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Gunks Beginners Ticklist

Eric Chabot · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 45

Go get on the Frog's Head 5.5/6-. 2 pitches, bolted anchors, super fun climbing up a sweet vertical crack (great pro) for the 1st pitch. It's near Easy O.

Rob D · · Queens, NY · Joined May 2011 · Points: 30

It's my first season in the gunks and I climbed somewhere around 55 routes. My picks for easy stuff:

bunny - you already did it, good job. Now lead it using nuts and tricams and leave your spring-loaders on the ground
Rhododendron - super easy crack, though a bit polished
Horseman - You said you followed it, but it's a different beast on lead, especially for newer leads
Betty - Great 5.easy and you can build a very simple natural anchor using just tricams if you have a set, then the top you can sling a tree so you won't need any extra gear.
Jackie - if you are worried about gear, just lead the first pitch
Dennis - Same advice as jackie
Belly Roll - Same advice as jackie and dennis, but I'd like to add that I think the second pitch was fun, and would do it.
Three Pines - I know you did the first pitches, but the third pitch across the diving board I think is a great time. If you are worried about gear, walk over and build a gear anchor directly under the 3rd pitch, then when you exit right, build another anchor for your second. It will save you enough gear to go to the top and it splits it into 3 or 4 pitches using minimal gear.
Hawk - If you can borrow a few pieces, it wouldn't be hard to do this classic with the gear you have. the belay for p2 can be done with a small cam and a few nuts, and that pitch alone is worth the walk.
North Pillar - can be done in one long pitch if you're feeling comfortable.
Finger Lock Cedar Box - can be done solely with passive pro, though a newer leader should bring a few small/medium cams if they aren't feeling great with nuts.

Shockley's Ceiling: it's worth your time to borrow a few red c4s and get this climb. It's probably not a beginner climb, but p2 is so wonderful and fun and the gear is so good.

PTR · · NEPA · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 10

Northern Pillar is a great suggestion: good gear, stout tree for belay, but the last pitch can be wet after rain. Other worthy routes in this range: Easy O, Betty, Casa Emilio. I also like Red's Ruin, although the P3 traverse was hard to protect and the last move will make you think. You can skip Unnamed -- it is obscure for good reason.

Three Pines: I second the idea that you should go finish that! You won't regret it. If you like the moves at the start of the third pitch, then you'll love the exposure on P3 of Beginner's Delight. Then you'll be ready for Gelsa and Hawk. Disneyland is a serious undertaking probably left aside until you have more experience, but put it on your longer term list. See also Layback in that vicinity.

About the Uberfall walk-off: less stressful than rapping and can be faster in many cases.

William Sonoma · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 3,550

you (the OP) mention/ask for 5.5/5.6 single pitch routes.

+1 for layback (first pitch, the 2nd is fun but super short). a classic weissner.

also a little farther down (towards Gelsa, away from Disneyland) in the nears is grease gun groove 5.6. one of my favorite 5.6 pitches at the gunks. thin in some spots, varied climbing, some exposure, etc. fun first pitch then rapp down.

Logan Schiff · · Brooklyn, NY · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 60

The first pitches of Arrow and Limelight are both pretty well protected and not particularly hard or sustained 5.6s with bolt anchors at the GT ledge. Obviously it gets crowded over there though.

When you are ready for more multi-pitch, the second pitch of Red Pillar is a well protected and in my view underrated 5.5. First pitch has poor protection though. You could do Arrow/Limelight P1 and then walk along the GT ledge to finish on Red Pillar.

Hans Puss to the right of Arrow has a great and well protected 5.6 first pitch with a bolt anchor at the top that you can rap/lower off. It does have some exposed traversing.

Murphski Adams · · SLC, UT · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 0

What are you Gunkies talking about with that 5.5 garbage? My first trad lead was a 5.9, and I'm not saying that's a big deal, because it is not. I'm saying your version of the Yosemite Decimal System is very skewed. Can you convert these to the true grade? It's not the Shawangunks Decimal System.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northeastern States
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