My Favorite Things - the climb.

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RURP_Belay

Big Wall climber
Bitter end of a bad anchor
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 19, 2018 - 06:20pm PT
Looks like a long day!

My Favorite Things
Flip Flop

climber
Earth Planet, Universe
Aug 19, 2018 - 06:42pm PT
Single!
Zay

climber
Monterey, Ca
Aug 19, 2018 - 06:59pm PT
Ive had my mind's eye on that one for a while. Look like a fun (fairly obscure???) adventure!

Maybe I can get E Robinson to do it with me....

Curious if anyones been on it recently (as recent as is reasonable).
Zay

climber
Monterey, Ca
Aug 19, 2018 - 07:30pm PT
crisp apple strudle energy bars

one of my favorite things!
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Aug 19, 2018 - 08:18pm PT
We were going to try and get on it but the fires smoked us out at the end of July. Approach from Tenya Lake, here are some notes we found on the internet

First serious slab crossing on the approach. Contour across fairly high on the hill, well above the steeper slabs immediately above Pywiack Falls.
A large pine tree is just visible below the triangle pointer. 200 yds. south of this tree along the same ledge system there may be some deep enough water pools to pump water.
The Vertical Row of Bushes. This is a key landmark to help you locate the start of the climb. Read the description.
Start of climbing route.
The Bushy Knoll (top of pitch 10). You cannot see this knoll from the base of the route, but you can see the headwalls below the Knoll. See other photos for details.
End of roped climbing (pitch 15) when you reach the tree 'n scree band and slabs ascending up the NW shoulder.
Top of scrambling. Walk 200 yds. east to pick up the hiking trail (left back to Tenaya Lake; right to Cloud's Rest summit).
The gigantic cave (just visible as you reach the base of the route). Tenaya ghosts howl all night in there.

Getting There
Equip yourself with two essentials for reaching the route: a USGS topo map of the approach and sticky rubber approach shoes. The shoes are as important as the map, as you'll cross miles of 3rd and 4th class slabs. For a nervous-nellie crack climber or face clinger, the approach could be more dangerous than the climb.

From the south end of Tenaya Lake (Sunrise Trailhead & parking area), navigate your way down Tenaya Creek to Pywiack Cascade (aka Falls). Just before the Falls, you'll want to contour up and over a slab ridge on the left, to avoid the steeper slabs just above Pywiack. This approach is marked on the West Face photo (see last pages). If you have the time, it is worth going down to the Falls and gazing down nature's buffest otter slide.

There are numerous paths across the next 1.5 miles of slab and brush. You can follow the route marked in the photo or simply pick your way. The key feature you are trying to reach that will help you locate the start is the Vertical Row of Bushes (it isn't really vertical, but it is a distinct feature).

Here is a picture of the entire west face of Cloud's Rest with the approach and route marked.

West Face of Cloud's Rest

Finding the Start
Hopefully you have crossed the Vertical Row of Bushes about 1/3 up from it's lowest point, at about 7,000 ft. elevation. As you continue traversing south at this elev. you'll be looking for a crack/ledge system that extends horizontally hundreds of feet across the slab. This ledge is NOT visible until you've moved some distance past the Vertical Row (200-300 feet). It is worth hunting for this ledge system, as it will take you right to the base of the route. The ledge system becomes more distinct the farther south you work along it, with only a few 3rd class moves.

The ledge system will drop about 100 feet elevation to a small sandy, bushy hill. From the hill, the ledge visibly continues several hundred more feet horizontally. Continue along the ledge again, until it seems to peter out as you are rounding a gentle ridge. Another 50 feet around this ridge delivers you to bushy ledges. The highest of these bushy ledges is the climb start (a stone cairn was placed on this starting ledge and hopefully is still there). Elevation at start is estimated 6,800 ft.

Here is a picture to help describe the start of the climb:

RURP_Belay

Big Wall climber
Bitter end of a bad anchor
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 20, 2018 - 06:31am PT
Thanks Jon - that is great beta!

