Green Giant Buttress

Dreamer (with Urban Bypass varriation)

Dreamer is a long route on the Green Giant Buttress out of Darrington. It takes about two and a half hours to get to the trail head from Seattle.  The road in is still pretty good, though the forest service is not maintaining it anymore.  The route begins after taking a class 3 ledge/slab system to the base of a headwall.  There is a new bolted line (5.7 I think, but runout) below the first pitch, but leads to a set of bolts for a belay.  One can traverse very runout to these bolts for the first pitch, or head strait up until at the base of a large flake-crack.  (The belay in this crack is only okay)  Either way, climb to and up the crack system that trends left through different left facing corners.  the up through the trees is somewhat easier than going past the bolt about mid-pitch.  This pitch leads to a bolted belay at a large bush.  Here is where urban bypass varriation breaks off from the normal route.  Dreamer heads left off of a bolt for a pitch of runout 5.8.  The bypass goes at about 5.10a, but is very well protected and enjoyable.  The next pitch of the bypass joins back in with Dreamer at a bolted belay.  This pitch is described at 5.7, but feels much more like 5.8+, and very runout.  From a ledge the fifth pitch goes left and up on pretty easy 5.7 knobs, then up through enjoyable flakes and cracks to a bolted belay on a small ledge.  From here, the routefinding is relatively easy, just follow the cracks up to the obvious roofs.  Most parties rapp off at the top of the seventh pitch due to the incorrect guide books talking about way runout 8-10th pitches. These have all been bolted and aparently are nice pitches now.  Rapp the route, it is way nicer than the walk off.

The best toppo we could find was in the new traveler's guide, but Nelson's toppo was pretty helpful too. All in all Dreamer is a challending, under-rated (in grades that is), and very cool climb.


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