Half Ascent 

Half Ascent is 120 feet tall (to the rappel tree) and requires 2 ropes to descend.

There is a variation of Half Ascent that is quite well protected. It climbs intermittent cracks to the left of the aging bolt mentioned in the route description. In addition to reasonable pro, this variation has much cleaner rock than the variation that passes the aging bolt. It also feels closer to 5.5. For a topo, click here

Could this be the original line? Could the two additional bolts mentioned in the route description be "McTavish" (5.6), climbed by Yvon Chouinard &Bob McTavish in the 70s?

I climbed Pitch 2 of Half Ascent the other day. I climbed from the 1st tree to the 2nd tree and tried to stay left of the broken, rocky stuff. I think I would rate it 5.5"S". I added the "S" for Scary. Loose rock, sand, thick lichen, runouts, and marginal protection make is a challenging lead for a beginning leader. Save yourself the trouble and rap after the 1st pitch.

The first pitch is really cool so don't miss it. It's clean and protects reasonably well. I would rate the lower pitch as 5.6PG. It makes for a fun lead. Don't ruin your fun by heading up to the 2nd pitch.

John

Did this route a few years ago, and also suggest rapping after the first pitch. P2 seemed like 4th class dirt scrambling through a vertical forest of manzanita, complete with bee's nest, and the walk-off down the loose talus slope on the backside wasn't very pleasant either.

Maybe there is a good reason this route is called "Half" Ascent. It was put up in an era when attaining the top or summit was the ultimate goal, and I think it truly ends at the first tree.

I hadn't done this one for a long time until yesterday. A really good little route.
The two bolts on the lower face have been replaced. They're solid and spaced so as to preserve the adventurous vibe of Black Wall (PG).
Two bolt anchors with rings at the top alleviate the tree above from rap duty. We easily made it to the ground off the rings with a single 70 meter line.