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The weather forecast for Western Washington is looking ugly with a capitol “U” this weekend. We decided it best to truck over to the East side of the mountains for some climbing on the Columbia where where the weather looks more friendly. Unfortunately Leavenworth (capitol of good climbing) is engulfed in forest fires …. So it’s settled: Vantage. The gang jumped in the car early on Saturday morning and arrived to wind/dust storms/90 degree heat…not to mention a completely empty campground (much to our surprise). We had two days of fantastic climbing and met some interesting individuals.
Interestingly, the reservoir behind the nearby dam is being drained due to a crack that was discovered in the concrete structure. Recently ancient native American artifacts were discovered in the newly exposed land and the State has shut access down to the water to avoid incidental destruction of these artifacts. State Patrolmen were barricading the usual access points to the lake which is VERY unfortunate to a bunch of sweaty, sandblasted dirtbags like us that want to clean off and splash around. ugh…
Great climbing! Avoiding the sun was the name of the game which translated to waking up early and moving to different perspectives as the sun shifted throughout the day.
Of note, I should mention the presence of an interesting little slot canyon (more of a fault crack) that is necessary to descend to reach Sunshine wall. It aaaaaaaalmost feels like canyoneering in Utah. Mlright…Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch.
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