This may be the best 5.8 pitch at the Gunks when you combine both pitches. You get thin face moves, jamming, a long traverse, and a thuggish roof.
Use the same access trail as for City Lights and Frog's Head. The climb starts 45' left of City Lights, at a thin jagged crack with a piton about 15' up.
P1: Thin face climbing and jamming will lead to a 2' ledge. 5.8, 90'. Build your own belay either directly under the corner or 15' to the left, or exit 30' left to the rappel bolts.
P2: Aim for the overhanging left-facing corner system. If your belay is to the left of the main corner, you can traverse 10'-15' to the right on a sandy horizontal. Steep, and the feet are not as good as you would like. There is a piton at the start and end of the traverse. Fire through the steep rock above on well-spaced jugs. Pull right onto the face above and head up and leftward. 5.8, 70'.
There may or may not be a mediocre fixed piton / gear anchor below the top of the cliff. Rappel from here (70m mandatory), or continue to the top (be VERY careful of loose rocks underfoot!). From the top, rappel a nearby route - Baby or City Lights - or walk back to the Uberfall Descent.
Protection
Gear to #1 Camalot; extra finger-size pro for combining pitches...
By Adam Catalano From: Albany, New York May 17, 2006
Incredible climbing. The first pitch can feel pretty spicy down low. The second pitch is a great jug haul through roofs, much easier roofs than Modern Times. Continuing all the way to the top is my preference, because I'm not crazy about that old two-pin belay station. I don't think you can run it top to bottom in one pitch though. You'd have to stop at the big ledge if you were to go all the way to the top. Rap off Frog's Head bolts to the right.
For those of you looking to maximize your climbing and stamina you can link both pitches together. When I first led this way back when, I linked them together with a 60m rope and walked down.
To avoid rapping the route or "Easy O" which in my mind should never be done in the Gunks; it's just way to busy, walk left to the Uberfall Descent.
By Jay Knower Administrator From: Plymouth, NH Jun 5, 2006
This is the best pitch of 5.8 I have ever climbed. I combined both pitches and did the route at the end of the day just when the sun began its descent past the horizon. The upper roof is interesting, but never so hard that you can't pause and look around to admire your surroundings. And what amazing surroundings they are.
By Monomaniac Administrator From: Morrison, CO Oct 16, 2007
Did this in one pitch with little difficulty. Be sure to bring lots of slings though. I wasn't much impressed with P1, but P2 was totally sweet. Really fun moves on huge jugs, with excellent gear and rock. When I topped out I was surprised to find handfulls of loose gravel precariously poised to fall on climbers below. This may have been due to heavy rainfall the night before.
P2 felt easy for the grade by Gunks standards.
By GMBurns From: Boston, MA Aug 12, 2008 rating: 5.8 PG13
I felt that the roof section was easier than Strickley's, and was probably more like 5.7. A fun route overall, and definitely worth doing.
By GMBurns From: Boston, MA May 26, 2009 rating: 5.8 PG13
Did it one pitch this time. The tat at the top is looking scary.
P1 is definitely harder than P2. I'm not sure how P2 gets a 5.8 rating when Birdland is also 5.8 and much, much harder.
Wow, I thought that P1(based on the traditional breakdown of pitches, I actually did the whole route as one pitch) was a cake walk. For me, P2 was the one that made me a little nervous. There's no rest leading up to the crux, and you have to place gear (great gear) while hanging off of one hand with your feet in no position to save you if you pump out or lose your grip.
Strictly allows you to throw a foot out to the right tip of the corner, so you can actually be hands free and resting, albeit awkwardly, while placing gear.
You can do it as one pitch to the trees with a 60 meter. However you do not end up with enough back rope to get to the cliff edge to see your second come around the overhang. Makes communication a little difficult as well. 70 meter give enough back rope to belay from the cliff edge.
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