Any route or boulder problem that starts out of or near an occupied campsite may not be done without first obtaining the campsite occupant's permission.
BETA PHOTO: Iron Hand Rock. Photo by Blitzo.
Description
The guidebooks list three routes on Iron Hand Rock: a couple of 5.10 crack climbs and the Brown Cave (5.2). I can't speak for the two cracks -- the only reason we were up there was to climb the Brown Cave (inspired by a night of drinking around the campfire ... yeah, let's go climb the Brown Cave ... heh, heh). The picture in the Vogel guide makes it look like a tiny little cave just behind Apparition Rock. Rest assured that the cave is MUCH bigger and MUCH further away than it looks in the picture (or, for that matter, from the road). A lot of the rock in the area is crumbly ... hell, crumbly is a major understatement. There's a bunch of rock up there that disintegrates if you look at it funny. It made for a bit of an adventure.
Getting There
The Iron Hand is located high up on the hillside behind Apparition Rock and the walk-in campsites, over toward the west end of the Indian Cove campground. From Apparition Rock, cross a large gully and scramble up the bouldery slope, tending a little to the right. The easiest approach seemed to be to go west up the gully itself until you're directly under the formation, then head straight up the hillside. It's a lot further than it looks.
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