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A few days later, James, Matt, Greg F, Corey, and Richard left for the Uintas to do a short backpacking trip. They carried all of the rock climbing gear so they could get some climbing in. Saturday morning they departed for the Notch, and arrived there in almost no time, even after taking the wrong trail. James and Matt began to set up the climbs, and ended up putting up 3 different topropes, 2 of which were lead. One by James, one by Matt. They all got to climb, and rated the crux of the only hard one 5.7. The rest was very easy (5.2-5.3). Even the crux of the hardest route was easy, but it was fun. It rained just as they were getting ready for bed, so it was no problem. They hiked out the next morning.
James and Matt on the Notch with Greg asleep at their feet |
James at the crux of the hardest route Matt at the crux of the hardest route |
Greg, Matt, James, Corey, and Richard at the Notch on the way out
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On August 30, James and Keith did the ultimate Wasatch hike, the Beatout. They started at White Pine Trailhead at 8:00, and finished at the Bells Canyon Trailhead at 7:00. The hike to Upper Red Pine Lake was uneventful, except for a deer following them. They made it to the top of the Pfeifferhorn at 11:00, and decided to keep hiking, after a brief lunch. The conditions were great all day. It was overcast, and windy, which kept them cool. They went over Unnamed 11,137, and on to Chipman Peak. The view from Chipman is great, so they continued on towards South Thunder. They were almost to the top of South Thunder when it began to rain. They took a break on the summit, and decided to head down Bells Canyon. They had hoped to go along the Thunder Ridge to North Thunder, but due to the rain and threat of lightning, proceeded down Bells. Just below South Thunder, the visibility dropped to zero, and it felt like buckets of water were falling. It is the heaviest rain either of them have ever been in. The water flowed everywhere, and places which had been dry less than a minute ago were streams now. To top it off, they had become seperated. As soon as they realized it, they began shouting for each other and returned to the last spot they had seen each other. They reunited quickly, and began descending. Upper Bells Canyon is a unique place, filled with different gullies and ridges, which make navigation hard. They had been descending a while, when James realized they were in the canyon that runs parallel to the one with the reservoir. He insisted that they go up over the ridge to the east. They did, and found themselves just above the reservoir. That says something about his sense of direction in the Wasatch, even in really bad conditions. They took a short break at the shore of the lake, and made their way down the trail. By now, James had become a Bells Canyon Trail expert, and found most of it. When they reached the stream crossing, they were able to hop across rocks, unlike June. When they looked downstream, there was a bridge, less than 15 feet away. After feeling very stupid, they made it home.
James on the way up the Pfeifferhorn |
Keith along the upper Maybird Headwall Looking into Maybird Gulch from the Maybird Headwall |
James on the summit of the Pfeifferhorn, Peak 11,137 behind Keith on the summit of the Pfeifferhorn |
Looking at Peak 11,137 and a cloud covered Lone Peak from the Pfeifferhorn Keith next to the northwest couloir of the Pfeifferhorn |
James below the summit of the Pfeifferhorn, NW couloir behind Looking at North Thunder Mountain from Peak 11,137 |
James at the low point between Peak 11,137 and Chipman Peak Keith heading up towards Chipman Peak |
Keith heading towards South Thunder along the upper Hogum Headwall Looking at the Pfeifferhorn from South Thunder |
James on the summit of South Thunder Keith on the summit of South Thunder Mountain |
Looking down Bells Canyon from South Thunder Mountain
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On September 1, they had a court of honor for their old scout troop, where the whole group summed up their experiences over the last 4 years. The people there were: Don T, Don S, Garth, Greg F, Kevin, Chris, Jon, James, Keith, Dan, Matt, Greg P, Richard, Andrew, and Corey. They all told part of the story and then summed it up with posters James and Don had made, as well as cool gifts from all of the Winds climbers to Garth. They also presented books to Greg F, Don S, and Dont T. They had found the whole group who had been there from the beginning, and got all of them to sign the books. Also, Don T's book was signed by Jim Wickwire, who was the author, as well as a famous climber.
On Labor Day weekend, the guys decided to get togetther for a last weekend. Chris would be leaving for college, and James would be leaving for the Navy. On the first day, James and his dad, Bill, drove out there. James showed Bill the climbs he and Jon did in July, and did some bouldering and shooting on his dad's pistol.
The second day, Andrew and Keith showed up in Andrew's truck. They all climbed, and set up 2 routes, then found a short route into the Cereal Bowl (huge circle in rock, like an unfinished arch). They were able to explore this natural wonder, and rappell out of it on 2 bolts they found there. When Andrew was climbing up, he fell and pendulumed, and hurt his knee. This wasn't a problem, but he limited his climbing after that. Then, they all did some bouldering on some new rocks, and had dinner.
