Undaunted by some of the most fearsome approaches in the North Cascades, Wayne Wallace climbed two major new routes in August, one with a partner and one all alone. In the middle of the month, Wallace and Mike Layton backpacked for three days (including an entire day wasted due to an off-route false start) to reach the extremely remote south side of Spectre Peak in the eastern Picket Range. They climbed the prominent pillar of the Haunted Wall (IV 5.9+) in a long day, and then hiked another two days to escape the range. 

Less than two weeks later, Wallace headed out alone to make the first ascent of the Southwest Buttress of the west peak of Mt. Fury in the rugged Pickets. This multi-turreted ridge rises 4,000 vertical feet over a mile of climbing. The Mongo Ridge (VI 5.10) was climbed in a five-day round trip, starting with two days of hiking to reach the summit of East Fury with a huge pack, followed by a descent to the base of the Southwest Buttress and a day and a half of climbing. Wallace self-belayed the most difficult passages and made about a dozen rappels off towers. After summiting, Wallace traversed over East Fury and spent one more night out before heading toward home. 

See www.cascadeclimbers.com (http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/UBB2) for more details and photos from the climbs.
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