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In 1948 a youthful Fred Beckey, sporting tennis shoes and a rack if pins, stretched across the four foot gap separating Jello Tower from Castle Rock. Once past the delicate step-across he squeezed his way up a chimney system for the first ascent of this 600-foot granodiorite sentinel located three miles west of the town of Leavenworth. His 5.5 route, known as Midway made Washington climbing history and was the first in a slew of new routes established by Beckey and his eclectic cadre of climbing companions during the 50’s and 60’s.
Leavenworth became a regular haunt not only for Washington rock climbers but also for aspiring Himalayan mountaineers like Pete Schoening and Thomas Hornbein. When rain lashed at the glaciated peaks of the Cascades these climbers would make a dash for the sunny east side of the mountains where they would hone their rock skills on the crags of Leavenworth. In the more than fifty years since Midway things haven’t changed that much with the climbing scene. There is still an interesting assortment of rock technicians and mountaineers on any given weekend.
The town of Leavenworth though has changed dramatically since Beckey and crew ruled the roost. In the 70’s the once quiet, economical stagnant logging community dressed up some of its townsfolk in lederhosen, put on a Bavarian façade to their buildings and became a bustling theme town. Now, quaint gift shops peddle German chocolates, beer steins, and other dubiously collectable gewgaws while gleeful crowds chew on bratwurst and sing German beer drinking songs.
The main climbing areas featured here are found in the Icicle Creek and Tumwater Canyons. Located at the base of the eastern slopes of the Cascades, Leavenworth sits in a rainshadow and enjoys a relatively dry climate for Washington state. The climbing season is from mid-March through early October. Summers are dry, but often hot.
Here’s a few climbs to get you started. Berg Heil!
R & D- This 4-5 pitch 5.6 route on the Icicle Buttress offers a bit of everything for climbers- from friction climbing, a short grunt up a chimney, and outstanding crack climbing. A great moderate in the beautiful setting of the Icicle Canyon!
Saber- This 5.4 route, a rite of passage of sorts for aspiring leaders, was first climbed in 1950 by Cascade climber Pete Schoening. Well known for his numerous first ascents in the Leavenworth area, Schoening’s legendary status grew with his famous boot-axe belay in 1953 on the slopes of K2, a belay that saved his rope team from certain death. Serving up three pitches of well-protected 5.4 crack, face, and chimney climbing this is a perfect beginners climb on upper Castle Rock.
Midway- Another area classic, with a 5.5 step across to excite even more experienced climbers, this is an exciting, exposed route. Diverse climbing is found all the way- with chimneys, cracks, and an exposed upper face with over 500 feet of fresh between you and the valley floor and raging waters of the Wenatchee River.
Damnation Crack- First free climbed by TM Herbert and photographer Ed Cooper this varied 5.9 pitch has most cursing their way up the initial sustained offwidth/lieback. Handjams and an honest grunt in the upper chimney of this long pitch lead to the top of Jello Tower. Don’t miss the 5.8 crack and jug haul on the south face of the tower.
Canary- The exit under the roof on the first pitch provides a moment or two of desperation, but it’s the second pitch (5.8) that will grab your attention. The wild, committing moves off Saber Ledge puts you directly over the abyss, with a straight shot to the deck 100 feet below. More aptly named Scary Canary this all-time Castle Rock classic is not for the feint of heart.
Givlers Crack- The Icicle Canyon, one of the deepest glacier carved valleys in the Cascades, contains bolted slab routes and a multitude of excellent crack climbs on solid granite. This smooth, bulbous dome is split by a solitary crack that provides two pitches of sustained, straight-in 5.6-5.7 crack.
The Wild Traverse- Walk the plank mate, or mantel down to get the third pitch started. Either way you’ll find this an imaginative voyage across Midnight Rock. In 1963, six years after his first ascent of this diverse four pitch 5.9 route with Fred Beckey, Dr. Thomas Hornbein would team up with Northwest mountaineer Wili Unsoeld to make Himalayan history with their monumental first ascent of Everest’s West Ridge.
GOOD DAYS IN LEAVENWORTH
By Mark Gunlogson
Around mid-March I usually start the rock season off with a Castle Rock to Midnight Rock link-up. With more than a dozen diverse moderate routes to choose from Castle Rock will warm us up before we hit Midnight’s more demanding, Yosemite-like, lines. Slightly out of shape from the winter’s inactivity we will avoid Midnight’s thin finger testpieces, such as ROTC, or the bombay squeeze horrors like Black Widow that make the rock a favorite among hard-core crack climbers and choose from a handful of stiff moderates like Yellowbird or the Flame, classic climbs for those breaking into 5.9.
The approach to our link-up is a no brainer so we relax in the morning sun and drink a few too many cups of locally roasted coffee. The drive from town takes about five minutes and in even less time we’re at the base of lower Castle. I start the connection by shimming up the Fault Chimney (5.6)and pulling the steep jams over the Catapult (5.8) roof to the comfort of Stoner’s Ledge. I then watch as Rolf cruises the vertical hand crack leading to the six foot spike of rock that sticks out like a ship’s bow and forces the wild, athletic moves needed on the Bone. After plugging in a cam a heel hook gives him the key to the 5.9 crux and the easy terrain leading to Loggers Ledge, a place once covered with trees before a mischievous crew led by Beckey wielded cross-cut saw and sent logs flying down the cliff onto the highway.
From the ledge I nervously move up the wide section of Damnation (5.9), lamenting the last two cups of coffee as I shake and sweat my way up to the top of Jello Tower. From the top of the tower though we make quick work of Midway Direct, an airy 5.6 route put up by Yosemite climber TM Herbert and desert rat Eric Bjornstad in1960 that wanders up cracks and thin face to the top.
After a brief water break we make the steep hike up to Midnight &Mac183;and the Wild Traverse, an intricate 5.9 route put up by Beckey and Hornbein in 1957 that led to the rock’s namesake after the two were benighted during the first ascent. From Dead End Ledge two short pitches start the route and lead up, across, and down to a gangplank reminiscent of Thank God Ledge on Half Dome. After an awkward mantle down to the vertical wall below the ledge Rolf laughs his way across the seventy five foot hand traverse leading to the Apron and final pitch.
At the airy belay I grab the rack and shoot straight up a beautiful 5.7 finger crack and smear up a delicate friction slab for our ninth pitch of the day. Memories of the long, wet Seattle winter evaporate while we coil the rope on top and soak up the last of the afternoon sun before heading down for refreshments. With hundreds of well-known easy-moderate routes, and a few secret gems to climb in Leavenworth there is enough to keep everyone happy.
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