THE OTHER ROAD starts about 20' right of Squid Kid and is a 3-pitch classic! All 3 pitches require some gear placements but are mostly bolted...some tricky route finding involved....
P1-5.10c, 100'- Start where the large tree is closest to the wall, climb the left-facing corner(3"cam placement) to gain the bolts. THE OTHER ROAD is the leftmost of 3 new pitches just right of Squid Kid. Step left and up past 4 bolts to 2-3 gear placements(thin), then 5 more bolts to the 2-bolt anchor. To continue the next 2 pitches of THE OTHER ROAD, it's best to step down right and traverse (20') over to the Trooper Traverse "alcove" 3-bolt belay.
P2-5.11a, 110'-Step up right of the "Trooper Traverse" to climb gear and bolts up through the dramatic "apex roof" and up past 2 more overhangs to the 2-bolt anchor. Exciting!
P3-5.10c, 90'-Step right of the anchor to start. Climb bolts and gear(thin) leftward to the top 2-bolt anchor. The "Mother Lode" finishes 20' to the right....
Location
THE OTHER ROAD starts right of Squid Kid and left of the Trooper Traverse. After P1, step down right and traverse(20') over to the Trooper Traverse "alcove" 3-bolt anchor. P2 and P3 parallel 10'-20' to the left of the Mother Lode the rest of the way. Three 30 meter rappels for the descent. From the top of P2, rappel down (30m) to the Trooper Traverse "alcove" and then to the ground (30m) from there....
Protection
All 3 pitches require some gear placements but are mostly bolted. A good mix of nuts, cams from blue TCU-3/4", and one 3" cam should suffice. One 60m or 70m rope and 15 quickdraws are required. 2-bolt anchors at the top of each pitch.
Not sure I agree with the 'classic' comments; this route is full of loose rock and lichen. The first pitch is scary run out-there are 4 (not 5) bolts before the trad section and a scary, traverse from 4th bolt to the first spot where you can attempt to place gear. Gear section is not hard, but the gear options kinda suck- just don't fall and gain next bolt section. Don't recommend leading unless you are SOLID on 10c and have good lead head.
The 1st pitch is just the fingery start of this journey... A great medium sized nut after the 4th bolt will fill you full of confidence! A "classic" route in the realm of adventurous climbs... High quality rock for most the way! Lichen happens....
Great route, Drew. Well bolted,and the 2nd pitch is definitely the highlight. We found it to be well protected throughout, with only the 3rd pitch holding lots of lichen, excellent climbing nonetheless. Looking forward to trying the one just right of it.
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