Northeast Buttress Of HCR

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Pretty Words

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Northeast Buttress.
A quick in and out to The Valley. On Saturday, we woke up late and did exactly one pitch of climbing: the first pitch of Outer Limits (5.10) on Cookie Cliff. On Sunday, we tried to repent for this act of laziness by doing the longer and burlier Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock, an 11-pitch, old school 5.9 gem. Climbing was fun until the grunt chimneys of pitches 7 and 8 showed us what 5.9 used to mean: slick, flaring, and physical. Per forum discussion on Supertopo, we finished the route via Reid guidebook recommended final 2.5 pitches. Back at the car by 7pm and back at work by 8:30 on Monday morning. A very beautiful natural line that doesn’t let up until you pop over the rim. Oh yeah, almost nailed a deer with our economy rental…next time will splurge on the liability waver for sure when heading for The Valley.

Pretty Photos

Easier Saturday

Outer Limits
Starting up Outer Limits. This lower 20 feet are supposedly the crux but really it was the upper part that we found to be the crux (May 2012).

Outer Limits
Starting up Outer Limits (5.10) on the Cookie Cliff (May 2012).

Outer Limits
Leading pitch 1 of Outer Limits (5.10) on Cookie Cliff.

Outer Limits
Shirley on pitch 1 of Outer Limits - great climbing if pretty damn sustained (May 2012).

Outer Limits
Shirley topping out on pitch 1 of Outer Limits (May 2012).

Burlier Sunday

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Looking up at the Northeast Buttress (IV 5.9) route on the Higher Cathedral Rock. First two pitches are not visible (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley starting up pitch 2 of Northeast Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley nearing the top of pitch 3 of Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley leading the fun pitch 4 of Northeast Buttress. The money pitches (#'s 6-8) are visible on the left/above (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Leading the pitch 5 traverse on Northeast Buttress & sporting my favorite/lucky shirt (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley starting the pitch 5 traverse on Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
An unknown climber leading the third (?) pitch of the Regular Route (5.9) on Higher Cathedral Spire. View is from Northeast Buttress on Higher Cathedral Rock (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley on the pitch 5 traverse of Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Leading pitch 6 of Northeast Buttress - fun finger crack climbing (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley on the nice pitch #6 of the Northeast Buttress. This is the start of the long dihedral section of the route (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
An unknown party starting the traverse pitch (#5) of Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Pitch 7 top-out. We both thought this was the crux of the route (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley topping out on pitch 8 of Northeast Buttress...another chimney (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Starting the traverse pitch (#9) of Northeast Buttress...grateful to be done with the chimneys (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley following the traversing pitch #9 on Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
The Cathedral Spires (Higher is on the right) as seen from near the top of the Northeast Buttress route on HCR (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
A bit of bushwhacking near the top our pitch 9 (traverse pitch after the money chimneys) of Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley belaying me on the final (11th) pitch of the Northeast Buttress route (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Looking up-valley from somewhere on Northeast Buttress. Sentinel Rock is just right of center (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Happy Shirley topping out on the Northeast Buttress route (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Pretty flora atop the Higher Cathedral Rock (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Sentinel Rock as seen from the descent hike along HCR's summit ridge (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Tired Shirley and the giant pine cone at the notch above the Cathedral Spires/Rocks (May 2012).

Northeast Buttress (HCR)
Shirley hiking back along the base of Higher Cathedral Rock to our packs after our climb of its Northeast Buttress (May 2012).

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