Duke's Day  5.6

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 150 feet Consensus:  5.6 [details] FA:  Ed Pearsall, Larry Harmon, 1977 Season:  Fall-Spring Submitted By:  Chris Chaney on Sep 27, 2006 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

C. Chaney leading up a sea of edges on the second ...

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Description 

Duke's Day is definitely a sleeping classic. It gets little traffic and not much attention. It is however a fairly decent route for the grade, a bit adventurous and well worth a trip hunting for it if you're looking for a challenge.

The first pitch is a low angle chimney, to wide to protect, but only about 5.3.

The second pitch is long...super long for RRG and is worth the hike. The initial dihedral is easy to protect and fairly straightforward. The bulge is the crux. Have fun finding feet in the lichens on the face. The face above the bulge is superb. Climb the face, traversing right to protect out of the crack occasionally and finish up in a chimney/gully.

Location 

Park in the Sheltowee Trace trailhead parking below Chimney Top Rock and hike down to the river. Cross at the old ford and bushwhack straight up the hill to a prominent left facing dihedral that bisects the entire cliffline. You'll have to scramble up to the ledge where the first pitch starts from the left (south).

Protection 

Everything from #.75-#4 camalots, doubles, and/or a double set of the biggest hexes, plenty of long runners and a 60m rope. Don't forget your harness.

Photos of Duke's Day Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: The rappel down the long second pitch.

BETA PHOTO: Duke's Day is the prominent dihedral right of cent...