Hunchback Climbing

What is it that has kept this beautiful crag off the map for so long? Maybe it's the arduous approach hike. Maybe it's the lack of concentrated development. Maybe it's the absence from popular local guidebooks. Whatever the reasons may be, disregard them, as the Hunch is definitely worthy of exploration and could definitely use some traffic to keep clean / re-clean / continue cleaning routes.

This is a crag of approachable extremes. The hike is what it is: ~25 minutes of steep uphill schlepping on a very obvious, well-maintained trail (once you find it). The cracks go at generally moderate grades, though some bow out into uncomfortably-wide territory, while the face climbs start at the high end of "moderate" and progress immediately to the "extreme" end (think Broughton's Bat Wall at elevation with different features). A plethora of development opportunities remain which will involve a lot of moss scrubbing and/or hard-ass face climbing. What's already established presents at least a few days worth of fun to justify the hike. Supposing some intrepid developers were to fill in the obvious lines that remain, including the upper tier, and we'd have ourselves a veritable destination crag without the obnoxious crowds.

As it stands, it's a wonderful destination for 11-13 sport climbers and 9-10 trad climbers willing to lug extras in the 2-4" range. So like, umm, maybe the best Feb-July trad climbing within an hour of Portland?

The area has a relatively long season, being that it sits at 2,100 feet in elevation and is oriented in a somewhat southwesterly direction. The tall fir trees make that a bit complicated in the best way - they add shade in the summer, even if they hold a little moisture in the early spring and late fall. When compared to French's Dome, it is actually lower in elevation and has a more southerly aspect.

It is within the Mt. Hood National Forest so no access concerns currently exist. Conveniently, a NW Forest Pass is not necessary. Parking on the narrow shoulder allows for only 3-4 cars.

Tim Olson's website with beta