I am finally sitting down to write up our wonderful trip to Smith Rock State Park 🏔😊
We went as a family, all four of us, two years ago. This is where I did my first outdoor lead, and I was so excited to return with Ryan! This time I went as one of his paid clients. Ryan, and another guide, Simon Swalwell, are both working for Miyar Adventures. The two of them were in charge of myself, Ed Murray and a new outdoor climber, Brandon Harker.
We had five days to fit in as many climbs as possible! Ryan and I left Redmond, WA on a Sunday. It takes about 6 hours to drive to Terrebonne, Oregon
So we packed up my car and started driving
It was the Sunday of Memorial day weekend, but we were still able to get a great campsite. The Bivouac campground has some really great facilities, including a hot shower and charging station for your electronics. I was rather pleased with that!
And, you can’t beat the view! It was a long day of driving and we were pretty hungry. So, the first, and let’s be honest, several more stops that week, was at the Terrebonne Depot.
We met up with Simon and Brandon to discuss logistics for the next day over dinner. And, we filled Ed in later at the campsite. We had a good plan and we were all happy to be there.
Let’s take a moment to meet the group! As I said before, Ryan and Simon are the tireless guides, Ed and I have been to Smith before and Brandon was the greenhorn 😊
Day1: Our first objective was to climb “Voyage of the Cow Dog” which would put us at the top of Picnic Lunch Wall. This is a 5.9, three pitch climb that is generally straight forward and a great way to start the trip. This was also Brandon’s very first outdoor climb, so we really wanted to ease him into it.
We first had to hike to the base of the route, which was a nice view all on its own,
Brandon supervised the guides as they organized the gear😂
Ryan led Ed and I up first
Then Simon and Brandon came up
The weather was good and the view, great from the top!
Brandon totally crushed it!
This was a gorgeous climb 🌟
While this was only three pitches, it took the majority of the day. Brandon was definitely thrilled to complete this climb, but he did seem to be rethinking the need to do multi pitches 😂😂😂 We decided to get back to the campsite and head to The Redpoint. This is my new favorite store! The have coffee, beer and gear so, something for everyone!
We regrouped and swapped photos and I had several cups of much needed caffeine ☕️
Day 2 was “Dirty Pinkos” day. Brandon wasn’t feeling well and decided to take the morning climb to recover. So, it was Ryan, Simon, Ed and I on this one.
The four of us hiked over to the Red Wall for this “classic” route. This was my first time up Dirty Pinkos. It’s a four pitch climb, but with a long traverse on pitch 3.
Getting ready to go
I am belaying Ryan on the traverse pitch, while Simon is on his way up
Ryan got all three of us in this shot.
At the top!
A video from the top
We made our way down the Misery Trail (appropriately named😳) and met up with Brandon, who was not a lot better but still willing to do some single pitch climbing.
We went over to the Dihedrals to climb “Cinnamon Slab”, and a few other routes, including “Wherever I May Roam”. But, I don’t have any pictures 😲
DAY 3 found us all a little tired, so we decided to play it closer to the ground. We made our way back to the Dihedrals for some sport climbs
A shot of Ed, crushing it!
I sent a couple lead routes
Brandon did a great job👊🏼
In the afternoon, Ryan ran a trad class for a couple of us
Back up Cinnamon Slab!
This was the hottest day of the week! I made a water run at one point, and was definitely ready to head back to camp for a cool shower.
On the way back I ran into these cute marmots, which are all over central Oregon
Day 4 was the morning that we said good-bye to Brandon and Simon, as they were only there for three days.
That meant that Ryan, Ed and I were now on our own! Something that I should mention here is that Ed was my coffee hero!!
Every morning, I would make a pot of coffee on the camp stove
But it was never enough! Ed would also go to Redpoint in the morning and bring me a delicious Latte!☕️ Thank God for my coffee fairy❤️ because, each day, I was getting sorer and more tired😅 and we still had some serious climbing to do!
Day 4 was “Marsupials Traverse” day! This is a long day, to be sure! It’s quite a hike to get to the wall, and then we had 10 pitches and 3 raps to complete, all before the weather rolled in. Spoiler alert: We made it💕
The view is totally worth it!
This pitch has a rather unique squeeze!
I love this picture of Ed!
This was his first time on this route, and I think he really enjoyed it!
Ryan is always happy out here 😊
lunch break, and check out the dark sky!
Ryan and Ed starting a rappel
This was an awesome, and long day! This also marked our last night at the camp as we all would be leaving after the climb the next day. So we hit the “town” and had one last dinner together.
