80% looking for the crag & 20% climbing

I'm waiting for the day where guidebooks have gps locations for crags and real identifiable locator photos. Until then, it is just a known factor that when looking for a new spot you will spend 80% of your time looking for the climbing area and 20% actually climbing.

This weekend we decided to go to Vantage. Earlier this season we climbed on the sunshine wall and the feathers. This time the weather channel was forcasting abundant sunshine and 88 degree weather (woof). During the 2.5 car ride to Vantage, my boyfriend did a little guidebook reading and read up about shady spots. The guide mentioned a small wall that is shady from morning until about 1pm in the afternoon. Perfect!

So we began the 80% of the trip - finding the lower trail.

The guide led us to the lower parking lot area off of old vantage road. Then it instructed us to follow the well identified trail until we see a stack of rocks - take a left at the 'y' and follow the zig-zag to the lower trail and walls.

Hmmm...is it just me or do directions like this happen often? I recall last summer while bouldering in Leavenworth off of icicle creek the guide told us to look for the big "egg shaped" boulder located on the side of the road. If you have been to Leavenworth you'll know that is like being instructed to look for the pine tree in a forest filled with pines. VERY HELPFUL. Thanks...

We ran into a few other climbers walking along the well established trail. They had no idea there was an actual smaller trial leading to the lower walls. They just picked a spot to scramble up. Let me just say, we watched them do it and it didn't look the least bit enjoyable, not to mention dangerous.

My boyfriend is the persistent type, so our search continued for the smaller trail. We thought we spotted it so we started hiking up. Instead of a trail we found ourselves pulling at sketchy chossy rocks. I gave myself a bit of a fright when I yanked at a rock, it fell and I nearly tumbled. Then lo and behold we looked to our left and A TRAIL! A beautiful, well established TRAIL! We followed that little beauty and it took us to the glorious little shady wall spot. Okay, it actually wasn't that great of a wall, mostly lower 5.8, 5.9 routes. But for warm up it wasn't so bad. Plus in the heat it was fantastic! The light wind actually gave us chills as our sweat dried in the breeze - TMI?

On our way back down the trail, after we couldn't possibly take anymore direct sunshine, we stacked rocks at the beginning of the 'y' trail for the next group of people.

Now that we've found the trail and all of the wall of routes it leads to, we are ready for fall to bring around the cooler weather so we can climb! Next time it will be 80% climbing and 20% approaching the crag ;)

Here is a panoramic view of the echo basin on a gorgeous day in Eastern Washington!

Happy climbing guys!

-Elle