Perched on the Elephant

The Story

My first significant climbing trip was to Estes Park, CO, for multipitch trad climbing. I signed up through my college outdoor rec department on a whim. I didn't have gear. I didn't lead. For most of my life I'd barely been above sea level. Despite falling on 5.7 slab and bailing on 5.8 cracks, the feeling of being up high in the mountains seduced me. Now I've been climbing rocks for 7 years. I've spent most of my time in the Southeast climbing single pitch routes, but the tug of the mountains has never ceased.

Somewhere on the book of Lumpy Ridge in 2008. I had never been somewhere so impressive, climbing cracks while looking at the mountains.

The Bugaboos, Incredible Hulk, Patagonia, and Yosemite are the places that draw me. Places that will challenge me mentally and physically. Over the years, I have slowly acquired more skills in the mountains. Fortunate to have traveled to some great American climbing venues, I've been able to tick off maybe one bigger route per year. Each time the routes and approaches are getting longer, bringing me one step closer to the big mountain routes of my dreams. For several years now, the Elephant's Perch of Idaho has been on my radar as one of those stepping stones. I first saw the beautiful golden face and overhanging diamond in 2009. I've been to Idaho five times for family vacation, and the Perch has continued to wait for me.

Thankful for this log bridge being in place this year after turning around at the creek last year.

All the waiting and preparation made the ascent all the sweeter! I enjoy that part of the growing process. Every now and again I'm able to snag a harder-than-usual route, perhaps a nice onsight, and it is exciting, but I know I have gotten away with something. On any sort of project or goal route on which I have spent a lot of energy (physical or mental), the ascent feels earned. Trusting the process has allowed me to not rush my climbing. The project list is long, for sure, but I plan on climbing a long time, and I look forward to improving every year for many to come.

Looking up at P1. I found the climbing to be blocky and discontinuous up the gully with an occasional thought-provoking move. With the pitch moving quickly and not experiencing much rope drag (not much gear), I kept going past the mantle move and into a shallow crack system to belay (just below the nice, flat belay ledge of P2, unfortunately).

Each route teaches me something new. Getting a rope stuck (while leading) on the Flatirons taught me something about protecting a route and problem solving alone on a face. My first foray into Idaho climbing, on Super Slab, taught me how to retreat and to not overestimate my abilities or heed my ego. Devil's Tower taught me the benefits of racking light (because I brought too much). The Nose of Looking Glass taught me the importance of conditions (as we froze). The Mountaineer's Route of Elephant's Perch taught me how to string together a long day. 

I was expecting the day to be tight, requiring us to make it shuttle to shuttle in under 12 hrs. With 3+ miles of hiking each way and 6 pitches of climbing, I knew it would push us, and it did. We ended up climbing the route in about 7hrs, reaching the top at 5pm, leaving only 2 hours to traverse the mountain, descend, and hike out. The simple gully walk-off was much more of an issue than expected. The route finishes relatively low on the shoulder. While the taller routes top out and allow a ridge traverse down to the gully, we had a long traverse on the backside to reach the ridge. Due to slabs and snow patches, we also had to descend (and hike back up) several hundred feet of ledges and talus. It took an hour to get to the gully, leaving us no hope of making it back in time for the last shuttle. Our saving grace was our family, who were able to keep track of our progress via cell phone. They took the last shuttle back and worked on arranging a later shuttle to retrieve us and save us the 6+ mile hike around the lake. We made it back to the dock at 8:30pm, about 13hrs after arriving, waterless, and dragging. Two gatorades, a nice dinner, and a hot soak later, I slept like the dead.

I hate to say it, but the long day and tough descent took away from the positive climbing experience for me. I kind of felt like I could not take the time to really celebrate and take in the ascent. In fact, it's taken me over a month to write about it simply because I have not been that excited. I am trying to realize, though, that if I want to reach my goals, I have to accept the good and bad - the long approaches, offwidths, exhausting days, parched throats, and poor conditions. Sometimes you have to climb the junky pitches to get to the good ones! I desire the full mountain experience after all. Otherwise, I'd just stay at the crag. So little by little I get smarter, faster, and tougher, and one step closer to my goals.

The Dirty Details

Low snow fall and a hot summer allowed for our early season attempt in mid-June. The log bridge was in place (thanks locals!) and only patches of snow covered the trail. After taking the first shuttle across Redfish Lake about 7am, we reached the wall a little before 10am. I tried to eat some sandwich but my stomach was still in knots. Action is often the best treatment for anxiety, so we set off.

The first pitch gully climbing was relatively mellow and quick. I opted to climb as far as possible for efficiency and linked P1 and P2. Given the broken and easier climbing, I sparsely placed gear, and the rope drag was not much issue. The top of the second pitch offered some heads up climbing moves - climbing out of the chimney/gully over an overhanging block and then traversing to the mantle. Unfortunately I set a semi-hanging belay in a shallow crack system just above the mantle. That left us just below the large ledge belay below P3. It made for a less than ideal first multipitch belay for my partner!

Our second pitch then brought us to the bolted belay below the triple roofs. The climbing was very nice mellow cracks and edges. But the real money was coming next pulling around the roofs. The Perch is already pretty high as it sits in an alpine cirque at the edge of a bigger valley, so the exposure is amplified. The juggy side pulls and underclings of the roof lead right to the arete and lots of air! That was the most I've smiled on a route in a long time! The rest of the pitch is scrappy gully climbing below the diamond.

Coming up to the belay below the triple roofs.

Our 4th pitch was the face below the diamond. Finding a protectable start was the biggest challenge. I found it best to start almost at the top of the gully and then to traverse back out left some, following discontinuous flakes up the face. The top offered either crack climbing up a detached flake/block on the right or airy climbing up the arete. I opted for the flake which felt secure enough and setup our semi-hanging belay right at the arete with beautiful exposure. It was at that belay that our family made it up into the cirque and got some great shots.

 

 

 

  

Climbing next to the diamond is pretty special. It is massive and entirely blank! Plus the next two pitches offer the best and most continuous climbing on the route. As I climbed the fingercrack dihedral of the next pitch, I just wanted to keep climbing. It is probably even possible to run the 5.9 finger cracks of pitch 5 all the way through the crux of pitch 6 for one rope stretching pitch of stellar crack climbing! As I led it, however, I set the belay right where a prominent horizontal crack connects the finger crack on the left with the blockier original route on the right. In truth, I did not notice the horizontal until after I had set the hanging belay in the finger crack. My partner was not appreciating me missing all the nice belays. The crux fist crack bulge came next. I found the climbing to be very secure although the most strenuous of the route. After the crux I opted to run it all the way thru the offwidth type section to the top of the technical climbing.

Really fine climbing towards the top of the route.