Back On The Rock

My buddy, James Nakagami, and I finally got together to do some rockclimbing. I didn't climb much in '06 but, lately, I've been wanting to get out. We both really love climbing at Index, WA, and made that our destination. Many people don't like Index; mostly, I think, they are intimidated by the grades. Index is 'Old School'. Guys from Washington went to Yosemite and learned how to climb cracks, and brought that knowledge home. Index is where they honed their craft, in a time when 5.9 was the hardest thing around. Nowadays we are poised on the cusp of 5.15 and modern 5.9 is watered down. If you want to know what real 5.9 is, climb Index 5.9. If you can lead "Index 5.9", there is a lot you can cover in the Cascades. Also, this will put you at a level to handle 5.10a/5.10b in Squamish, B.C.

One aspect of Index is that there are few climbs that the average gaper can do (5.8 or below); thus, these climbs get crowded on the weekends. We decided to avoid that crush and head to Private Idaho, a small crag about a 15 minute walk from the car. The crag was empty; we only saw a couple hikers the whole day. First up was "Senior Citizens in Space" (5.8); a sweet layback up an inside corner. Raising the bar a little, we moved left to "Battered Sandwich" (5.9); an interesting crack/layback to start leading into a flaring chimney. After a snack, we climbed both pitches of "Magic Fern" (5.9), an awesome (if somewhat seldom climbed) set of pitches which keeps giving all the way to the top.

After that, it was time to bail. Great weather. Thanks to James for ropegunning for me today.