Duh Dihedral 

Great route! A #4 Camalot is comforting for the one section when the crack(s) doesn't take small gear all that well. Otherwise, don't need anything larger than a #2 Friend. The crux seems to be getting yourself situated in/around the crack, then its a blast the whole way up!

Great climbing in a magnificent less frequently visited setting. A natural line that is a joy to gaze upon and climb.

Just left of Duh Dihedral is a route listed in the Rossiter book as "Tampon" (5.7). It's between Duh Dihedral and Pool of Blood. Go up a few feet to a ledge with a tree (awkward) and get onto another ledge fout feet up and right of the first one (awkward again) then make several fun lieback moves off of a few widely spaced but very positive chalky handholds. After that you either have to step right into the duh dihedral or deal with about ten feet of what appears to be extreamly difficult face climbing. The lieback moves make it worth doing.

Just curious how you descend this route. Any pointers?

Thanks.

Rap from duh tree, about 70'.

I thought this is a great route but I don't think I'd recommend to a first time leader. I thought it was kind of awkward in spots, particularly if you try to off-width this crack instead of laybacking. It is harder than Washington Irving or Calypso (or any other Eldo 5.6 I can remember) in my opinion. Also, watch out for loose rock at the top, both in the crack and where you top out.

Don't let this comment scare you away from this route, but be ready for some stout 5.6.

One last thing. Annie Austin wanted me to mention that she made it up this thing too and that I was proud of her.

I really liked this line. Important tip: stay OUT of the offwidth crack! You will be much happier if you do. I arm-barred up most of it on my first lead, but you can lieback and friction off the face for almost the entire thing (and avoid that barr'd pump). Re: descent, the rap bolts are now in place, so it's a no-brainer. I'd say that this route is technically no harder than Washington Irving---and perhaps even easier, from a move-to-move standpoint. However, it's much more sustained: almost every stance is a good rest, but almost every move is a real 5.6, as opposed to Washington Irving, which has maybe 2-3 5.6 moves. Gear is GREAT. This route can suck your entire rack in, if you give it the chance. The crack really wants nothing smaller than a #4 camalot, so bring some bigger pieces.

I disagree with James here. Lead the whole thing with nothing larger than a #1 camalot and you'll be fine. Why drag up the weight? If you HAVE a #4 and want to place it for novelty, you are certainly able to, but the thin stuff on the sides of the crack is much more reasonable for gear.

Health related beta: watch out for the wasps about 15' up on the right side. They have a nest in the heavily chalked flake that should be the start of Zap Snack. Live and let live, they'll leave you alone. We had 6 people run up DD sans incident, just beware!

~Wm

Well, I did say the "crack", William. I suppose that it would be entirely possible to lead this route with RP's, but there are a couple of places where there are some committing moves without protection on the sides (i.e., only in the main crack). If you're okay with that, then go for it: it "is" vertical, so it's not like you're going to deck... but why fall 30' when you need only fall 10'? It's not like it's a ... alpine route---you can afford a few extra grams, if you're leading near your limit.

Different funky climbing. The somewhat sustained nature of this steep climb and the necessity to make some awkward moves would make me wonder about it being a good beginner lead. Definitely on the stiffer side for a six, but neat pitch! The bolts make it easy to top rope as well.

Pretty sweet climb. More sustained than I was expecting, I agree that it might not be the best first lead in the world. There were a lot of seemingly suspect yet well chalked holds- I guess they've been there for a while, but a little freaky none the less. If you manage to get there without lots of people hanging out waiting for the route, don't pass up the opportunity to toprope Pool of Blood and (the unfortunately named) Tampon.

Dan there are now two shiny bolts at the top to rap off.

I took a long fall after leading Pool of Blood and was in the Duh Dihedral when a hold broke. Lots of rock looks sketchy, and I can verify that at least some of it is (or was). Fat pieces in the wide crack add security. Bring them if you have them.

Great fun climb and the most worthwhile route in the area. Do it even if 5.6 sounds wimpy to you. It's a sustained 5.6, so it seemed harder than other Eldo 5.6s to me. It felt about the same as Dr. Michael Solar to me. It's easy to protect though. So, I think it's a good beginner lead if you are CONFIDENT on 5.6.

My first trad lead. The offwidth was great for helping to place pro, just throw your arm in and crank it while you fiddle with pro. Didn't have anything bigger than a #2, only used 1 cam, the rest were bomber nut placements the whole way up. Rap off the anchors at the top or, it is possible to scramble up and summit (4th class to 5.1ish?), coming down the other side past the Potato Chip into Redgarden and avoid the walk down and around if you wanted to head over there.

I hate to say because it sounds like more than a few folks like this route but, I think it's serious mank. Not asthetic at all. Crap rock, mediocre gear, and to make it all worse, it's surrounded by great looking routes.
I'm glad some others have enjoyed it though.
Tony