KC and I had a fun weekend climbing on our own and hanging in camp with the AAC folks.
We headed down Friday afternoon and got our camp set up.
After setting up we headed out for a little climb time before settling in for the evening.
Tourist Trap made sense for something short and I had been wanting to check out Plumber's Crack.
Turned out to be a pretty fun climb and a good one to get on cold.
The gear wasn't the greatest but the rock and features were pretty cool.
We thought it had a decent variety of movements and good stances.
I sewed it up the best I could.
KC had fun following.
JC on Plumber's Crack 5.7
We were both hungry, thirsty for some tasty beverages and anxious to see who would be there from the AAC, so we packed up and headed down to the car. The aroma of pizza filled the car - we had stopped and picked one up in Watsonville. While we were taking our gear off, I saw a squirrel running down the hill but didn't pay much attention. We had both the front doors open with the pizza on the passenger side floor. I looked up and saw the squirrel in the car on the driver's side floor looking hungry! KC screamed and scared it away and we laughed all the way down to the campground.
We were pleased to discover that the AAC sites were arranged on the loop by the bathroom just a half dozen spaces from ours.
We met Terry, Shawn, and Max. Riddell (the organizer) showed up a little while later. Bert showed up a little while after that - we remembered him from Pinecrest. We all sat around eating, drinking and sharing stories.
Saturday morning KC and I headed up to Marmot rocks.
The group folks had their sights set on the Monolith, Discovery and the Upper Crust.
We got a bit off track on the upper part of the approach but didn't lose too much time.
It took us a while to figure out where to start the Regular Route since you can't really see much from the ground.
SPOILER ALERT
The lower part of the route is pretty weird and the gear placements are a bit scary.
It has some committing moves but most are chimney-like or stemming so it feels fairly secure.
The step across to the face is committing as well (but well protected) and leads to what I thought was some pretty thin slabby climbing for 5.6. I used long runners on every gear placement and every bolt. The bolts runout way before the climb does and the rock quality deteriorates higher up in the runout. I remembered the last bit from when I led Marmot with a Hand Grenade.
In retrospect I wish I had belayed KC up to the step across and done this one in two pitches - that way she could have seen me do the upper part and had an easier time following that section. The first two bolts on the face are close together and could easily be used to arrange a belay. Doing the climb in two pitches would also negate the need for long runners and make the climbing safer.
Thanks to Bruce and Clint for rebolting this route!
The anchor rebolt is nice too - although one of the bolts didn't quite fully seat and the hanger is loose.
JC on the step across from little to Big Marmot that starts the upper pitch.
KC was having a bad day and got a bit overwhelmed on the Regular Route.
She had some trouble on the lower part but still managed to make it up with just a few scrapes.
I think she may have climbed a little too high on the face before traversing - because she was pretty spooked on that too - of course there was no way for me to see her...
We rapped off the new anchor and took a break in the shade.
After a short rest we went to explore some of the other climbs.
We found Misty Mountain Hop and got a little Led for our heads.
SPOILER ALERT
This climb is fun but I perceived a serious groundfall potential between bolts 1 and 2.
I saw no pro placements or slingable knobs in that section.
The wandering nature of the line suggests a long runner on bolt one - which makes it even worse.
I'm sure you could get away without the long runner but there would probably be some pretty decent rope drag up higher.
I felt safer after bolt 2. I'm pretty sure it was bolts 2 and 4 that were showing some heavy rust.
I only took a pic of bolt 4 after "finding" it.
I expected to see it above me on the last short headwall but it is actually at the base of the wall.
When I moved up looking for it - I found it at my feet.
Not unlike most of the 5.6's - this is a "no fall" route but the climbing is interesting and exciting and in a few spots.
I thought it might make a good onsight for KC after looking over the book but she said she was glad she didn't try it.
We had a nice climb and decided to call it a day.
JC making some of the exciting moves after bolt 2
We got a little off track on the way down but didn't go far before we figured out our mistake.
The highlight of the approach was seeing a huge white owl fly out of a cave on the way up.
Back in camp we had some good food and beer/wine - plus the camaraderie of some new arrivals.
I finally got to meet Larry Arthur and Jane from Mountain Tools. I have talked to him on the phone and emailed pretty frequently since getting back into climbing.
Joe D was there hanging with the group after spending the day climbing with Gavin.
Riddell raffled off some swag later in the evening and KC won a nice little soft cooler. I scored an AAC t-shirt - sweet!
Sunday morning we broke camp early, had breakfast and decided to go get some stars.
We got a spot in the upper lot and saw Larry and Jane.
They were off to do something mellow and then head home early like us.
I have always been intimidated by Rat Race so I knew it was time!
I've had some folks suggest I toprope it first before leading it but all the mud masters suggested I get on it and sew it up.
Guess which advice I took? I mean - c'mon - it's a 3 star classic!
Brad - you would have been proud of me - I got nearly every big cam off my rack before making the crux move.
I used my #4 at the top of the crack as a directional for KC to follow.
I had a green alien, 3/4 through #6 camalots and a couple nice nut placements in.
As I got closer to the roof, I became increasingly anxious.
I felt perplexed but I knew I'd never be able to solve the puzzle until I got up there to check it out.
I steadied myself under the roof and took my time getting in all the pro I could - analyzing, placing, visualizing.
As I worked my way out from under the roof I put a piece of my most precious pro in the crack above the roof for the crux move - a bomber thumbs down hand jam.
I locked off and swung around to get my feet up on the wall - HOLY CRAP!
For a split second I felt like I was dangling in space - I got my feet back under me and psyched myself up - looking at exactly where I knew I needed to put my feet on the wall.
A deep breath and a couple cranking moves and I was up - whew! That was WILD!!
JC taking a breather after the crux on Rat Race 5.7***
KC followed. She was sailing right up until she got under the roof.
I'm not sure if it was a reach issue or if she was missing some crucial hold, but she couldn't quite pull it off.
She was so close at one point - it looked like just a final push and she would have made it.
It was still a great effort and a fun morning.
