Three Corner Rock Trail

A strong mountain biker on a casual trail

Jerry and I were mountain biking from the lower parking lot beginning at the 3-Corner Rock Trailhead. He was a virtual pro at mountain biking, and I was a total novice (having only peddled on streets and 1-2 brief minor trails in town). But I was a strong rock climber and an energetic honed mountaineer so I naturally assumed the two activities should help me with the peddling. 

In a mere minute or so after departure from the trailhead, he was gone in a fast ZOOM up the trail in a biking dash, but just a few hundred feet up the trail I quickly found myself pushing the bike....a lot more than I had anticipated, for whenever it went up a steep enough grade I burned out of lung capacity, simply because the concept of how to mtn bike-ology was not ingrained into my skill set yet. That skill set takes years of intense practice.

Each time I did catch up to him he was sitting alongside the trail, waiting patiently for me to catch up, while he casually was lounging about smoking and cigarette and smiling at my out-of-shape condition for this sport activity.

We both eventually crossed the foot bridge over the creek and then continued pedaling up the next long zigzag trail grade till we both eventually reached to the USFS gravel road. I quit there at the gravel road and opted to wait, while he dashed off uphill -- him and his speeding mountain bike -- on up the upper portion of the trail en route to the very summit of Three Corner Rock. Yet this year in early June the summit zone of the peak was still covered in random deep snowdrifts. 

So, at that gravel USFS road junction where the trail crossed over it....I waited, and waited, and waited...for what must have been several hours. It seemed like forever, but eventually I heard a sound of racket coming from the south (on the gravel road), and from around a bend in the road he came pedaling into view, and finally arrived, stepped off his bike and sat down to smoke a cigarette.

He explained that the upper portion of the peak had so many snow drifts that he resorted to pushing his bike the remainder of the way to the summit. He was not too eager to push his bike back down a considerable portion of the same trail, and he glanced southward and noticed that the main gravel road going southward had minimal snow drifts on it. So he decided to pedal south for several long miles, till he reached the 3-way junction, then cut back NW on the west side USFS gravel road that returned past the location where I sat patiently waiting. Hours went by during this whole process, and he did not escape all the snowdrifts, for apparently there were still notable section in the thick forest -- even on the road -- where he had to resort to pushing his bicycle for long distances. Thus it was HOURS while I patiently waited. 

Wow, I thought to myself, he had unlimited physical energy level all committed to the sport of mountain biking....

As a team, we jumped back on our bikes and, from that forest road, we sped off down hill along the Three Corner Rock Trail travelling down to the footbridge, along the lower forested hills trail in fast time on our bikes, racing all the way back to our vehicle parking spot along the Washougal River road.

Jerry pointed out to us that this particular trail (Three Corner Rock Trail) is considered to be an "easy" mountain bike journey for most mountain bikers. I got quite a laugh when I heard that comment....

"Easy for whom?"....

Let The Music Play

 Our large weekend multi-day climbing group, which had been in separate smaller teams during the day, returned at the end of a long Smith Rock climbing day to the picnic tables near the parking lot, and we all began unloading from our vehicles, all the various food delicacies, pans, utensils and lounge chairs that will be needed for this evenings meal preparations. The items all got heaped around one main wooden picnic table as the late evening sunlight cut a low angled brilliant hot shaft of sunlight across the green lawn. It was a hot calm late evening day in the month of August, and the day's rock climbing session had been sweaty, busy, and exciting.

One of our friend's, whose name was Adrian, brought out his music jam-box, and set it on the table, then plunks a CD into the player and presses the start button. The sound of Big Band 1930's style of music hits the speakers and broadcasts its odd betwixt melody to all the ears near our picnic table. Various climbing friends' heads turn upon hearing the odd strange music of yester-yore, tunes that virtually zero rock climbers ever bother to listen to these days, and upon hearing that odd ancient music drift across that green lawn around us, several quirky smiles erupt on our friends' faces, followed by several spicy comments that get flicked back and forth amongst the group. I doubt five minutes went by before it was changed to something else.

Yeah, I guess even I'd find it a bit pressing to listen to 1930s Big Band music at anytime, anywhere — whether at Smith Rock, or elsewhere.

On The Wrong Route

A friend and I went to Jungle Cliff at Broughton Bluff to climb the highly star-rated Gorilla Love Affair route. Upon arrival we took a brief glance at the book then quickly sorted through the gear we would need for the route. My partner racked up (some quickdraws and an assortment of camming devices), tied in to the rope, looked up at the route, and prepared to climb. The route indicated a steep vertical dicey stemming problem, and required some cams in the 2" range.

