Stone Soup

This route was established as a practice aid route close to Portland. In 2016 the route was freed, starting via Smoke Signals.

Both the aid climbing and free climbing descriptions and grades are provided here.

AID CLIMBING OPTION

Pitch by pitch aid descriptions (edited 31 March 2017)

Pitch 1: Approximately 30 m, 5.7 C1. Start up the slab about 100 feet right of the climbing/no climbing boundary. The first pitch begins with some free climbing and progresses into aid about half way up. A few bolts are used on the head wall. Finish at a bolted belay on a grassy ledge.

Pitch 2: Approximately 30 m, C1F. Continue up a corner system, past a tree and follow cracks and seams to a bolt and an arching overhang, and another 2 bolts. Step up and then right past a tree with tat and progress up a bolted head wall to a 3 bolt belay. Mostly small gear on this pitch but include cams to supplement the bolts. This is the second pitch of Smoke Signals.

Pitch 3: 25m 5.8ish Move the belay to above the big tree on the ledge. Continue up the corner right of the anchor and through a series of ledges. Traverse left behind a large tree and continue left and up a seriously bushy ramp. Behind the bush is a double off-width crack with a bolt at the start. Belay from atop of these cracks using the first bolts of pitch 4's bolt ladder.

Pitch 4: 15m C0 Bolt ladder, with one hook move between bolts if you can't reach. Bolt belay at the top.

Pitch 5: 30m 5.6 C1F From the belay move thru easy slabby terrain clipping a couple bolts and following a fixed line to an anchor behind a tree. Head strait up on bolts to a small roof. A couple free moves and bolts get you to a pair of bolts with chains at a hanging belay.

Pitch 6: 25m 5.8 C1 From the hanging belay, head strait up on gear to a bolt, or head right for more free climbing. Both join together for loose free and C0 climbing to the final anchors.

Pitch 7: 30m Head up along 3rd class terrain and a few 5th class steps to the hikers trail on top.

FREE CLIMBING OPTION

This route was free climbed in the spring of 2016 using Smoke Signals for the first pitches. Here are the details if free climbing the route.

Pitch 1: 5.12- 30m:  Starting in the ditch, follow a shallow right leaning ramp to get into the Stone Soup crack features. Follow this up and past a pin. The route steepens and climbs through the bolted (crux) short head wall.  Alternatively, one can climb the first pitch of Smoke Signals (5.10b).

Pitch 2: 5.10d 32m: Head up a weakness on the right of the anchors passing a small tree on its left side. Continue up the discontinuous crack finding good stances between reachy moves on good holds. Clip a bolt and step left on to a slab, working across the slab below a small roof towards a bolt. Climb up towards a small tree passing it on the right side and then on to the final crux head wall. The head wall has bolts, a pin and can take a couple of nuts if required. Plenty of gear can be found on this pitch. A set of offset nuts will be very useful, especially the #7/gold size.

Pitch 3 5.8 25m: Move the belay to above the big tree on the ledge. Continue up the short right facing corner right of the bolt and through a series of ledges. Traverse left along a ledge, behind a large tree and continue left and up towards a bush at the top of the ramp. Climb a double off-width crack with a bolt at the start. Belay from atop of these cracks from the Alice In Wonderland ledge using the first two bolts of the bolt ladder of pitch 4.

Pitch 4 5.12+ 25m: Ascend the bolt ladder crimping away madly and brushing lichen as you go. An alternative is to ascend a short vertical crack about 10' right of the bolt ladder and then traverse left along a hand ledge back to the bolt line. Follow the upper half of the bolt ladder still crimping on small edges and pull onto the large Swiss Family Ledge system. Continue following the low fifth class slab steps up and rightward passing a pin and a few more bolts until you reach a belay platform below the steep arete.

Pitch 5 5.10d 30m: Head strait up the arete following a line of bolts and pins to a small roof. Pull the roof on the left and continue up a short crack to a set of anchors at a hanging belay.

Pitch 6 5.9 25m: From the hanging belay, move slightly right and head up a crack on gear passing a few bolts, a pin and two more bolts. Be extremely careful of the blocks that you are climbing on as many are loose time bombs. Reach the final anchors

Pitch 7 4th 30m: Follow easy terrain along the ridge crest until you reach the fence adjacent to the summit trail. I

From the water spigot go about 100 feet up the climber trail.

All anchors are good bolts. There are also a generous number of protection bolts on the pitches. Goes clean with a bunch of fixed pins, and even if they blew you can probably find a way up on clean gear.

Thanks to the pins and bolts, you don't need lots of gear to climb this route. Bring doubles from tiny through .5 C4, one or two .75, and one each 1 through 3. Didn't have to have the 3. I mostly placed small cams, grey-red C3. Bring at least one hook. I placed only one nut, but there was plenty of opportunity to place them. Offset nuts are helpful, offset cams are not useful. I did not find a large cam at all necessary in the offwidth, but if it was wet a 5 or 6 would make it easier. Don't think a 4 would help too much.