Trout - take 2

After finally going to Trout Creek for the first time I was hooked. It wasn't hard to talk Chris into going again the next weekend so off we went. This second trip was substantially different from the first. The weather was better: no wind and no rain. The crag was way more crowded; instead of two other people there were at least 20. We also tried much harder routes which made it less productive but more mind opening and body wrecking. Of course, overnight trips to Trout are fast establishing a tradition of deluxe meals and we stepped it up in this department too. Although breakfast especially may have been a little overboard.

People say Trout Creek is gear intensive... I guess that depends on your definition.

Climbing Summary for Saturday: Since the right side of the main wall was somewhat crowded we headed left to unexplored (for us) cliff line. After a 5.9+ warmup Chris led U4 (5.11-) for his first onsight and redpoint of the grade at Trout. I followed and almost got the "TRedpoint" but botched a jam near the top. I then led Wonder Twins to get my first onsight/redpoint of a 5.10 at Trout. Chris followed that and then decided to try California Weakender (5.11-). After spending a while trying to figure out the first moves in the fading light we packed up and hiked back to camp.

U4 (5.11-) stems and laybacks the very wide double crack in the middle of the picture

Dinner: We devoured salmon creme sauce over pasta and then bummed a hand-warming fire off a friendly and interesting couple from Montana who we had climbed next to during the day.

Breakfast: We woke up in better time this weekend and fried a bunch of bacon from our friendly local butcher (Primal Cuts). We made the good or bad decision (depending on your perspective) of not pouring out any of the inch deep liquid fat in the fry pan before throwing in a whole onion, bell pepper, many mushrooms, six eggs, a bunch of garlic and half a pound of cheese. This bacon grease infused scramble that could barely achieve a non-liquid state was then loaded on top of sliced baguettes from our favorite bakery (Baked). We each had a full baguette to ourselves and could not finish, but instead wrapped the remaining sandos in foil and left them on the dash for the satiation of post crushing munchies.

Bacon grease scramble!

Chris chows down on the first half of his breakfast sando with adequate lap protection.

Climbing Sunday: We warmed up on Plumbline (5.9) and Chris then returned to Weakender and was able to pull the thin bouldery moves off the starting pillar but was too pumped/puzzled by the complicated jam/laybacking and hung a few times before the top. I TRed and hung much also. Enthusiastic dirtbags down the cliff had just put up a 5.12- onsight  (Medicine Man) and we switched TRs with them. Neither Chris nor I could pass the first 10 feet of the layback/stem/tips-jamming tenuous-ness that was the bouldery start. Chris also felt his shoulder pop on Medicine Man from all the strenuous laybacking and called it a day. I bummed a TR on Fingerlings (5.11-) and got completely worked. By the top my fingers hurt so badly from sharp finger-lock jams that I couldn't do them anymore and was using tenuous thin hands instead of the perfect fingers. I was then talked into trying another 12- (Out of the Question) on top rope. After trying the first crux section multiple times and realizing I was way too tired I  moved over to the Question Air Box (5.10+) and climbed that past the 12- crux before swinging back over to finish the route. Completely destroyed, we hiked back to the car where we ate delicious congealed bacon fat and drove home.

Mt. Jefferson and the Deschutes River at sunset from up by the crag.