Dog Tooth (Dog Spine on Dog Mountain)

[Chip Down]

By popular demand (okay, it was just one member, but he's kinda popular I guess ), here's my Dog Tooth TR.

I've been wanting to get to Dog Tooth Rock for a while. I've had problems with routefinding, bad weather, bad snow conditions. Took another shot at it.

Was going to try an eastern approach, but changed my mind and started from the west after noticing what seemed to be an accessible ramp that leads to the tooth. Without meaning to, I finished my bushwhack approach at the same spot where I ended up last time. Interesting to see how different it looked without snow. From here, I was too close to the tooth to see it (too much intervening terrain in the way), but this time I dropped slightly down a bare spot to get a better perspective, and it was just barely enough to enable me to see it. So now, rather than randomly searching, I knew exactly where I needed to go.

I decided on the shortest route rather than the easiest route, so scrambled up as close to ridgecrest as possible, until I could see a simple relatively-flat mostly-grassy slope to the tooth. There's a classic vantage point for pics of the west side of the tooth which give the impression it's perched on a spacious meadowed tier, but I discovered it's an inaccurate impression. The tooth is actually on a fairly narrow spur; you really can't just casually stroll around it. To the east is the top of a well-defined gully which I understand is the easiest way to the base of the tooth, if you can find the bottom of the gully. Another surprise on the tooth: there's a narrow chimney leading partway up the tooth, allowing even a scaredycat scrambler like myself an opportunity to get up to the base of the pinnacle. Going higher than that would require protection. I noticed it was bolted.

My next objective was Lost Piton Ledge, which I've previously looked down on, so I have a pretty good idea where it's at. I considered following the east gully down and then attempting to climb up to LPL, but then remembered I wanted to see if I could chase down the mountain goat I spotted earlier on the west side (separate post on that, so no details here). Rather than try to ascend as directly as possible from the tooth to LPL on the west side, I took a larger clockwise arch, so as to get a better perspective on the route options, and that sucked me into the parallel ribs that run next to Dog Spine. What a hassle. It took a bit of work to wind my way up, and by the time I got across and back on the spine, I was at that place where gentle grassy slopes lead to the one spot where Dog Spine is easy to cross over. I hiked up to that spot and enjoyed the scenery for a bit as I pondered my options.

Decided that was enough for the day, since I had gotten a late start and needed to be home early. Was tempted to descend on the east side (where I've been before) but decided to save that for a day when I have time for more thorough exploring, when I can really dig into every nook and cranny. So I ended up pretty much going down the way I ascended, but with a few variations to keep things fresh. Once I was out of the rocky zone and back in the forest I found a nice open ridgecrest that was easy to follow. It wasn't at all scenic or interesting in any way, but it was a nice utilitarian way to get off the hill. Popped out onto SR14 within sight of my car.

Took two axes and a treking pole. After the first hour, the pole was on my pack, and only served as an emergency brake to help snag stuff if I fell. I kid about that, but the point is it really was a hassle, and I liked having an axe in each hand.

I'm in a bit of a Dog Mountain mode these days. Watch for some TRs of places that are in plain sight to the careful observer, but which I've never seen reported before. Can't write them up tonight, need to get some sleep so I can go explore tomorrow. Woof!

[Bosterson]

I noticed it was bolted.

That should really read "bolted" [ie, with implied air quotes]. If I recall (apparently I went up it 3.5 years ago, time flies), it was something like 2 ancient rusty Leeper hangers on 1/4” buttonheads. It's silly easy - you're kind of shuffling your feet across a little shelf - then after the bolts you go up, where I placed a #12 stopper. The top has a pair of solid new bolts with webbing to a rap ring. It's pretty dumb, but I guess worth climbing if you happen to accidentally end up there with a rope.

So you still haven't gone all the way up? It's very straightforward. Above Lost Piton Ledge it becomes more traditional spine and there's a little trail. Lower approach through the historical gully was easy, just loose from the car - I think I carried a dirt axe but didn't use it.

Probably due to go back there now that so much time has passed, and now the Oregon side of the Gorge is off limits...

[Chip Down]

I noticed it was bolted.

That should really read "bolted."

Umm...I'm missing something.

So you still haven't gone all the way up?

Yeah, both east and west, and some in the middle. I haven't done the standard route, whatever that is. I gather Dog Spine is somewhat an "everybody picks their own route" affair, although there certainly are some notable sections that everybody should visit.

It's very straightforward.

I seriously doubt that!

[Bosterson]

I noticed it was bolted.

That should really read "bolted."

