Possible Red's Delight TR (Hogsback, Lover's Leap), & query

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Trad

Trad climber
northern CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 7, 2009 - 12:16am PT
Anyone climbed Red's Delight lately (or ever)? My partner and I possibly climbed most of it last week but I'm still unsure of the route. (OK, my route-finding record is not perfect but I don't think this one is all my fault.)

The Carville guide (1999) states, "Several of the notable routes on the Hogsback deserve more extensive descriptions" and continues:

Begin by climbing right of Deception for 80 feet, then move up and left to a belay stance on top of two blocks. Climb up and left 40 feet to a bolt. Continue straight up to another bolt about 30 feet higher. Move up to a right-facing corner, then to a belay in a left-leaning corner. The final pitch runs straight to the top.

I knew something was wrong there because even the topo shows it to be LEFT of Deception, not right. An older guide (Jenkewitz-Meytras, 1987) also shows it left of Deception and says:

This is an obscure line. Climb up and left of Deception's two parallel cracks for 80 feet, then move up and left to a belay stance on top of blocks. Climb up and left for forty feet to a bolt. Continue straight up (5.9) to another bolt, 30 feet above the first one. Climb up to a right facing and leaning corner. Continue straight up to a belay stance in a left leaning corner. The last pitch goes straight up to the top (5.6).

The view from the base is this:


The first section was low-angle runout on small dikes, but once it got steeper/harder there were options for pro. I got to a small ledge and called down to my partner to check rope length only to learn that I'd gone straight up for ~120 feet (i.e. hadn't moved left after 80 feet; in retrospect, though, I'm not sure that was even possible). I was about to traverse left to get back "on route" but turned around to look for a gear placement and spotted two old yet solid pitons in the small corner, which thereby became the first belay.

Here's my partner, coming up the first pitch:


From the belay stance we could see a bolt way up and just right of a small roof/corner, so I figured that's the way to go.


The 2nd pitch started easy but chossy and then turned harder, chossy and runout. Eventually I aimed for a potential blue-black alien placement about 20 feet below the bolt only to find the crack too small. A tiny psychological stopper had to be enough. A few more tenuous moves got me to the bolt, where I spotted another bolt ~20 feet up. By now I was confused and a little sketched, and the moves looked harder than 5.9 so instead I went left, then up to a belay stance on a small ledge.

The vegetated, sloping ledge on which I found myself led down left to potential bailage on Knapsack Crack which, at that particular moment, was an attractive thought.

I put my partner on belay and she followed the pitch in impressively delicate and clean style.


We scoped out the possibilities above. Up ~20 feet to the right was a bolt, but then there was another bolt only 8 or 10 feet almost directly right of THAT bolt (!?). (To summarize: we saw a total of 4 bolts, in contrast to the 2 bolts stated in each guide: the bolt I'd clipped below, the one I'd bypassed, and then the two above and to the right.)

My tolerant partner was game to push on, and once moving I was relieved to discover some previously hidden dikes that led up to the right-most bolt (not the left one, which was my original goal). After that there was a reachy (glad I'm tall) move up to a good flake (the right-facing corner mentioned in the guides? I'm still not sure), and a couple more ~easy moves on cracks or flakes with halfway-decent gear placements.

Unfortunately, from there I saw only runout lichen-covered dikeny slab. The book said the last pitch was 5.6 straight up but this looked harder (and/or sketchier). My frazzle from the previous pitch reared its ugly head and I looked for an alternate route, which presented itself in the form of some slopey (but clean) dikes/rails that angled up into Deception.

Here's my partner coming up that section (the yellow cam is in Deception, where you do the short traverse between cracks).


Well anyway, I think we WERE on Red's Delight if for no other reason than there's not much space between Knapsack and Deception, but I'd be interested in hearing other folks' take on the route.
Zander

Trad climber
Berkeley
Jul 7, 2009 - 12:33am PT
Trad,
I believe you were born to find adventure!
Zander
Salamanizer

Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
Jul 7, 2009 - 01:10am PT
I've climbed this route many times, it's one of my favorites at the leap (don't know why???). I think you followed the route more or less correctly with just a few detours.

The description in the 1999 Carville guide dose say left of Deception however, not right (at least in my book). An easier and less chossy way to climb the first pitch is to continue up the way you did but run up the left facing corner about 180ft instead of 80. From there you can make a belay on a good ledge next to several large blocks.

The second pitch climbs up and left under a rooflet about 25ft (some pro) and out on the face to the first bolt. From there you just follow the bolts which are about 15 to 20ft apart. There are three usable bolts as you noted while one seems to be off to the left (not shown in my topo) and off route. I think the first two are original while the other two (one off right and last bolt) are a lame squeeze job or some sort of retro bolted attempt. I'm not for sure on that though. After the last bolt you climb up into a small gradual right leaning right facing corner (some good pro) until it eventually leads you into a left facing corner about 30/40ft left of Deception. There is a small horizontal crack in the corner where you have to stop and build an anchor as a 60m rope won't make it to the top. The pitch is about 180ft also.

