cracksniffer's Logbook (15 ascents)

I didn't find any decent protection opportunities on this route until just before the top, 40' (?) off the ground. Perhaps I was off route, but it didn't seem like it. It would also be nice if anchors still existed on top (they have been pulled). Rappelling off the anchors on the north face is challenging if not dangerous because of how far they are below the lip.

Although 5.7, this is an adventurous climb that would best be avoided by entry-level climbers.

Varied moves. Not the sort of climb you can just cruise up, and not exactly an easy 5.8. At some crags, this route would be a 5.10.

Very enjoyable with interesting moves and slightly challenging protection.

A very nice moderate route with a well-protected crux. Mandatory (but very easy) runout to tree anchor, from which most people bail left into the gully using one rope. Rap down the gully as far as you can and then scramble down the rest.

Some technical face moves right off the ground lead to a perfect crack which starts at about 2" and pinches down to nice finger locks. The crack splits at one point and in between is a loose but \"puzzle-pieced\" in block of rock. Kind of interesting--if you jam your fingers on either side you can feel it move back and forth. This is probably best avoided when freesoloing this route...

We spent about 3 and a half days on the route, the first afternoon spent fixing pitches 1 and 2. Rattlesnake under some rocks at the base prompted Jerry Dodrill and I to sleep on his portaledge 3 feet off the ground. Day 2 got us up to the base of the Black Tower; new bolt ladder on pitch 5 was a nice surprise. Jerry led the scary Tower pitch and tried not to think about that pointy thing going up his... I led the Nipple first thing in the morning on day 3. Scariest pitch for me on the route was 12 by far. Seemed to take forever and I didn't like all that loose stuff. Bivied at the top of 13, and topped out mid-day on day 4. Luckily Chris Macnamara was climbing behind us much of the time and lent us a big cam for P14 and showed us how to get down the east ledges.

Awesome route! Actually, I think I onsighted this one but I'm not 100% sure. Not sure on the exact date either, but it was in July.

A nice, steep, somewhat traversing line. Got it on my second or third try after working the moves.

My hardest tick, even though it's probably .12c or easier if you're tall and can dyno out left at the crux. I saw others go direct and it looked sick. Whatever. Still took me 3 days of effort over several weeks. I recommend it to tall people who wanna spray about having done a .13 even though they'll probably never do another one (i.e., people like me).

Yikes!! that 1st pitch offwidth!