Following James DeRoussel's description for the crag, In Lightning will be one of the first routes you encounter. Look for the continuous bolt line that ends about 120' up the crag; it lies immediately to the left of two other bolted lines that have their anchors halfway up.
Follow the bolts to the two-bolt anchor. For the second pitch, it is wise to move the belay 40' to the large, flat ledge to the right. The moves to the ledge are unprotected Class 4. The ledge is devoid of anchors, so it's a good idea for the leader to clip the second pitch's first bolt to provide a belay. Once everyone's on the ledge, follow the bolts above the short difficulties and then run it out 50' over easy 5th class to the top of the crag. Don't fall up here. You can plug in some medium cams and slot some nuts for an anchor, or just wrap some boulders with webbing.
If you climb this in Monsoon season, chances are the route's name will hold special significance for you. Keep your eye on the clouds.
Protection
About 15 Quickdraws for the first pitch, and maybe 3-4 for the second. Long (20') webbing for the tree/boulder anchor for the second pitch, or use gear.
solid .8 and pretty sustained...great climb. the second pitch is pretty good but the first is where the third star comes in...for a tougher finish try the bolted bulge to anchors straight up..a very solid .10 maybe .10d...(tough and fun!)lots of quickdraws(15 sounds right)
Tie a knot in the end of the rope to rap or lower off the first pitch! A 60 meter rope will only get you to a downclimbable ledge 5-6 feet off the ground.
By Scott Tucker From: Tucson, AZ Jun 23, 2006 rating: 5.8
I didn't find it necessary to move the belay for the second pitch. Once on top, though, the boulders for anchoring are really far back from the edge. Odds are you won't be able to communicate with your belayer, although the Boy Scout camp across the valley will clearly hear you repeatedly screaming "On belay!!!", "On belay???" at each other.
Two way (motorola radios) sure come in handy when climbing multi pitch routes. They have saved my partner and I a lot of grief when climbing on windy days. I realized how invaluable these radios were when climbing in the "Cochise Stronghold" when the leader is out of site of the belayer...... then you add the wind. Some may say you can communicate with rope tugs, but this is pretty tough if you are on a wondering route with the wind. Having a climbing partner where the two of you are familiar with each other helps!
I probably should run this by my internet sponsor before submitting this but I can't help myself. I think everyone should get the micro head cameras with satellite linkup. A small battery pack runs this fiber optic unit and the image is great. This way you can see exactly what is going on at all times. You would not need to talk or work out rope tug signals. If things get really tough you could use ASL as it would be cheaper than spending the extra $1100 for the audio feed. Heck lets just get a climbing video game and save the cost of the radios and gas to get to the climbs. Oh wait, 3 hard tugs = I am at the end of the pitch, when the rope goes tight wait a half a minute or so and start climbing. That will cost you $49.95 batteries not included.
Technology can make a person lazy... I like to save my breath by not having to yell for communication and tugging on the rope is hard work.. I will have to check out these Sat. Link Headsets! I'll let everyone know how they work.. (CAN YOU SEE ME NOW)
By Scott Tucker From: Tucson, AZ Jun 28, 2006 rating: 5.8
I'm going to start trailing a 1mm line and clip a paper cup to each climber's harness. Or maybe a signal flare: one shot for off belay, two for on belay. Smoke signals are a possibility too, but only if there is some plant life at the top and the wind is right. A big pair of cymbals might be a cool way to announce your arrival at the belay, sort of a victory crash. Of course, the three tugs on the rope thing would work in a pinch. You know, if you dropped a cymbal or your paper cup.
By susan peplow From: Phx J-Tree May 29, 2007 rating: 5.8
Fun route, protects well and being sustained probably bumps the thing to a 5.8 even though the moves are technically less difficult. This of course is based on the first pitch only (which is what we did). First pitch can be TR/rapped/sing-shot with a single 70 meter cord from the anchor.
I doubt it Susan, I didn't have Eden Masters around to pick out any of my new lines. As you might agree, there is usually a great woman leading most men around. Guys tend to go for women hook, line, and sinker!
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