Rapunzel's Back in Rehab

Super long, easy, fun, enjoyable, exhausting and mentally taxing aren't usually used in the same sentence. However, if you are doing all 13-14 pitches to the topout (couple can get run together), then it all fits in together. Not hard, super fun. There currently isn't a choice for what this route truly is: spoaid. They have trad, sport or aid but not spoid. Pronounced Spo oid, like in:

Boid (east coast NJ version of "bird")

Toid (east coast version of "turd") and

Woid (east coast version of "word")

Yeah, Spoid. Sport aid. Fun and enjoyable but not easy nor a walk up. The commitment factor on this thing is ridiculously low. Like, do a pitch or 6 and rap if you want. Because the pitches from 3 on are steep, with some hard to find hook moves and reachy bolt moves it's still not that easy. There are no places where a blown hook move (yer not blowing any of the hook moves) would get you hurt. The hook moves go away at @P6. The local farmers and campers at Pete and Pam's nice little campground and U-Fish (you can see my car parked next to their pond in the photo) are down below watching you so if you drop your cell phone and need to call for help, yelling and waving yer hanky will most likely have it come running. You're in full view of the whole valley.

Best hooks are the Petzl Regelettes or ground BD Captain Hooks. P4 traverse is short but I have found it particularly heinous as Ivan is a giant, and I'm 5.7 and that F***er has some serious reach and he drilled those bolts on lead I don't know how he got them so far apart and I watched him drill every one. What is really really helpful on this if you are my size is have 2 adjustable (extendable ones like Yates makes) daisy's. 

Short easy hike up. Turn left off the paved road at the sign in the photo Plaidman put up, drive to near the dirt road ends @3/4 of mile. There is a flag at trail start (the tree has a florescent orange tag which may or may not be there) showing the crappy climbers trail up. This is easily seen on any topo map. If you feel like complaining about the trail feel free to do some work to make it better. The "trail" starts where the uphill side of the hill dips down below the road. Pull off the dirt road so folks can get by, locals ride their motorcycles here.

It's much much closer and an easier hike than getting to Monkey Face from Portland, and by the end of P3 you have already done more vertical as the longest Monkey Face routes and you still have 10 more pitches above you if you want to get more. On a clear day you can easily see the Tower looming uphill a short way above you through the trees so you will not get lost during the shortish hike up, and once you get high enough up the view of the south side of Mt Rainer is stunning. A full compendium of all you wish to know can currently be found here: https://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/topic/97807-tr-tower-rock-fa-rapunzels-back-in-rehab-c1-7152015/

Ivan has all the details (and then some) in the link.

2 hooks. About any hook will work as they are 3/8" holes, but the Petzl Regellets are the perfect size. We've used talons and they will do the trick, abiet being short. If you don't top out, you 100% need 2- FULL LENGTH 60M ropes to get down and there are rap anchors from P5 (MAYBE P6?) down, if you bail higher you will need to leave gear on bolted anchors. If rappelling from the top, you MUST rap off the anchors on the left (west) side of the traverse at P11-12. I believe that directly off a tree @ 40 feet west of the topout might do it as well, but make sure you have traversed East at that point to continue rappelling.