So, what about the two upper bolts shown on the topo (they're around 15 feet left of, and slightly lower than the Crackaphobia anchor? There is a broken-up, narrow ledge between those two bolts and the Crackaphobia anchor. I originally concluded that these two bolts were part of a longer Pigeon Crack "first pitch." Now I am sure I was wrong. Here's why:
8. Why would a climber go from the three-bolt cluster, up over 50 feet of absolutely shit rock (with some stances though) only to stop and put in two more bolts on this ledge? It makes no sense.
9. Instead, picture someone leading Crackaphobia as an aid climb years before its first free ascent by Clint and John. Such an ascent would clearly explain the three fixed pins that Clint found.
10. Then look at the Crackaphobia topos (the one in the 2007 book and Clint's original topo - his original can be found in David Rubine's 1995 guide). David Harden and I tried Crackaphobia in 2006 before the book came out. We thought it was really hard and fairly run out and we didn't' finish it - our retreat 'biner has been in place ever since our attempt. Dave and I also concluded that the Pigeon Turd Trough that Clint showed on his original was class three, but that the distance from it's top to the base of Crackaphobia's actual start was class four, not class three. My topo shows this difference. Then, at the top of the topo, and just like Clint's original, mine shows a 90 foot distance from the top of Crackaphobia to the top of the class four/bottom of Crackaphobia's actual fifth class climbing. But, for some reason I omitted information on my topo that Clint had on his: it is also 165 feet down from the Crackaphobia top anchor to the bottom of Pigeon Turd Trough (i.e. to rappel to a walking point instead of to a point where one would have to down climb the class four and the trough).
11. An aid ascent of what is now Crackaphobia would have been done back when the standard rope length was either 45 or 50 meters. More likely it was done long enough ago that 45 meter (150 foot) ropes were used.
12. Such ropes would not have been long enough to allow a convenient rap back to the ground.
13. If such ascentionists planned on making a bolt anchor for their new route (instead of rappelling from fixed pitons), why not move left on the ledge some? An anchor there allows a much, much shorter rappel (one can rap from the two bolts to a point well up on the ramp that leads to the start of the West Face and to the top of the route Beyond Destiny). Such a rap would be desirable with 45 meter ropes. I haven't measured the distance, but a rap from those two bolts might even allow a single rope rappel with a 50 meter rope (down and left to the same ramp leading to the start of the West Face).
14. I have concluded that those two bolts were left from an earlier, aid ascent of what is now Crackaphobia.
15. As stated above, I have also concluded that no person has ever climbed the Pigeon Crack pitch that I marked in the book, and that the route Pigeon Crack is just the 55 foot long, 5.6 X that I've now led three times.
End of long-winded, but fun explanation, and end of long-lasting but fun investigation.
