Dolphin Head - 5.6

Getting up:
The Dolphin Head start was wet but Southern Exposure we dry so I mostly climbed SE up the dolphin head feature where I set up my belay. Glad I did so! Just after the feature the climb starts to become low angle and would introduce ugly rope drag, the placement/rock quality drops off, and it's nearly another rope length to the summit. The first pitch climbing was pleasant, if just a bit chossy and damp near the bottom. I didn't do the DH start so I'm not sure if it's any easier, but this wasn't TOO bad. Nothing cruxy but just a little thin at the bottom, which you might want to be careful on if it's wet. We didn't find the dolphin head move too tough but harder than the rest of the climb. There might be a few ways to do it (if you look around there is a great jug on top of the "nose" that takes the spice out of pulling up and over). Once up and over the dolphin head, it's pretty much like the scrambly 2nd pitch of Washboard - low angle 4th class with a few low 5th class bits here and there. Watch out for lots of loose/weak rock at this point! Right at the top just below the trees we set up the top belay on we found a scary loose boulder (probably about 100lbs?). All the usual nice views once you get up over the treeline though.

Getting down:
Maybe this would be less hassle in the winter when the brambles were dead and the undergrowth had died back a bit... We could see rap stations to the left (in the big gully/chimney feature near blue balls) and to the right the rap station(s?) for Welcome to Moore's but with all the greenery it was quite difficult to find them; in the end we just bushwhacked our way up right to the main trail and down the Sentinel buttress rappel. This is probably the main reason this area doesn't see as much climbing (that and it's not in the selected climbs guidebook).

Watch out for rotten rock and timber rattler about 50 ft from the top.
http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/snakes/Crohor/Cro_hor.html

Two ways off: bushwack from the top back down to the left to the slings at the top of Blue Balls. Or, walk off right and find the two single rope raps with some downclimbing.

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Led in one pitch and had to retreat (leaving gear) due to a thunderstorm.

Returned the next day to recover gear. This time I set up a belay right before the Dolphin Head move. This worked MUCH better. It's a very comfortable belay and it saves tons of rope drag.

The dolphin head move is pretty tough on lead, especially for a 5.6. Daniel had to break out the ascenders to get past it.

I can't wait to lead it again.