This trip is a reccy to check the area out, a full trip will be posted later (assuming reccy goes well). Because of this - only sign up to this trip if you are a confident climber. Bonus points if you have climbed before at Vantage.
We will travel to Tieton (Tie-eh-ton) river, WA (close to Yakima) on Friday night after work and stay at a motel (I don't want to pitch a tent in a strange campsite at 11pm or later) on Saturday morning, climb Saturday, camp at campsite, climb half of Sunday and then return. Tieton river is about a 20-30 minute longer drive than to Vantage, WA for comparison.
There are over 400 routes, with tons of both trad and sport - many easy options too.
The rock is superficially similar to that at Vantage (big columns), except it's andesite instead of basalt. There are two levels - with the lower level being mostly trad routes on the columns, and the upper being mostly sport routes on more amorphous rock. The andesite means the columns have slabbier starts, have grippier rock, less edges and have more roofs.
There are slightly more snakes around here than at Vantage, so be careful.
Guidebooks are difficult to acquire, but I have managed to buy one. They can also be purchased in the local area, and most of the routes are present on mountainproject (I have compiled this into a pdf for Royal columns trad routes).
Accommodation: Motel Friday night TBD, Campsite Saturday night TBD.
Every vehicle will need a Washington State Parks discovery pass. They are $10/day or $30/year and you can either buy them and print them online before leaving, or buy them from some REI's
Food/Water:
TBD
Border:
You MUST have a valid passport or other travel document enabling you to cross the US border. STRONGLY CONSIDER insurance for the trip. Do NOT use the nexus lane unless everyone has a nexus card. Don't take fruit/vegetables across the border, it's not worth the hassle/risk - you can buy vegetables in the US easily.
Equipment:
Helmet, climbing harness, rope, belay device, quickdraws, rope tarp (optional - ground can get dusty), water, headlamp, ten essentials, Water. Toilet paper.
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