Day 5, the final day, and I was tired😳 Had a few blisters on my feet, and the hands were definitely missing some skin 😂
But this was the climb I had been looking forward to the most! Monkey Face. It is hard to get a good pic of the rock when you are on foot, so I grabbed on from the internet
This is a 350 ft tower, and the depression at the top is a cave, known as the mouth of the monkey. The red line indicates one of the routes, we did a variation.
We went up the Pioneer route which includes an aid climbing route, that was new to me!
Ed has done this climb before, and as a guide, Ryan has done it several times.
I was so excited!! We went up the Misery Trail, which was as fun as it sounds.
Here is Ed, coming up the second pitch
At the bottom of the third pitch, the aid route
Ryan led up
Then it was Ed’s turn
Then I had to figure it out! Ed took these photos of me, flopping my way up😂
But we were in the mouth!!
we were not alone in the mouth! This is Shane, and he was rope soloing this climb!
Rope soloing means you have the safety of the rope, but no one is belaying, so Shane had to rig a lot of rope on his own
This was his Tyrollean Traverse set up, so he could get down after his summit
We made it!! The summit of Monkey Face🐵
All that was left was the 250ft rappel 😉
What a blast this trip was! I was so tired by the end and Ryan and I still had more climbing to do in Colorado (but that is for another post😆)
I am so grateful to Ed, Simon, Brandon and Ryan for making this such a fun trip. If you are looking for some excellent, knowledgable and safe guides, check out Miyar Adventures! They know rocks🏔
That is some stunning photography! I am so insanely jealous!
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Thank you Fred💕
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Great photos! I used to be a cross country backpacker but I never did the mountain climbing thing like this! I’m a little scared of heights so…there ya go. Lol. Looks like a wonderful trip!
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Thank you Deb! We do a lot of hiking just to get to the base of these climbs (with gear and heavy ropes). Backpack is tough 😁
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Great photos and wonderful to view your homeland in a totally different perspective. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you! Hope all is well with you my friend💕
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Wow those views are amazing!
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Thanks AJ, they really are! Especially on the exposed routes 😉
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I can’t imagine climbing it, but it looks like the views make it worthwhile:)
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Another amazing adventure….Thanksss Dee for sharing 🙂
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Love ya Sophie 💕
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Luv ya tooooooooo
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What an amazing place and gorgeous photos!
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Thanks Darren! Hope you are well my friend💙
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Cooking in our heatwave but doing ok thank you😍
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Wow awesome photography and such a lovely read. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Kamal💕
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Welcome dtills
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Incredible documentation of this challenge.
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Thank you Michael 🌟
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Dee-Dee, This post is awesome – Super photos and videos! Thanks for taking us with you in your adventures.
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But i missed so much in Montreal 😫
Next time!!!!
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Oh wow!! Those are some amazing views Dee Dee!! Too scary for me, but amazing!!!! I’m glad that you all had such a wonderful time! ❤
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Thanks Amy!!
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Wow…like…WOW!
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Walter would love Smith Rocks, so much room for him 🤣
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That would be a misery hike on Misery Trail.
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Oh ya!
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Amazing wow!
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What a fantastic view! It looks like you had a great time! 💕
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This is incredible. I’m in awe. I would love to cross something like this off my bucket list one day. Just incredible! Hope you are well my friend. Hugs!
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Thank you Mel💕 do you climb??
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Not really but I do enjoy hiking! I love it. I visited Oregon in the spring. I fell in love. On my birthday I hiked up on a coast national park mountain. Then I spent the day beach combing. I love spending time in nature.
I plan to go back to the Pacific Northwest soon. Maybe even move there. It is a glorious place. Suited me perfectly.
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Oh my gosh! You have to let me know when you come back this way!!!! Would love to hike with you💕
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Serious!!! Where are you? I arrived in Portland and drove down stayed at Lincoln City and toured up and down the 101. Omg!! I would be all like wanting your autograph! 😂😂😂
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I am up in Seattle, but your trip is just hours away from me, completely drive able! We drive between Smith Rocks (6 hours) all the time!
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I will be posting some video footage from that trip as well as pics
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Wait… I should know where you are! It’s a deal and I will let you know for sure!!! That would be awesome experience!
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I also spend winters in Tucson, if you ever want a desert hiking partner😉
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Oh I don’t know about the desert. Lol!
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Breathtaking and beautiful views! Way to go!
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Thank you Diane🙏
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You are one strong brave lady! Incredible photos. Really enjoyed reading this, from the safety of my garden swing ;).
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🤣 I understand!!
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Your photos and videos are absolutely amazing. The views and the climbers have me in awe. I couldn’t help but notice the muscles in the legs, wow. I might be able to hike to the base, but that is as far as I would go. I can understand how amazing you must feel when you accomplish these climbs and see a view that so few people get to see. Bravo and thanks for sharing your tip with us.
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Thank you Carla❤️
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