PRINT: Rock Climb Indecision, Red River Gorge

Indecision

5.8, Trad, 95 ft (29 m),

Avg: 3 from 99 votes
FA: Ed Griffiths, Jeff Smith, Ken Thompson, 2004
Kentucky > Red River Gorge > Muir Valley > Stadium

Access Issue: Land Owned by Muir Valley Nature Preserve Details

Officially known as Muir Valley Nature Preserve, Muir Valley is one of Red River Gorge's crown jewels. Originally the area was privately owned by Rick and Liz Weber, but in March 2015 the Webers gifted the land to the non-profit Friends of Muir Valley (FOMV), a 501(c)3 organization. FOMV is now 100% responsible for the ownership, in addition to funding and up-keeping the property.
The valley is home to more than 30 separate climbing walls, all open to climbers at no charge, a $15 fee is charged per car for parking to offset maintenance costs.

Some important rules must be followed to ensure future access and enjoyment by all. A complete list can be found at muirvalley.org/tabs/#pills-1 , but the most important are listed below:

All climbers must fill out a legal release form before climbing. muirvalley.org/waiver/ ;
The parking lot described in the directions below is the only permitted parking. Do not park on private drives.
No dogs are allowed in Muir Valley (nor left in your car in the parking lot.)
No hammocks are allowed to be hung/used in Muir Valley.

Description

This is a fun mixed line with a good bit of variety. The start has some questionable rock, but this portion is bolt protected. A great lead for a budding trad leader. Get some good practice placing a variety of gear.

Start from a boulder at a steep bulge. Step up through some easy ledges to the bolt. Clip the bolt and get under the slightly awkward mini roof (crux). Start plugging pro in the crack that leads up and right through some ledges. Follow the crack further up and right until it turns left. Follow the groove/crack to an easy slab section to the two bolt anchor.

A couple of years ago Rick Weber added an optional 2 bolt extension that climbs 25 feet of friction slab to top out the cliff.

Location

From the approach trail turn left when you meet the base of the wall. Head left for about 50'. Right before you duck under to head to the Tradisfaction area the climb starts. There is a tag that also marks the climb. Just left of Walk the Line and Pyscho Billy.

Protection

Single rack, nuts, tricams, many long runners for the gear above. A single bolt protects the opening moves. Two bolt anchor to rappel. Rappel using a 60m rope.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Mary at the steep bulgy start of Indecision.

View from the top is great! (from the very top)
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- 60m option: stop at the first set of anchors, before the steeper bolted slab
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- 70m option: head to the top.

View from the top is great! (from the very top) - 60m option: stop at the first set of anchors, before the steeper bolted slab - 70m option: head to the top.

anchors at the top of the second pitch. top out is a good shaded rest spot, but the climb (5.4 but feels exposed) is lichen and sand covered slab with almost no holds; tread carefully and with comm…

About to finish the first pitch, entering the slabby section.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

michaeltarne

A stick clip isn't a bad idea, but if you've done any sport climbing at all the crux move is very casual- huge jugs the whole way. Once you get up over the roof, there are awesome cracks for a while until they flare out near the top. View from up there is great! Oct 22, 2013

highneed

5.8-

Neglected route needs more traffic, very fun and a unique experience for the RRG climber.v Sep 7, 2016

Douglas Kempthorne
Cincinnati, OH

5.8

Second on the neglected route, it's a great climb. As of Oct 2017, there is now a second pitch that gives an even more amazing view of Muir Valley. Pitch 2 is bolted - 2 bolts to a higher anchor, maybe another 20-30 feet. You can rap from the higher anchor with a 70 meter rope - a 60 meter rope will NOT reach. It could be done a single pitch but the p2 anchor adds a lot of rope drag from the ground. Oct 9, 2017

Tyler M

This route was super fun, great jams, perfect for the budding leader Nov 14, 2020

Jarek Voyles
Beattyville, KY

Stupid fun adventure with a nice variety of styles and pro opportunities. Not at all critical, but you can protect the chill slab run-out after the crack disappears with the occasional pocket horizontal. Take some finger sizes or tricams and you'll chuckle as you sink em in. Good practice!

Be extra cognizant of what you grab around the initial bolt. A hold broke off on my follower and she took a little pendulum ride into the low dihedral. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt. Also, maintain clear communication with your follower, especially if belaying up from the top. The rope drag is manageable but you can't see your climber for most of the route and it can make it difficult to tell if too much slack is in the line. Mar 8, 2021

Nicholas Petikas

Helmet cam footage of me climbing this route: youtube.com/watch?v=zke5q5f…

This line was incredibly fun! Like I saw in another comment, I agree that if this route was at Bruise brothers, there would be a line to get on it all day long. I will upload screenshots to mountain project to give people a better look at this thing. May 1, 2023

Caleb Lee

5.8

Good climb with a great view. Worth continuing past the first set of anchors for a proper top out.
The BD .5 is no longer a fixture in the lower crack. Feb 19, 2024

David K
The Road, Sometimes Chattan…

5.7

The beginning is utterly chill, but a stick clip is still a good idea due to bad rock quality at the bottom: there's always a chance of falling if the rock breaks.

Nevertheless this is a total classic for the grade. The rock quality improves quickly and each bulge is a fun little easy puzzle. The top is an amazing bit of simple slab. There's an extension that takes you to a full top-out of the cliff and it would be a nice place to top belay your follower up and have a picnic date with a gorgeous view of the valley.

Calling this "mixed" is a bit of an overstatement: it's trad with one bolt at the beginning. Bring lots of alpines to extend your pieces, as many of the placements I found are recessed back underneath bulges, so you'll want to extend to avoid rope drag. Apr 18, 2024