Outside Darrington, down a bumpy forest road, a glorious slab of rock is tucked in a narrow valley. Known as Three O’Clock Rock, it’s a remote and beautiful spot.
The rock features about 30 routes for climbers, up some simply gorgeous granite.
On June 4, National Trails Day, about 45 people gathered to spruce up Eight Mile Trail and the climbing area. The trail also offers access to Squire Creek Pass, which has views of Three Fingers. The project was a collaboration between The Mountaineers, Washington Climbers Coalition, the Forest Service, the Access Fund and Friends of Public Use.
Matt Perkins, a co-founder of the Washington Climbers Coalition, has been climbing at Three O’Clock Rock for 30 years and created three of the climbing routes there. Thirty years ago, he said, the area was a lot like it is now. It’s a popular area for climbing that gets steady use, but it’s not overrun, he said.
“The granite is very solid,” he said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous, the views are stunning. It’s an isolated, remote valley, so it’s a special experience just walking up the trail to get there.”
The trail to the area was rough in areas and overgrown with brush in some places. It was also blocked by trees that blew down over the winter.
Crews worked all along the trail. Some used cross-cut saws and axes to clear away the trees blocking the trail. Part of the trail is in the Boulder River Wilderness area and hence, gas-powered tools aren’t allowed. So no chainsaws allowed. Clearing the trees required persistence and a lot of sweat. By the end of the day, many trees were cleared. One huge old cedar, though, was still across the trail. It was too huge to clear in one day, but crews had made a deep dent in it, making it easier for hikers or climbers to get over.
In other areas, crews worked to improve the surface of the trail. Part of it is on an old road from the 1960s. Over the years, the heavy rainfall in the area has washed away the finer materials, leaving behind a rooty, rocky, rough surface that’s hard to walk on.
Crews worked on some of the worst sections to create a new surface and improve the drainage so that the trail will hold up better to the rain.
Perkins said that the trail work is important to the outdoor community. Of course, it makes it more enjoyable for hikers or climbers to trek up to the rock. It also, however, builds relationship, and Perkins thinks that’s vital. All of the groups coming together to work get to form stronger connections. Those who volunteer on trails, Perkins said, care more about the area.
“We want to give back to the land and be good members of the outdoor community,” Perkins said.
Katherine Hollis, conservation and advocacy director for The Mountaineers, stressed the value of so many groups coming together. Such partnerships make it possible to get more work done and they form valuable connections. She said that The Mountaineers have been working with groups like the Washington Climbers Coalition for many years, sometimes decades.
“It’s such a great way to give back to the climibng community,” she said.
The Forest Service doesn’t have the resources to maintain all of its trails or roads without help, so the volunteers help fill that gap. And by getting out on the trail and doing work, hikers and climbers get a true understanding of how much work it is to maintain trails in such a wet environment.
“After working on trails, people care more about the area,” Perkins said.
Matt Vadnal, chair of the Everett branch of The Mountaineers, was one of many members of the Mountaineers at the event.
“We love our trails because they are the avenues to the beautiful places we want to visit,” he said. “The trails themselves are enjoyable pathways to travel on. There are hundreds of miles of trails which need restoration and maintenance in our area, so our work on National Trails Day was just a particle of sand on a beach. Nonetheless, it was great to see the improvements we made.”
3 O’Clock Rock
The climbing area features slab climbing. In climbing terms, a slab is a section of climbing that is less than vertical. It’s different from climbing in a gym, for example, where nearly all routes are either vertical or overhanging. Being able to climb slab is important for pretty much any big rock climb, Matt Perkins said.
Routes on the rock range from a rating of 5.7 on the easy end to a 5.11c. Perkins also said a climber is working on an easy 5.6 route, which would be good for new climbers or for parents hoping to introduce their kids to climbing. Read more at Perkins’ website at mattsea.com.
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