Stem up to first bolt and clip before moving onto slab (under 5'8" may find this difficult). Slab moves to small tree above then traverse left to second bolt. Traverse further left to where wide right-leaning crack meets thinner left-leaning crack. Make a couple of moves up into left-leaning crack before heading straight up to chickenheads. Two more bolts are found higher up the face in areas short on slingable chickenheads.
Location
On lower-angle side of Owl Rock. Rap off overhanging side 90 degrees clockwise from route
The route faces southeast. The start is tucked behind a huge boulder that makes up one side of the starting stem.
There is a 4th bolt, among the chickenheads/plates about 15 feet below the summit.
The following gear is enough to keep almost any leader happy, seriously: -- One set of wired nuts. -- One #4 Camalot (for the first wide crack you pass; a #3 can be made to work if you're skilled). -- One #2 Camalot (for a crack about half way up, just after pulling the crux). -- Some trad-length slings (for slinging chickenheads and smoothing out the rope line).
There are two pairs of bolts on the summit, but only one has rappel chains. Rappel toward the southwest. One rope is all you need for the rap. It looks like a 50m rope would suffice.
This is a very nice climb, but I found it a bit sandbagged; for shorter individuals the opening move is not 5.9 but, rather, more like 5.10a/b. and, the move at the diagonal crack (after the first bolt) is also more like 5.10a/b.
For gear, I would also suggest small to medium Aliens to protect (one of) the crux move(s) [establishing one-self onto the plates/jugs above the diagonal crack].
By brad schierer From: your imagination Aug 25, 2007 rating: 5.9
Good intro to stronghold climbing, esp. runnering chickenheads. I'm 5'8 and thought the opening moves up and onto the slab were manageable.
By Steve Pulver From: Tucson, AZ Oct 22, 2007 rating: 5.9-
I used different size gear than the previous poster, 000, .75, and #1 camalot, and a #2 nut. Whatever you use I'm sure you'll want more than what is recommended in the Rock Climbing Arizona Falcon guide, which only recommends slings and quickdraws.
By Tony Bubb From: Boulder, CO Jan 1, 2008 rating: 5.9+
You can manage with a set of nuts and small cams too. Right after the #4 camalot placement, you go up and right one move and get into a tasty fingercrack with good locks and stoppers. I placed nothing larger than 2".
As well, the top can be done directly with only moderate difficulty and less wandering than following the bolts. I was going directly up and looked over left and below for a footr when I saw the bolts in the distance (past). You just don't need them.
A 70M rope will get you down the front with the chains pulled forward and you can clean your own gear with maybe 2 meters of mellow downclimbing at the ends of the rope.
I lead this route in March 2007. The weather that weekend was iffy to say the least. I would bet we were the only ones anywhere in the park that weekend. We had been rained and lightninged off pitch 3 of Peacemaker the day before but tried this one the next morning while it was sunny. Heavy clouds blew in while I was belaying Jay from the top, and when he was about 10 feet below me it started to drizzle. I lowered him, and by the time I was setting up my rap, it was blowing about 30 mile per hour freezing gusts in driving hail and rain. I couldn't see more than 3 feet in front of me and was soaked through, couldn't feel my hands to thread my rope in my ATC or work the screw gate on the biner. You can see how exposed the top is from the photos. Was praying for no more lightning. It took about 24 hours to warm up. Great route though. A must-do for the area.
We had some serious rope twistage/stickage after the free-hanging rap. The basic rap is vertical of course. We then continued down to skiers left to the ground before pulling the knotted doubles; knot was on uphill side of anchor. Rope pulled maybe 10 feet before becoming seriously stuck. I suspect that pulling off to the side drug the knot across the rock and wrapped it up tight in the other strand.
This route is really fun. There is no gear, besides slings, between the large ledge and the 3rd bolt. The move to reach the 3rd bolt may be a bit heady if you are not yet used to trusting slung shallow chickenheads. It requires you to make 1 slab style move to reach the bolt. Also, when you reach the top and look in the large hole, you will know why it's called owl rock!