Blind Spot  5.9

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 200 feet Consensus:  5.9 [details] FA:  FRA Johnny Ray, Larry DeAngelo Submitted By:  Larry DeAngelo on May 27, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Blind Spot

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Description 

Start in the corridor behind the huge boulder immediately to the left of the Black Pearl recess. Follow the obvious chimney to where it turns into an offwidth at an overhang about twenty feet up. Squeeze past the bulge. Limited maneuvering room and restricted visibility make this the crux. Continue up the crack a short distance and belay. (There is probably enough rope to do the climb in a single pitch, but it is likely you have left your big cam down at the bulge and it will come in handy again up higher.)

Descend via rappel from the bushes at the west end of the ledge. From the current anchor position, the descent can be done with a single 60-meter rope and some downclimbing, or with two ropes.

Location 

Use the same approach as for Black Pearl. Go up Juniper Canyon to the top of the steep section. As the canyon starts to level out, go right (north) into the streambed and follow this to the alcove where Black Pearl begins. A narrow corridor leads left to the prominent crack on the main face of the Black Pearl buttress.

Alternatively, approach from above while descending from one of the routes that tops out on the Jackrabbit Buttress.

Protection 

In addition to the usual stuff, we had one 6" and two 4" cams, and we probably would not have been happy with less.

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The upper part of the Blind Spot crack.