BETA PHOTO: Some guy from Boulder high on Drumstick Direct
Description
The first pitch is long and stellar. Bring two ropes to rap of the first pitch at the shuts. You should know how to crack climb and have some endurance if you hop on this baby.
You can't miss this thing, especially if you locate the heinous-looking flaring fat roof of For Turkeys Only. Our route is just to the right and has plenty of chalk on it (you don't need any). Look for a crack parallel crack system that starts off a small pedestal/ledge about 15-20 ft off the ground.It steepens and switches from a left-facing to a right-facing dihedral about 1/2 way and leads to a roof. Now you can't miss it.
Start in a left-facing corner and stem upwards to a small ledge, continue about 6 ft. up to a second small ledge to enter the parallel crack system. The right crack is part of a left-facing dihedral initially. You will most likely favor the left crack initially and eventually move to the right crack. Continue on this steepening crack. It switches to a right facing dihedral crack, eventually capped by a roof. Move upwards to the roof via stemming and jamming. Move out the left roof crack, up a few more feet, and onto an easy face to gain a ledge. Move right on the ledge to the rap anchors.
This thing is stellar. I can't believe that Hubbel doesn't give it any stars when it deserves 3. Come to think of it, he didn't give Gobbler's Grunt (2 stars IMHO) any, either. This thing is long and fairly sustained. I say it is easily better than Quiver and Quill. This is one of the best pitches I have done at the Platte - at least as good as the P1 of Straw Turkey and P2 on the Center Route.
Protection
Standard rack, up to a #4 Friend/#3.5 Camalot. Double on hands and small hands. I placed a #4 Camalot, but it was not necessary. Note: I did not do the 2nd pitch, which is a short 5.8 offwidth and offwidth/chimney section - no one does it. At the top of the first pitch, traverse right to welded cold shut anchors.
I consider this route to be the best that Turkey Rock has to offer. The key to the onsight or the red point is to keep moving once you are in the corner crack. Do not be intimidated by the wide roof. Place a #4 Camalot at the lip, reach deep and high and there is a hand jam, run it out 10 feet ( clean fall) until you can stem and rest, place #1. Good Luck!
You can rappel off this route with a single 60 meter rope in 2 rappels. There is another set of cold shuts below the set described in the route description. Peter Hubble is wrong about where the crux is on this route. He claims it is at the first off-width roof, it is definitely at the top roof.
Crux is firt roof, the second roof has a easy trick, HINT: look for the nubit and use you knees to keep you on. QED
By Matt Juth From: Evergreen Oct 13, 2003 rating: 5.10d
For an excellent second pitch, climb the 5.9 finger crack up and slightly righ of the anchors. There is a runout slabby section once the crack peters out. Great locks!
While not technically as hard as Whimsical Dreams, over all difficulty is on par with that route for me. Huge endurance fest, with several thuggish moves. For me, he crux was certainly pulling around the bulge to the right where the crack widens to fists. The upper roof is more tecnical but not as demanding.
By Bosier Parsons From: Colorado Springs, CO Aug 29, 2004
The original line goes out left at the belay on hook moves. Free climbed by Kerry Gunter at 5.11R.
The right side of the roof on pitch one is known as the Hong Variation (10+ also), but I haven't done it. Looks cherry.
By Pete Gallagher From: Manitou Springs, CO Aug 29, 2004
Actually, the right side of the roof on Pitch 1 is called "Second Helpings", requires some very wide stemming followed by a thin undercling, and is 5.10d (Turkey Rock 5.10+). Another variation is to combine Turkey Turd, Second Helpings and Drumstick to make the easiest route up through these roofs. You can climb up the 5.8 OW on Turkey Turd, up the first half of Second Helpings (right side of the slot), then at the big roof, go out over the left side, i.e. Drumstick Direct, and never do a move harder than 5.10b...but then, why would you want to?
By Bosier Parsons From: Colorado Springs, CO Sep 4, 2004
You can rap off the cold shuts on top of the first pitch with a single 70m rope. Just barely, though. This also an easy way to toprope Turkey Turd as the anchors are directly on top of this route.
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