The Last Crusade

Special thanks to Brian Knowles and Brian Prince for their help and to Kevin Deweese for the wealth of information he shared with us about the area.

In February of 2020, Travis Heidepriem, Rob Kennedy and I set out to establish a new ground-up free climb on Higher Cathedral Rock. One month later the park closed due to COVID and shortly thereafter the Summer heat set in and once Fall arrived, the wildfires started to rage across the Sierra. Considering the obstacles, we certainly didn't expect that a route would be completed in 2020, but we kept at it and we were able to squeak-out a team-free ascent in the Fall. Now Higher Cathedral has new free climb which provides an alternate (and high quality) path to access the Crucifix ledge (similar to Mary's Tears). From that ledge, parties can then continue up NEB or Crucifix. A linkup with Crucifix would be proud. 

This route is about 1/3 independent and about 2/3 pre-existing aid pitches which now go free (parts of Learning to Crawl, Generation Gap and Wild Apes). All rivets and old bolts on existing aid route pitches (which are used for this free route) were upgraded to modern 3/8" stainless, including anchors. Two bolts were added to Generation Gap, with the FA permission, in a rock scar (which appeared after the first ascent of that route).

This wall gets morning sun. In the early Summer it goes into the shade at about 2pm, in the Winter it gets very little sun. In the early Spring and late Fall, it goes into the shade around 1pm.

Pitch 1 (40m, 5.10- or 5.11- or 5.11R): Scramble up 3rd and 4th class ledges at the base of Learning to Crawl and either trend left for an aesthetic 5.11R stemming corner or head right, up easier terrain (5.9). Eventually the two paths meet at pitons, face climb past the pitons and either (a) keep going up the corner on dirty rock and step left at the anchor (5.10-), or (b) step-out left onto the face before the dirty rock to a finger crack and a crux (11-) just before the anchor (better option).

Pitch 2 "Path of the Penitent" (30m, 5.11+): Continue up the face via a finger crack and beautifully sculpted crimps. Eventually the crack will disappear and bolts will appear. Clip the bolts as you pass a technical crux and more amazing face climbing on gym-like crimps, to a ledge and a two bolt anchor. Basically sport climbing. 

Pitch 3 "Leap of Faith" (short pitch, 5.9 high traverse or 5.11+ low traverse): For the high traverse, bring only a few large-finger sized cams and traverse the bolt line on jugs and ledges to a short downclimb to the anchor. The follower may leave cams in the crack, which is shared with the start of the next pitch. For the low traverse (no gear needed), get low, like real low, then traverse on slopers and karate kick your way through the crux to the anchor. The start of the low traverse will be heads-up for the follower but the climbing is easy. Both options lead back to Learning to Crawl at its third pitch anchor.

Pitch 4 "The Sport Pitch" (30m, 5.12-):  Climbs straight up the first half of the third pitch of Learning to Crawl and past a blown-out bashie to a bolt with a fixed draw, which extends the original bolt placement just enough to protect the crux move. Double up on .5 cams below the old bashie and bust a few moves to clip the draw. Fire the powerful lieback crux up a shallow crack with a good edge. Small totems, C3s and alloy offset nuts work best on this pitch. Keep it together and clip a fixed pin near the top then make a short face traverse left, clip the bolt with a long sling and traverse back out right on new ground, passing one more bolt, to the anchor on the face. 

Pitch 5 "Respect Your Elders" (40m, 5.11+): Follow the bolt line up cool face features which bring you to a small ledge and a spike at a large rock scar. Get jiggy with the spike while clipping two bolts and climb the awesome corner crack of Generation Gap to an optional anchor. Either stop at the GG anchor and belay (awkward) or keep going up and right past burly roofs and ramps (11+), protected with bolts and gear. Belay at small stance from a semi-hanging bolted anchor. A long and sustained pitch.

Pitch 6 "The Wild Apes Traverse" (20m, 5.11+): This pitch shares its first half with pitch 5 of Wild Apes, then transitions to new terrain until it rejoins Apes at the anchor. From the start, delicately work your way up and right via sporty and airy face-climbing to an old fixed nut. Keep an eye out for gear along the way, specifically a blind BD#1 crack around a bulge (to the Climber’s right). At the old fixed nut, break away from Wild Apes by traversing right via bolts, to a crimp rail at your feet. Drop down on the rail and hand traverse past a seasonally wet water streak, continue up past more bolts to an anchor at a good ledge.

Either rappel here or continue up the grassy 5.9 crack (Wild Apes) to the Crucifix ledge. From the ledge, continue up NEB, Crucifix or Gemini. You may also rappel Mary's Tears from this ledge (2x 60m ropes).

If rappelling (2x 60m ropes), from top of P6, do a 35m rappel to the intermediate anchor near the top of the P5 corner pitch (in corner). From there, rappel 200’ to base of crux pitch (P4), then another 200’ to 3rd class ledges on the ground. 

It may be possible to rappel the whole route with a single 80m rope and maybe even a 70m with some 4th class down climbing at the bottom. These  options would likely require some some swinging shenanigans to access intermediate anchors. The anchor at the base of P5 is not equipped for rappel. 

A few hundred feet to the climber's left of Mary's Tears. The route starts on the first pitch of the aid route, Learning to Crawl.

2x BD .75-#2, 2x Totems or similar (black-purple), 1x smallest sizes of micro cams, 1x alloy offset nuts (yellow and small-blue are good for crux pitch), 2x 60m ropes.