Sorcerer 

The description is pretty accurate. Belay about level with the roof on the left. It is an awkward stance but a couple of small wires and a mid sized cam will enable you to create a good solid anchor. For the next pitch, I had no difficulty getting good gear, using wires and mid size cams. The moves around the roof are pretty nice and overall this is a three star route.

Best beta, have a 60m rope.Take pitch #1 55m to a small foot ledge where white bull quartz has outcropped and just below SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, the dihedral that branches left. Great stopper and small cam anchors on the right. Pitch #2, 50m and 5.8+.Pitch #3, 30m and 5.0. But for perhaps the finest pitch on the Bookend do the harder path: the APPRENTICE. Four distinct 5.9 sections, add um up: lower in the dihedral, above where the dihedral fades, the face up to the last bolt (a resident 20+ year old, buttonhead) on ANCIENT MARINER/LABOR..and the handcrack finish just right of ANCIENT..SK.

The best place to belay on the first pitch is just above the roof. There is a big chickenhead there and a few feet above, in a small pod, you can get in two bomber medium cams and a couple of wires. From here, you can climb to a stance just above the roof with a 70 meter rope and a bit of drag. If you are using a 60 meter, belay just below where you traverse left under the roof. The second pitch protects well with small wires and cams, although up higher you will need some larger pro. The upper half of the second pitch is slightly awkward and if you aren't willing to commit to the layback, will seem much harder than 5.8. Another stellar old school route that I don't mind going back to again and again.

The "difficult to protect" pitch is really not that difficult to protect. However, you must take placements when you can, because in between good placements there are no placement options.

I found a satisfactory belay just to the right of _...Ancient Mariner's_ first belay as I planned to do the _Apprentice_ variation. This was my partner's first trad and multi-pitch route; so I chose to improvise on pitch two instead. I climbed past the _Apprentice_ variation dihedral, and when the _Sorcerer's_ deep flared crack opened back up to the left about 30' below the roof, I traversed out left on the face towards the top of _Apprentice's_ diminishing crack. I found a good small cam placement in the crack and down climbed the crack about 4'. I then traversed out left to join the last part of _Climb of the Ancient Mariner_, clipping its last bolt (which has been replaced since I climbed it two years ago). This variation kept my inexperienced partner out of the under cling roof section where I thought she might have more difficulty. I used a 4'sewn sling on my last placement in the _Sorcerer's_ crack to keep the rope drag to a minimum. (5.8 face climbing for this short variation/linkup.) I give this only 2 stars...maybe the roof under cling is 3 stars but I can't see it bumping up the rest of the climb to a full 3 stars.

Some gear beta: If you do the 55m P1 option, the anchor can be 0.5 & 0.75 Camalots, wires #8 & 11 BD. It is just above a small ledge where yer partner can stand and swap gear. P2 has a belay at about 32m just after the end of the dihedral, no rope drag. #2,3 Camalots useful. Overall, single set of cams blue alien to #4 Friend or Camalot with doubles in the 0.5-2 Camalot range, wires, #9 hex can be useful. Thank goodness it's low angle!

Spanky,

I would have emailed this to you privately, but do not have your email. Also, you seem kinda like a guy that some public peer pressure might sway.

While GFI seems to be a bit of a gem on Lightning Rock, your recent contribution to this crag (Bookend) is totally subpar. "Lightning" in fact has not struck twice as it were.

If those two bolts were established ground up then maybe I could understand leaving them as litter, but it is my understanding that you worked this new line off of a toprope, so you had to know it wouldn't go and that its quality (OK, very subjective) is lacking. If you intended to climb that big roof, accessing by traversing in from Wind of Fortune's first 30 feet would have been a good option. If you want to climb the arching crack above the roof, again, accesssing it from WOF would have been a better option.

You have bolted a twenty foot face that is at best nondescript. It is my feeling, perhaps shared by others that Lumpy does not need this. You are so quick and heavy handed to lambast Eli for his creations, yet here at the Bookend you have upped the ante as to what kind of characterless routes are needed on the Ridge.

Lumpy and yourself are much prouder than this. Please try not to take this too personally (OK, hard not to) my problem is not with you, but with this route.

If you go and get all loco on me like you have with some other folks of late (RL) I assure you things won't work out so kindly. I am open to debate, counterpoint, or even a good old fashion conversation about my thoughts.

Cheers, and I hope things are well for you.Brent

I think Brent Armstrong's letter that started this thread should be revisited.

Yeah, I don't think Brent's comments were meant to be hurtful either. I would love to hear Spanky's response to Brent's implied questions.

The whole libel segue distracted the intent of Brent's letter-which was "Spanky you have expressed high standards for Lumpy, FLAMED those who you think don't hold those same standards, and then put in a route that I (Brent) think is as bad as the routes you have condemned."

Spanky, please don't take my letter personally either. I would just like to know your reasoning behind the route. I haven't climbed it and won't be climbing in a while anyway-ask Paco, ergo sum- don't know about its quality. And I would like to see if you think you have indulged in a little hypocrisy like WE ALL DO occasionally.

I hope I haven't added any more confusion to this thread, nor made enemies. I just want to hear the other side (Spanky's reply) of the issue. If it takes a beer at Ed's for some clarity, I am game.

Thad