This year,
our first stop in the Northwest is Index. We climbed here on a couple of occasions
during our first bus trip, and in between overnight trips in the North Cascades
during our second bus trip. But we never made it a priority, never waited
for good weather and as a result, never got much climbing done (it rains A
LOT at Index!).
We're
back with a few days to spare and a few things on our list: the 3-pitch combo
Godzilla - Park City - Sloe Children,
which we got rained off during our first visit, "Thin Fingers" a
great finger crack on the lower wall we had admired from a distance, and the
6-pitch Davis-Holland - Lovin'
Arms that we did not get to climb last summer because of the rain.
 |
|
Arriving
in Index.
|
|
 |
|
Trains
pass right through town and below the crag.
|
|
 |
|
Free
camping within walking distance of the crag...if you don't mind
the scene.
|
|
 |
|
Abandoned
lodge in town.
|
|
 |
|
The
steep Lower Town Wall.
|
|
The climbing
at Index ranges from 1 to 6 pitches. It is typically steep, and on extremely
good rock: very fine grained granite, with terrific friction, yet very gentle
on the hands. This rock is simply amazing. Some of the best rock we've ever
seen anywhere... Free camping in various pullouts along the river (that is
if you don't mind the hillbillies on fishing and drinking trips). The only
real drawback is the weather. If it rains anywhere in WA, it'sl almost certainly
raining at Index. The best time to visit to minimize the rain is the summer,
but it is then usually too hot and humid to climb comfortably. Make sure to
pick a cloudy or cold day for Davis-Holland
- Lovin' Arms.
 |
|
Eric
starting up "Princely Ambitions" (5.10a).
|
|
 |
|
Traversing
back into the corner.
|
|
 |
|
Lucie
following the pitch.
|
|
 |
|
Traversing
left into the corner.
|
|
 |
|
The
burly but excellent "Sagittarius" (5.10a).
|
|
The Lower
Town Wall boasts a great concentration of classic routes. Most are 5.10 and
up, but "Godzilla" is an outstanding 5.9 pitch. For classic 5.10a's,
try: "Princely Ambitions", technical and balancy and a good warm up in our
opinion, "Sagittarius", burly and pumpy, and "Roger's Corner" to "Breakfast
of Champions", steep and thin (actually overhangs 5 ft in 60ft): fingers to
small hands, to hands, to wide hands and back to good hands, in one short
splitter crack! At the right end of the wall, the classic "Thin Fingers"
(11a) should not be missed if you feel up to it.
 |
|
Lucie
near the top of "Sagittarius".
|
|
 |
|
Starting
up "Roger's Corner" (5.9+).
|
|
 |
|
The
steep and thin "Breakfast of Champions" (5.10a).
|
|
 |
|
The
splitter crack near the top of "Breakfast of Champions".
|
|
 |
|
Crossing
the tracks on the way back to the road.
|
|
We arrive
at Index late afternoon on July 22 and park at our usual camping spot there,
a huge pullout on the left (river side) perhaps 400m before the climber's
parking lot. The next day, we finally climb the classic combo of the Upper
Wall: Davis-Holland - Lovin'
Arms, a 6-pitch outing with a bit of everything, steep cracks and corners,
face and chimney.
|
|
 |
Lucie
following the classic corner of Davis-Holland
(pitch 2, 5.10a).
|
|
|
 |
|
Views
from high on the Upper wall.
|
|
|
After
a day of rest, we drive to Satic Point near Monroe to climb Online,
a classic run-out slab. It's a bit of a drive from Index (30 miles), but we
did not feel like moving the bus.
 |
Online
is a classic runout slab at Static Point near Monroe.
|
|
 |
|
Views
from the top of Static Point.
|
|
 |
|
Burger
joint stop on our way back to Index.
|
|
 |
|
Eric
on "Thin Fingers" (11a).
|
|
 |
|
Higher
on this classic pitch.
|
|
We climb
again at Index at the end of the week. We finally get to do "Thin Fingers",
a striking 5.11a we'd had in mind for a while. We then want to finish the
day on the Godzilla - City Park - Sloe
Children combo. Once again (the same thing happened to us during our first
visit there), we only make it to the top of the first pitch before rain forces
us to rap down. We're back the next day and finally complete the combo! Time
to move on to Leavenworth!
 |
|
Looking
down at Lucie reaching the belay on "Thin Fingers".
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Leaving
Index for Leavenworth.
|
|
 |
|
Got
this napkin from Zeke's Pit Stop, another good burger joint on
highway 2.
|
|
