melvins wheel - 5.8

Great sustained 5.8 although rated in my guidebook 5.8+ and it felt like it. First pitch was awesome finger-crack pulling a small roof with a bomber chock stone, easily protectable. The second pitch is straight up hand crack, and requires you trust your jams...quality crack up to a roof with an offwidth. The 3rd pitch pulls the roof using the offwidth, which required some awkward moves and grunt-work. Once beyond this you have not so fun chimney (I'm not a fan of chimneys), I had trouble finding protection and was highly run-out...my guide book said 5.8 and it felt like it. The chimney levels out to a large flat and sheltered ledge where I belayed my second up to. Then their is a very small section up the continues back and over a myriad of flakes, with a somewhat substantial tranverse over a gap that didn't excite my second. You'll find some newer looking rap anchors there to a large ledge only 20 feet below...continue rapping down to your right (off right side of ledge when facing rap-line)below there is a boulder wrapped with slings that is invisible from above, halfway down the gully. I rapped into gully and thought it was down climb-able (not a fun down climb)...I got half way down and found the second rap station mentioned above