Junior Achievement 

You need a 20' piece of sling/cord for the rap off the summit. However, we put in a new sling today (5/30/2002) and there is another older sling for backup, so this should be OK for a few years.

This route has sections of fantastic rock and great climbing, but also some bat guano right at the crux and much loose rock near the top. In other words, normal trad adventure climbing!

FA actually Dan Vasicek and Bob Cormack, 1972. Dan Vasicek and Gerry Roach tried route in 1971, but avoided the "threatening dihedral" by moving right up ramp, etc (the route in Gerry's guide book). The route was not named, however, until Dan came back the next year and (with Cormack) pushed straight up from the bottom (dihedral, etc.) -- this crack had fascinated Dan ever since he first saw it several years before. The name relates to the mental strain of having to go as far as possible on each (usually very good) hold before finding the next good (but usually hidden) hold. The route was originally rated 5.5, but has been progressively upgraded: People who expected it to be easy (5.5) have often been put off by the aforementioned mental effort required, while those who expected it to be harder (e.g., 5.8) are pleasantly supprised by the quality and security of the holds. The unusual quality of the route (given it's steepness) is that it can be climbed on simple and secure holds, if one is willing to search for them.

The original rappel was from two very secure pins in an expanding flake. The pins walked out a millimeter every rappel and had to be regularly re-driven. The last time I climbed Overhang rock, the pins had been allowed to work themselves over half-way out. 50 or 60 whakes with a nut-hammer re-set them, but it was obvious that people were no longer maintaining them -- probably just as well that the anchor is now slings.

Bob Cormack

This feels somewhat reminiscent of the desert for some reason, maybe the rock. P1 is probably gonna be tough for anyone 5 ft 6 in or less. A #4 Camalot is helpful at the start. From the guano'ed jug, a long reach up & L to a great finger pocket seemed to be the ticket. P2 felt full value 8 to a chicken, non-13a, Denver-Boulder climber not used to wide cracks. There is a small tree with slings & rings at the top of P2, though an easy traverse to the summit is quite pleasant.