Mountain Project: Climbing The Gunks

Just to the left of Beginner's Delight lies this obscure route. You rarely see people on it, as you have Asphodel to the left and a plethora of starred routes to the right.

There are reasons why people generally aren't on it.

The Gray Dick has this rated at 5.5- PG; the book lies horribly. I would rate this at 5.5+ to 5.6, PG-13 to R. I placed in total, for three pitches, 15 pieces of gear -- that's 15 pieces of gear in 200 feet, and I used five on the first pitch (70 feet). Admittedly, the last two pitches go a true 5.3 so I didn't need much on them -- but the crux first pitch is extremely run-out and wanders back and forth. The crux might be easier if you're taller, but a friend of mine on Beginner's Delight watched me pull through it and thought it was a 5.7 or harder.

P1: Aim for an obvious left-facing corner below a roof about 50' feet up. Step up and right onto the top of the block, then up to a long ledge. Find some gear, traverse left, and belay at its left end.

P2: Climb the corner, head up and left to another corner, then up to the GT ledge.

P3: Finish up the left-facing corner on the left.

Location

Approximately 50 feet left of Beginner's Delight, atop a ledge with a 3rd/4th class scramble up a ramp to a large tree about 20 feet off the ground. You actually share the 2nd pitch belay ledge with Beginner's Delight; BD is on the right, BL is on the left.

Descent: Rappel with double ropes off the Beginner's Delight rap station -- doubles will reach the 4th-class scramble below and will avoid the manky stations in between. With one rope, walk 50 feet to climber's right to the Minty / Snooky's Return rappel line, or walk off via the Uberfall Descent.

It would not be in your best interests to use the Beginner's Delight rappel with one 60M rope; you'd have to rappel three times, and the last rappel is off a tree only slightly larger than my upper arm. Scary stuff. If you have one rope, use the Minty rappel.

Protection

P1: scarce, tricky, and barely adequate to make PG-13. A very small cam or a large Lowe-Ball protects just below the crux (or reach far right to place a #3). At the belay ledge, use ingenuity to build an anchor, and tell your second not to fall.

P2 & 3: fairly straight-forward climbing, typical Gunks. These two pitches go at a true 5.3, no sand to be found, and protect at around PG; the cruxes of both pitches protect well.

Comments on Blueberry Ledges

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By Tim Schafstall
From: Newark, DE
Apr 2, 2008

I don't recall the crux being that hard or the gear being that sketch (albeit definitely PG), but this climb was historically seldom done so there was no chalk and route finding was tricky (the book description is vague). It would be easy to get off route. This might change now that it gets a star in the new Williams' Guide.

P3 is boring and has some loose rock. Better just to finish on P3 of Beginner's Delight.

By Dana Marie
From: Beacon NY
Sep 14, 2009

I have to agree with Taino...I thought the first pitch was run out and the grade a little underrated-although I could have been off route too because the way was not abundantly clear.

By divnamite
From: New York, NY
Nov 10, 2009
rating: 5.5 PG13

Pitch 1 is ok, nothing to write home about. Where is the belay on pitch 1? Right above the roof?

By JSH
Administrator
Aug 8, 2010

I'd agree that the fist pitch is rather ... airy, as far as pro goes. There's none for the first 40ish feet, then once you've made the enjoyable moves out/onto the hanging arete, you have to make several steep moves again before you'll get gear. So, not a route for a 5.5-6 leader.

Link-up: Because I apparently didn't quite have my fill of airing it out (or because I perhaps forgot to turn left}, I continued straight up the face after the ledge on P1. I then considered heading diagonal and left up to a pine tree (that had no slings), but the deathly loose and lichened corner below it made me reconsider. I ended up making a belay just below, and then finishing up the last right-facing corner of, Beginner's P2. The face moves up to that point, between Blueberry and Beginner's P2, were in the 5.6-7 range and, well, ... just don't fall. However, this is a good, straight link-up option, which would even go in one rope if there's no one on Beginner's. It also sets you up to finish on Beginner's, which is a better P3.

Final note - it really seemed like I was reaching for the same pieces of gear over and over again, so consider doubles in green-alien and green thru yellow camalot sizes.

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Blueberry Ledges

5.5 PG13

Description

Location

Protection