Blue Collar Climbing - Index, WA

It's no secret anymore that the town walls in Index, WA hold some of the best climbing in the region. Splitter cracks in fine grain granite soar through the trees; a Shangri-La for NW climbers.

Walk a short way across the valley, and everything changes. Mt. Index looms over the town walls, dwarfing them with it's menacingly steep buttresses and unrelenting terrain. Most only make the journey up the popular trail to the lake at the base of the walls. Very few venture here to climb these walls.

The other day, we made the pilgrimage into the halls of Mt. Index. This is the path where no one goes: North Face of Mt. Index

Sorry for the blog link; there's too many pictures to re-upload in this format. I hope you enjoy the story!

The peanut gallery wants to know, did you consider leading it using only nuts?

No, not really. The rack was so light that the 4 cams we brought added negligible weight. Protection was so sparse anyhow that having a few cams to use in the spots you can actually get something in was helpful. Nice to have the option without the weight penalty when trying to move fast.

It's all about not falling anyhow!

Nice TR! TFPU

Awesome! That peak is sooo beautiful and menacing!! Thanks for sharing and kudos on an amazing send.