So up to the flared slightly overhung stemming slot my partner climbed. He's feeling quite strong today, but at the crux move he hesitates by the tricky crux moves. Wow, this looks like a stout crux. After hesitating he finally he powers his way through the crux moves fighting desperately to stay on it, with his legs quaking like a leaf. After the crux the route eases to mere 5.9...a cruise for him. On those final moves (above the crux) he is able to recompose his overcharged senses, and shortly later reaches the belay anchor, clips the rope through the belay rap rings, then is lowered back down to the ground.

Upon arrival at the ground he comments to me, "Dude, that's the stoutest 5.10 that I've done in quite a while!

Both of us glanced at the guidebook again, thumbing over to the Jungle Cliff page. At that moment we both realize that he did not climb Gorilla Love Affair (our intended route), but had, in error, chosen to ascend the "Crime Wave" route to its immediate left, a dicey mixed gear lead.**

**Note: Prior to all the recent fixed bolts that were added to Crime Wave this route was climbed using some natural pro gear (using cams). A bold lead indeed!

Soloing at Smith Rock

I was always a soloist at heart, generally more than willing to solo anything up to 5.9, especially crack routes. One sunny weekend day at Smith Rock I managed to ropeless solo a variety of routes ranging from Moscow, Super Slab, to Moonshine Dihedral, and sometime later that day I gravitated over to the west side of the state park nearer to the Monkey Face rock pillar formation with the intended goal to make a fast dash up a long crack system on the far west side of the cliff -- on a route called West Face Variation (5.7) route.

So upward I embarked in my rock shoes, dancing effortlessly past the crux in fast time, cruising quickly and efficiently up the jam crack. This is gonna be a fast ascent with very easy climbing, I thought to myself. 

But, just as I reached a large midway ledge, I suddenly heard a distinct rattle.

I paused in my tracks, frozen by the sound of the rattle, and instantly glanced straight across the flat ledge at the back side of the small ledge (that I had just arrived upon), only to find a rattlesnake warning me of its presence.

"Hmmm...how did you get up here Mr Rattlesnake!"

There was no way I was gonna get around this particular spot, so quickly, and quietly (and wisely), I opted to down climb the entire lower portion of the route, going back down the crack I had just climbed up, carefully reversing the crux moves, descending all the way back down to the ground, then packed up my gear and marched around to the popular Dihedrals zone.

Perhaps Smith Rock is not the most ideal place to solo after all....

A Day at RBQ

One summer day Dan took a newly met female date with him out to Rocky Butte Quarry for a bit of rock climbing. She was unfamiliar with the sport of climbing but was willing to give it a try (and to him it was a compatibility requirement). On this particular outing she opted to bring her small dog, and she let it roam near the cliff edge without any leash. The energetic pup was quite fascinated exploring around the new terrain sniffing this and that, and even getting quite near to the edge of the abrupt drop-off.

Dan proceeded to setup the top-rope at the belay anchor, then clipped his harness into the rope and he was just beginning to rappel down the Video Bluff slab section heading for the base of the Video Bluff section when....

As she stood on the angled slope above 'Stranger Than Friction', she accidentally slipped on the soft slick soil (something that we've all have done!), landed on her rumpsky, and in the same instant her foot flicked up, and accidentally booted her little pup right straight out over the edge. 

Dan heard all the rustling commotion occurring just above him, and heard her brief shriek as well, and quickly glanced up the cliff toward her.

As he looked up, and much to his dismay, he saw an airborne dog in full flight, coming quickly down his way, and he instantly reached out and caught the pup in his outstretched arms as the pup rapidly plummeted down toward him enroute to the ground.

Sadly, something didn't quite click in harmony with the two of them, and that newly met female date didn't last long....

Paint By Numbers

 You can't paint life by numbers, or you'll miss all the good stuff along the way.

Finding Skookum

 At just the exact right hour of the afternoon during mid summer, while we were standing at the Rock Creek crag, chatting about climbing just after doing an ascent of a route, we peered far off to the west, and on the far side of the valley, perched high on a forested hill slope, both of us instantly realized — that a minor rocky looking prominence protruding from the hillside actually IS a small rock pinnacle! The late afternoon sunlight shafts sideways, at just the right hour to reveal the true shape of the little pinnacle from afar.

So, a few weekends later, the team congealed a 'must-do-it' plan, and went out on the hunt for ir, and found it, and done did it — a ground-up ascent of the infamous Skookum Pinnacle.

It's quite rare to find such little odd pinnacle summits anywhere near Portland these days, as the pickin's are mighty slim (most of these types of little climbing treasures have long since been discovered and ascended).

Bring the Pitons

 Life's an Adventure

A friend and I were going after the prize, and long untapped first ascent of a 150' tall dihedral system that looked totally stellar perched high above the forested slope. The proposed route was a series of thin seams and cracks all the way up the corner system.

