Tommy passing through/around the second crux of th...
Description
The obvious crack system on the right (west) side of the wall. I don't know the history behind this route and I'm not certain about the grade so if anyone knows more about it pass it on. The first pitch follows broken easy ground with climbing that gradually improves to a belay roughly halfway up. Some bushes/vegetation will be encountered down low. There are probably a few options for the belay but there was an old pin at the spot we chose (along with some good pro).
The 2nd pitch follows the nice 5.9 crack that splits the blank, lichen-covered face to the top right side of the wall, then traverses the crack heading out left below the big roof. Continue left on easy ground to reach the black chain achors at the top of Fantastic Voyage. I heard it is possible (and not as hard as it looks) to climb the crack that goes straight up through the far right side of the big roof at the end, but I haven't done it and know nothing more.
Location
The route starts on the northwest corner of the Crystal Wall to the right of Clean-Up on Aisle 9. The entire line is easy to see from below as it is really the only obvious crack system on the wall other than Thursday Afternoon Hooky. 2 60m ropes will reach the ground from the top anchor.
Climbed this route on 4-Sept, and it was dirty and not particularly enjoyable. By the time I made it to the top of the actual crack, I had absolutely no interest in traversing under the big roof, though the traverse did look pretty reasonable after a couple sorta-thin opening moves. I belayed my partner up to the alcove at the top of the crack off of medium cams, and we scrambled to the top of the wall. Walking climber's left will get you to the anchors of Fantastic Voyage. Climbing the face to these anchors probably increases the quality of the route, but after groveling up the mouse and bird shit-filled funky crack and getting inadvertently clipped into a bush with one of my quickdraws, I just didn't really feel like dealing with a traverse pitch.
That said, there is some decent climbing to be had on this route, which is why I gave it one star. The bushes, shit, and muddiness just sort of take away from the more enjoyable sections of climbing.
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