Send-tember gave way to Rock-tober and now November (no clever wordplay, sorry). I got out and did a bit of climbing, managed to work things so that the government shutdown didn't affect my activities too much (i.e. found non-Yosemite fun).
Here goes a quick rundown of some of the climbing in recent memory, with lots of links, but no original photos...
Guadalupe Rock (5 Oct 2013, guides include Bay Area Rock by Thornburg or Rock Climbing Guide to the Castle Rock Area)
Blocky rock, grimy in places that had been covered by water, with non obvious holds. It was fun enough, and the stream was at a trickle, so worth it for the 1hr just before dusk that we visited. As it turns out, that was a nice time to view the local wildlife (birds, deer, etc)
Bolt Line (5.7)
Guadalupe Crack (5.9)
Yosemite Valley (19-20 Oct 2013)
Miwok Dike (5.10c)
We didn't climb without falling, so can't really claim the second ascent, but I think we were the first folks to get out there without Luke. After his enthusiastic blog post (linked above) and in person discussion, I can definitely say that the route lived up to expectations. Fantastic position, fun and well protected slab climbing, and not a soul in sight. Get after it!
You can find a little more approach beta here and a printable text-only version of Luke's route descriptions here.
Commitment (5.9) and Jamcrack (5.9)
Bennett and I swapped leads starting on Commitment and over to Jamcrack. I thought the crux of the day was the first move on Commitment (if you don't use the tree) and the roof was just fun. I was having a good day, I suppose. After climbing the first pitch many times, I finally continued to the second pitch of Jamcrack. Better than the first, I thought, and well worth it. Of course, TRing the 5.10 climbs at the base is a great way to end the day in that area. After a couple laps, I can almost believe leading those routes. Almost.
Woodfords/Lover's Leap (26-27 Oct 2013)
I drove from the Bay early on a Saturday morning to meet up with Eric, Galina, Bennett, and Claire to climb on the sunny side Woodford's Canyon at the Fortress.
We started on the Perfect Lieback (5.8) and set a TR on the Sun Wall (10b/c), both highly recommended. Boulder Than You Think (5.9+) was delicate and interesting, plus there's an OW/chimney just left (5.9?) that was worth a few grunts.
Some older route information can be found in an old guide and was also highlighted in the inaugural (Summer 2012) issue of California Climber.
Sunday brought us to Lover's Leap. Since we were a good sized group, we headed to the Hogwild crag (also in the South Lake Tahoe Supertopo guide). We climbed just about everything in the Supertopo, with the highlights being Accessory Dogs (10a), slightly heady but well protected cruxes, and Mixologist (10a), bolt at the crux and cruiser crack above. The namesake Hogwild (5.7) felt tough for the grade with slightly tricky pro to prevent running it out (70m or 2 40m ropes to rap)
Joshua Tree (9-11 Nov 2013)
I should probably write a whole post about the 5th annual JTree Tweetup, but knowing me I won't get around to it. Once other folks start posting pictures (I took exactly none), I may post a few links. The highlight for me was the last day, climbing Pope's Crack (5.9), a climb that's stuck in my mind since I firsttop roped flailed on it a couple years ago. Leading felt easy this time, except for one section where I failed to use small edges on the face for a try or two. I'm looking forward to heading back for the direct finish (10c). Also worth mentioning is Head Over Heals (10a) very fun, and possible to set a top rope by scrambling around to the right and then up the back.
Pine Canyon (17 Nov 2013, guide: Bay Area Rock by Thornburg)
Having never visited, the description in the Thornburg guide looked too good to pass up. The approach information was straightforward and easy to follow. Overall, the "choss factor" mostly describes sand and bird droppings. There were some thought-inducing holds, but nothing broke off in our hands. The climbing felt more adventurous than Castle Rock, with much more of a traditional flavor, even on bolted routes.
Prelude (5.6) - sandy but a decent warmup. Single rack 0.5" to 2" will cover you. There's a single bolt on top, so a 2.5-3" piece will help a top rope setup.
Cave Route (5.8) - fun movement at the start and the classic exit at the top. Break into two pitches if you want to eat lunch in the cave, otherwise easily done in one pitch.
