South Fork Ice: Trip 1

Lucas and I set out for the other Mecca of ice: the South Fork of the Shoshone River just outside of Cody Wyoming. This year is a banner year for their ice and just about everything is in and fat! I wish I would have done better at photo documentation. We showed up to the free Deer Creek campground Friday evening with enough time to shiver around a campfire and eat some dinner. We took a little tour of the valley Saturday morning to get a lay of the land and to decide where we should climb. We decided on climbing Cabin Fever 60m of WI4 to the WY Wave 4 pitches of WI3. So we did. I had not lead WI4 up to that point and that first pitch was pretty exciting. The ice was wet and rotten and thin. But 7 screws later I got to the anchor and brought Lucas up. Then I lead the next 3 pitches of WY Wave and Lucas grabbed the last pitch. We gained 1400ft total. Sunday we cruised around to find open ice and ended up on the Schoolhouse route 3 pitches; 1st WI3, 2nd WI4, 3rd WI3 with lots of ice bouldering in between. That route brought us 1800 vertical feet above the valley. The last pitch was wet! Water was pouring over it. It would fill up my sleeves while I was placing a screw and when I would lift my arms above my head it would all pour down my sleeve and into my torso. Thank god it wasnt too cold and that it was the last pitch! Had a pretty good party with some climbers from CO back at camp that night and a pair of whiskey hangovers might have played a role in us not climbing on Monday. 

The Cabin Fever WI4 pitch to access the WY Wave.

Climbs WAY harder than it looks.

Lucas beneath the 1st pitch of the WY Wave.

A text book example of a half-rope system if I do say so myself.  Thats me on top of the 1st pitch of WY Wave.

So I missed a photo of the second pitch but here is me on the 3rd.

And here is Lucas on the 4th.

Lucas across the valley. There is ice everywhere you look.

Looking up at Schoolhouse creek.

Ice bouldering: too short and easy for ropes.

This gully came after the first pitch which I think was the best chunk of ice we climbed all weekend.

This is Lucas giving it his all on the crux pitch which I ended up finishing.

Here we are sitting beneath the last waterfall pitch. Thats Schoolhouse Spire in the background.

Lucas didnt want to climb it cause it was so wet but if I had to climb it, he had to climb it. 

Looking down during the return trip. Looking across the valley gives you an idea of how high up in the mountains we got.

Packin' up

The Schoolhouse Route follows the main gully.  You can see our ribbons of ice.

Ice climbing in cattle country.

Some pretty cool erosive forces around here.

Are we really ice climbing? My boots and gaiters are nothing but mud! 

Lucas' custom motorhome.