Tettegouche SP

Hello fellow climbers,

My name is Lauren and I hail from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I will be making my yearly pilgrimage to the BWCA, Memorial Day week(end). I have strategically planned an extra day to check out the climbing at Tettegouche SP (Palisade Head and/or Shovel Point). I am looking for some beta on the area. What kind of gear will I need? Extendable anchors? Padding for rope over edges? Trad gear? Quickdraws? Ascenders? etc.. And What climbs do you all recommend? I will only be in the area for a full day (5/24) before heading to the BWCA, so I want to get the most bang for the buck. I am also open to meeting up with someone who is familiar with the area, if anyone is available. Thanks!

Lauren

Palisade is one of my favorite places to climb. When I climb up there I bring a 30m static line. You can get by with less but I have used every inch of it over at Shovel Point once. Some long webbing or static line will do. Padding the edges is a very, very good idea. If you have a carpet square for your car those work perfectly up there and they usually already have a hole to clip it to the anchor. The edges can be rough and you are often loading a rope over them. I would bring a full rack to build anchors. If you only have a couple locking carabiners you could go set up a couple climbs over at Shovel Point that have comically oversized bolt anchors on them. Your options will be greatly expanded if you bring trad gear though.

Palisade can be pretty comitting so if you want to get on climbs closer to your limit it's a pretty good idea to bring some sort of ascending system to get back up if you're having trouble pulling the moves. I use a Petzl Ascension, Microtrax, and single prussik loop to stand in that works well for me. No quickdraws necessary.

Some good climbs to start on:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105920464/rapprochement - probably the easiest (gear) set-up in the park, beautiful view from up top
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105826905/bluebells - people seem to really like this one, super close to the car
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105887364/danger-high-voltage - classic, you can do it as a single pitch but I don't think I would attempt this without someone showing you the re-direct

If you want something a little bit harder than those, I really like this one too:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106006247/a-feathery-tong 

If you like crack climbing:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105920472/urge-to-mate - a bit harder and a bit shorter but one of my favorite climbs up there
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105826890/phantom-crack - short, nice crack

If you like some burly climbing:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105920333/scars-and-tripes-forever 

And if you can find someone experienced to bring you up, the best climb up there:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105920328/laceration-jam 

If you do end up at Shovel Point, my favorite climb there is:
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105833088/gold-plated 

The rock up here can be a bit chossy but it is one of the most beautiful places that you can climb in the country. Things can also get pretty real pretty quickly, it is a really good idea to go with someone familiar with the area while you are up there. Just please be careful and consider tethering in when you are close to the edge. Let me know if you have any questions.

If you climb danger high voltage, which I encourage you to do, remember to flip your rope behind the pillar before you start climbing, otherwise you are looking at a big swing.

Bring some big gear. 6s and 7s and maybe some big bros. the cracks can get pretty wide