Smith Rocks: The Monkey and the Zebra
Bill Wright
Smith Rocks: The Monkey and the Zebra
My company temporarily relocated me up here in Wilsonville, Oregon.
Yeah, it rains a lot, but you adjust. For me adjustment meant heading
down to Smith Rocks instead of Yosemite or Pinnacles. I had been here
once before and was hot for two routes: Monkey Face and Zebra/Zion
on Morning Glory Wall. Both routes are at least four pitches (long by
Smith standards), and Zebra/Zion is almost a complete crack climb. I
realize these routes aren't the latest in fashion at Smith, but to each his
own. I can't get up the difficult face climbs so I seek a different type of
adventure more suited to my meager abilities.
Stevie Ray (a bluesman) was my partner. He was a local Smith climber,
but had never been up on top of Monkey Face because it involved aid
climbing (or free climbing way above our level). What a ridiculous
thing to stop you. I don't blame him personally. He ran with a bad
crowd. They were free climbing snobs (by the way, the only thing
worse than these characters are telemarking snobs. He runs with that
crowd also, but that is a different story.) These are climbers looking for
an excuse not to summit a great pinnacle or get on a difficult route. I
was determined to change his ways and show him the joys of jumaring
and bolt ladders.
We got a late start (hey, I was a visitor here and they do things
differently up here, but it did let the day warm-up a bit) and headed
over Asterisk Pass around noon. Steve was pointing out the various
climbs when my eye caught site of a nice crack. Stevie Ray informed it
was called Spiderman and was rated 5.7. We decided to do this as a
warm-up and I led both pitches. I highly recommend this route as it is
just beautiful!
Next we headed over to the base of Monkey Face and sized up our
route. The West Face had been recommended, but since the first pitch
is A3 and we wanted to be assured of the summit, we settled on the
West Face variation to the Pioneer Route. Once again I did the leading
as I had promised Stevie Ray's wife that I would take good care of him
and he hadn't been doing much climbing lately. The first two pitches
are rated 5.8 and go smoothly. This puts us at the base of a slightly
overhanging headwall that leads up to the "Mouth Cave" of the
Monkey's Face.
A bolt ladder leads up the fifty feet to the cave and has the highest
density of bolts I have ever seen -- every two feet. Layton Kor would
cringe seeing such a site. I clipped my way up to the cave, back
cleaning every third bolt so that I would have enough gear to finish the
pitch. I did clip all the bolts at the top where the route traverses over to
the cave so that Stevie Ray could clean it easier.
Now Steve has never really done any aid and I hadn't even jumared
before. It was a tough introduction to jumaring for Steve. The wall
overhangs, the jumars weren't set up right for his heighth, and it
traversed at the top and went over a lip. Suffice to say that he was
tired and bleeding by the time he reached the belay.
The next pitch exits the Mouth Cave at the aptly named Panic Point.
You exit the cave onto a vertical to slightly overhung headwall with
200+ feet of overhanging exposure below you. It is well protected by
bolts (in fact, it can be aided) and is only rated 5.7, but with numb hands
I thought it was tougher. I was pumping out clipping the bolt and
clipped one bolt with a string of three biners because I didn't have the
endurance to straighten the mess out. The pitch is short though and I
was soon at a great ledge by a large boulder (The Nose Cave, which
isn't a cave at all.) I put Steve on belay and mentioned how hard I
thought it was. Steve followed and thought the rating was fair so it
must have been my frozen hands.
Steve led the last 5.2 pitch to the summit. I quickly followed and we shook
hands and beat a hasty retreat as it was getting dark. We climbed
back to our last belay and then did a spectacular, free-hanging,
140 foot rappel with an awesome view of the East Face. We packed up
and hiked out in the dark over Misery Ridge.
The next morning we went out to breakfast and then headed back to
Smith Rocks. We wanted to do Zebra/Zion, but were afraid to find the
perpetual crowd toproping the hell out of the many first pitch variations.
We arrived later than we should have but got lucky to find only one party
ahead of us, and, remarkably, they were doing the entire four pitch
climb also. This brings me to a Smith Rocks observation. Of all the climbing
areas I have been to Smith Rocks is the most like a climbing gym. Of the
hundred or more climbers there that day, maybe ten were leading and
maybe five leading cracks. This area has the highest concentration of
toproping and pinkpointing that I have ever seen. No one wants to lead
here. Nothing is wrong with that, of course, except that they tend to
monopolize climbs for hours, sometimes days! This area is the furthest
distance from adventure climbing and still be outdoors.
Anyway, we followed the couple of Zebra/Zion and they were very
nice as I had a chance to talk with them at each belay because they
graciously invited me to share their belays. I believe in keeping a
respectable distance from the next party so as to not adversely affect
their experience, but they invited me up and we both enjoyed the
conversation while Steve cleaned the pitches and their partner led on.
This is a wonderful climb and I highly recommend it. It is the best climb
I have done at Smith (and I have admittedly done little there.) We
started with a direct start variation called Gumby that is rated 5.10a. This
is a very steep face climb on tiny holds protected by bolts. I had a bit of
trouble on it and had to hang on the bolts. I had a long wait at the next
belay as the party above us, while very pleasant, wasn't very fast. The
next pitch is the crux of route and involves fingertip liebacking and
underclinging. The crux is near the start of the pitch and the rest is
continuous 5.8 jamming and provides a strenuous pitch ending on a
nice ledge. I almost came off on this pitch, but managed to just barely
grab a face hold off to the right at the end of the undercling.
The third pitch is 5.7 and continues up the crack for 30 feet before
moving right on small face holds and then up to an uncomfortable,
slanting belay. The last pitch is the real jewel of the route. A slightly
overhanging crack that is rated 5.9. It looks harder, but the handholds
are bomber all the way and it pros nicely. Awesome finish!
After descending back to our packs, Steve wanted me to try Midriff
Bulge (5.10a). Steve had previously led the pitch and said it was great
so I agreed to give it a shot. We hiked over Asterisk Pass and over to
the base. The climb involves underclinging out under this large roof
until you can turn it.
I zipped up to the start of the undercling as the climbing was quite easy.
Now the climb underclings straight left on a vertical wall without any
substantial footholds. I placed a couple of bomber pieces and then
started out. The climbing was very strenuous and after only a few feet
of climbing I doubted whether I would be able to let go with one hand
and place protection. I couldn't see a spot to rest and didn't know how
hard it was around the corner, so I treated back to my stance to rethink
things. I didn't want to fall or rest on protection because Steve had led
this climb! Ah, vanity.
I shook out my arms at the rest, placed another piece as far out as I
could reach and launched into my second try. This time I just stayed
committed. I underclinged out to the lip, got a good jam and quickly
stuffed in a technical Friend. The moves around the lip aren't as bad as
the underclinging to get out there. I struggled over the lip and placed a
bomber piece. From here to the belay you have to negotiate some
loose face climbing which provides for an exciting finish. Stevie Ray
followed without incident and we downclimbed the descent route and
headed home earlier. A great weekend at Smith Rocks!
--
Bill Wright / bill_...@mentorg.com
"You have to ask yourself just how much more black can it be. And
the answer is: none. None more black."
-- Nigel from Spinal Tap