mazamarick
Trad climber
WA
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Beer, pipeloads and binoculars in the meadows.....sounds like the conception of Hockey Night in Canada circa 1978.
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2009 - 10:28am PT
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Thanks for the bump. One of the cool things about that part of Middle (provided you're not being killed by rockfall) is that when you're looking up the rock is dark grey and not super interesting but when you look back down it's almost bright orange, like you're wondering who slipped you the blotter. We thought about calling it Orange Sunshine but the Zappa theme carried the day.
PB
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Jul 10, 2009 - 05:57pm PT
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So that's what that route is, I was wondering how long it had been there.
I've climbed the last couple pitches. I climbed the Bircheff/Williams to the third pitch and somehow missed the traverse left and ended up climbing a sparsely protected thin corner which dead ends under a small roof. Ended up peaking around the corner and spotted the bolts. There looked to be plenty of them so we traversed right and followed the line up a couple pitches where it seemed to dead end.
It was freakin hard.
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Jul 29, 2009 - 07:09pm PT
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Hey Clint,
I went back to get the beta on this route for you but seeing as how we started up Bircheff/Williams at the crack of 3:30, we didn't quite make it. Besides, it was way past beer 30 so we tucked tail and ran after the second pitch.
Anyway, the first pitch has 9 bolts. The first two jog slightly right and the third makes an abrupt traverse left (crux) past some thin sheit to the arete then strait up moderate .8/9 W/ the occasional .10 move thrown in. Crux felt .12a and the pitch was about 130ft
Second pitch has 10 bolts, first two go up and slightly right while again the third is a short traverse left (crux), some thin moves to the arete then more or less strait up until you reach the anchors. The anchors are to the left around the arete under a small roof. Would be easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. Crux felt .11c/d but slightly more technical. The pitch was about 175ft.
I can't remember any bolt counts or where exactly the cruxes were on the upper pitches as I did them a while ago and was not counting. I remember it being more of the same though. Guess I'll have to go up there and climb it again.
All the cruxes are tightly bolted while the rest of the bolts had 12 to 15ft runs (some more some less) space between them. The route felt safe and well bolted and sits on some immaculate red and white polished granite scoops. A safe and enjoyable 5 star route for sure.
All that being said, in my opinion the real technical crux of the route is the first pitch of the Bircheff/Williams, .11b My Ass!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 29, 2009 - 09:51pm PT
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Thanks for the beta!
Here's a corresponding updated topo of the first 2 pitches:
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Jul 29, 2009 - 11:00pm PT
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That looks about right accept move the anchors on the second pitch (pitch 4) left under the roof shown in the origional topo.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jul 29, 2009 - 11:37pm PT
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Thanks - I think I got it right now!
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Chief
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 27, 2010 - 09:04pm PT
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Hey Salamanizer, Clint,
Just checked up on this old thread.
Did anyone brave the rockfall and climb the whole thing last year?
PB
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Hey Chief, I never made it back up there.
But knowing me, I can never leave a project unfinished. Gotta do the whole thing in one run or it doesn't count ya know.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 6, 2012 - 02:36am PT
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Thought I'd bump this old thread again.
Does this thing see any traffic?
Hard to believe it's been seventeen years almost to the day.
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gf
climber
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Nice one Chief-almost makes a fellow want to put down the mtn bike and pick up the shoes.
-thanks for the bump -the info, not crystal, for all you fellow breaking bad fans who might be wondering.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Perry,
Here's an overlay guess on the belay locations, using the best photo I have at present.
If you have any corrections from memory of 17 years back, please describe or mark up.
I actually need to take a better photo which shows the Bircheff-Williams corner instead of hiding it.
Click on these to enlarge!
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cultureshock
Trad climber
Mountain View
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Oct 22, 2012 - 09:41am PT
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Checked out the first pitch (3rd from the ground) this past weekend on the way down from central pillar. Very cool climbing with a tricky crux (baffled me). Do you stay on the right side of the arete and slap up it with the left hand or do you move around the left side of the arete and lay back up the edge? The rest of the climbing on that pitch was doable and slighly run out but safe. Such cool stone with nice crimps and scoops just where you need them.
Didn't have time to look at any of the other pitches.
Chad lemme know if you ever want a partner to go back up that thing. Way hard but inspiring climbing.
 Luke
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