Wandering down towards Yosemite through the National Forests

Sunday 4 September 2011

Do the 2.5 mile walk around Smith Rock and look at the Monkey Face feature.  What an amazing tower!  “No feature at Smith Rock is as stunning or as iconic as the 350-foot Monkey face” the guidebook reads.  How true!  The first view when approaching it from the east is the imposing and famous East Face (duh), which holds the aptly named “East Face of Monkey Face”, the 5.13d trad route which Sonnie Trotter only just recently freed.  Also plainly and imposingly visible is the historic 5.14b sport route “Just Do It” - purportedly one of America’s finest 5.14s even though it has a sordid history of chipping and gluing.

East Face of Monkey Face

The West Face looks like nothing other than a monkey’s face in profile.

 The wall at the base is littered with bolts, and there is a striking long bolt ladder containing more bolts than I’ve ever seen in such a closely spaced row, mere feet from a stellar 13a arete with somewhat less visible bolting.  The bolt ladder route has been given maximum stars in the guide, obviously a nod towards the adventurous spirit of the (probably very) early ascentionist, but for mine I think it is an eyesore.  Most tourists wouldn’t spot the bolts on “Just Do It” so easily, but few could miss the dead-straight line of iron mongery high on the West Face.

Bolt ladder on 'West Face of Monkey Face' 5.12a A0

Monday 5 September 2011

Start the drive down towards Yosemite.  Lava Butte and Lava River Cave in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument were both worthwhile stopovers.  The cave especially was an experience.  It is the longest lava tube in Oregon, and is nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced.  Its like a train tunnel, so perfectly sculpted along most of its length.  In some places it narrows right down so you have to stoop to walk through, but most of its mile length is like a subway tunnel.  You can see that the initial lava flow cut a clean pipe through the earth, but la later, lesser flow cut a smaller groove at the base of the tube.  A cross section of the tube now would look more like a key hole.  The daytime temperatures here this time of year stay high in the 90s, but down in the cave it drops to a chilly 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  My ears were aching by the end, and luckily I took down my warmer jacket.  I just couldn’t imagine the cold down there before I went in - 50 degrees (or almost 40 degrees Celsius) in drop!

Lava Butte

Mouth of the Lava Cave

Cold!

Cave gets smaller towards the end

I slept off a forest service road within the national park, which turned out to be a fantastic spot.  I cooked a nice spaghetti bolognaise and read my latest copy of Gripped before setting down in the van to an early night.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Crater Lake.  What pristine attraction!  Just the size of the hole for starters, then its filled with gemstone-quality water!  Its 33 miles around and the water is almost 2000 feet deep.  There is an old volcano in the lake called Wizard Island, and the cone crater at the top is still plainly identifiable.

Stitched Panorama of the lake

Wizard Is.  Still snow around the waterline!

I drove down into California in the late afternoon, and camped off a National forest service road.  Unfortunately the spot I picked is, while private and far enough away from the highway, infested with mosquitoes!  Must be too close to the river.  I can hear it through the forest.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Dinner at a small pub near Bridgeville or maple Grove - lamb shanks and beer.  Such a huge serving; had a forgotten I was in America?  Such tender meat, and simple mashed spuds, bread, salad and roast broccoli on the side.  Perfect!

Thursday 8 September 2011

Take a shower in the sun, in a secluded spot in the Trinity National Forest.  Nudist!  Good to get the ‘road dust’ off after all this driving.  A bit of internet in Redding to plan the next few days - Lassen National Forest, Plumas National Forest, Reno Nevada, Lake Tahoe, Eldorado National Forest, Stanislaus National Forest and then on to Merced to pick up Remi.