The last short pitch climbs up the remaining corner to a small roof which you mantle (5.6) and climb up easy dikes to the top. The last pitch is about 60ft. or so.

Here is a topo to help make sense of what I'm blabbering on about. I think you more or less did the route, you just bailed out early.

The route labeled New Route is Spam Sandwich, a route put up in 07 ground up with bolts placed by stance. It's 5.8R with any run out sections being 5.6 or easier but exposed and steep.

Trad

Trad climber
northern CA
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 7, 2009 - 12:30pm PT
Thanks for the info! I'll bring your topo along next time I'm up there to try and pick things out. Incidentally, I'd say the two pitons where I made the first belay were directly below your Red's Delight first belay, at about the same height as the two pitons shown for Spam Sandwich. (We did spot at least one of the bolts on Spam Sandwich, but knew it was too far left.) Anyway, I'll have to get back up there and finish Red's Delight one of these days.

The description in the 1999 Carville guide dose say left of Deception however, not right (at least in my book).

Weird! Here's a picture of the page from my book, also 1999. Too bad climbing guide misprints aren't like postage stamps or my copy would probably be worth a million dollars.


Tom
spyork

Social climber
A prison of my own creation
Jul 7, 2009 - 12:43pm PT
Wow, sounds scary! Thanks for the TR. :)
caughtinside

Social climber
Davis, CA
Jul 7, 2009 - 03:58pm PT
Nice! I did Reds with Salamanizer a couple seasons ago, a nice hogsbsck route indeed!

I remember pulling a toaster size block at the upper belay, parties at the base so we couldn't trundle. I'm sure it got knocked down over the winter though.

I'm up there all week starting maņana if anyone needs a partner.
seamus mcshane

climber
Jul 7, 2009 - 05:29pm PT
Ditto on the Carville misunderstanding.

Even though there was never a bolt hanger where you show a bolt, only a stud. From 1992-2003? there was only a stud.

I've climbed the route you climbed,a great route IMHO, almost 20 times and will soon return to haunt Lover's Leap again, where I learned much...

It is my favorite haunt for alot of reasons.
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
Jul 7, 2009 - 09:27pm PT
Having just done "Spam Sandwich" I can attest to the routefinding on that part of the Hog. Nice route, full on rooflette party up there. Small stuff seemed to work. Little spicy up there around the pin area.
Mucci
Salamanizer

Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
Jul 7, 2009 - 09:50pm PT
Spice is Nice!
splitclimber

climber
Sonoma County
Jul 21, 2016 - 07:15pm PT
cool TR Trad.

I'm gonna piggyback on this thread and ask about some more hogsback routes and possible mistakes in Carville's guide.

Where/what is Pip's Pillar? Is the topo in Carville's guide wrong and is it actually Harvey Wallbanger's center?

Is HW Left also wrong on the Carville topo?

Is the continuous crack on the ST topo left of HW Center the line for HW Left?

Everything in that area can be so ambiguous. thx.
rick sumner

Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
Jul 21, 2016 - 10:56pm PT
I climbed this route twice. The first time in 73' or '74 with Red (never did catch his real name but remember him as a red headed escapee from camp 4 I picked up hitchhiking and talked into a little cragging) on the FA. Didn't claim authorship of that route or Settle Down because I didn't want the guidebook lopsided with the authors FA's. The second time with my oldest son Jesse about ten years ago. The most accurate description is in the green 1980 guidebook, but Sal's description is pretty good. I placed only two bolts and don't know the origin of the others. The route was spiced with a little bit of risk.
pinckbrown

Trad climber
Woodfords, CA
Jul 22, 2016 - 06:42am PT
The "green guide" description:




Ghoulwe

Trad climber
Spokane, WA
Jul 22, 2016 - 07:00am PT
Hey Rick;

That green guidebook was my bible for several years - you did a great job on it. Thanks for letting me contribute to it!

Eric Barrett
Ghoulwe Mtnrg Club
Spokane, WA
rick sumner

Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
Jul 22, 2016 - 08:16am PT
No Eric the thanks should all go to you. You saved me from endless uphill trudges. Spokane is a great place. I climbed there at Minnehaha Falls (did I get the spelling right) when my middle son was at Gonzaga.

Bob, that's a well used guidebook you have there. We've got to get out this fall, maybe to Salt Springs near to your neck of the woods.
splitclimber

climber
Sonoma County
Jul 22, 2016 - 10:13am PT
thanks for posting that pinckbrown.

For Red's Delight - my Carville guide also says "left of Deception" and shows the line going up and pretty far left, which is apparently very wrong. Weird that Trad's guidebook says "right".

Rick - cool that you just put Red and friend.

So I think Carville got Pip's pillar and HW Center flipped on the topo since I would guess a climb up a pillar would not be in one of the corners or cracks.

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