The Pillar (5.8) - PG13, but still recommended if you don't mind a little spice. Stay on the lefthand bolts at the top. Single is plenty, no nuts needed. Lots of desiccated bird droppings in the crack, but otherwise enjoyable. Can be done as a single pitch.
Here goes a quick rundown of some of the climbing in recent memory, with lots of links, but no original photos...
Guadalupe Rock (5 Oct 2013, guides include Bay Area Rock by Thornburg or Rock Climbing Guide to the Castle Rock Area)
Blocky rock, grimy in places that had been covered by water, with non obvious holds. It was fun enough, and the stream was at a trickle, so worth it for the 1hr just before dusk that we visited. As it turns out, that was a nice time to view the local wildlife (birds, deer, etc)
Bolt Line (5.7)
Guadalupe Crack (5.9)
Yosemite Valley (19-20 Oct 2013)
Miwok Dike (5.10c)
We didn't climb without falling, so can't really claim the second ascent, but I think we were the first folks to get out there without Luke. After his enthusiastic blog post (linked above) and in person discussion, I can definitely say that the route lived up to expectations. Fantastic position, fun and well protected slab climbing, and not a soul in sight. Get after it!
You can find a little more approach beta here and a printable text-only version of Luke's route descriptions here.
 |
| The second pitch of Miwok Dike (credit: Luke Stefurak) |
Bennett and I swapped leads starting on Commitment and over to Jamcrack. I thought the crux of the day was the first move on Commitment (if you don't use the tree) and the roof was just fun. I was having a good day, I suppose. After climbing the first pitch many times, I finally continued to the second pitch of Jamcrack. Better than the first, I thought, and well worth it. Of course, TRing the 5.10 climbs at the base is a great way to end the day in that area. After a couple laps, I can almost believe leading those routes. Almost.
Woodfords/Lover's Leap (26-27 Oct 2013)
I drove from the Bay early on a Saturday morning to meet up with Eric, Galina, Bennett, and Claire to climb on the sunny side Woodford's Canyon at the Fortress.
We started on the Perfect Lieback (5.8) and set a TR on the Sun Wall (10b/c), both highly recommended. Boulder Than You Think (5.9+) was delicate and interesting, plus there's an OW/chimney just left (5.9?) that was worth a few grunts.
 |
| The Perfect Lieback (credit: Mountain Project) |
Sunday brought us to Lover's Leap. Since we were a good sized group, we headed to the Hogwild crag (also in the South Lake Tahoe Supertopo guide). We climbed just about everything in the Supertopo, with the highlights being Accessory Dogs (10a), slightly heady but well protected cruxes, and Mixologist (10a), bolt at the crux and cruiser crack above. The namesake Hogwild (5.7) felt tough for the grade with slightly tricky pro to prevent running it out (70m or 2 40m ropes to rap)
Joshua Tree (9-11 Nov 2013)
I should probably write a whole post about the 5th annual JTree Tweetup, but knowing me I won't get around to it. Once other folks start posting pictures (I took exactly none), I may post a few links. The highlight for me was the last day, climbing Pope's Crack (5.9), a climb that's stuck in my mind since I first
Pine Canyon (17 Nov 2013, guide: Bay Area Rock by Thornburg)
Having never visited, the description in the Thornburg guide looked too good to pass up. The approach information was straightforward and easy to follow. Overall, the "choss factor" mostly describes sand and bird droppings. There were some thought-inducing holds, but nothing broke off in our hands. The climbing felt more adventurous than Castle Rock, with much more of a traditional flavor, even on bolted routes.
 |
| Evolution 10b/c, with the top of The Pillar in the background. (Credit: Mountain Project) |
Cave Route (5.8) - fun movement at the start and the classic exit at the top. Break into two pitches if you want to eat lunch in the cave, otherwise easily done in one pitch.
The Pillar (5.8) - PG13, but still recommended if you don't mind a little spice. Stay on the lefthand bolts at the top. Single is plenty, no nuts needed. Lots of desiccated bird droppings in the crack, but otherwise enjoyable. Can be done as a single pitch.
No comments:
Post a Comment