Menagerie Wilderness, Rooster Rock Group, 10/11/2009
Attending: Nate Meehan, Melissa McCartney, Aaron Hartz, Jerry Heilman, Scott Linn, Matt Crawford, Jonathan Hoy, Mike McCusker, Catherine Dudley
Goals:
1. Safety – Safety of participants comes first and foremost. Routes in the Menagerie are renowned for being loose, run-out, sandbagged, and mossy, so we will have to use discretion in which routes we choose to climb. Each participant will be accountable for their own safety and the safety of their team.
2. Explore the Rooster Rock Group – To familiarize CMRU members with the approach to, location of, and popular climbing routes on pinnacles in the Rooster Rock Group.
3. Teamwork – For CMRU members working in small teams to get experience climbing short rock routes with each other.
Objectives:
1. Climb to the summits of Rooster Rock, Chicken Rock, and Hen Rock
2. Explore the area’s other crags and pinnacles
3. Consider what a rescue in this area would involve, how best to accomplish one, and what resources may be needed.
Strategy:
We will meet at the Rooster Rock Trailhead and hike together up to Rooster Rock. First we’ll do a quick orientation of the area’s pinnacles and (few) popular climbing routes. My intended strategy is to break down into small teams to climb some of the routes (although people’s comfort levels will dictate what we do). Each team would have a climb leader whose responsibility will be to lead their team safely up their route. Depending on team size that may require lead climbing followed by multiple ropes per team, fixed lines, and/or belaying multiple climbers at once. These issues will need to be worked out by each team and will provide a realistic impression of the difficulties that climbing with a group presents. After a team completes a climb, they will rotate to a different climb. The focus will need to be on climbing safely and efficiently for everyone to get a chance to climb on more than one route. Each team will have the freedom to establish their own objectives (lead climbing practice, ascending/descending fixed lines, top-roping harder/unprotected lines).
Assignments:
Team 1:
Nate Meehan
Melissa McCartney
Jonathan Hoy
Team 2:
Jerry Heilman
Catherine Dudley
Scott Linn
Team 3:
Matt Crawford
Mike McCusker
Aaron Hartz
Personal Equipment:
You will need a helmet, harness, rock shoes, belay device (something you can rap with too), personal tether (for clipping in at the top of climbs, etc.), and a few free locking carabineers. Additionally, consider bringing your vertical system and/or prussics in the event that you may decide to try them out or actually use them during your climb. Basically bring what you’d bring to a day of cragging. If you’ve got something and aren’t sure if you will need it or want it, bring it anyway… The extra weight is good for conditioning, and if you don’t end up using it you’re legs being sore will remind you to leave it next time!
Group Equipment:
I’d like to see us pack along one of the Unit’s blue med packs just to have, but don’t let that discourage you from bringing your own first aid supplies (remember the conditioning thing?). Each team will need a minimum of one 60m rope (60m is just barely long enough to reach the ground on a rap from the top of at least 2 of the towers), or more, depending on how you intend for your team to climb. Each team will need a selection of quickdraws (about 10 per team), and an assortment of trad-climbing hardware (cams, nuts, hexes, etc.). From what I can recall, cams generally offer the best type of protection for this area, but your results may vary. Each team should have sufficient webbing/cord/ draws to construct anchors as necessary at the top of climbs (all of the pinnacles have bolts on top, but some may be a little rusted or sketch). I’d like to see us use unit equipment as much as possible, but we’ll probably need to supplement with some of our own gear. The Unit’s gear rack in particular needs to be “distressed” to make it look more hip.
Approach Details:
We’ll be approaching the climbing area via the Rooster Rock trail, which is a well signed trailhead on the left heading up highway 20 towards TombstonePass. Corvallis folks should carpool/caravan as best as we can. The trail is about 1.5 miles long and gains about 2K feet elevation.
Route Descriptions:
Consult the various guidebooks for the area… These are the routes I was thinking of:
Rooster Rock, North Face - One pitch, only a few 5th class moves, fully bolt protected.
Rooster Rock, Callis SE Face - Three pitches, 5.7R, mixed bolts and trad.
Chicken Rock, Rawhide - One pitch 5.8R, minimal fixed pro.
Hen Rock, SE Face Slab - One pitch 5.9 (10-?), trad w/ well protected crux w/ bolts.