Quest for Mud (Special Edition)

[NOAL]

Mr Mud would re use them.

  For a vest.  There's no other logical conclusion.

[JC w KC redux]

The quest continued yesterday with a couple 5.9's.
First was a return to Once Around The Backside. That is a really fun climb but a bit tricky reading the holds. Once you figure it out - it's really good. There is some loose stuff left of the bolt line, where you can tell people have been trying to go (and ripping off all kinds of stuff). I think people try to go that way to avoid the crux. The climbing is really nice but the bolts feel a little left of the best line (it was originally done on aid for the first 2 bolts). If you stay right, the rock is really good and the movement is interesting. Definitely a star-worthy route. Well protected, excellent rock, fun and interesting movement. Rubine had it at 10 (no letter designation) with one star. Brad has it at 9 with no star. I'd say 5.9* and KC agrees - although it felt 10a to her (it's reach dependent, so harder for shorter folks). 

We looked at, but decided not to clog our Bong with a Load of Ash (save it for later - plus it was in full sun).
We opted instead for a trip up to the High Peaks to do Gavin's freshly bolted new route Dangling Participle 5.9*
Fun route and got to snake Brad in the process (coveted 2nd ascent).  

 

[JC w KC redux]

beano is the master of photoshop - she kindly rotated this photo into a proper orientation for me - many thanks!

Now I am off to see the wizard (of another sort)...

[JC w KC redux]

Noal and I got out yesterday and spent some time in the shade.
We got started a little early for Halloween by climbing Casper. (skip the next part and go to the pictures if you don't want the details).
Noal and I looked at the route last weekend on the way to Numbskulls Needle and decided it would be prudent to return with a bigger rack. I was very glad I did, since one side of the crack is nice and hard and the other side is mostly crumbly crap.
Every time I went to place a piece, the upper side of the crack would crumble/mildy disintegrate - very disturbing.
There might have been a couple pieces I would have actually trusted to hold a fall. The others might slow you down.
I had a double rack from green alien to #3 camalot and one #4. I placed everything but one red, gray and green alien. There were also a few spots where large stoppers might have worked, tricams and a #5 and/or #6 cam (none of which I had).
It is impossible to see the larger sections of the upper crack from the ground where the big stuff might work.
There came a point where I grew weary of placing yet another so-so piece and just focused on climbing to the next stance.
On the upside, the face you're climbing (on the right) has some really good rock. I uncovered more than a few good holds that were covered with thick green moss and dirt.  

We spied what we thought was tat at the anchor last weekend and I took binocs to look yesterday. There was a huge wad of tat threaded and tied into the three anchor bolts. One bolt appears to be a 5 piece (or an insert) and the other two are studs. No way to tell what type. The studs are covered in some type of white goop - it wasn't bird poop because it was nowhere but on the studs and nuts. The two outer bolts are tight, the middle is a little loose (I couldn't get a good purchase on the nut with a wrench to tighten it). All three hangers are SMC stainless. I cut loose all the tat and put a screwlink with a carabiner on all three bolts.

Here's a couple pics

Working up the first half





Getting near the last good stance for decent gear before the run to the anchor. The rock on the left finally starts to feel solid up here and you're faced with a choice between continuing up and right - then traversing back left or climbing straight up on steep, knobby rock to the anchor. I chose the latter. Either way is committing and a bit hairy.    





Casper anchor cleaned up - thanks to climberdude for the leaver biners - he left these on Proclamation's South Summit when he and I climbed that route. I re-claimed them when I returned and rebolted the anchor on Proclamation's South Summit.





Noal enjoying the moss and dirt one last time as he rappels Casper. Have you climbed your salad lately?




I want to thank Noal for coaching me on this one  

[NOAL]

Good job JC!   What a mossy, dirt filled, filthy climb. (I kinda liked it tho.)

Lots of flies too. Not much wind so flies at the base, flies 50 feet off the ground, flies AND yellowjackets in the parking lot water fountain.  At least they like to bite JC not me!

[Tuff Chik]

Good job JC!   What a mossy, dirt filled, filthy climb. (I kinda liked it tho.)

Lots of flies too. Not much wind so flies at the base, flies 50 feet off the ground, flies AND yellowjackets in the parking lot water fountain.  At least they like to bite JC not me!

Thanks Noal for following this one - not something I really wanted to climb.

[Brad Young]

Wow, it must have been a treat to climb it when it was actually dry!

Will you ever go back and re-climb it so as to re-bolt the anchor?

[JC w KC redux]

Wow, it must have been a treat to climb it when it was actually dry!
Will you ever go back and re-climb it so as to re-bolt the anchor?

