Three O'Clock Rock — Silent Running
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Silent Running is the classic moderate friction slab up the North Buttress shield at Three O'Clock Rock — ~7 pitches / ~900 ft of clean Darrington granite, ~30-40 min approach. Sustained balance-and-smear slab, well-bolted on the hard moves but with generous runouts standard for the area — heady rather than physically hard. A town-close crag day for a competent slab leader; rap with double ropes.
🚗 Getting there & comms
Trailhead: Eightmile Creek Trailhead (FS Road 2060)
From I-5 Exit 208, E on WA-530 to Darrington; right at the Shell onto Mountain Loop Hwy ~2.9 mi to FS Road 2060 (gravel); ~6 mi up, staying right, to the Eightmile Creek TH.
⛽ Last services: Darrington (gas, small grocery). Hospital in Arlington ~30 mi W.
📶 Cell signal: Poor to none — carry inReach.
🧗 Routes
🥾 Approach · descent · season
Approach: From the TH, a steep trail ~30-40 min (~900 ft) through forest + an old talus slope; where it exits the woods, continue right for the North Buttress — the trail bumps into the base of Silent Running.
⬇️ Descent: Rappel the route with two ropes (double-rope raps off the bolted anchors).
🗓️ Season: Late spring-fall; best June-Sept. NE-facing. Needs dry rock.
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Mostly bolted on 5.7+ moves; light rack of small/mid cams + TCUs to ~#2 (finger gear for the 5.10a/b pitch); ~12-14 draws, 2 ropes to rappel.
Ropes: Two ropes (60m doubles/twins) to rappel.
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
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🏕️ Land · camp · water · permits
🪧 Land & passes: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF (Darrington RD).
📋 Permits: NW Forest Pass to park.
⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Darrington runout slab — 20-30 ft between bolts; worst runout on P1 (5.6). Heady, not a clip-up.
- Long slab runouts — high fall/slide consequence
- Slab needs dry rock
- Remote-ish — poor signal
🆘 Emergency contacts
- Emergency (SAR via 911) 911 — Snohomish County tasks SCVSAR; carry inReach
- Cascade Valley Hospital ER, Arlington 360-435-2133 — Nearest ER, ~30 mi W
🌤️ Live conditions
Auto-updated 20h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓
👀 In the field
Tap any for ID, edibility & first-aid.
📍 Nearby & other interest
- Total Soul (5.10b)
- The Big Tree (5.8-)
- Green Giant Buttress (Dreamer)
💬 Comments
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