More climbing at Lac Sam
Sep. 6th, 2011 10:38 pmBased on talking with iclysdale, we decided to look for a different approach to the cliff -- drive up the road around the back side, then hike in from there. We actually found the trail with no difficulty -- in describing how to find it, he neglected to mention a convenient pull-off for parking right at the trail, and that it was about 200m from a turn-off.
The hike in up that trail doesn't gain nearly as much altitude, since it start far higher -- it took us about 15 minutes in (and 10 minutes out). But, it does drop you at the top of the cliff, so you need to descend before you can climb. (And, of course, ascend to leave -- you can't just walk off from the bottom of the cliff when done.)
We did four more new routes, then finished by climbing one we done before, with gear and pack on, to leave. We did three on top-rope, and I lead one of them. It is always exciting to be leading into the unknown, not knowing if the route will go or not.
The hike in up that trail doesn't gain nearly as much altitude, since it start far higher -- it took us about 15 minutes in (and 10 minutes out). But, it does drop you at the top of the cliff, so you need to descend before you can climb. (And, of course, ascend to leave -- you can't just walk off from the bottom of the cliff when done.)
We did four more new routes, then finished by climbing one we done before, with gear and pack on, to leave. We did three on top-rope, and I lead one of them. It is always exciting to be leading into the unknown, not knowing if the route will go or not.