Cascading Crystal Kaleidoscope (CCK) 

CCK Direct finishes left instead of right at the final traverse. As nice as CCK is, CCK Direct is even better. This also cuts out a belay.

Be very careful on the PG13 move off the GT ledge - this was the scene of a serious accident. In my old age I refuse to lead this anymore and take the corner to the right instead - just as hard but protectable.

John,

Could you provide a detailed description of how you climb the second pitch? My partner tried to follow the description in Williams' new Trapps guidebook, but got to a bulging section that looked hard and had poor pro, and then backed off.

To do the direct, pull the initial overhang off the GT ledge as normal and then go straight through a small overhang (small cams). Sort of reachy. This takes you to the hand crack. At the top of the crack when you see the pin leading right go straight up over a small bulge to an alcove beneath the roof. From here, work left about 10' to the edge of the roof and go up a short handcrack to the top. I don't think the top part is too bad - about 5.8 - but very spectacular.

I need to get a slide scanner so I can post a picture - written descriptions don't work well at the Gunks!

The description should mention that when the connector hits the cliff trail you go right and up to get to the start of the route.

John, thanks for the excellent description of CCK Direct. Can you also describe the second-pitch variation of CCK that starts behind the little pine tree 20' right of the big oak? My partner went up a small left-facing corner to a little overhang, then right to a bulge. He couldn't figure out where to go from here; the moves seemed hard and the pro wasn't great, so he backed off.

The 3rd pitch is truly one of the best here. I agree the start of the 2nd pitch has the potential for a nasty fall. Never done the 5.10 variation on the 3rd pitch, how good is it?

On pitch 3 there is a fixed orange TCU, the sling is a little crusty but the piece looks solid and it isn't poorly placed for darg, so clip it and keep on moving on this increbile pitch.

My partner - Dana B. - and I put a new sling on the tree at the end off the first pitch on 4/25. The old ones were looking pretty ratty.

Linking 2-3 seems logical, way more classic, and going out left to the sling belay in the corner seemed pointless...except for photo ops from the belay. You can still go left after the mantle move with long runners to keep the difficulty low (skipping the sling belay) and then do the P3 traverse back right (to avoid CCK direct 5.9). Besides the photo op. from the belay it is a shame to break this nice pitch up.

Also agreed that falling at the 5.8 mantle move on P2 is not an option. Pretty sure you would hit the ledge below.

Did the Williams's second pitch. I went up from the pine tree and then moved a little left at an overhang. Went up trending left and then hand traversed into the normal belay alcove. Not sure if I did it right. Overall, my impression was that the third pitch was short and fun but the first two pitches did not excite me. Also, I was hung over.

On the start of the second pitch I placed the green cam in the slot but continued to traverse right. Does anyone know what that would be rated or if it is part of another route? It felt like a 9 to me.

Spiro I assume you moved up 10' or so directly from the oak tree belay and the slot you are speaking of is a horizontal which does take a green bd cam. Traversing right about 6' to 8' brings you to a chalk-covered jug needing an awkward mantle to move up from. If so the Grey Dick has it in the CCK Direct description and rates it as 5.8 PG-R. Consensus is if you blow the move you will likely hit the deck.

Good idea to have belayer anchored firmly and closely to the tree. May or may not keep you off the deck but will keep your belayer from being dragged off the ledge if the green cam blows and you bounce over the edge off the ledge as happened to a party 3 or 4 years ago.

The 5.7 start to P2 as described in the Grey Dick and in Swain (if you are good at interpreting Swainese) is 20 to the right of the oak tree at a small pine. There you will find a LF corner with a roof with a small break with slit about 25' up. Going through this seemed way hard and I backed off. However just short of this you can step right and up to a stance on a bulge. I got this far and backed off again since it was pretty licheny above (This was 3 years ago, just after I got the Grey Dick). Wasn't sure I was on route, didn't look as if anyone ever climbed it. In addition pro opportunities above the bulge were not obvious. Plan to try P2 from the pine tree again this year. Once I am sure I have correctly done the thing I will post again with photos.

Regarding slings on the oak tree. Because they are there doesn't mean you should consider rapping down CCK, one of the most popular lines at the Gunks. As noted in the route description above, there is a bolted rap line to climber's right(north). Good directions but I think is is closer to 75' than 175' away. If you have doubles a single rope rap will get you to the GT ledge bolted anchors and the doubles will get you to the ground from there. If you don't there is a bolted station for the 3rd rap.

As for the debate over the start of the second pitch:

I was up there last weekend and it seems like there are three ways of getting to the belay for the third pitch.

#1-Take the Updraft corner. Safe at PG and easy at <5.5

#2- From the oak tree rap/belay station, walk climber's right on the GTL for about 20' until you hit a pine tree. You then climb past a short left-facing corner, with a thin crack to a stance at the overhang. Step right and climb past bulging rock (crux) to a stance. Step left and move up to left-facing flakes, then diagonal up left to belay for third pitch. With this option you circumvent the crux overhang/notch of the third choice below, starting to the right and traversing left when you're above it. Williams gives this description, saying its 5.7 PG, and suggests belaying from the pine tree. I didn't take this route, so the PG is based solely on William's description.

#3- From the oak tree rap/belay station, climb straight up the rock opposite the tree until at a ledge where you'll see two heavily chalked horizontals up and to the right that traverse right under the overhang. Good cams in both of these...I was able to reach out and place pro in the further horizontal from a comfortable stance. You then sack up and take this high traverse (just under the overhang) about 8' to the right until you are beneath the notch and can pull through and join the original line described above (diagonaling up and left). If you don't fully extend the draws on your cams, I don't think you'll hit the mini ledge, and you definitely won't hit the GTL if you fall. You will take a nasty swing though, as your last gear is back a ways. Make sure to remember your second and back clean the first piece after overhand so that they won't pendulum if they fall. With a backclean and a properly placed cam higher up, they'll have the rope pretty much above them going through the end of the traverse and crux. Williams describes this as the start of CCK Direct, at 5.8 PG-R.


I took option #3, which was strenuous and a little heady. From what I can tell, the leaders that find themselves in R/X climbing get mixed up and end up on a "direct start" to overhang notch described in option three. So, instead of traversing to the notch from the left with good gear, they climb straight up to it from the pine tree on the GTL where gear is nonexistent. I'm guessing they just read the route incorrectly, thinking that they're on the original 5.7 PG line that Williams describes?

Michael -

I've climbed this route 3 times using "option #3" - I was shown this way originally and it certainly makes a fantastic line!