Type: Trad, 4 pitches
FA: Dick Walker and Steve Gaskill, 1972
Page Views: 4,261 total · 16/month
Shared By: Michael Komarnitsky on Apr 25, 2002
Admins: Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC

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Description Suggest change

It's surprising that this multi-pitch 5.9 hasn't been added to the site yet. Perhaps it's the long walk up to the route.... regardless, this route sees very little traffic, and has a definite alpine flavor to it (it did rain/hail on us a couple of times during the route, which added to that feeling). Loose rock on most of the pitches, routefinding challenges, and some curious gear opportunities give this route an 's' rating.

About 50 yards past the Darkness 'til Dawn dihedral and just before a rotten band (home of choss-fest Outer Space) lies an obvious chimney/slot with two large chockstones 40 and 70 feet up. Immediately right of this chimney is a well-chalked crack that is Disappearing Act.

P1. Ascend the chimney, awkward 5.6. There is an optional belay on top of the second chockstone. It's better, however, to continue up the dihedral to it's exit, 150 feet high, to a tree with slings. Be careful for loose rocks on exit from the dihedral.

P2. Scramble up the easy dihedral for about 60 feet to another tree with slings and belay just under a bulge with a hand-sized chockstone.

P3. Here's where it got interesting. Our clear target is the ledge 20 feet to the right of the enormous tree on the face above you; however, chossy rock is between you and that belay ledge. We turned the bulge, hand-traversed out the wide crack, and then gingerly climbed up large, loose, licheny blocks before a final traverse back right to the ledge. Continuing up the dihedral from the belay and then coming back left *might* be a better strategy, but that looked pretty loose too. 50 feet.

P4. Ascend the fingers-size crack in a small ramp/right-facing dihedral that curls back to the right for 60 feet, before turning a roof. Again, this is where it got interesting, as above this roof the route and pro becomes indistinct. Kreighton Bieger was heard whining that he would "give his first-born for a good piece of pro" on lead in this area. Supposedly follow the line of least resistence; we moved left and up, back and right to sling a horn, and then traversed left on an airy and exciting ramp before heading up more loose rock for 25 feet to finish. 150 feet.

We're still unsure if we went the correct way; no chalk marks anywhere gave us hints. Regardless, this is a little-climbed route that probably deserves more ascents.

Protection Suggest change

Standard rack up to a #3 Camalot. Doubles of fingers size and smaller comes in handy on the last pitch.

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