Ice climbing at Johns Rock

The world was cold, cold enough to freeze up John’s rock.  Phil, Jeremy and I headed there to climb the classic WI 3-4 route Dorothy H.  It was a short hike to a long bushwhack.  There is not an easy way there.  We crawled, wiggled and wormed our way up to the rock.  DH loomed above.  This route rarely comes in.  I have not been able to climb it.  I have heard that it has not been in for over ten years.  well it is in now.

I took plenty of screws as the pitch was supposed to be a full 200′.  the lower part was low angle, but complicated with a river of water flowing underneath me.  I ginger move across the flow to better ice and placed a stubby.  Higher up the ice turn into cauliflower ice, big petals of ice loosely frozen together.  I reached the head wall and placed a 16cm screw.  The head wall was not too bad but more pumpy as it went on for awhile.  There where plenty of good edges to place gear.  I crested the head wall and move up WI 2 terrain.  Phil yell 10 feet!  Which meant I had only 10 feet of rope left.  The tree were 30′.  Ice screw belay.  I sunk 3 screws for the belay and was surprised when i was able to get a 19 cm screw in.  Yippie.

I belayed them up and we built a V thread to rap from since we were 20 feet from the trees.  I went first and bounce tested the V thread with a back up.  It tested and I continued.   Back on the ground we celebrated the day and headed home.