Hobbit Book 

A really fun route! Fantastic views!

Awesome views!! Beware of hornet nests located around the large boulders at the base of the dome! I was stung on 7/25/07 and it hurt like hell!

A good way to do this route if you're confident on 5.7 terrain: Lead up the corner and build a belay right before the traverse left onto the golden plates. This requires maybe ~60' of simuling w/ a 60m rope. Then lead up the next pitch to the top, which requires maybe 70' of simuling.

Very cool route to end the day on. I wouldn't be so into the hike if your a 5.10 climber. Climb OZ into hobbit book. If your 5.8 climber, the hike would be complimented by the epic view of Tenaya lake and half dome. Not to mention fairview, and Eichorn and pretty much everything else in the meadows!


Approach from OZ: walk off the top of OZ across a small flat area (excellent place to have a lunch!), up a mini talus field to the base of a 4th class traverse. The traverse is mellow, there is one spot that looks unsafe but is protected by holding onto a nice sized pine tree, follow a trenched out path to a large belay ledge.

P1. There are a few options, easy 4th class crack on left is good, committing face move to the right to get up to the belay for pitch one.

P2. nice crack dihedral climbing

P3. Really cool face that climbs on big jugs and nice lock offs.

P4. Traverse left on easy holds to the start of a short crack that leads to the top. Complimented by very nice face holds and feet for the crack. The face climbs great next to the crack and you can place sufficient bomber pieces in the crack as you go. Tops out to a large bath tub/ trench at the top you could easily sit in and belay your follower up.

Walk off the the left. Go off the back side of the dome and then head left where there is a option to go right down a gully or left. Head left! Then at the bottom of the back of the dome on your left in the pines is a very easy 4th class gully that walks down and connects into the OZ trail. Once you are off the slabs and back in front of the climbing area stay close to the base that heads towards oz to avoid quite a bit of bush whacking and marshy muddy areas.

Should be rated PG13, not R. On the third pitch, you can sling plates every 20ft after the bolt until you move back into the corner. All the climbing is secure and the patina is simply amazing!

The plate hauling on pitch 3 is fairly inflated at 5.7, but I suppose grades take a back seat to such an aesthetic section of climbing that just happens to have a 120' fall potential. I think I might actually been nervous if I'd been stopping to tie off plates, but to each their own. The gems of this climb is that 3rd pitch as well as the view at the top, so be sure to talk up the dangerous R section to your partner, wait for their face to turn ashen, and then graciously offer to lead it like the true rock martyr you are.