The falls and the cave sound really cool, but it also seems like you want to keep moving to finish the loop - not soaking in the sights...
E Robinson

climber
Salinas, CA
Aug 23, 2018 - 03:11pm PT
Zay - sounds like a plan in the making!
Zay

climber
Monterey, Ca
Aug 23, 2018 - 08:14pm PT
Oh man E. Robinson you have no idea how much i just laughed when i saw your comment.

My Favorite Things?

Slightly obscure, some 5.10, some really cool hiking to get to it...

after YPB we promised ourselves a mellow "vacation adventure."

theres my vote!
Aeriq

Social climber
Location: It's a MisterE
Sep 29, 2018 - 03:03pm PT
Well, we had a longish day trying to find this climb to no avail.

The scale of the place is daunting! We hiked in and did a bivy on some ledge above and north of the slabs, then spent a couple of hours trying to find the start of the climb. My friend lost his $750 phone on a slip/fall that had the GPS & coordinates and other info, so we were going off the map I had.

We finally gave up, and rather than hike back out, we continued down Tenaya canyon to the valley, then hitch-hiked back to Tuolumne to get our cars.

The mosquitos in lower Tenaya Canyon were the worst I have encountered since Alaska (and my buddy said "Also, The Wind River") - and it was September! YMMV.

On my way back from the Valley Thursday, I hiked out to the end of the ridge just north of Olmstead point to get a better picture of the area including the "Vertical Row of Bushes" which is clearly visible in the lower right. The ledges below and right are also visible, so...

Can someone mark on this picture where the start is?

David Knopp

Trad climber
CA
Sep 29, 2018 - 03:26pm PT
Zay (and Elliot) im a guy you met in the Pinnacles parking lot, putting up new routes with Brad. I'd be interested if you want a third, and maybe my partner hell roaring if you want a fourth! I'm hardly a 5.10 climber but i love the weird sh#t in the back country and can do the approach. Well, maybe.
Aeriq

Social climber
Location: It's a MisterE
Sep 29, 2018 - 04:26pm PT
Thanks del cross - it looks like the starting ledge (just past the VROB) is above the major ledge system that is a little lower and runs south through the face?
Time-wise, how far would you say past the row of bushes? Thanks & I would appreciate any additional info share - wolfeboxatgmail.com.

Now that we got the approach dialed, I want to get on the climb!

Erik
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Sep 30, 2018 - 10:19pm PT
here's a low res image taken from across the way
G Murphy

Trad climber
Oakland CA
Oct 1, 2018 - 09:50am PT
Did this with Peter Coward a few years ago. We approached from the Valley, which is not the way to do it. Miles of moderate, scenic climbing.
stata184

Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe
Oct 1, 2018 - 11:13am PT
A friend and I climbed this on August 28 this year and it felt like quite an adventure. We did research before and still got lost finding the start without using a GPS. It turns out we walked right by it and ended up adding an extra mile of bushy scrambling before getting back on track. The "vertical row of bushes" was not an obvious landmark and it's easy to miss the cairn at the start of the route. I highly recommend using the GPS coordinate (N37 46.457 W119 29.930) to find the base since it saves time and is available anyway.

We found the climbing to be moderate and very runout. The route only had a few wet spots that were easy to get through. Two of the bolts on one of the early pitches need to be girth hitched with stoppers. The location and stellar views were the highlights of the route for me. Some pitches had fun climbing but none were too memorable. Definitely a great way to spend a day if you're seeking something well off the beaten path.
Zay

climber
Monterey, Ca
Oct 3, 2018 - 09:05am PT
Hey David! Say, are you on mudncrud?

I think two teams of two would be pretty cool.
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Oct 3, 2018 - 10:31am PT
Used the GPS coordinates posted above to mark the start on a satellite shot. You can find the start on Ed's picture


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