Our journey would be a 2-day outing with an under-the-stars bivvy in the wooded forest below the Lamberson Butte crag. When we reached the bivvy site, unloaded both backpacks, we suddenly realized just how much heavy iron we both had brought. We both abruptly broke into hearty laughter.

Somehow, we both had, without consulting the other about certain pre-chosen rock climbing hardware that might be needed for doing the first ascent of the route, we had somehow managed to bring a total of over 30+ heavy metal pitons.

Talk about overload !!

So that's how the routes name was struck: The Great Pig Iron Dihedral 

Could be if not for the trees

 A friend once said....

"...this part of Western Oregon could be one of the best bouldering places in the region, but you just can't see much further than about 20-30' from any given back-country road to get a glimpse past all the thick green forest and foliage to spot all the potential boulders hidden right there in the forest barely out of sight."

Friends Who Clean Boulders

What's clean and freshly done today in this wet moist rainy western Oregon zone will -- in just a few years ahead (1-10 years) -- often will become a renewed moss covered heap of stone virtually appearing as if it were never touched by human hand before.

So if you know various local bouldering teams that go outdoors frequently to their favorite bouldering haven to unearth various new bouldering problems -- we recommend that you set yourself into a pattern of follow that team.

As they unearth a series of boulders, whether a few stones, or a dozen stones at an entire boulder zone, make plans to visit those same bouldering zones in the next few short years just after they had progressed through that zone, because those freshly unearthed stones will still be quite clean (i.e. moss free) for only a short time thereafter.

Now is the time to retag some of those cool ascents without all the extra effort to re-clean de-moss those stone many years later.

Luckily not all boulders re-grow a moss carpet at the same rate. A lot depends on the stone characteristic nuances (surficial features) like grittiness, smoothness, and its compositional makeup (basalt, andesite, dacite, etc). Moss tends to cast new spore seeds in tiny niches of the rock surface, the the seeds sprout (after it becomes moist) in the tiny rock vesicles, usually from a high spot, then progressively down the boulder over a period of years (moss hangs ya know!).

Max vs Buster

No matter where your at, whether it's out rock climbing at the local crag for the day, or out day hiking, it just seems to repeatedly happen. 

One time it might occur during or just after a day hike. Another time it was a day when my friend was up on the sharp end of the climbing rope leading a 5.4 rock climbing route, and his dog begins to roam around the neighborhood near the base of the crag sniffing various artifacts and other peoples stuff in search of who-knows-what. Then . . . .

Dog #1 meets dog #2. After a sniff or two as each dog checks out the opponents backside, one or the other gets into a mental pickle, an invisible overreach has occurred, as one or the other lil mutt has simply gotten too close or looked at the other 4-legged creature with that sneaky sideways glance, then . . . an explosion of fur, barking and dust, and both dogs have erupted in a typical snarling politically motivated dog turf argument. Rufus vs Riley, Max vs Buster, Droolius Caesar vs Fido, Expo vs Sparky -- yep, you get the picture. That's life!

Fir Needles

Did you know that tree fir needs follow a harmonious pattern on the water surface of a slow moving creek or river.

The wind that gently blows across the surface of the water tends to control the pattern of how each fir need lines up (with each other nearby fir needle) by effecting the lighter higher stem end of the needle.

The heavier dark root base of the fir needle sinks slightly below the surface of the water and is controlled by the gently flowing creek water current.

Thus each fir need tends to line up and follow the one before it - all in a slowly curling orderly procession of fir needles, each following its lil' bro' across the water surface, guided by the movement of water and by the gentle touch of a slight breeze disturbing the water surface - kind of like a series of boxcars on a railroad train - or like a string of pearls. 

Enola Hill Crag is better than dandelions

 Still find yourself mowing your grand 1-acre estate every five days this fine hot summer? Is life starting to seem overwhelming like one great big yellow dandelion? There are better things to do with your time in the summer months . . . Like a find day of rock climbing at Enola Hill Crag (the Swinery). Yep, the gravel road is much better (it was enhanced last year) and though a bit bumpy in spots, its easily drivable with any AWD vehicle, and virtually any 2WD car. The crag is a little local favored gem.

What's it got that makes it good?

• Cooling gentle breezes ALWAYS waft uphill to keep the crag comfortable all summer long.
• Its a shaded crag (nice in summer).
• The 'path' is in good condition (the entire loop).
• New climbs keep getting developed there.
• And it's far less crowded than French's Dome!
• It's no further a drive than French's either!
• Power routes kicking into the 5.11 and 5.12 range.
• Easier routes from 5.8 to 5.10 too.

What's holding you back from visiting Enola crag today?

• Another lawn mowing session?
• City lights?
• Broughton (dude I hope not!)?
• Fear itself?

