"Just a good day in the mountains"

It has been ten excellent days on the road, and my dad and I have finally arrived in Portland (just in time for father's day!). The drive was long - with lots of cold, rain and wind - but filled with expansive landscapes, big mountains, and beautiful surroundings. Sitting in the 1947 Plymouth was a great way to see the country roll by, at a *leisurely* 55 mph; the lack of a radio gave us a chance to converse and reflect, to spend time together. During the trip, I managed to fit in two full value adventure climbs, the first with my dad, the second with a friend from Montana.

The first climb might be stretching the definition for this blog, but it brought all of the same feelings as a roped multi-pitch - the adrenaline, the doubt, the excitement at reaching the peak. "Pikes Peak or Bust!" Pikes Peak is a 14,000' mountain, with a long history of motorized summits. The main road is 19 miles to the top, filled with steep grades, tight turns, plenty of gravel, and thin thin air. My dad handled the drive with precision, keeping the pedal pounded and the engine humming. There were a few times I wasn't sure we would make it, but in the end, the old car survived, we enjoyed the summit, and made a hasty retreat as storm clouds moved in around 9 am. What a great day.

The second climb was one of my favorite mountain days ever. A good friend of several years drove down from Boseman MT to the Tetons to meet up for a day. The spring has been cold and snowy in WY, and the climbing rangers warned us that Monday the 13th might (might!) be the first climbing day of the season. We woke for an alpine start at 5 am, with big clouds hanging low in the valley, but decided to head out and see what the rock looked like. The goal for the day was Irene's Arete on Disappointment Peak, an excellent 6 pitch 5.9 on a South facing piece of bullet proof granite (rare in the Tetons), which sits below the Grand, providing excellent views throughout the day.

John and I have spent plenty of time backpacking and hiking peaks, but never roped climbing, so Irene's was a special way to combine everything we've enjoyed in the mountains together. We hiked the four miles from the trailhead to boulder field relatively quickly, then got out the crampons and ice axes for the last approach in snow. Another short mile of relatively easy travel, then it was kicking steps and scrambling to the base of the route. A four hour approach, but the low lying clouds had broken, and it was nothing but bluebird skies above, promising a great climb (and in retrospect, an excellent sunburn).

The climb is documented well on other sites (climbing.com, summitpost.org, mountainproject.com), but the route follows the edge of the prominent arete, with every pitch providing fun movement and exposure. Pitch 2 followed a 5.8 handcrack through a small roof, to a belay directly underneath the arete proper; pitch 3 followed a band of black rock, moving back and forth on each side of the arete, putting plenty of air under your feet; pitch 4 moves up a 5.8 finger crack, to a juggy 5.6 roof, into a long flaring 5.7 crack; pitch 5 provides the crux - twenty feet of excellent fingers in a 90 degree corner, with a long 5.7 slab to the notch. From the notch, we pulled on a few pieces of gear to move through an awkward 5.8 finger/hand crack to a slab, then soloed the last 50 feet of easy fifth class slab climbing to the summit. It was 5 o'clock and time to get home!

Two more hours of kicking steps in the snow down the descent colouir, then a long section of lower angle snow that we were able to 'boot ski'. We finished with a beautiful hike out during the 8 oclock hour, back to the car in time for a celebratory beer as the sun began to set. All in all, an excellent day in the mountains, where John and I were each able to push ourselves in new ways. He finished his longest climb to date (all while carrying a backpack loaded with boots, crampons and ice axes!), and I got to experience mountains in early summer, complete with snow. Definitely a climb I'll remember.

For those interested, a lot of pictures of the '47 Plymouth and roadtrip are here; a few decent pictures of Irene's Arete are here.