More like trick or treat.

Negatory on a repeat. Anchor is fine.

[NOAL]

[beanolar]

John asked me to rotate these for him too.
Way to up the grade, dude!

[Brad Young]

Beanolars! Long time no hear from. Looking forward to another long season of randomly adding "s" to things and places!

[JC w KC redux]

John asked me to rotate these for him too.
Way to up the grade, dude!

Oh great - another comedian in the bunch.
You should join clink and F4 on their world tour.

[NOAL]

That bottom is how caspar really looks.  I have a bad habit of tilting the camera. Thanks for fixing.

[JC w KC redux]

That bottom is how caspar really looks.  I have a bad habit of tilting the camera. Thanks for fixing.

The bandwagon effect.

beano - I will take you down to Casper at PCAD and you can lead it for your first time back on the sharp end at Pinns.

[Brad Young]

^^^

EDIT

I'll gladly help with belays and harassment.

Oh how we loved Beanolars.

[beanolar]

EXCELLENTS. CANT WAIT TO SEE YOUS GUYS AT THE PCADS.

John, is this the bolt ladder route? Sounds good to me! You know how I hate runouts.

[JC w KC redux]

John, is this the bolt ladder route? Sounds good to me! You know how I hate runouts.

Still playing the comedian I see.
You can read my trip report to Kim for a bedtime story.

[JC w KC redux]

was on the west side yesterday and rebolted Sombrero

Should be an interesting lead since the first bolt is too low and the second is too high (it was originally a two bolt, bolt ladder that went free). Reminds me of the Third Sister.

I'm quoting myself and correcting myself.
I pulled off Sombrero today after 5 tries.
It is nothing like Third Sister.

If you have the reach and the stamina, you can clip the second bolt before powering through the crux.
Now that I know the secrets, I could do it again.

No way I would rate it 5.8
Shorter people will put it somewhere in the 10 range.
I'd like to see Jennifer Wang give it a shot - Kat said she would too.
Kat couldn't reach the key holds, or by the time she manged to - it was game over - like Hans and Franz used to say - "we going to pump you up!"

Take a pillow so you can take a siesta afterwards.

[waldo]

Good work on the rebolting effort! I climbed Sombrero several times in the seventies and eighties and then forgot about it. It's likely too much of a hump for me now.

[JC w KC redux]

Good work on the rebolting effort! I climbed Sombrero several times in the seventies and eighties and then forgot about it. It's likely too much of a hump for me now.

Thanks waldo.
I had to throw a couple moves to get the key hand holds (not something I normally do).
Once you have the good right hand, you have to lock off and hang, then do a couple partial pseudo one arm pull-ups to get the draw on and get the rope clipped (your feet are under you somewhat but not much - under the overhang). Once you do that - you're golden as far as protection for pulling the crux - providing you're not out of gas from hanging around too long. The feet are tricky and once you crank through, it is really balancy. Fall on the way to the summit and you're decking for sure. That part of the climbing is probably 5.5-5.6. I had two knobs slung on that upper part (might slow you down) and the rock is good.

It took me 3 times (starting clean each time) getting up there and getting the upper bolt clipped to finally unlock it. After the 3rd fall, feeling my tank was almost empty, I lowered off, left the rope in place, rested a bit and then charged up it and managed to unlock it. I summited, rapped to clean the bolts and did it one more time clean.  

I used a single locker on bolt 1 and that gives you the confidence to get in there and throw the moves. It's really reachy though - Kat could not reach the key holds no matter what she did, much less would she be able to reach the key right hold to hang there and pull up twice to get the second bolt clipped. I gave her a bit of an assist on TR and she finally managed to latch on to some key holds but still could not get the higher right hand you need to hang off and get the upper bolt clipped. I was proud of her for giving it a try.

I talked to clink on the way home and he said he used to watch people work the problem for hours (back in the day) and still not be able to get it.  

Here is a picture of the new bolts with the rope at bolt 2. Bolt 1 is left of the rope about a foot above the lip.





The climb stays in the shade pretty much all day because of all the trees. When the sun finally hits the face, the tree shadow marks the line. It also looked possible to just go straight up after bolt 2 but the holds are much smaller and the risk much greater. I took the line of least resistance. Good rock, large holds, slingable knobs
Look closely and you can see a draw on the 1st bolt (I used a single locker).
The second bolt is in the shade almost straight up from the first bolt (just slightly right).





There are some lovely Autumn leaves at Pinnacles right now. Here is some burnt orange PO near Big Nixon