saveall.org

Trip Date: Saturday, November 12, 2011 | Distance: 5.06 miles | Elev: +/- 6518′ | Time: 9 hours

Last year I made a trip to Mount Lincoln with my cousin to check out Lincoln’s Throat but as we were approaching what I now know as the throat we accidentally ended up going right up a short slide instead of continuing straight up to the actual Throat. This ‘accidental’ gully had a glorious and massively thick ice bulge that looked  like too much fun to pass up and it certainly drew us in.. We climbed that single pitch ice bulge and proceeded up the gully only to be blocked by thick impassable alpine growth. Well, theoretically impassable, we tried anyway in hip deep snow for at least an hour to find anything else that could be climbed before we decided it was no longer fun and headed back down. Bushwhacking back to the gully and eventually back the way we came, post holing our way back to the Old Bridal Path.

This year, I wanted to get up there earlier in the season to avoid some of the post holing and find the actual throat so I asked Joe Gans if he was interested in exploring.. Joe and I had full knowledge that the previous week had been warm and mostly above freezing. Even into the night there was no indication that temps had been below freezing during the past 72 hours when I checked during mid week. So the conditions would likely be thin, but hopefully it could be climbed. The night before our day trip had finally dropped below freezing. Sometimes certain aspects can be protected from the sun’s rays and we all know how cold it gets up there, so I had hope. Some would say delusion.

We made the approach in decent time and didn’t stop for a break until we reached the base of the first sighting of ice about 100 yards below the throat. Actually, we did stop once. Shortly after tromping down into the gully from the OBP Joe was fortunate enough to submerge both feet in icy water on our first stream crossing. I watch it happen out of the corner of my eye in slow motion and knew he had filled his boots. Bummer. Indeed, he was completely soaked through, so we needed to stop and let him wring out as much water as possible.

After ‘drying’ out we continued on our way until reaching what was a low angle – 45/50 degrees at the steepest section – super thin ice slope about 100-125’ in length. We both carefully soloed up this very thin section. From below it appeared as if I’d be able to flat foot (french technique) up the slope, however the ice was so thin and brittle in sections that sheets would shatter revealing the rock below and the spikes on my crampons would slide. It ended up being more secure with deliberate front points and the occasional flat foot, but was delicate.

Continuing up, the first fun real ice section we found was a tricky vertical chimney about 7-8 feet tall positioned between two large boulders that left about 24 inches to squeeze through. It was closer to a rock climb. The moves to get through required a solid pick placement torqued in a vertical ice filled crack directly above my head with a lightly placed pick to my right that added some oppositional force for improved balance, and some wide carefully placed front point stemming with the feet. Once I committed to the placements I found that moving upward was easier than expected and climbed fairly quickly to flat ground above. This section was quite fun.

Above this section we now had a clear view of what appeared to be Lincoln’s Throat sans any significant ice. I could see why this would be a remarkable climb. The gully chokes into a narrow 30- 40’ tall section of what would be near vertical ice flanked by tall vertical walls or solid granite on either side. We climbed closer to take a look. The base of the climb had remnants of what appeared to be fat blue ice that certainly had melted out the previous week. Just enough to give me a vision of what was missed. The climb probably could have been done by the bolder northeast climbers but by my standards it was definitely not an ice climb, mostly unprotectable chossy rock, and not worth the risk of falling or knocking down blocks on my buddy. The ice that was still in the throat had rotted and was in the process of delaminating in key sections. Oh well, it will still be there in a few weeks.

The climb we ended up doing had a very alpine feel to it. It started as a way to skirt around the throat to the left and head for the summit instead of going back down the gully, but the exposure and conditions gave it a seriousness that was very enjoyable and turned out to be a climb that I might do again with only a few slight variations. I would probably try to stay closer to the gully and look for more rock pitches. The moves were balancy and had to be very well planned as there were only a few sections of exposed rock with thin ice layering key areas needed for feet and hands.

The first ‘pitch’ was a short 20+ foot section of rock and verglas ice that I decided to climb without crampons and tools because of the exposed rock and what I thought looked like good hands that were available. After I topped out on that and moved through some thick growth to a ledge on the left I noticed another section of rock that was a steep face. This face was partially covered in ice with good hands in a crack under a right facing corner directly above and nothing much for hands or feet to the right. There appeared to be another ledge about 20 feet above so I moved up that with hands jamming on the left and edging with my boots on the right. I climbed for about 7 feet or so before deciding to take one tool off my ice clipper and try for some better holds for my right hand.. This section was super fun with tremendous views and real alpine exposure. Once at the ledge I noticed two ways up and out.  Directly above was a very short splitter-esque crack that could be protected well for maybe one or two moves and to my right was a nice longer chimney with significant exposure directly below. 30-40 feet below the chimney was the gully we had just ascended. At this point Joe had topped out on the first short pitch, and was on the ledge below me preparing for the second section, remarking that he wasn’t sure how I had just soloed ‘that’ without crampons. I offered a belay however he was clearly up for the challenge and proceeded to crush it.

By this point I had decided the chimney to the right looked like more fun but would prefer to lead it with a belay so I built an anchor using two Black Diamond Spectres pounded deep into frozen soil and moss and a shallow knifeblade tied off close to the rock with a slip knot. Quick, good  enough, actually bomber.

Joe made it to the ledge and clipped in and I shared my plan to move through the next section. We quickly organized gear and I was off.. The first few moves over the precariously exposed traverse right were terrain protected well by a nice stout alpine evergreen so I wasn’t concerned about pro at this point. After the short traverse I moved up through the chimney about 8-9 feet and placed a hex in a bomber crack to my right. I mantled up onto another ledge and then had to make another traverse, this time to the left through some thicker ice, but with thick moss up high to plant my tools in. I knocked some ice off for my feet so I could get further to the left and then pulled myself up and into the thick alpine trees.. I fought through the trees for another 25-30 feet to a ledge where I could provide a solid Munter belay for Joe. I crouched behind some more stout trees and yelled down to Joe that he was on belay.. Joe climbed up, we coiled the rope, stowed some gear and moved directly upward for about .25 miles to the ridge trail.

Words cannot describe the pure effort required to keep moving through that thick, dense alpine evergreen growth. I was first out of the trees and let out a loud and sincere victory yell to let Joe know he was close to finished. Shortly after our climb joined the trail, Joe added Lincoln and Little Haystack to his list of 4000 footers and we descended via the Falling Waters Trail.