Render the Adventure: Camp and Climb: Icicle Creek Canyon

Sitting serenely in the Cascade mountains just outside of Leavenworth, Washington is a canyon created by Icicle Creek. Although referred to as a creek, the sound of its rushing waters makes it worthy of being called a river. Icicle Creek's soothing sound makes it the perfect place to pitch a tent, which is exactly what my group of climbing friends did the night before a long day of climbing.

The next morning, we hit the lengthy approach trail to Condor Buttress- a 1,500 ft elevation gain that took us over an hour. Even though we had to hike up a mountain to reach the base of our route, the view of the surrounding mountains and the canyon below was so worth it. Once we reached the crags, we set out to climb "Condorphamine Addiction," a 7-pitch 5.10B slab.

The great thing about Condorphamine is that it's a sport climb. It's very well bolted, if not over-bolted. There are two 10B crux pitches that involve friction climbing, a 5.10a first pitch, a 5.8, 5.9, and then two 5.4 scrambles.

It was a very enjoyable climb, but nothing in comparison to the backdrop behind it: snow-capped mountains, endless rows of evergreen trees, blue skies, and the enchanting Icicle Creek winding peacefully through the canyon.

Access: From Leavenworth, turn left on Icicle Creek Road and stay on it for about 9 miles. From the turnoff to Stuart Lake Trailhead, drive about .2 miles and park in the first pullout on the left side of the road. About 50 feet to the north along the west side of the street there is a climber’s path exiting into the woods to the west. Follow it as it switch backs up the mountain until arriving at Condor Buttress. Condorphamine is the largest, lichen-free structure.