One word, one reason that certainly captivates that little ideal favored crag known as Enola (the Swinery):  QUALITY

Time to go tackle that greasy little Swinery pig and climb on!

Six legs

 After departing in the early morning from my colony in search of munchie forest snacks, somehow I managed to end up in a strange strange world that is flat, smooth, black and hot. It's an odd world. Where's the apple tree snacks, or the cherry tree snacks, I said to myself. I need to find some munchies here somewhere for my colony friends.

Somewhere on the far distant horizon in the flashing speed of a bolt of lightning — a hand rises up and rapidly arrives overhead covering miles of sky above me.

Smack! Ouch, my arm, ouch, ouch, ouch. I dance and jiggle rapidly in a circle, then jiggle and run to the left.

Again, on the far distant horizon in a flashing speed of a bolt of lightning — a hand rises up and rapidly approaches, arriving overhead covering miles of sky above me.

Smack! And then my world goes totally dark.

By now you probably figured it out . . . that we're talking about a big black ant crawling across the dash of our vehicle. An ant that managed to cling to our daypack or crashpad, then end up in our vehicle for a ride . . . then sometime during the long homeward bound drive it crawls up onto the dark dashboard of the vehicle.

All of this and more after a fine quality summers day of bouldering with friends at (black ant haven) Boulder Mtn Boulders southeast of Govie Camp, Orrrrregon.

Climbing moments in NZ and AU

 Payne's Ford, New Zealand

The climber's campground there has a sign similar to Forest Service signs, the fire danger ones with the arrow pointing to the fire danger level. The difference is that this sign has, "Low Gravity, Medium Gravity and High Gravity."

- - - - - - 

Payne's Ford, New Zealand

I arrive early, park the rental car and decide to hike to the cliffs and check them out. There's nobody else around as I hike alongside the small river and finally get to some of the limestone. A while later I hike back alongside the water . . . and a young, very naked woman pops up out of the water alongside me. Resolutely keeping eye-contact I say:

"Oh Hi, that water must be cold."

And I continue on back to the campground.

- - - - - - 

Arapiles, Australia

I arrive at the campsite and as I'm putting up my tent a young woman asks me if I want to climb. Of course! We climb for a couple of days, then I have to go into town for food. I get back late with supplies, and as I'm putting them into the tent another young woman asks me if I want to climb. I'm promised away for tomorrow, but we arrange to meet the day after. We climb together for the next three weeks. Obviously Arapiles is climbing heaven!

Moments to laugh about

 While climbing at Broughton Bluff one day with a friend . . . 
Gary R. says to me after attempting a new route that he was projecting:
"I would have on-sighted that if I hadn't fallen off!"

- - - - - - - 

We were at the crag climbing our favorite power routes, and during a brief rest session, we stopped to watch two guys climbing another route nearby.

The lead climber says down to his partner, "gonna fall, take", and the belayer is so fast on the yank that he enthusiastically and quite literally rips the lead climber right from the wall.

- - - - - - - 

On a boulder somewhere in Oregon:

My friend Tymun (who is shirtless that hot July summer day) pulls onto the vertical rock face from a sit-start with every single tendon of his back muscles flexing. I turn to everyone and say:

"There folks, you have the ultimate definition of definition."

- - - - - - - 

Yosemite Valley bummer moment:

I had turned down an opportunity to assist Ron Kauk when he asks if I can belay him on a project up in Tuolomne . . . because I'd promised my wife we would go hiking that day.

- - - - - - - 

Smith Rock, Oregon

Several pitches into a rock climb route I'm "resting" at an undercling plate and looking up at the crux just ahead. It's going to need a much larger cam than any on my sling. This contemplation is cut short when the plate suddenly ceases contact with the wall and I'm arcing backwards on a 20 foot fall. The fall takes enough time that I can throw the hold off to the side - away from my belayer. I decide that was enough for the day, and we bail.

Climbing At The Feathers

 While At The Feathers (Vantage WA)

Two guys, on the climb to the right, take their brand new rope out of it's plastic bag and throw it down onto a tarp. One of them grabs an end and ties in. I turn to Jennifer and say:

"Remember I told you what to do with a new rope? And you asked me if that was necessary? Well just watch this and you'll see why.  I'm guessing the 3rd bolt."

Sure enough by the time the climber had reached the 3rd bolt the rope was a tangled mess.

- - - - - - -

Another moment at the Feathers:

We're rock climbing all the routes one by one from right to left and I'm 2 bolts into one of them when a young woman looks over to me and asks:

"What climb are you on?"

Having no idea, I quietly look at her, glance briefly to my right, then briefly to my left and say:

"This one?"

Good judgement...

"Good judgment comes from experience, but experience comes from poor judgment."

Quote  Conrad Kain