Leavenworth: Barney's Rubble, 4.23.17

We had thought about hiking Swakane Peak in Wenatchee on Sunday but we had a lot of stuff in the back seat that wouldn’t fit in the trunk, so we decided to skip the hike and instead head to Leavenworth and get a few climbs in. I was sore from the day before so I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to do. We drove down Icicle Creek to get an idea of what areas were busy and settled on our old trusty first of the year crag, Barney’s Rubble. Aaron started by leading the 5.7, mostly slabby face climb. It was a good reminder to both of us that our shoes stick on the granite slab, helpful for the rest of the climbs we did. After that Aaron led the 5.8 crack. I generally have a struggle fest trying to get into the crack but I actually did fairly well this time when I followed. I had my tape gloves on and my fleece which I think helped as I sunk a deep left hand/arm jam. I had my left foot in the crack with my right foot out.

Aaron leading the 5.7 at Barney’s Rubble

After a break I decided to lead the 5.6 crack, something I’ve done many times in the past. Knowing how shaky I was leading at Vantage the day before I wasn’t sure how it’d go. I got a few pieces up and then started having problems, especially pulling around the flake at the top. I took several times and scrapped down the face a bit once. I plugged a lot more pieces in at the top but I finally pulled over. It was far from a pretty lead but I did it, and got some more experience hanging on my gear - which I don’t often do. To try and regain a bit of confidence we ended our mini crag session with my leading the 5- crack behind the big rock. It was a little wet but pretty avoidable. I also did a little gardening by getting some of the pine needles out of the crack. That one went much better although I blew past the bolts when I topped out so it took me a little bit to find those. We packed up, headed into town for some sausage, pretzels, and milkshakes before heading home. Overall a good weekend of cragging.

[Left] My lead on the 5.6 crack at Barney’s Rubble. [Right] Aaron cleaning the 5- crack at Barney’s Rubble, hidden behind the large rock