Wallface Northern Walkoff

Has anyone recently topped out on Wallface and done the northern decent? Is it actually feasible?  

I haven't tried the northern decent specifically however, most of the climbers trails I found around Wallface seem rarely travelled, and the talus hiking seemed nasty.

Thanks for chiming in. Have you ever walked from the the bottom of the diagonal north toward the Indian pass/Loj without having to go back down south to the campsites and upper works trail and then back up the other side of valley to indian pass trail. 

Yup, it's feasible. It's been about 5 years, but we haven't had any storms that would change anything. The walk-off toward the Loj is roughly an hour's bushwhack to meet the trail. Walking the base is epic talus near the TSOD caves etc.

Neither the easiest or the hardest of bushwhacks to Indian Pass. Don't expect any trail.

Kevin MudRat MacKenzie wrote: Yup, it's feasible. It's been about 5 years, but we haven't had any storms that would change anything. The walk-off toward the Loj is roughly an hour's bushwhack to meet the trail. Walking the base is epic talus near the TSOD caves etc.

When I did it, like a zillion yrs ago (OK maybe only 40) it was like, UGLY bushwhack for a "short" distance back from the cliff face, then the woods opened up into a hardwood forest that was quite pleasant. We hiked north, roughly parallel to the top of the cliff (think I used a compass), until we hit the streambed that comes out of Scott Pond, then took this back to the trail below Indian Pass and then on past (is it "Scott clearing"?) to Adk Loj. I'd guestimate we hit the streambed about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the trail. Large, rounded boulders if I remember correctly.  

BUT...this was long before there were and fixed rap anchors for getting off. But if the forest is still hardwood (or even mature pine) I would expect it to be a viable route.

Robert Hall wrote:

When I did it, like a zillion yrs ago (OK maybe only 40) it was like, UGLY bushwhack for a "short" distance back from the cliff face, then the woods opened up into a hardwood forest that was quite pleasant. We hiked north, roughly parallel to the top of the cliff (think I used a compass), until we hit the streambed that comes out of Scott Pond, then took this back to the trail below Indian Pass and then on past (is it "Scott clearing"?) to Adk Loj. I'd guestimate we hit the streambed about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the trail. Large, rounded boulders if I remember correctly.  

BUT...this was long before there were and fixed rap anchors for getting off. But if the forest is still hardwood (or even mature pine) I would expect it to be a viable route.

LOL!

When Don took me up the Diagonal in 2014 we walked off. Same thing except it's thicker at the top now after one of the storms (Floyd in 1999, I think). When he did his speed record, he said it was way more open than now. Once you get off the summit, it's not bad. We were on the Wallface search a couple years ago and spent a day in there poking around exactly where you described. There were a few ledges at the bottom and we even found the remnants of some slats that went across a break (probably a dike)...logging or something maybe? Anyway...cool area. Unless you climbed w/all your gear, rapping's faster and more fun.

Rob Upton - In case you don't know, "Mud Rat" is THE MAN for backcountry High Peaks. If he and Don [ Mellors ] say its bad now, its probably horrible for "normal" human climbers.

I may have misled when I used the term north, roughly parallel to the top of the cliff  in that we were nowhere near the top of the cliff; i.e. we went back quite a ways, sort of "towards Scott Pond", before we "turned right" to drop down to the streambed.  Maybe my "1/4 - 1/2" mile was "off" and it was maybe more like 1/2 to 3/4 mile where we hit it. I remember no obsticals such as "ledges" or anything man-made.  

BUT as I say, it was decades ago.  Even then I do remember literally "tunneling" through the first I-don't-remember-how-many-feet-or-yards of tighter-than-tight trees / whatever at the top.

I'd go with Mud Rat and rap. BUT if you do decide to try the northern walk off, please report back on "conditions / time" and route !  ( Remember, you'd be comparing the total time to rap, plus whatever time to scramble & bushcrash to the trail, plus the time to hike down on the trail to the top of Scott Clearing where the steam comes in, vs whatever it takes to "crawl, walk and slither off !)

Walking the base of Wallface isn’t too bad. I’ve done it several times. There is a short approach trail up to Mental Blocks that avoids horrible talus.

Jim Lawyer wrote: Walking the base of Wallface isn’t too bad. I’ve done it several times. There is a short approach trail up to the Case Route that avoids horrible talus. 

Making a day trip to visit the talus is fun too ;)

I have always  rapped off.

If you are topping out on the Mental Block buttress (and came in from Placid), walking off to N would be your quickest way back to the car. Allows you to climb w/ a single 60, and the "bushwack" is no big deal. Walk along the cliff top till the terrain makes sense to cut down to the hiking trail.
That's how Chris Frac and I finished up when we did Free Ride & Mental Blocks in a day. The walk down makes for a good "Adirondack" finish.