For those who don’t know – about a month ago my girlfriend and I moved from Virginia to Seattle to be closer to the mountains and the other outdoor activities we love.

Our good friend PT has lived out here for a few months now, and quickly suggested we make a trip out to the desert to climb at Vantage. He showed us the guide book and some pictures, which got us really excited about climbing something completely new to us.

The drive to Vantage from Seattle is pretty straight forward – 90 West all the way there. Cross the Columbia River and take a left onto Vantage Rd. We decided to spend our day at The Feathers, an area consisting of mostly easier climbs ranging from 5.0 to 5.10c.

Vantage - The Feathers

We got to Vantage a little later than we’d hoped, so it was already a little crowded. Not wanting to wait around to get on an easier route, I went ahead and set up a 5.10a for the three of us to climb (it was either Windwalker or Nightbird, I can’t remember). After that, we hopped around and got on a variety of routes from 5.8 to 5.10.

I was excited about getting on a route called “Hardening of the Arteries”, a 5.10c that was the hardest route at The Feathers. Here’s the beta, from summitpost.org:

A strenuous and fun climb, the hardest route at the feathers. Start on the left climbing up the right side of a broken crack that seperates this pillar from the next. Then traverse right to the first and second clips (overhanging at this point ~95 degrees). You’re now climbing up the right side of pillar, reach left for the third clip then begin traversing back towards the middle. Clip the 4th bolt and pull on your dead arms to the finish.

The route was a lot of fun. The first bolt scared a lot of people away because it was 16 ft. or so from the ground, which seemed uncommon for this area (based on other’s reactions), but having climbed so often at the New River Gorge, this was nothing new for me. The route was pumpy, but I sent it without any takes or falls, which I was excited about because I hadn’t climbed in about 2 months.

(photos courtesy of Michelle – I didn’t take any… oops!)