Song of the Summer

Please pay close attention to the details of the descent. It involves maybe a different way out than you came in… most do a carry over.

Song of the Summer is an adventurous ridge route placed very close to the crest of the south west spur of Jabberwocky Tower in the Enchantments just above Colchuck Lake. It took us five trips up there, doing 20+ hour days with my team, to clear loose blocks, and drill anchors for safer passage. Randomly, there was another party working the same ridge, working different days and lines. At the time of our ascent, I was almost 61 years old, my slightly younger wife, and Sam Allen was only 18 years old and fresh out of the MAC club training that I was doing with him through the mountaineers. My wife Jenn and I spotted the line while heading up to This My Friend the year prior. 

It stands to reason with an area this new, that there will still be loose blocks, lichen, and route finding issues no matter which way you choose. However given time and traffic, this ridge will clean up and be a nice addition in the enchantments. Expect to do some serious rope pulling across easy sections, and don’t expect 4star splitter rock the whole way . Think “alpine climbing “, and get what you can out of it. The fa team was not expecting the climb to be as high quality as it is.

Song of the Summer, our experience…
P1: (5.9, 30m.) From the far left edge of the treed ledge, ascend a 5.8 step/handcrack to the top of a big block. DO NOT GO UP AND LEFT! Loose Blocks! Instead, Step right into the other crack system with a fin in its middle. Up this (5.9) and then left at one point to avoid choss. Follow zig-zag cracks, knobs to a bolted belay at the 30 meter mark.   Generally stays: ”on crest, then left”

 P2: (5.10b/c 40m) From Belay bolts, up another zig-zag to the overhanging widening hand/ fist crack “The Bandersnatch “ (strenuous 5.10b, with large hands). The chockstones are better than you think. After beaching the top of that, up and right to a short ridge with a single bolt (5.7 ,“Slithy Ridge”). Weird step left to bolted belay. Stays: left of crest, then right of crest, then left again.

P3: (5.8, 45m) From belay bolts up and right to visible bolt, ending on the crest, and steep, crunchy headwall. Up and right to a chossy mantel, stay right for one last chossy mantel to sloped ledge with sliding box shaped blocks. Carefully go up and right on the ledge until it’s about to get exposed. Belay in a corner with gear. Stays Left, then On crest, then right side of crest.

P4: (5.7, 50m) Make an exposed move traversing right then up to sharp notch on crest. Go over ridgetop and stay just below it for a few steep moves, then drag the rope across the rest of the ridge to big block belay (long sling) below Gendarme #2.  Stays: Right then left of crest.

P5: (5.10a, 45m) Above the belay block there are 2 visible bolts below and above a small tree. Climb these thin cracks (“Frabjous Cracks” 5.10a, 2 bolts, thin gear) to the crest and drag the rope up easy ground to a horizontal w-shaped chimney belay at the base of the summit pinnacle. ( possible bail from tree just below top of this pitch: 60 meters! ) Pitch Stays : left of crest, then right.

P6: (5.10a, 40m) From gear belay mantel up and slightly right, on an exposed arete. Hand cracks come and go, one of my favorite pitches on the route (“Did Gyre”). Enjoy this all the way to a ledge at the base of another incredible hand crack. Belay on gear left of the base of last pitch. Stays: right, then on crest.

P7: (5.10b/c or 5.10, A1, 30m) Obvious orange hand/ fist crack soars up into fine reaches of the Enchantments making a strenuous wide climax. Destined to be one of many notorious pitches in the range. After again beaching that whale, a 5.6 final step puts you on the false summit, or just left of the easy step is the Yev Finish. It is a yet another great 5.10 hand crack that may have you wanting a couple more bigger cams. Stays: On crest, belay  on west end of summit ridge

From the Stuart lake trail head go up to Colchuck lake and around its right side towards the Asgard Pass Trail. After about 20 minutes up the Asgard pass trail, you’ll almost come to a large triangle boulder. Look for cairns going left .You should be about level with the base of the route.  Head through the slide alder, (Tulgey Wood) following cairns and cut branches occasionally going up a gully always traversing towards the route. An alternative approach when the lake is low, is to go around the lake at the shoreline to avoid the brush and then up the tallus field to the base of the route. The base of the route has a little forest and follow the ledge all the way to the left to gain the Southwest Ridge of the Jabberwocky Tower.

Descent: At the far East end of the summit ridge is a large block with the first of 2 rap chains. Look rappelers right for the second anchor at 30m. One more 20m rap gets you to the saddle.

From the saddle head EAST and up, and over the second notch, descending into a meadow, approximately 400 vertical feet, then go up (600 vertical feet!) and east towards Colchuck balance rock approach Trail. Make sure you are on this trail before you descend to the outflow dam at Colchuck Lake. There are tracks available on GPS/gaia.

Descent option 2: There also is a crappy, loose descent from the end of the summit rap, then down to the base of the route. There are several raps and much loose down climbing. Not recommended.

Double rack from .2 to 4”, ( possibly one 4 if free climbing), several stoppers, and a Vorpal Sword.