Dream Easy - new 4 pitch 5.8 at Reed's

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Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 25, 2008 - 12:25am PT

Back in February, I ran into Eric Gabel in the Valley, and he happened to mention that he had recently done a new 4 pitch 5.8 at Reed's which was actually good! We often joke about how many of the new routes we do are kind of obscure, without much popular appeal, mostly done for our own fun of exploration. But sometimes the unexpected occurs and a new route is pretty good! So, two weeks ago, when Noriko and I saw Eric at the Reed's pullout, we had to get the lowdown. He gave us a topo and some beta, and we went for the 5th ascent! (I think Brad and Jim did the 3rd or 4th ascent the previous day, I believe they felt the last move above the bolt at the end of p2 was 5.9).

We had a nice adventure up there. It's not a 5.8 for people just getting started in the grade, since there are some runouts on 5.6 where you need to be very solid. But it's cool if you are leading 5.9/5.10 and like to explore new stuff (i.e. if stepping on a moss hummock, or doing something which is not in the guidebook does not freak you out).

topo from Eric Gabel, with a few notes added

http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/yos/dreameasy.pdf PDF version

view from the road below

route overlay

better view of upper pitches, from the road

side view of upper pitches

Check it out and post up if you do it!

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

Mar 25, 2008 - 05:36am PT

I want to hear more about the "200', huge chimney"

The Warbler

climber

the edge of America

Mar 25, 2008 - 06:31am PT

That looks pretty cool guys, good job for busting out of the rut and adding a new line to the Reeds collection.

Lunatic Fringe once looked like those mungy cracks around your new route - looks like a potential moderate route cluster to me.

hossjulia

Trad climber

Eastside

Mar 25, 2008 - 06:31am PT

Yeah! Nice beta, thanks!

Mike.

climber

Mar 25, 2008 - 06:42am PT

Very cool...thanks for the work and the info.

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Mar 25, 2008 - 07:32am PT

Looks great!

Michal Stewart

Trad climber

harrisburgh PA

Mar 25, 2008 - 08:00am PT

i can't believe there are still undone lines in the valley. wow, and at 5.8 no less. god i hate living on the east coast. huge props for adding another adventure to the center of the climbing world.

climber

The Eye of the Snail

Mar 25, 2008 - 08:07am PT

I third-classed that rig back in '88 but good go anyways, boys!

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Mar 25, 2008 - 08:23am PT

That looks like a gas.

ION, has anybody done Duck and Cover? I've looked at that thing for years.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Mar 25, 2008 - 08:27am PT

Jaybro - yes we should do the chimney pitch! it is bolted and the question on everyone's mind (well, Eric's and mine's) is: does it need bolts?

Anyway, there's a lot more from where that came from... Eric just got done topo-ing a lot of routes (I think he's responsible for doubling the number at Knob Hill by a factor of 2... and there are even more routes by others, e.g. Grant).

The Valley is far from climbed out... at any grade.

Thanks Clint!

and Yo, you should post up more of your exploits... we'd like to hear...

CAUTIONARY NOTE! the bolts in the middle of the second pitch at the top of Duck and Cover should probably NOT be used for a belay anchor as they are 5/16" button heads (likely to be less than 1.25" long) and placed in 1987 by the FA of Dave Schultz & Jim Campbell). We'll go up and replace those sometime soon, with 3/8" x 2.25" w/SS hangers.

spyork

Social climber

A prison of my own creation

Mar 25, 2008 - 09:18am PT

Cool, the secret route is out. Got any more topos for us?

I'm with you on the chimney Jaybro!

climber

Mar 25, 2008 - 09:29am PT

"I believe they felt the last move above the bolt at the end of p2 was 5.9)." - CC

LOL. That's the Gabel I remember!

Nice!

drc

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Mar 25, 2008 - 09:29am PT

Oh wonderful,
those bolts are precisely what I belayed from.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Mar 25, 2008 - 09:49am PT

What's the story on the splitter crack system on the left side of the photographs in the first post? Is there more easy stuff to go up there?

Peace

Karl

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 11:19am PT

Karl,

Some of those splitter cracks on the left are Bongs Away Left, Center and Right. I'm not sure which one is "Right", as I haven't tried that one yet. I'm not sure of the exact level of the 5.10a traverse on Magical Mystery Tour, either, so I put a "?".

del cross

climber

Bay Area

Mar 25, 2008 - 11:36am PT

Hey Clint, did you happen to get any details about that multipitch 5.8 route that finishes with a rappel down to the tunnel blowhole?

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 11:44am PT

Jim,

> multipitch 5.8 route that finishes with a rappel down to the tunnel blowhole?

Yes, that is: Edge of Absurdity, 7 pitches (4 pitches are 5.8, 3 are 5.7). Eric sent me a topo for it. I'll scan it and post in a separate thread.

[Edit to add:] Posted now:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=564266

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2008 - 11:46am PT

Ed,

> CAUTIONARY NOTE! the bolts in the middle of the second pitch at the top of Duck and Cover should probably NOT be used for a belay anchor as they are 5/16" button heads (likely to be less than 1.25" long) and placed in 1987 by the FA of Dave Schultz & Jim Campbell). We'll go up and replace those sometime soon, with 3/8" x 2.25" w/SS hangers.

Those Duck and Cover anchor bolts looked like 1/4" to me - 5/16" have a larger diameter button head. I placed a cam in the far right end of the flake, so if I had plunged from the 5.6 R, I might not have factor-2ed onto them. Good news is that 1/4" are much easier to pull out with a tuning fork for replacement.