Bob D'Antonio climbing the exposed buttress on the...
Description
Fields of Gold is a fun 3-pitch mixed route on the right end of Treasure Wall. The first pitch has some great slab climbing, the second pitch has a neat hand and fist crack and a steep buttress, and the third pitch is an easy romp to the top.
It's possible to climb just the first pitch, or just the first two pitches, and descend from bolt anchors, if you don't want to do the walk-off from the summit.
Start just right of The Twilight Kid, at a belay bolt by a big pine tree, next to a drop-off on the ledge.
P1: Traverse right and climb a slab (5.9) past three bolts. Continue up a left-facing corner to a small roof with a quartz band and traverse right to a ledge at the start of the upper slab. Don't take the corner all the way to its top or you'll get too high to traverse to the base of the upper slab. It's also possible to traverse right sooner and reach the upper slab more easily.
Climb the upper slab past three more bolts, with some tricky moves (5.10a) into a V-groove. Continue up a moderate finger crack to an anchor with lowering hooks at 100'. If you're just doing the first pitch, lower from here. 5.10a, 100'.
If you're doing the upper pitches, continue past the lowering anchor to a ledge, and traverse right about 20' to a two-bolt anchor just right of a dead pine tree. 5.10a, 135'.
P2. Climb up a short left-facing corner just right of the anchor, and step right to a beautiful hand and fist crack. Climb the crack to a flake at its top. Step onto the top of the flake and clip a bolt on the buttress above. Climb the airy buttress past two bolts (5.9) and continue to a big ledge and a two-bolt anchor. 5.9, 95'.
It's possible to rappel from here:
1. Rap 90' from the top of P2 to the start of P2. 2. Downclimb 35' (on belay) to the P1 anchor at 100' 3. Rap 100' back to the start.
If you're continuing on to the summit:
P3. Climb an easy finger crack to a ledge with a big pine tree. Cross the ledge, move right and climb a headwall with hand cracks to the summit area. Belay at a 15'-tall pine tree. 5.5, 140'.
Descent: Go south to a notch at the back of the tower, and descend to the east (left).
Location
Take the Treasure Wall approach. Hike right up the hill about 50' to a big pine tree on the highest ledge. Start at a belay bolt just right of the tree. This is a few feet right of The Twilight Kid. Route #17 in beta photo 1 and beta photo 2.
Protection
P1: 6 bolts and gear to a #1 Camalot. 2-bolt lowering anchor at 100'. 2-bolt belay anchor at 135'.
P2: 2 bolts and gear to a #3 Camalot. 2-bolt anchor.
P3: Gear to a #2 Camalot. Belay from a 15'-tall pine tree at the top.
What an awesome mixed route for Boulder Canyon, nice crag... Climbed this with Matt G 5/17. Update on the traverse from the lowering bolts to the 2nd pitch belay bolts... only one of the two dead pine trees left, the other is in the gully below... if rappelling from the 2nd pitch, tie in and downclimb on belay to the low anchors, saves time... Sweet route, thanks to Bob & Ron.
Warning!!!! Loose block at the start of P2, Fields of Gold, Tonnere Tower
On 5/29/08, just up & right of the P1 two-bolt anchor (the one 20ft right of the P1 lowering anchor) there is a very loose block. It's about three 30 inches tall and a 12 inches wide. I attempted to pull down on it leaving the ledge and it shifted. It's currently detached from the main wall and in place because of the dirt and mud behind it. Cleaning it was not at the time because several parties were below.
Have said that the route was amazing!! Thanks Ron! Scott Murray
By Guy Humphrey From: Fort Collins CO Jun 21, 2008
It is possible to skip the first 2 or 3 bolts on P1 and climb the corner to the right, which is fun. Tread lightly around the detached flake in the dihedral, though. It would ruin your day if you pulled it out.
Variation: I continued on gear in the P1 lf corner and finished P1 with gear, left of the upper 3 bolts and slab. It was natural to continue following the ample pro, though there are several suspect flakes as the corner ends. Take care!
By kevinnlong From: Boulder, CO Aug 8, 2008 rating: 5.9
This makes for an excellent toprope route (and its neighbors) with a 60 meter rope. The rock quality here is particularly high. Also, it can be well led on trad along, but the placements at the end of the dihedral/corner systems are thin.
By James Beissel From: Boulder, CO May 11, 2009 rating: 5.10a
Don't rap the gully! What a mess. Did all of that crap come down after the bolts were installed?
By Ron Olsen Administrator From: Boulder, CO May 11, 2009
James,
The gully directly below the second pitch has always been messy -- it's not on any climbing route and we never cleaned it up. There is also a big dead tree down there now; one of the two dead trees near the start of the second pitch fell down a year ago.
The best way down from the top of the second pitch: 1. Rappel 90' from the top of p2 to the start of p2. 2. Downclimb (on belay) 35' to the p1 anchors at 100'. 3. Rappel 100' from here to the start of the route.
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