Photos: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o. p. q. r. s. t. u. v. w. x. y. z. a2. b2. c2. d2. e2. f2. | Photo descriptions: a. After our humbling experience on the North Face of Shark's Nose the previous day, Scott and I decided to start the day by climbing the South Buttress route on Pingora, a moderate four-pitch route which sees about 80% of the traffic on Pingora according to the guidebook. To get to the South Buttress route, you scramble up 3rd class terrain of the lower south buttress. b. Scott nearing the top of the first pitch of the South Buttress. c. Scott having fun at the belay at the top of the first pitch. d. Looking up the K-Cracks. Our guidebook said that both are "about 5.8". I was curious to climb both so I led the left crack (the stem of the K) and then toproped the right crack (the two legs of the K). The left crack is more fingery climbing with delicate footwork while the right crack is more hand-sized with foot jams. I felt that the climbing was a tad easier in the left crack but gear placements were a bit flaring, while the climbing was a tad harder in the right crack but the gear placements were a bit more straightfoward. e. Looking down while leading the left K-crack. This was definitely my favorite pitch of the route. f. Scott climbing the left K-crack. g. On the summit of Pingora before noon! A great route, but too short! h. The view from the summit of Pingora: Block Tower, Shark's Nose, Overhanging Tower, Wolf's Head. i. The descent involves 4 single-rope rappels to get back down to the lower buttress. A 70m rope is nice to avoid a bit of downclimbing between rappels. j. The first rappel anchor. Despite the fact that almost everyone who comes to the Cirque climbs a route on Pingora, the rappel anchors are surprisingly manky. k. The second rappel anchor. This one is the least manky of the four. l. The third rappel anchor. m. The fourth rappel anchor. This one probably wis the competition for the most manky of the four. n. We found a smelly present at the base of the rappel route. o. Scott took a dip in a pool just below Cirque Lake on the way back to camp. Given the icebergs that were in Cirque Lake, the temperature of this water must have been about 32°F! p. We got back to camp at about 1pm. I had hoped that the South Buttress would simply be a warm-up for the Southwest Face (5.9) route starting just left of the rappel route, but for some reason Scott was not interested. I distracted myself from the towering gleaming granite around me by taking some flower photos. The flowers were in full bloom when we were there. Here are some indian paintbrush. q. Another photo of indian paintbrush. r. Some silky phacelia. s. Sky pilot. t. Daily. u. White columbine. v. White columbine. These were very plentiful in the Cirque. w. I had to climb something, so I scrambled up the west slopes of Mitchell to the summit. Here I am on the summit of Mitchell. There is a plaque up there recording ten of Finis Mitchell's ascents from 1923 to 1973. (I had not heard of Finis Mitchell but according to Wikipedia, he served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for a few years, and eventually dedicated himself full-time to exploring and writing about the Wind River Range and over the course of his life climbed all but 20 of the 300 peaks in the range.) x. View from the summit area of Mitchell: Warbonnet, Warrior, Pylon Pea, South Watchtower, Watchtower, Block Tower, Shark's Nose, Overhanging Tower, Wolf's Head, Bollinger Peak, Pingora. y. I got a cell signal from the top of Mitchell and checked the weather, esigned the paperwork for my job in the fall, and answered some emails. z. Looking down the grassy third class slopes on the west slopes of Mitchell rising above Jackass Pass. This was the quickest way up and down (1 hour up, 1 hour down). a2. Arrowhead Lake is aptly named. In the distance are the peaks of the Deep Lake area, which was where I planned to climb after this trip. b2. The meadowy Jackass Pass area, with the peaks of the Cirque in the distance. c2. A black and white version of the previous. d2. With the cell signals I was able to get from the summits and the sunny weather, my solar charger came in handy. I found a day in the sun collected at least enough power to recharge my iPhone each day. e2. I did some night photography in the Cirque. Here is a 20 minute exposure which captures star trails and my glowing tent. f2. Another 20 minute exposure. |