Soon enough we decided that it was “dry” and that we should “climb”. Nobody wanted to do “dry” slabs and “dry” chimneys or endure a “dry” pine-needle covered approach, so by process of elimination we ended up in the Classic Crack area. We threw a TR on Deception Crack and all did some slipping and sliding off it. The TR-setting party encountered an impassable slippery moss above the anchor for Classic Crack. Whatever, I wanted to lead it anyway, a little moisture doesn’t matter for hand and fist jams, does it? I made it look like so much fun that Mark led it on my gear and everyone else TR’d it.

Tony on Classic Crack

Classic Crack may not be the best route for showing that crack climbing is fun and easy. A better idea was going across the street to X-Y, a set of similar cracks at a much friendlier angle (if you have to rake leaves off it before climbing it can’t be that hard). Tony did his first trad lead here and Mark did a nice lead on the 10a slab climb next to it.

We still had a bit of daylight left after this. Just a bit — but the cool temperatures, fall colors, and the snow line creeping down the peaks across the valley were making the point that this could be the last Leavenworth trip of the year. We couldn’t just leave! The closest crag was J-Y and there would be time for just one more route for each of us. I picked Armed Forces, a nice (IMNSHO) thin crack to a not so nice (IMNSHO) slab, and Mark led Dirtbag Direct, a slab route that turned out to be better than I remembered. Armed Forces already needed a bit of nut-tool action to clean out the crack for gear, but there were two good surprises at the top — the slab wasn’t wet and there were shiny new chains instead of the webbing/rap ring set up that was there last year.

Winter and Autumn

I wasn’t quite ready for the trip (and the entire Leavenworth rock climbing season) to be over, but we had to pack up and hurry down in the fading light. I was glad to have concluded the season with Armed Forces, since I’d done it on TR a few times but had never gotten around to leading it.

• 8-Mile Rock, Deception Crack, 5.9 trad (TR) more difficult when wet
• 8-Mile Rock, Classic Crack, 5.8+ trad (lead) not too much more difficult when wet
• X-Y Cracks, X Crack, 5.7 trad (lead) recon so I could give Tony gear beta for his first trad lead (oops, I told him it was 5.5)
• X-Y Cracks, Unnamed Slab, 5.10a sport (TR) I have problems with slab climbing, good thing Mark does not
• J-Y Crag, Armed Forces Crack, 5.10b trad (lead) new chains at the top, nice surprise
• J-Y Crag, Dirtbag Direct, 5.9 trad (TR) this is the kind of slab I like

Cozy Belay

Sketchy and I set up ropes on the X and the Y so Cara could do some mock leading.

Cara

There was still plenty of time in the day when we had exhausted the possibilities of both the X and the Y. There was talk of going to town early, but it was not hard to convince Sketchy to visit his favorite climb, Classic Crack.

Classic Crack

I managed to redpoint it this time, after never being able to do it in any way remotely resembling clean on toprope. Turns out it is a lot easier on lead when the rope isn’t stuffed in the crack trying to knock my rattly fist jams out. And the gear is quite solid (even if I did stuff the blue and silver DMM cam where the plain blue one would have gone — Sketchy and my merged rack is a little confusing color-wise around the 3 inch size).

After everyone else got a run on it, it was time to head to town for Oktoberfest. We didn’t even mess with the backhoe that someone had left the keys in.

This was the first time I’ve been in Leavenworth during actual Oktoberfest. The usual state of Leavenworth on a sunny weekend is a low level Oktoberfest, so it was extra extra crazy this time. There was even a line with a bouncer letting people in two at a time at the hat store. We managed to squeeze in to a table at the Munchen Haus with 19 other Oktoberfesters and a large hanging planter.

Cara and Travis

Due to the crowds (and the special smaller 12 oz plastic cups brought out for the occasion) it was fairly difficult to obtain quantities of beer, so we actually woke up at a reasonable hour and were up for more climbing the next morning.

We had brought all our car camping luxuries for breakfast, including eggs, frying pan, cheese, salsa, stove, ceramic Melitta, and fresh ground Vita coffee. The only thing we forgot was fuel. Fortunately the Eightmile campground comes with sturdy grates over the fire rings, so cooking eggs over a fire was not that different from cooking on the gas stove at home, with the added feature that eggshells could be conveniently disposed of by dropping them into the fire right next to the pan.

After our somewhat smoke- and ash-flavored breakfast and coffee were consumed, we headed over for R&D, a nice moderate multipitch that was close enough to the road that Travis could wander a short way up the trail and find a sunny spot to watch us from. With three climbers on a pair of half ropes, the only way to not have a major hassle is to have one climber lead all of the pitches. I didn’t mind giving Sketchy the lead at all, that meant wouldn’t even have to take my socks off (it was still cold). There’s something really nice about climbing in really comfortable shoes.

R&D

• X-Y Crag the X, and the Y, not the Z…
• Classic Crack, 5.8+ trad (lead) finally lead it clean, after not even being able to do anything but fall up it on toprope several times
• R&D + Cocaine Connection, 5.7 trad (followed) There’s nothing mellower than following an easy multipitch climb in approach shoes. So mellow I forgot to clean a piece and the team of actual authentic Germans behind us had to pick it up for me.

And of course we had to go to Munchen Haus again for lunch/dinner. Oktoberfest is only Friday and Saturday nights, so on Sunday afternoon it was even emptier than usual. The night’s frost had wilted a lot of the foliage in the giant hanging planters, which added to the morning-after look of the whole place, but we did get our wursts and our beer a lot quicker this time. And Travis still had his crazy hat, so it was like our own Oktoberfest.