BETA PHOTO: The Shield. Pins marked with a 'P' and bolt with a...
Description
This route has some tragic history as written in Rossiter's guidebook, but don't let that steer you away. The crux pitch is excellent with thin technical moves that keep you thinking and searching for the correct sequence.
The first pitch is pretty contrived and hard to locate as it appears to climb a blank slab with no gear or major features? Another option is to climb an easy flake to the left and follow the ramp right to the start of the second pitch. There is really no reason to stop and belay on the ramp since your only about 30' or 40' above the ground at that point.
The second pitch follows a thin flake with a pin and then breaks right to a bolt. Getting to the bolt is a bit spicy, but the bolt is bomber. Continue up a thin crack with another fixed pin and into a broken-up section of rock and belay on a ledge. The book says there's an anchor at the end of this pitch, but we never saw one.
There is no description for the last pitch in the book, since the route write-up states that it was never completed. But we traversed right on a lichen covered ledge and climbed straight up a dihedral to the top. This pitch was sketchy with lots of lichen and loose rock and difficult to find gear placements. Probably would weigh in at 10- PG13.
Location
This route is located to the right of "Young, Blond and Easy" just right of some large trees that are near the base of the wall.
Protection
Mostly small cams and RPs and maybe one large cam (#3.5 Camalot) for the last pitch. Fixed pins and one bolt.
Interesting to see this here; of course after Kenny died the route got the name Psycho Killer due to Kens' seriously unstable personality. The story continued to get interesting after the accident; I won't risk being disrespectful in this post, suffice it to say perhaps there is such as thing as karma or destiny.
By Joseph P. Crotty From: Westminster, CO Jul 24, 2008 rating: 5.11b PG13
After the crack tapers into a left-facing corner in a sloping dish feature and the climbing eases way up climb up another 10' feet and set a bely on a nice ledge that is a bit jagged in spots. Save a gold and red Camalot for the belay. Pitch two is fairly dirty and probably gets done once every five years or so. I was scared considering this was only 5.9 climbing. I wonder where Kenny took the plunge from?
Lower Peanuts
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