johnnyb336's Logbook (155 ascents)

This route definitely pushed me to the limit of my abilities. This was my first time on the route and I was determined to onsight it. About ten to fifteen feet after the first bolt, my chances at an onsight were gone as I made my second fall at Stone Mountain. I had an excellent belayer that was using the Stone style of belaying and I only slid 15 to 20 feet. I wear fingerless gloves and I didn't even so much as get a scratch as I slid on the palms of my hands and soles of my shoes. I immediately got back on route and was able to finish without any further troubles. I did receive some beta from a passerby that had toproped the route before and witnessed my slide.

The route begins directly below the first bolt, which is difficult slab with some small holds. I found it to be more difficult climbing from the first to the second bolt. There were a few challenging moves using micro holds. There is a nice, very visable nub below the second bolt, I let out a huge sigh of relief as I grabbed it. From the second bolt, past the third, to the bottom of a large bulge/overhang is much easier climbing. I placed two cams under the bulge - a #1 and #2 BD Camalot. The move up onto the bulge is very tricky and would be very difficult for shorter people. After several minutes of studying and failed attempts, I was able to place my right foot under the bulge on a slightly raised spot, my left foot up high on the bulge on a small hold slightly bigger than a pencil eraser, my left hand above my left foot on a nice thumb hold, and my right hand in a small dish to my right. I used all of these placements together to make a very difficult (for me) mantle move up onto the bulge. Once on the bulge, I aimed for the belay anchors on Rice Krispies, as there was nothing but vegetation directly above me. The moment I finished, a wicked thunderstorm blew in. I was able to get to the ground just as the rain started.

Do not lead this route if you are not well versed in slab or without having a running belay set up below.

This route starts to the right of the normal Pulpit start. There is actually one other alternative start for the Pulpit that is a little more direct. It starts below the second bolt and eliminates the traverse from the first bolt, however, this is not The Sermon even though it appears to be in the "Selected Climbs in North Carolina" guidebook.

The Sermon starts on the left edge of the dark moss streak to the right of The Pulpit and Dirty Crack area. It cannot be missed when walking along the base of the mountain. Follow the dike/crack that trends up to the left. The first holds are easily seen since they are clean spots located in the mossy area. The climbing is fairly easy and there are a few spots where cams or nuts can be placed in the crack. Continue to the end of the dike where a large horn is located and can be slung for protection. From there, move right and up to the first bolt, which has a stainless steel quick link connected to it (from an escape I suspect). Climb up and to the left, while staying underneath a ramp, for the second bolt. The climbing is a little tougher through this section, so use caution. From the second bolt, aim for the first set of belay anchors on the Pulpit. The route stays just to the right of the Pulpit line and does not intersect until the belay. From here, you can continue to climb on the Pulpit or rap. I chose to rappel (single 70M rope) since I have climbed the Pulpit and my belayer really didn't want to second.

I have climbed this route many times, always following the upper crack on the arete, as is described in "Selected Climbs in North Carolina." This method can be easily protected, with only a small section of runout slab.

However, I managed to get a copy of "Dixie Crystals: A Climber's Guide To Stone Mountain, North Carolina." This guide describes the route as following the left-facing crack below the arete. So, I decided to try it this way instead. I found the crack very easy to follow with better than average holds. In fact, I didn't bother placing any protection until reaching the top of the crack before making the transition to the top of the arete on the right. Once moving up onto the slab, follow unprotected rock to a low spot in the overlap. I set a single cam below the overlap before proceeding. There are ample holds above the overlap to make the transition easy. Then, just follow nicely featured rock to the double belay anchors. This is one of the easier routes at Stone.

I took my first Stone fall on this route about a month ago. I slipped within inches of reaching the U shaped bowl and hit the ground. I was able to slow the fall by allowing my left pant leg to drag on the rock. Luckily, I landed mostly in the dirt. I had a few holes in my pants and some small scrapes on my fingers but nothing more. This time I was able to climb cleanly to the belay anchors with no troubles, my belayer declined to follow.

The mistake I made before was climbing slightly left of the bowl. This time I climbed directly under the bowl and maybe slightly right, where the holds were a little better. I was able to awkwardly place several smaller cams in the bowl, slinging them all together in the hopes that something would hold. From there, I climbed straight up towards a bulge with a small horizontal crack underneath of it. The climbing is steep and intimidating but there are ample mini holds. Do not trend left, there is a nice looking left-facing corner system with ample protection opportunities that is very enticing, however, it is not the correct line and is considerably easier.

There is a nice stance below the large bulge to allow you plenty of time to jam some cams underneath the small horizontal ledge and to rest. Bring cams that work well in shallow placements. The largest I used was a .75 BD and I was able to stick two small C3s further up into the crack. I used several due to the crummy placements, again slinging them all together. The climbing up over the bulge is steep and fairly difficult. I made a slight traverse to the 3rd bolt on Captain Crunch and clipped it for extra protection. Traverse back left and head straight up to the double belay anchors up above the large depression in the rock. Stay on the left side of the depression through much easier climbing than was found below.