Umm...I'm missing something.

ancient rusty Leeper hangers on 1/4” buttonheads.

= Unsafe 1970s bolts that you should never fall on, ever, under any circumstances. I believe all Leeper hangers were eventually recalled for failure, and 1/4" buttonheads do not meet contemporary safety requirements, not to mention the effect of corrosion on rusty components over the decades. Like I said, it's easy - like a solo with bolts for psychological effect.

[adamschneider]

I noticed it was bolted.

That should really read "bolted."

Umm...I'm missing something.

I think he meant you should have included ‘«“quotes”»’.

[Chip Down]

Aha! Thanks Adam, I totally get it now.
Bos, I didn't notice anything odd about the hangers or bolts. They seemed reasonably newish. But I wasn't particularly focused on that. Maybe they were replaced.

[Bosterson]

That would be surprising if the bolts were replaced, though someone obviously had already done that to the top anchors when I was there back in Jan 2014. Seems like it would ruin a bit of the chossy fun, but mostly I just can't imagine a lot of people go up there. I remember almost nothing about the climb itself except that my right hand froze into a claw from the biting east wind as I placed the stopper, so I sat up on top warming my hand for a few minutes before I set up the rap back down. I'll have to take another trip up and look to see if it's changed.

So did you head straight up the west side to Dog Rock? I'd gone up the traditional gully on the east, but Ben had skirted around on a deer trail to the west and came up on that side. Little grassy ramp at the end, looked fun.

[Chip Down]

Yeah, I think Ben's route is better.

On Sunday I returned to east side of Dog Spine. This time I was determined to stay as high as possible. To some extent, it was successful. I got to see some places I've wondered about as I looked over at them from the west side, or from Dog's east ridge. It was fun and enlightening to link up some passages I was already familiar with, and see how things fit together. But there were some disappointments too. Although Dog Spine is beautiful in many places, there are some ugly gullies/amphitheaters filled with brush and rubble. Also, I realized there was just too much to explore in one day. I started trimming my aspirations a bit. Also ended up in the forest a bit. This wasn't entirely surprising, as the last time I was on Dog's east ridge I noticed there seem to be some stretches that are extremely steep/rugged on the east side of the spine.

I found myself looking down on the tooth, which meant I had once again missed the gully. I'm not as frustrated about that now, because the fact that I bypassed it again means it must be either difficult or ugly. Probably the latter. I'm guessing I know where it is, and it didn't look like something I wanted to do.

Although I was just exploring, one of my hopes was that I'd find an eastern route to Lost Piton Ledge. As with the tooth, I overshot it and ended up too high. It was a bit surreal; I was certain I was lower than that, so when I popped onto the crest I was shocked to see the ledge below me. And my goat friend was surprised to see me back again.

For the last little bit to the end of the spine I tried going straight up the middle (I've gone east and west before). It got a little trickier than I wanted in a couple spots, so I bailed a little to the east. At the very top of the spine it gets simple. There's a nice little platform that's great for a break, and then you abruptly enter the forest. All that's left of the spine is a bit of a forested ridge. When that faded into the hillside, I tried something new: I trusted map/pics, ignored intuition, and traversed west, veering up/north only to avoid brush or bad terrain. In theory this should very quickly take one to the clear slopes below the old lookout site, which can easily be followed to the trail. Sure enough, ten minutes of easy bushwhacking was all it took! I was grateful for that, as it allowed me to run down the trail until I was at oak elevation, and then explore offtrail a little on the way back east, rather than having to walk out in the dark via trail and highway.

[Bosterson]

So you actually went up to the top, but you skipped most of the route?

I found myself looking down on the tooth, which meant I had once again missed the gully. I'm not as frustrated about that now, because the fact that I bypassed it again means it must be either difficult or ugly.

It's really not. From the parking area directly S of the Dog Spine, you go up that crappy scree hill, gain the hillside (it's probably easier to start farther east and trend left as you go up on more solid ground), and then the main, obvious chute that leads up towards the shattered amphitheater will take you right up to the little platform behind Dog Rock. There are some blocks and downed trees and whatnot, but it's pretty standard Gorge stuff. It's probably not as interesting as following the little deer trail around a ledge to the west and coming up the grass benches like Ben did, but the traditional gully is a very easy, obvious, and intuitive route if you're trying to follow it.

It should really just be around the arete in those trees. The gully runs up between the Dog Rock spur on the left (directly above you in the pic) and the Drathaar over on the right side spur.

Anyway, good to see pictures of it, I need to go back up there and poke around some more. We skipped the very top-most part of spine due to frost, and there are climbable looking features up there...