Start date 20200516

SO MUCH FUN! Not sure why it’s rated PG13, super well bolted, all the “traverses” were super easy too. A true hidden gym. Plus it was only a 5 minute walk from the car! Pitch ratings are our best guess after climbing the route.

Gear

Brought 12 quickdraws, including 3 alpine singles and 1 double. I only ever used 11 total. I used the double once, but could have gone without it. Didn’t build ANY anchors, the bolted anchors all had perfect chains. Ditched my shoes at the base, worked well!

Pitch 1 – 5.8, ~100 ft

10 draws. This is well agreed to be the crux pitch. Pumpy and quite vertical, many people end up hanging on it a few times! Straight vertical, no alpine draws needed. May still be wet if it rained the night before. Climb past the first anchor. The first anchor is for top roping the single-pitch route (and doesn’t have a belay ledge). The second anchor is about 10 feet higher and has a small ledge that is much more comfortable to stand on.

P1 to P2 scramble, ~30 feet

Between these two pitches is a little grassy ledge, with a fixed rope to help get up onto it. I would recommend combining this with P2 as long as you feel comfortable leading 5.7 with a bit more slack in the rope. However, I wouldn’t recommend trying to combine P1 and the grass ledge, since it seems like you’d be pulling up a lot of friction in the rope, and wouldn’t be able to see your climber.

Looking down at the grassy ledge and the start of P2

Pitch 2 – 5.7, ~100 ft

10 draws. Heads up the right corner. Some easier climbing than the previous pitch, with some fun moves! Still can be a little pumpy. Used one alpine draw.

Pitch 3 – 5.6, ~100 ft

10 draws. From the top of P2, walk 15 yards to the right to start belaying (just move your belay station).

Pitch 4 – 5.6, ~60 ft

Shorter pitch, maybe 6 draws, easier pitch! You definitely should link this with the traverse to P5.

P4 to P5 traverse – Class 4

This is an easy, solid traverse. The fixed rope is basically unnecessary, lots of really big rocks, plus it’s bolted too so you can clip the bolts!

Pitch 5 – 5.6, ~90 ft?

Easier pitch. Straightforward.

P5 to P6 scramble – Class 4, 80 ft?

This scramble is a class 4 ridge scramble. You could use some cams to protect if you’d like (no bolts), but it feels quite solid. I placed one 0.5 cam, and there was another place for a #3, but I would have done it without any gear too. It’s pretty long and flat, so don’t attempt to combine this with any of the pitches.

Pitch 6 – 5.8, ~100 ft

11 draws, the second toughest pitch of the route. Pumpy and a bit overhanging, but super grippy rock and well bolted again.

Pitch 7 – 5.6, ~60 ft?

Shorter pitch, continue up the face. You should combine with the scramble after this.

P7 to P8 scramble – Class 3, ~50 ft

Straightforward class 3 scramble on the ridge, not bolted but really no reason to protect it. Works well combining P7 with this scramble!

The easy scramble

Pitch 8 – 5.7, ~60 feet

Shorter route, a few tough moves but pretty straightforward. Seems like you could scramble to the top of the peak but it was clouded in so we just rappelled.

Rappelling

It’s important to read the rappel notes! Single 60m rope works.

Rappel P8. Optionally re-set up a rappel for the P7-P8 class 3 scramble and rappel that, or walk that. Rappel P7 and P6 (two rappels).

From the bottom of P6, the rappel route diverges from the climbing route. Use the rappel anchor at the bottom of P6, and rappel climbers right, and stay far right, such that you’re against the vertical wall on your right. You don’t want to go straight down, you want to rappel diagonally for this one. We went too far left, we also tried simulrappelling since the rocks looked very loose.

The next rappel goes mostly straight down, close to full length rappel.

On the next rappel, trend climbers right, stay right over the buldge (again we stayed too far left). The next anchor is inside a small rock gully climbers right of the previous anchor. If you stay left, you’ll find a tree with a sling, that’s not the correct anchor.

The next rappel goes straight down, exactly at your rope end (exactly), you’ll find the next anchor!

Then rappel straight down through the trees. I stayed a bit climbers left, seems like any option will get you to the ground.

A less-than-5-minute walk will bring you back to the base of the climb!