Lead the route in a single pitch while still mostly in the shade. The route starts between WOSL and Captain Crunch. There are no bolts but there is a very obvious crack leading up to the left with grass and small trees growing out of it. The crack is very dirty and does not provide the holds that would be expected of a crack its size. There is also a tree limb growing across the lower section of the route, which I slung for protection before climbing over it. I was able to place a few cams in the crack for protection and slung a few more small pine trees further up. I mostly slab climbed beside the crack rather than using the crack for holds. The upper section of the route is covered in trees and bushes and I am not really sure where the original line would have ended. I had two choices, go left and end at the Rice Crispies belay, or go right just below the bushes to an opening beside a large pine tree. The right looked more like the proper line. It was a bit runout from the last protection and the climbing was a little difficult due to the large amounts of debris on the rock but it was still fun. I had to climb up over the roots of the pine tree to reach the tree ledge. There was a nice tree to sit on and use for a belay just above the end of the rock. The route is a little difficult and needs to be cleaned up. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are just trying to complete every route at Stone.

This was the third of four routes we climbed today in blistering heat. Again, I lead the entire route. We used the standard approach and climbed to the first bolt on Great Brown Way. I plugged a few cams into the flakes for added protection before clipping the bolt. It can be a little tricky actually getting to the bolt, so be safe. From there, a traverse is required to reach the arete. I found the traverse to be a bit intimidating and proceeded with much caution. Once on the arete, I felt at ease and clipped a single bolt on the way to the first belay. There is a small traverse to the left involved in reaching the belay since it is shared with Great Brown Way.

For the second pitch, traverse back to the arete and follow it to a bolt at a water groove. From there, follow the groove to the top. There was one more bolt in the groove and another set of belay anchors before reaching the top. The route is only supposed to have two pitches, so I do not know why there is another set of belay anchors. I clipped in for protection and continued to the double belay at the top. The only problem I encountered was the poor quality of the rock on the second pitch. Everywhere I stepped seemed to crumble due to the loose rock. Of course, I may just be too heavy for this type of rock. With the additional set of belays, we were able to make three raps back to the tree ledge with a single 70M rope.

Lead all three pitches in miserable heat. This is a really nice slab route that gets a bad rap for runout, however, it is actually quite mild. The route starts to the left of No Alternative. The first bolt is visible from the base of the route and is more than a few feet up. We took a straight line from the tree ledge to the bolt and the quality of the rock was very surprising. There are ample mini ledges to provide holds and the rock is very sturdy. The two bolts leading up to the flake provided just enough protection and I never felt the need for more. I think the high heat also helped my shoes stick better.

The second pitch goes slightly right off the belay flake. The line stays to the left of No Alternative. A bolt can be seen above some small overlaps from the flake. There is another double bolted belay at the top of the second pitch, then no protection the rest of the way. I decided to keep going at the belay station and continue to the top. There is one last set of double belay/rappel rings at the very top. I'm not sure if they belong to this route or not but there is no indication from the guidebook that any other route ends here. Using a 70 meter rope, I ended up being 30 to 40 feet shy of reaching the final set of anchors and had to do a little simul climbing.

Even though the first pitch had excellent rock, the same could not be said of the final two pitches. Almost everywhere I stepped, the rock crumbled under my feet. I never felt afraid or slipped but I had to constantly clean my shoes to keep traction. I usually rub my shoes against my pant leg to keep them clean but I wore shorts (not very bright if there is a fall) on this occasion. Instead, I wore socks to rub my shoes against. Overall, I think this a really nice lead climb and there is no need to fear the runouts. Remember, No Alternative is just to the right and can provide an easy escape route if it becomes too much.

Lead all five pitches. Only the first two are even remotely difficult and they are generously bolted by Stone Mtn standards. The route wanders a lot but the line is fairly easy to follow. I do recommend using a guidebook.

The first pitch is very easy to follow due to multiple bolts. On the second pitch, when reaching the ledge just above the second bolt, the guidebook shows the route traversing left until below the belay, then going straight up. Some climbers do not go this way, instead going straight up from the ledge and traversing left when even with the belay.

The third pitch is very easy until the traverse right across a water groove to the Oasis. A cam can be inserted under the left facing corner system before the water groove. There is a spot where a .5 Camalot fits nicely. From there, traverse directly across the water groove into the lower edge of the Oasis. If the groove is wet, it will be very slipperly due to the smoothness of the rock. Use caution, as your cam placement is the only protection.

From the Oasis, head up towards the belay on Grand Funk and clip it for protection. Then follow the slab up to the large flake called the Pulpit. The belay loops are on top of the flake. The last pitch leads from the flake to the top of the mountain and really doesn't need protection. The upper three pithes could be considered runout but the ease of the climbing makes it a non-issue.

Lead all pitches to the top. This route provides an excellent slab lead but it is very similar to many of the other routes in the section of rock between The Great Arch and No Alternative. I have seen other climbers top-roping this route but it seems a bit too easy for this style of climbing. There were ample mini ledges to follow between the bolts. The rock was of excellent quality until connecting with Yardarm and its loose crystals.

I started on the small crack that is slightly left of the line. It will hold smaller cams if needed. From there, I just followed a mostly straight line through the two bolts up to the rappel anchors at the top. This route is a little hairy for a 5.8 and should be climbed with caution. The climbing really isn't that bad for a slab route and having the second bolt does give the climber more confidence. If your nerves get the best of you, it is possible to traverse right and finish on Entrance Crack.