Cap Trinte
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| The Saguenay |
Bayard Russell and I had made plans to return to Cap Trinte on Bay Eternite in the Saguenay Fjord, Quebec for round two. For an account of round one http://www.whitemountainrockandice.com/2011/09/. I had been in British Columbia for a month and had had little contact with Russell so I was unsure on the plan. I got back to North Conway and we checked the weather for the area, it looked good so we were off to the grocery store to get food. We were canoe access/camping the cliff so we were buying all the good stuff you don't get when weight is a big concern. Kielbasa, kale, beer, sandwich meat, and chicken to name a few.
The drive was uneventful. Its amazing what happens when you drive a nice car and look like a respectable citizen will do for you at he boarder. By and I also got our does of fast food for the year on the drive, something about road tripping that gives me a hankering for fast food. We got there in the night so we caught a few hours of sleep. In the morning we packed the canoe up and paddled out to the Cap. We both felt that the canoe ride was the more dangerous part of the trip because neither of us do much canoeing, especially on open water like that. If the boat had tipped over I would have lost every single cam I own. Well it didn't and we got to the cliff.
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| Bayard |
We set up camp with the sweet camo tarp Bayard had purchased last year and with nothing else to do we got into it. Our goal was to free climb the Grand Galets. It was a 1000 foot stunning corner system. The first pitch was 5.8 and dirty, not the best pitch. The next one more than made up for it. The topo said that the pitch was 5.13, so we were ready for some projecting. Bayard got a top rope up and we both sent the crux on TR with in one or two try's. Which leads use to believe it mite be slightly easier. The pitch a mix of steming and crack climbing to another corner. At the top you had to do some balancey moves out of the corner to a ledge.
The next day it rained so we chilled out. I was fully acclimatized to chilling out and reading at that point from being in B.C. but Bayard had to get up and move around. He went to check out this cliff that we had scoped the previous year. We found out that cliff was closed to climbing, from Pee Wee, because of a mushroom, LAME!
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| 11d Dirty Corner |
On day three we attacked. Our plan was to go to the top, freeing as much as possible, to check out as much of the route as possible. We knew that it was going to require some cleaning. Bayard sent the 2nd pitch first go as a warm up and I did to fallowing him. Another pitch took us to a big ledge system. Off this ledge was 12a corner. I started up the crack quickly became grainy and full of vegetation so I resorted to French free. The next corner pitch would of been a classic any wear if it was not dirty with ferns growing our of it. I again resorted to French free. Bayard took the lead back over after this. He got the scary 12c flake pitch. There were some bolts missing next to the flake, so it quickly got scary. For me too cause I was right in the firing line. We ended up bailing because of this fact, By not wanting to kill me with death blocks. We debated whether or not to clean the route as we rapped. Having been defeated by crappy rock twice know on the Cap. Having our camp right in the shell zone made that decision for us.
The next two days yielded more bad weather. So we ended up cragging down by the water, which is all ways a treat. Bayard onsighted an amazing 12a finger/tight hand crack. We knew the weather was not going to get better and again were afraid of tipping in rough seas. So we bailed.
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| Beluga Belly |
A month later after a beer or two, we discussed the prospects of going back. Having spot another line that could lead to better rock, we got psyched. Who knows if that was the beer talking but well see what the next year brings.
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| Marie Haute |
BC Rappels Fred Beckey
Applebee Camp
