Rap anchor
Just as it was getting dark we started walking towards the large
descent gully to the car. When I couldn't see past the beam of my
headlamp and had no idea what was ahead out the rope came! We
wrapped a tree and started rappeling. Further along was this
station, and others.
Laura coming down
We rappeled into the dark and into unknown, which I had yet to
really do under these circumstances. One rap below here was
a 20 foot vertical ice step that I was thankful we decided
to get the rope out. One more unneccesary rappel and the
rope went back in the pack. Laura was really keen to see
a bear. I was really keen to push her in the snow.
Back in the Car!
No idea what time this was, but we were back after a
fantastic route!
Drying Rack
Back in the hotel we tried to dry everything out.
I hear petzl ropes don't freeze...? Maybe they don't
freeze for the people that are sponsored by them?
The Beal's that are here are great, but they still
like sopping up water. Anyway....
Our first outing to the Ausable Inn was this night, I
think. We discovered that 24 dollars can still get you
2 HUGE burgers and 2 pints of beer!
30-DEC-2007
Chapel pond and Chouinard's!!!
This day we somehow managed to get out of bed at 5:30.
I think it was because bed consisted of a thermarest on the
floor of the Ark's Hotel restaurant.
We arrived at Chapel Pond at 7am, just as it was getting light.
There was a solitary car in the pullout with a presumably cold man
asleep in the back seat. We wanted to get on Choiunard's Gully
first this day, and it looked like we were going to!
30-DEC-2007
Racking for Chouinard's gully (WI3)
I racked up under the legendary climb and put my pack on.
Soon there would be a line up at the base and someones rope
endlessly running over the climb.
P1 Chouinard's
Traffic on this route knocks the status from "classic"
to "absolutely picked out." I'm certain that when it has
virgin ice on it it would be a stellar climb, and the view
of Chapel Pond and the surroundings is excellent. The right
variation is quite fun, though! Laura followed with ease.
Laura following P2
The top pitch has a lot of potential for variations.
Gear was good here, too, if I remember! There is even a
cool mixed variation up the rock where the rope disappears!
Laura again cruised to the top.
Topout
Not 2 minutes after Laura (not tired at all) arrived
at the top, another climber came up and slung the trees.
There was another party at the base waiting patiently for
less ice to be flung on their heads.
Chouinard's summitshot
I would conclude that Chouinard's is a great route if
done at the right time. It was fun, without a doubt, but I
must have had a lot higher expectations. Perhaps it was from
the anticipation. 2 or so years ago when I had come to the Dacks
in February (comimg home with numb toes lasting a month) I spotted
the gully on our way out of town. We had arrived in the dark
and didn't get a good view of the Chapel Pond climbs until we
left. That day I said I would do this route. I guess 2 years
had bigged it up a bit! I hear Dogleg, to the left of Chouinard's,
is quite a good route, too.
White Line Fever redirect (WI4- thin and fun)
The day was still young due to the early start, so we
decided that a link of Chouinard's and the top pitch of
White Line Fever was the thing to do as the descent from
the former intersects the latter.
So I started up not knowing that some surfer gumbies were
going to rap on my head. I hid from their debris after clipping
a manky pin. Yes, it was my fault to climb under them.
The route was quite thin for how steep it was and also a
lot of fun!
Laura down WLF
Here is Laura moving up the gentler bottom quarter of the
pitch. Above the ice thins and so did the gear.
