Neil
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Participants: Electricman (Craig), Mastergrasshopper (Glen), Mudrat (Kevin), Neil (Neil) Gothics North Face (Forehead).
After I got a PM from Electricman about doing the NF of Gothics in sneakers I had to think it over for a couple of days. Craig and Leaf did it last March as an ice climb and although it looks pretty tame they still used ice screws in a spot or two.
How steep is too steep?
In fact, I had looked it over a few times in the past and had concluded it was more of a sloping forehead than a face. Then I did a Topo profile and found the average slope to be the same as the Eagle slide, which I did recently and thoroughly enjoyed. It felt like the hook was going in even though at 85% average grade it meant there would be some steeper sections for sure.
Glen was concerned about moss on a north facing slide (moisture not drying out) but I rounded up some pictures from Mudrat and Jan and it looked fairly clean so I decided to give it a go.
As a result, Mudrat, Eman, Mastergrasshopper and myself found ourselves saying goodby to Zach, Mudrat's friend, leaving the Orebed Trail and cruising up a nice slabby creek bed towards the face. I wasn’t worried or apprehensive because if it proved to be too steep there were always the woods that ran obligingly alongside (deep down I am a tree hugger).
Arriving at the foot of wall was an awe inspiring experience all of its own. No sense wasting words, the pictures say it all.
Eman and I scouted the middle area and the lower portion looked like it might go. The the pitch seemed to taper off higher up and there appeared to be a ledge upon which to walk to the right towards milder slopes. Glen and Kevin headed directly to the right towards what is referred to as the New Finger Slide. Eman and I tried hard but we couldn’t get our approach shoes to stick to the slab. There was friable grey lichens growing and it rubbed off under our soles. I felt uncomfortable and so not without a lot of effort and a hand (literally) from Craig I down-climbed to flatter ground, said to hell with this and we both followed Glen and Kevin.
When we got half way over there we were under a beautiful grayish colored slab that didn’t look too steep. But we encountered the same problem with the grey lichen and after another difficult down-climb we gave the face up as a bad bet and headed over the rest of the way to the right and found Glen and Kevin hung up on a bad mossy section that they down-climbed slowly.
So far, the North Face was grinning at us.
It looked like the smoothness, lichens and moss put the Face over our limits of safe "friction-climbable” so we entered the woods and stayed close to the slide for the open views of the face while we bushwhacked up the steep forested slopes. About 300 vertical feet from the top we were able to exit the woods and climb on better rock. Finally we hit some easy cripplebush/moss/heather/rock and scrambled onto the trail about 2 minutes from the summit.
Zach (who had gone up the cable route and was waiting for us when we got there) and Kevin went down another route to pick up Kevin’s pack and they headed off on another wild adventure on Basin. Glen, Craig and I went out over Pyramid and enjoyed a long leisurely lunch while watching some climbers on the south (much, much steeper) face of Gothics. Once again the pics say it much better than I could.
We couldn't have chosen a better day or better company to do this hike.
Thanks Craig for the invite!
-PICTURES-
Note that pics 31-33 and 36-37 are not of us. Those are some rock climbers on the south side. Pretty amazing.
After I got a PM from Electricman about doing the NF of Gothics in sneakers I had to think it over for a couple of days. Craig and Leaf did it last March as an ice climb and although it looks pretty tame they still used ice screws in a spot or two.
How steep is too steep?
In fact, I had looked it over a few times in the past and had concluded it was more of a sloping forehead than a face. Then I did a Topo profile and found the average slope to be the same as the Eagle slide, which I did recently and thoroughly enjoyed. It felt like the hook was going in even though at 85% average grade it meant there would be some steeper sections for sure.
Glen was concerned about moss on a north facing slide (moisture not drying out) but I rounded up some pictures from Mudrat and Jan and it looked fairly clean so I decided to give it a go.
As a result, Mudrat, Eman, Mastergrasshopper and myself found ourselves saying goodby to Zach, Mudrat's friend, leaving the Orebed Trail and cruising up a nice slabby creek bed towards the face. I wasn’t worried or apprehensive because if it proved to be too steep there were always the woods that ran obligingly alongside (deep down I am a tree hugger).
Arriving at the foot of wall was an awe inspiring experience all of its own. No sense wasting words, the pictures say it all.
Eman and I scouted the middle area and the lower portion looked like it might go. The the pitch seemed to taper off higher up and there appeared to be a ledge upon which to walk to the right towards milder slopes. Glen and Kevin headed directly to the right towards what is referred to as the New Finger Slide. Eman and I tried hard but we couldn’t get our approach shoes to stick to the slab. There was friable grey lichens growing and it rubbed off under our soles. I felt uncomfortable and so not without a lot of effort and a hand (literally) from Craig I down-climbed to flatter ground, said to hell with this and we both followed Glen and Kevin.
When we got half way over there we were under a beautiful grayish colored slab that didn’t look too steep. But we encountered the same problem with the grey lichen and after another difficult down-climb we gave the face up as a bad bet and headed over the rest of the way to the right and found Glen and Kevin hung up on a bad mossy section that they down-climbed slowly.
So far, the North Face was grinning at us.
It looked like the smoothness, lichens and moss put the Face over our limits of safe "friction-climbable” so we entered the woods and stayed close to the slide for the open views of the face while we bushwhacked up the steep forested slopes. About 300 vertical feet from the top we were able to exit the woods and climb on better rock. Finally we hit some easy cripplebush/moss/heather/rock and scrambled onto the trail about 2 minutes from the summit.
Zach (who had gone up the cable route and was waiting for us when we got there) and Kevin went down another route to pick up Kevin’s pack and they headed off on another wild adventure on Basin. Glen, Craig and I went out over Pyramid and enjoyed a long leisurely lunch while watching some climbers on the south (much, much steeper) face of Gothics. Once again the pics say it much better than I could.
We couldn't have chosen a better day or better company to do this hike.
Thanks Craig for the invite!
-PICTURES-
Note that pics 31-33 and 36-37 are not of us. Those are some rock climbers on the south side. Pretty amazing.
