Pagoda’s “N. Buttress Direct” (5.7) – July 24, 2010

On Friday afternoon, Grant and I hiked in to the upper reaches of Glacier Gorge’s long alpine valley.  Our objective: Pagoda Mountain’s “North Buttress,” a 5.7 ridge route.  I’ve been guiding in the Park for nearly 5 years and Grant has been climbing in the Park for more than 20 years.  Yet neither of us had climbed this route nor even set foot on Pagoda’s summit, though we’ve climbed all around it on Chiefshead, Longs Peak, and Spearhead.  So up we hiked, eventually setting our bivy close enough for quick access to the base of the route for the next morning. 
We awoke to a thick, wet mist enveloping the entire Glacier Gorge.  Everything was damp, nearly dripping wet from the cloud.  Back to bed.  An hour later we got up and enjoyed an amazing sunrise as the mist drifted in and out around the summits of McHenry’s, Arrowhead, and Spearhead.  Soon we were off, boulder-hopping our way to the shores of Green Lake and beyond to the base of Pagoda’s long NW Face. 
The standard “North Buttress” starts quite high, requiring an additional 30 minutes of painful hiking to get to the base of the route.  Instead, we opted to add some pitches by doing a more direct start.  This slowed our progress, sure, but we got in a lot more climbing which any climber finds more enjoyable than hiking.  Having no prior info on this part of the mountain, we just made it up as we went along.  We roped up low on the easy-5th class slabs and just stretched the rope out.  The difficulty slowly increased as we ascended.  Another shorter pitch (130′) took us to the base of a steeper wall.  From below I’d seen cracks through this steep face but upon closer inspection these were mere seams or tiny, moss-choked cracks.  A little gardening with the nut tool revealed a bomber anchor below this steepness, thankfully. 
We thought about traversing left to easier ground since we were climbing into unknown terrain but I decided to take a look right of our belay.  On went the climbing shoes…this was going to be harder climbing.  I’d spied a weakness from below and, fortunately, found protection as I followed a flake system that took me through a short chimney and onto a beautifully blank granite face.  Up another 50-60′ and I reached a small ledge 150′ above Grant’s stance.  Another 100′-or-so of climbing took us somewhere in the vicinity of the standard start of the “North Buttress” route.  Sweet!
From here it was easy going, cruising up a series of left-facing dihedrals and the occasional mini-roof.  The quality of the rock wasn’t as good as below due to scruffy lichen but at least the route-finding and protection was easy.  As we climbed along the ridge, we climbed into the sunlight and warmth.  Watching Grant climb out of the shadows I was reminded of Pantera lyrics from “Cowboys From Hell:”

Under the lights where we stand tall
Nobody touches us at all

So out of the darkness and into the light
Sparks fly everywhere in sight
From my double barrel, 12 gauge,
Can’t lock me in your cage

Watching Grant climb and singing these lyrics to myself, I was reminded of why I love to climb.  I love the freedom of being alone as a small team, self-sufficient and decisive, standing apart from the norms of everyday life, making our own way, sharing something sacrosanct and rare.  As climbers we are often viewed as foolish or, at least, a little odd.  So are all mystics.  And such we are, communing with the divine nature of the mountains, returning with a glow on our faces, babbling to others about insights into mysteries that transcend ordinary human knowledge.  Sure, we’re weird.  All passionate people are in their own way.

We finally reached the “crux” of the route but found the climbing easier than our additional pitches now far below.  Still, the climbing was steep, the rock was good, and the views were amazing.  Another short pitch took us onto a narrow, jagged ridge of rock that would take us to the summit.  From here the climbing was much easier, the approach shoes went back on, and we scrambled to the summit.  At this point the technical climbing was over and we began a long and tedious descent back into Glacier Gorge.  Reaching the valley floor was like entering the gates of Shangri-La: green grass, alpine flowers, gurgling streams melting through the lush tundra, sky-rocketing peaks surrounding us, and huge boulders all around.  I think I could live up there. 

But a couple of hours later we were back at the trailhead, ready for our flip-flops and beer.  While perhaps not the best alpine route in the park for the grade, the N. Buttress is definitely a worthwhile route.  For a couple of guys who’ve done most of the moderate alpine routes in the Park, we were pleased with our choice to climb Pagoda and I would certainly do it again.  This route stands as a testiment to the amount of unclimbed and relatively unknown rock in the Park.  For those willing to travel the less-beaten path, there are infinite alpine possibilities up here.

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