krustyklimber
Apr 15, 2006, 5:10 PM
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Registered: Jan 25, 2002
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Lately I have recieved a few requests for driving directions to Zeke's Wall, and the now sunny boulderfield.
Here's the scoop...
Driving directions to Zeke's Wall and bouldering area are as follows;
Take Hwy 2 past Gold Bar. Just after you pass the Gold Bar Fire Station, and just before you cross the Skykomish River, is Reiter Rd (pronounced "reeter") on your left.
Take Reiter Rd about 1/2 a mile (past the horses) to the first right, Index Rd (which actually goes straight ahead).
(*Note: This road will go all the way to Index, right past the Town Walls, and can make for a good shortcut when traffic is bad... going left (staying on the main road going past the entrance to the Nature Trails), the road loops around back to Gold Bar, and will take you to good camping at Wallace Falls State Park)
(*Note II: This intersection is where I took the photo of Picasso Wall)
Follow Index Rd about two miles (rough approx.), you'll come to a gravel quarry on the right, and then a dirt bike pit on the left.
Just after the dirt bike pit is a dirt road (with a gate, and a power pole with three wooden posts), take this road through the bad potholes (which is about the worst of it) until you come out under the powerlines.
Just as you re-enter the trees, after passing under the powerlines, the road T's. Take it to the right, paralleling the powerlines up and east, staying on the main road (and not going down any of the side roads), through a big orange gate, and up a few switchbacks.
At a big switchback with sort of a landing, with the remnants of an old road (which is the remnants of the old railroad bed) heading west into the timber, is the begining of the trail to Picasso, and the New Walls.
I'd pretty much have to lead you to the way in to either of these walls, there's no real trail, after you leave the maze of dirt bike trails, and I have never gone in or out the same way (trying which total thrash was easier each time).
If you keep following the main road uphill as far as whatever vehicle you have will go (and then your boots if need be), you will reach the boulderfield, and see Zeke's Wall itself just a few hundred yards back in the timber.
I have only visited the boulderfield a couple times since the logging was finished, once a month or so ago (in my Suzuki Samurai).
Somebody is climbing up there, I heard climbers on Zeke's (and saw their regular cars just a couple switchbacks short of the top), and checked out some well chalked boulders (even a top-rope bolted one, that looked 5.really hard).
Kudos, to whoever is doing the developement work up there.
Krusty http://pages.prodigy.net/.../emoticons/wave1.gif
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