Guye Peak
After Mount Triumph, I wanted to do another big climb in the North Cascades. But it was not to be; couldn’t find a party to go with. So, it was good to catch up at home. Michael and I, however, took advantage of a Sunday morning and went to do the “Improbable Traverse”, 5.8 grade III, on Guye Mountain. There’s nothing hugely aesthetic about Guye, being so close to I-90, but that meant that we didn’t have to languish in the hot July sun on a long steep trail (good thing we weren’t doing the standard walkup route).
We started up the talus field that is actually much longer and tedious than it looks. At the top of the talus, we were still pressed to find a nice level ledge to put on rock shoes so we ended up having to stand on the down sloping, pebble-strewn ledges. It’s easy enough finding the gully to start off on and we followed 4th and 5.0 ledges unroped until we got to a prominent tree with lots of rappel slings around it. I started on the first lead trying to go up to the right through a little passage way created by the low hanging branches but found myself at a steep wall with talus strewn on top. No good. So, I came back down and went to the left hand side of the tree, back in the gully. The traveling was easy 5th class and very blocky, though tough to protect. This was Exit 38 style rock which is generally just weird. I got creative with a nut, cam, sling, and a fixed piton (well, not much creativity there). Right above the fixed piton is a solid crack system that led up to what I thought was the “Lunch Ledge” (turned out it was). I was about 3/4ths the way out on the rope and headed up the crack but I didn’t feel quite solid enough so I backed down and went around to the left. This was tricky as well – vertical face climbing. After much pondering and time-wasting, I decided to build an anchor in the crack and bring Michael up. Michael led the next short pitch up the crack to Lunch Ledge and I followed, no problem. It was quality 5.8.
The “Improbable Traverse” was next and Michael led out on this pitch. From where I belayed, it definitely looked exposed but not as exposed as when I was out there! He led superbly around a corner then yelled that I was on belay. The guidebooks say this next section was 5.8 but it didn’t seem that hard to me. However, it was quite small and the holds were teeny. This was by far the most exposure on such small holds that I’d ever encountered and I found it pretty scary! The traverse is no joke about 2 inches wide and only gets shorter. When it is wider it is down-sloping so this was basically a lesson in composure in the face of giant exposure (500 feet *clean*) and tiny tiny holds, none bomber. I had to hug the wall quite closely. It’s just as scary to follow a traverse as it is to lead it! The scariest part was at the section where there are two fixed pitons – one high, one low (use the higher one, more comfortable and looks to be better). I basically had to step up about two feet on tiny footholds (an inch) while using tiny finger holds (a half inch). It’s just as you’re slowly lifting up, I felt I didn’t have all the control I wanted and there’s nothing but air an extra inch away. It was also a little tricky exiting to the 4th class ramp. There’s a white kermantle cord here functioning as a fixed sling. The climb was steep and again on small holds, though these were much bigger than the ones before. Soon enough I was up on the ramp and I continued through all the way up to a tree-covered ledge.
After a short break here, we followed a wide forested ramp up looking for passage to the left. Shortly after (after trying a cliff that was too hard), we found an easy 5th class gully system again that led to a vertical 5.7-ish climb. This part of Guye (in fact almost the whole thing minus the couple of solid pitches around the traverse) was deceptively loose and I had a foothold give out under me. I bashed my knee but did not fall as my other three points were solid. I continued up and met Michael at the top. I then took over the lead and started up a vertical and grassy dihedral that got me nowhere. Had to come down – again! I moved left and followed a dirty path to another set of cliffs – the first with a downed tree with a sling around it which I used as protection. The next cliff was easy 5th class protected with a nut. Finally, I popped out on the ridge and we were at the top.
The scramble over to the other summits was easy and we decided to make one last pitch getting to the north summit. It featured a short, say 20 feet, with a nasty roof/overhang in the middle. Michael led out intent on the left hand side. I thought the right looked easier. Indeed, Michael’s route was a bit sketchy and the dried lichen didn’t help any. I wouldn’t recommend this way at all (he rated it 5.9+) a few times he was crouched down as to not bump his head on the roof above. He set up a belay and I headed over to the right side which indeed was easier (5.6+ – strenuous). There’s basically a solid hold above but you have to lie back quite a bit and heave yourself up, step up, then finish the move, all laying back a lot. Not bad though. It can be protected by placing a tight sling around a horn on the right that’s used as a solid handhold.
Yay, on the top. Good views all around. Mount Rainier was awesome. The hike down was super steep and my knee had a big lump in it from where I bashed it on that vertical crap rock. I was pretty slow on the descent (we also had no trekking poles this time) and Michael went ahead. Man, it was hot out here and we also didn’t have any sunscreen. We got to the car at about the same time in the end…guess I caught up as we walked the road back to the car.
Tags: Guye, Improbable Traverse, rockfall
