LOVIN' ARMS (III, 5.10c A0 or 5.11c) Upper Town Wall, Index, Washington        topo map

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Lovin' Arms (III, 5.10c A0)

For many years, the closest thing to a free route up the central portion of the Upper Town Wall was the Davis-Holland route. It started out like a classic, with three pitches of steep, clean crack climbing, one of 5.9, two of 5.10. But from there the quality went from decent to despised, with a brushy ledge traverse leading to a mossy, dirty chimney system. So, naturally, most climbers rappelled after three pitches, risking a rappel from the most notoriously bad anchors in Washington rock rather than face the most notorious grunge climbing Index had to offer.

Davis-Holland pitch 2 (5.10a)

In 1981, Don Brooks made one of his finest contributions to Washington rock climbing with his ascent of a continuation of Davis-Holland. Brooks' route boldly continued upward from Davis-Holland directly to the highest point of the Upper Town Wall. The route, Lovin' Arms, is consistently steep and airy, with five pitches of 5.9 and 5.10 climbing up the dead-vertical wall. Brooks left a single point of aid on the second pitch, which was fittingly eliminated by Seattle strongman Pat Timson at 5.11c. A grungy variation was later added that avoided the 5.11 move, making the route more accessible for the free-climbing masses that would soon follow.

The route begins where the Upper Wall trail meets the wall, via the 5.9 corner pitch of Davis-Holland, then continues up the clean 5.10a corner pitch above. A 5.10c pitch (face crux) leads to a ledge midway up the wall to complete the good climbing on Davis-Holland. Lovin' Arms continues from here directly up a dirty (sometimes wet) chimney for one pitch, then cuts rightward onto the upper wall proper via the crux move, which most everybody avoids by pulling up on a sling to reach the cracks (sometimes dirty). After that, the route climbs up the exposed face, linking intermittent cracks and face moves a final two pitches (5.10c, 5.9+) to the top. To descend, either rappel the route or "walk" off.

Perhaps the most memorable ascent of Lovin' Arms was made by Terry Lien and John Nelson, two of Index's most persistent pioneers during the 1980s. One drizzly afternoon in 1985, this pair climbed the route with only one rope, negating any meaningful possibility of retreat. When they arrived at the base of the climb, Nelson discovered he had left his rock shoes in the car. Unperturbed, they climbed it anyway. It started raining in earnest four pitches up, but the wall is so steep they hardly felt a drop until they reached the top, by which time it had stopped raining.


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