The Trough 

My first route on the Big Stone. In the winter, this is a great ice climb! Bring a couple baby angles and LAs for the pitch after the tree.

First lead ever.

This is a great first lead route.
For it's rating it's fun enough with a few challenges to keep your interest. The friction descent is common sense route finding to get you back down. I was concerned until I saw and did it.

For a bit of historical perspective,

This climb was the original definition of 5.0

So it was my first trip up there and I was looking for the shoes that were still on my feet. I finally realized this after a few minutes and the guy doing Jam Crack right next to us, with a glint of knowing in his eye, says, "Sounds like it's gonna be a REALLY good adventure."

Fun climb, anyone could do it high.

I remember climbing this several years back and I'm sitting at the first belay and I see Michael Reardon soloing Piton Pooper. He made it look like a walk in the park. About five minutes later I'm still at the first belay and he's downclimbing The Trough. We talked for a couple minutes (I gave him the whole "Oh my gosh, your Michael Reardon!" treatment) and when I leaned to the side to let him by he told me to stay put because he was in my way! He downclimbed past me again at the second belay and we talked some more. He had such a humble and mellow manner about him. He was truly inspiring, not just for how he climbed but for how he treated a guy who was using gear to climb UP what he was soloing down.

Rack: I was fine with a set of nuts and 6 cams between 0.3 and 4. Also long slings to reduce ropedrag and belay of trees.

Communication on pitch 3 is hard/impossible if you go the full 50 meters to the big tree (start of 4th class).

soloing is such a personal experience, i just don't get how one can recommend any climb as a great first freesolo. pretty slow times you posted too... just trying to figure out how any of this free solo info is relevent. forums are great place to spray...

First multi-pitch a year ago and first lead with a less experienced climber today. The second pitch seems...awkward and harder in places than I remembered. Maybe the pressure of the day today. Still a stellar day and a stellar climb.

Easier than 5.4 and never exposed, it would be an excellent first lead. It should be mentioned that the final pitch goes up behind the big pine tree.

This was my first lead as well, did it way back in 88. Very enjoyable and clean.

First time on this route. Led the 1st 2 pitches on 4.10.12. There were snow and some areas on the 2nd pitch was wet. Super fun!!

Just climbed this today, 5.12.13 (did it a couple of time a few years ago). Route is nice and dry with a couple of wet spots deep in some of the cracks. Great intro for tahquitz. There are a couple of challenging moves for its rating;

1. Second Pitch - coming out of the 1st belay. protectable but awkward. takes gear well.
2. Third pitch - offwidth midway thru. difficult first move to get in the offwidth.
3. Fourth Pitch - going above of pine tree ledge (perfect place for lunch BTW), some face moves with minimal protection. One or two committing moves here but then protectable.

For a new leader, this is not a cakewalk but very protectable and enjoyable.