Backbone And Fin | chossclimbers.com

Go back to Alpine Lakes Wilderness page.

Summary

1

Shirley jamming the 30-foot 5.8 hand crack near top of pitch 4 of Serpentine Ridge. Top of the characteristic "black tower" (route pointer when approaching) is below on the right (July 24, 2005).

We make plans to climb Backbone (IV 5.9). Want to leave Saturday morning and climb on Sunday. Alarm goes off at 6am. The bed at home feels so good. Have not slept in on a weekend in longer than I can remember. We can do it tomorrow in a day. 2am Sunday we’re hiking through the dark forest. I feel sick. Shirley is high on her poison oak medication. Bad reaction with Redbull. Hyperactivity. She’s imposing a pace that makes me more nauseous. I can’t keep up with the conversation. I don’t want to climb. We do Serpentine Ridge instead.

2

Daddy dippin' into Colchuck Lake during a lazy overnight trip to the Lake (Aug. 2006).

We have a permit. We pack wine. We get to Colchuck Lake on Saturday. We’ve been here before? We drink. We swim. We set the alarm for too early. We hike. We feel sick. We bail and go home.

3

Dragontail Peak towering above the beautiful Colchuck Lake in the Enchantments...shot taken during our hike out (July 2005).

We leave Portland after work on Friday. Get to Colchuck Lake trailhead at midnight and change. Place is packed with cars. Short night spent on the bed of our truck – long day lies ahead. Memories of Inspiration Peak are 3 days old in our bodies. Alarm goes off at 2:30 am. I kill it before Shirley’s REM sleep is interrupted. I sit up on the gate of the truck and stare blankly into the darkness of the forest. There’s the trail. We should get going. It’s a nice night – a cool and clear night. I’m falling back asleep. Just a half hour. It’s 9am. We eat breakfast in Leavenworth.

4

Backbone Ridge With Fin Direct (Dragontail Peak)

Shirley topping out on pitch 11 of Backbone Ridge (IV+ 5.9). This is the first pitch on The Fin. Beautiful Colchuck Lake is far below and provides a "blue screen" background (July 22, 2006).

We leave Portland after work on Friday (July 2006). Get to Colchuck Lake trailhead at midnight and change. Place is packed with cars. Short night spent on the bed of our truck – long day lies ahead. Alarm goes off at 2:30 am. There are LED’s in the parking lot. Paranoia says they’re after our Backbone. 2:45am – time to move. Autopilot on – night hiking. Other party catches up at junction. They’re after Balanced Rock. Relief. Colchuck Lake at 5am. High altitude clouds obscure the sun. We’re worried about thunderstorms. Decide to get on the route. Short snow crossing and we’re simulclimbing the 4th class ledges at 9am. 500 feet up and I’m ready for intimacy with the crux OW pitch. Easier lower half. Walk the #5 Camalot on upper 40 feet. Each resetting maneuver leaves me vulnerable to a big fall. Shit – the pack is in the way. Going is easier than Damnation – more sustained than wide stuff on NEWS. Pack goes on the daisy below. Finally the exit. We look at the sky. It’s dark. What was that??!! Airplane. Commit to upper ridge. Route finding issues within next few pitches set back the clock. Low angle ridge scrambling follows. The stellar Fin looms above!! We’re out of water. Pleasant pitches on the Fin – clean faces and cracks. Dirty ledges. Lose my way on the 3rd pitch. Shoulda listened to Shirley’s directions. End up finishing on the Kearney variation. Excellent jam cracks all around! Colchuck Lake makes for first rate views! More route finding issues on the 4th Fin pitch – pull up on right side of upper gendarme only to see an endless face covered in thick lichen. A disappointment and a downclimb. Try the left side. Thank you!! We’re off the Fin via the backside gully. I shove a handful of dirt-snow into my mouth. Crunchy but wet and cold. Shirley takes small rockfall to the helmet in the gully. Tag the summit at 5 and change pm. Relax but are urged by mosquitoes to get moving. A party from Serpentine tops out as we’re departing. Sweet ice-cold glacier run off!!! Better than the summit views!! Down by Colchuck Lake at 8 pm. Boring night hike out. We lack motivation to move quickly. Rest frequently nearly falling asleep. It’s been a hard week at work. Big fat chunks of fresh Sushi come to mind. Indian curries flowing over Basmati rice. Ice cold smoothies and beers. What time does McDonald’s drive thru close? 2am. We see lights switching off as we’re driving towards the arches just past midnight. Must’ve been thinking of Wendy’s. Too tired to drive home. Why is this deer flipping me off? Never mind – it’s a mailbox. Lag time between what I see with my eyes and what my head registers. Drive back to Icicle Road and sleep in the truck till morning. Heat wakes us up at 6am. Leavenworth will bake in 108 degree heat today. We’re home. We drink cold beers. One stellar outing.

Photos

Dragontail Peak from our approach hike.