Chris and Matt showed up early on day 3. Bill cut himself making breakfast, and had to drive back to Wendover for stitches. Unfortunately, the clinic there was closed, so he came back, instead of going to Elko or Ely. While he was gone, they all did some more climbing, showing Chris and Matt what they had done. Keith found a cool crack that lead into the Cereal Bowl, and began climbing it. He mad it about halfway to the Cereal Bowl, and lowered off of a nut. James gave it a try, and made it all the way up. Keith, Chris, and Matt followed. It was a great route, and James and Chris named it 'Drink To The Foam', in honor of James' Navy. They came to a consensus of 5.8+ for the rating. They then went over to the other end of the Cereal Bowl to lower off of the bolt. They then tried the face climb beneath the bolts, but nobody could do it. The guys all bouldered for a while, then went back to camp.
The guys woke up, and had to get ready to leave. After a little bouldering, they left. Chris and Keith had left about 10 minutes earlier to dump the trash at the Callao landfill, so James, Bill, Andrew, and Matt left a little later. After driving a while, they came upon a truck on the side of the road which happened to be Chris' truck. Chris and Keith were standnig there, and the truck looked pretty bad. Chris and Keith had been driving along, when the front right tire blew out, the truck fishtailed around backwards, and rolled once, landing on its wheels. Chris and Keith were fine, but shaken up. Andrew got cell reception there, and called Don T, Chris' dad, and told him what happened. Don would meet them in Wendover. Chris and Keith loaded all their gear into James' and Andrew's trucks and drove to Wendover. It ended up costing a lot to get the truck towed to Salt Lake, only to find out it was totalled.
Chris and James managed to fit one last climb in before James left. They climbed a 3 pitch 5.7 at the Dead Snag area across the street from Storm Mountain Island. It was one last fun climb before James left for the Navy, and Chris started school. Oop, forgot a camera!
Jon, Keith, Chris, Dan, and Matt climbed on many routes in the Wasatch, including Chris and Jon's new climb near Pentapitch, Mule Hollow, Pentapitch, and Storm Mountain Island. Jon, Chris, and Keith also did some early season ice climbing around Thanksgiving at Great White Icicle and Scruffy Band.
Deep Creeks Rock Climbing Trip - September
Day 1
Day 2
Andrew climbing the face below the Cereal Bowl |
Looking up canyon from the edge of the Cereal Bowl Keith belaying Andrew from inside the Cereal Bowl Day 3
James leading 'Drink To The Foam' |
Keith leading 'Drink To The Foam' |
James leading 'Toast To The Foam' (2) Chris at the top of 'Drink To The Foam' |
Matt, James, and Keith at the top of 'Drink To The Foam' Matt bringing water to the top of 'Drink To The Foam' |
Chris coiling the rope at the top of 'Drink To The Foam' Keith, Matt, James, Chris, and Andrew playing cards in Chris' truck Day 4
Andrew, James, Keith, Chris, and Matt just before leaving Granite Creek Canyon Back to the top
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James and Duane came home over Christmas for a while. James and Keith did a mixed route at Scruffy on the 23rd. It was a really fun route, and quite hard. On Christmas Day, the first tragedy to hit the group happened. James and Duane had been ice climbing at Scruffy on one of the easier water ice routes. James was about 30 feet up, when he lost a crampon off of his left foot, and it fell to the ground. He attempted to put in a screw to lower down, but was unsuccessful and accidentally dropped it. This ice screw was Jon's and had previously belonged to Alex Lowe. It has since been retired due to its long fall onto a rock during this incident. Having not been able to save himself, he had Duane call Jon on his cell phone. Jon rushed there, but was too late. James, seeing no other options, tried to lower off of his ice axes. He knows this is not a good idea, but tried anyway. Duane had lowered him about 2 feet when they broke out of the ice, and he fell 30 feet. During his 1 secon plummet, he managed to turn his back to the ice, and land standing up. This probably saved him from breaking his back or neck, but wasn't as good for his left ankle. After Jon showed up, followed by Search And Rescue, James was found to have snapped off the malleoluses of his left tibia and fibula. He had surgery, and now has 2 screws in his tibia, and 5 screws and a plate in his fibula. He will get them out in about 2 to 3 years. He wasn't able to walk for 2 months, hike for 6 months, or rock climb for seven. He hasn't ice climbed since, but plans on doing it again. James says he will never lead ice again, though. It also hindered his ability to climb, since his whole body got out of climbing shape, not just his left leg. Since then he has climbed up to 5.10 toprope, but hopes to be good again.
James climbing at Scruffy on the route he fell off of |
James and Jon together following James' fall
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| Mountaineering 2000 |
