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Route Canal
5.10b/c R,
Trad, 120 ft (36 m),
Avg: 2.8 from 11
votes
FA: Bob Hutchinson and Tom Slater, 7-94 on lead on-sight.
California
> Central Coast
> San Luis Obispo
> Bishop Peak
> P-Wall
Description
From the oak tree, start up a face directly below the roof above. At 20' you will pass a bolt and then climb a flaring groove (possible pro). Above this climb past a very small pocket (nut pro) and then cam the roof/flake (double cam it if possible). Then friction up over the roof (steep) and clip. From here (crux), things are mentally easier. Continue up past 5 bolts (5 above roof) to new anchors (not set on FA) near huge flake/corner.
Protection
6 bolts plus gear: small nuts to large cams #3+4 Camalot.
![Revised photo of P Wall. Note the added bolts and unused anchors below Jump For Joy and atop the flake (this was once a natural belay). Also note that the toprope anchors high on P Wall Direct/Hanging Teeth have been removed.<br>
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I have also corrected Route Canal and Hanging Teeth.<br>
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1 - Stage Fright (5.10a), 2 - Indecent Exposure (5.7), 3 - Out of Hangers (5.10a(R)), 4 - Impacted Stool Crack (5.9(R)), 5 - P-Crack (5.8), 6 & 6a - Letterman (5.6), 7 - Black Streak (5.10a(R)), 8 - Jump for Joy (5.9(R)), 9 - Route Canal (5.10b), 10 - Hanging Teeth (5.8(R)), 11 - P-Wall Direct (5.8(R)).]()
[Hide Photo] Revised photo of P Wall. Note the added bolts and unused anchors below Jump For Joy and atop the flake (this was once a natural belay). Also note that the toprope anchors high on P Wall Direct/Han…
![Route Canal notes on old Gulyash guide. Route upgraded to 5.10b due to feedback.]()
[Hide Photo] Route Canal notes on old Gulyash guide. Route upgraded to 5.10b due to feedback.
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I did the FA of this route and we didn't place any 1/4" bolts on the FA in 1994, so I'm not sure what bolt he replaced, but it wasn't on Route Canal. Dec 20, 2008
Arroyo Grande, CA
The rest of the climb is very well equipped, and the crux move definitely isn't harder than 10b by Bishop Peak standards. Jun 20, 2013
Edit: climbed the route today (July 7, 2019) and all the bolts are showing corrosion. They appear to be 3/8" carbon steel Rawl "5-piece" anchors (currently branded as Powers' "Power-bolts"). Jun 14, 2019
Felt hard for 10b. I must be getting soft.
The first section of seam between the first bolt and roof will take a decent blue Totem cam and the second seam section will take a red Totem nicely followed by an orange Master Cam, then a medium nut (small tricam might work) in the pocket before the roof. Also, getting to bolt 1 is not trivial and the gear is very small. Be prepared to be fiddling your placements in, save for the roof section.
Not slinging your gear in the roof will cause pretty severe rope drag, but slinging it will give a bigger fall if you blow it trying to clip the bolt above the roof. Maybe it's best to clip it short for the moves up to the bolt, then once you've clipped the bolt, down-climb to unclip or place a sling on your gear to prevent rope drag.
There is a pretty long run somewhere above the roof (between bolts 3 & 4 maybe) but off to the left is a very good condition stainless bolt. I wasn't sure at the time this bolt was off route, but with a long sling you could take the sting out of the run between bolts 3 & 4. Maybe this is bolt 1 of Jump For Joy, and it could be the one John Knight was referring to replacing, since it is very close to this route.
I'm impressed this route was put up onsight lead and very curious how the bolt above the roof was placed because there is definitely not a stance there. Hooks? Jul 7, 2019
Journal 7-17-94 "Bob Hutchinson and I bolted the first 100' of a new climb on P-Wall we're calling 'Pulling Teeth'. I bolted the first bolt on lead and then he bolted the next three. We have probably have 2 more to go to finish the route. 5.10a."
Journal 7-20-94 "I put in the top bolts on lead. We're calling the route 'Route Canal 5.10a'.Thank God I didn't peel with the drill around my neck. I'm stoked the route is done."
Some memories... I had just put up my first route on Bishop Peak on 7-11-94 called "Fields of Fire 5.9". It was done on lead, per the traditions of Bishop Peak climbing. While up bolting, the grassy field below Shadow Rock caught on fire. There were fire crews up there and a helicopter. Luckily they put it out rather quickly. Thus the name.
As far as Route Canal... Bob was way older than I was and a mentor. He was in the National Guard and was the one that later tipped me off to the untapped potential at Cerro Romualdo. He invited me to do this route with him. He had it scoped out. I remember on the second day of bolting, he handed me the drill and said... "you're up". So I put on the Bosch Bulldog, the bag of bolts and hangers and bits, wrench, hammer, the quickdraws and cams and knew I'd better not screw up pulling the roof or I was going to end up in the hospital. It was easily 20lbs+ of gear. It was great motivation. I placed a piece of pro and a very small nut below the roof (the nut being more for my mental state- I don't believe it would have actually done much for me if I had actually fallen). I do remember we forgot the hammer in the car on one of the bolting days and I had to run back down and get it. I was the apprentice after all. Sending this route was fun and Bob was a rad climber. He reminds me a lot of Ken Klis. He moved away and I lost touch.
The bolts are 25 years old and should be replaced with SS. I do not remember if he used hooks or not to bolt above the roof. I don't believe he did. I do remembering to make sure I had solid pro under the roof because the pro below wasn't great.
I'll try to include our topo. Jul 8, 2019
Arroyo Grande