Hiking up to Dragontail Peak in the breaking daylight.

Shirley hiking up towards the start of Backbone Ridge. Colchuck Lake is below. Four hours into the hike/climb and still a long way from celebratory beers (July 22, 2006).

Early morning sunshine on Colchuck Peak. Dragontail Peak is mostly out of the photo on the left. Colchuck Glacier dominates the foreground (July 22, 2006).

Shirley hiking up the talus to the base of Backbone Ridge with Colchuck Lake below.

Daddy leading the long simul climb leading to the pitch 2 off-width on Backbone Ridge.

Shirley topping out on pitch 1 of Backbone Ridge. In background is Colchuck Peak; Colchuck Glacier is below (there's a party resting low on the glacier; cloudy July 22, 2006.

Shirley arriving at the base of the 5.9 OW after several hundred feet of simulclimbing the low 5th class terrain.

Leading the crux OW on pitch 2 of Backbone Ridge. Lower half is easier with plenty of rest stances and chockstones (& lower angle). Things get harder higher up where some left-side-in-right-side-scumming technique got me thru. the #5 Camalot terrain (July 22, 2006).

Higher on the pitch 2 off-width.

Shirley following the money pitch - the 5.9 OW down low on Backbone Ridge.

Shirley nearing the top of the crux OW pitch (P2) of Backbone Ridge. After walking my #5 for the last 30 feet, I went postal and plugged in 3 other pieces in the last 10 feet where smaller cracks presented themselves (and the going was actually easier 🙂 Photo taken July 22, 2006.

Leading somewhere on the lower half of Backbone Ridge.

Leading one of the pitches not too far above the crux off-width.

Shirley on pitch 3 of Backbone Ridge. Colchuck Lake is below; approach moraine is below on left (July 22, 2006).

Daddy somewhere on the upper Backbone Ridge below The Fin.

Leading pitch 10 of the Backbone Ridge on Dragontail Peak. This is the pitch that put us at the base of The Fin.

Shirley getting a close-up view of The Fin. Roughly pitch 9 (per Nelson & Potterfield guidebook) or top of the long, low 5th section (July 22, 2006).

Colchuck Peak as seen from somewhere on Backbone Ridge of Dragontail Peak. Colchuck Glacier is in the foreground. There are two parties (of 5 and 2 climbers) high on the glacier (visible in full res): upper party is just about at the col, while the lower is just above the bare ice patches high on the glacier (July 22, 2006).

Shirley arriving at the base of The Fin...pitch 10ish.

Beginning the lead of pitch 11 of Backbone Ridge - this is the first pitch of The Fin. Short face to twin cracks (July 22, 2006).

Shirley topping out on pitch 11 of Backbone Ridge (IV+ 5.9). This is the first pitch on The Fin. Beautiful Colchuck Lake is far below and provides a "blue screen" background (July 22, 2006).

Beginning the lead of P12 of Backbone Ridge. This is the second of the Fin pitches. Delicate face start followed by more 4-star cracks (July 22, 2006).

HIgher on the quality P12 of Backbone Ridge on The Fin.

Shirley nearing the top of P12 on Backbone Ridge (IV+ 5.9) and snacking on a wiregate biner. This is the second pitch on The Fin (July 22, 2006)

Starting the lead of pitch 13 (I think!).

Shirley following the traverse on pitch 13 of Backbone Ridge With Fin Direct. This is the middle of the Fin. Colchuck Lake dominates the view (July 22, 2006).

Shirley at a belay on the Fin ...think this is top of pitch 13(ish). Colchuck Lake is in background.

Leading pitch 14 of Backbone Ridge...somewhere on The Fin.

Leading the 5.8-ish cracks on P14 of Backbone Ridge. This is the last pitch on The Fin (July 22, 2006).

Shirley nearing the top of pitch 14 of Backbone Rige With Fin Direct.

Shirley on the nice cracks near top of Fin (~P14 of Backbone Ridge route). Left foreground: Serpentine Ridge (IV 5.8); left mid-ground: Colchuck Peak; left, far background: Mt. Stuart (July 22, 2006).

Shirley near the top of the Fin on the Backbone Ridge route...we can smell the summit already.

Leading the bowling alley couloir near top (~P15) of Backbone Ridge. Nastiest part of an otherwise enjoyable day (July 22, 2006).

Shirley belaying from atop a notch in the Fin. This is the chossy "backside" of the Fin (pitch 15 of Backbone Ridge; July 22, 2006)

Shirley showing her (dis?)approval of the final choss gully that finishes off the Backbone Ridge With Find Direct route 🙂

Our hero shot on the summit of Dragontail after Backbone. Couple of folks from Mass. came up via Serpentine as we were getting ready to head down and we photographed each other (then we painted each others' toe nails also; July 22, 2006).

Shirley almost down to top of Aasgard Pass after our descent from Dragontail Peak.

Go back to Alpine Lakes Wilderness page.