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Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
Cryptic Trip 
Daddy, The 
Good Heavens 
Mummy, The 
Open Book, The 
Out of sight out of mind 
Prow, The 
S. D. Modiano 
Turkey Beard 

The Mummy 

5.5 PG13

   
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Type: Trad, 3 pitches, 350 feet, Grade II
Consensus: 5.5 [details]
FA: Bob Gillespie, Bob Mitchell, Steve Longenecker, 1971
Submitted By: jeffinatlanta on Jan 6, 2007

You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (52)
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Climbers on the mummy and Daddy.
- 1 on 1st pitch...


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Linville Gorge (Shortoff Mountain and NC Wall) closed from January 15th - August 15th MORE INFO >>>

Description 

Start: On the left side of the Amphitheatre near the bottom, not far from where the wall turns outward to face the gorge.
Pitch 1: Begin with low-angle climbing, then move into a slightly overhanging crack system with good holds to a two-person sized belay (5.6+).
Pitch 2: Begin by veering slightly left on the slab with a nice low-angle crack system (5.3). Finish on a huge ledge. Belay near the right end of the ledge (see topo photo).
Pitch 3: Move out right from the belay and then straight up an easy, mossy, yet exposed slab to the top (5.3).
Variation: Move out left from the belay at some thin cracks and climb through a short chimney to join up with the last part of the mossy slab (5.5).


Location 

Hike/Slide down the center of the Amphitheatre gully. See route description "Start" above.


Protection 

Full standard rack, it is helpful to have extra mid-sized cams or hexes for the first pitch.
Note: As with many Linville routes, nuts, hexes and tricams work very well here.



Photos of The Mummy Slideshow Add Photo
Topo of route.  Stretch the rope, use long draws and find belays where appropriate.

BETA PHOTO: Topo of route. Stretch the rope, use long draws a...

Profile shot of P1. Photo taken in December of 2005. Very cold!

Profile shot of P1. Photo taken in December of 200...

Starting off on P3. Easy climbing (5.3) leads to the summit of the mummy buttress. We climbed the route on December 30, 2005. Probably the coldest climbing day I have ever experienced. Numb fingers makes 5.5 feel like 5.10!

Starting off on P3. Easy climbing (5.3) leads to t...

Starting up the Mummy

Starting up the Mummy

Two Climbers on the last pitch

Two Climbers on the last pitch


Comments on The Mummy Add Comment
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By The Dread Pirate Killis
Jul 17, 2007

I thought this route got a 5.5 in the guidebooks I have! Grade aside, a wonderful route on a spring day. Climbed this route solo on a spring day with a brand new pair of shoes, worn out jeans, and the sun on my back to keep me company. My best day of climbing in my life was an afternoon solo linkup of the Daddy, the Mummy (onsight solo), and the Prow (onsight solo). The exposure was vast, the people I met along the way friendly, and the climbing movement natural, pure, and unmarred by unnecessary "convenience" modern hardware. Consider yourself lucky if you are close enough to experience the beauty of this place; it is unique and beautiful. For roped climbers, a set of hexes would most likely be more effective than cams; the cracks are highly featured inside and irregular.

By saxfiend
Administrator
From: Decatur, GA
Jul 17, 2007

I don't know how the Kelley book lists this one, so maybe that's where the 5.6 came from; the Lambert/Shull guide does rate it at 5.5. I haven't climbed it, so can't speak from experience.

Regarding the gear, I found plenty of good cam placements (as well as tricams) on the Daddy just next door.

By Josh Gray
From: Longmont, CO
Dec 18, 2008

I found that the cracks on the first pitch were almost too featured (lots of jagged quartzite crystals) I didn't have any smaller sized hexes so I used cams,tricams, and nuts equally, if you use a 60 meter rope you can do this in two long pitches, just belay on the small ledge in the middle of the "2nd" pitch

By Ben Sachs
Jun 18, 2009
rating: 5.5

This climb is easy and very safe...not PG13 or "5.6+" as the description implies

By Coffey
From: Chattanooga, TN
Jun 23, 2009
rating: 5.5

Great climb. The pink and red tricams are bomber all over this route.

By Christopher Snipes
Jul 5, 2010
rating: 5.5

The worst part of climbing the amphitheater is the Amp Gully trail!!

The Mummy is a great climb and is an enjoyable 5.5 If you have a 60m rope, you should bypass the first belay and move on to the second. It's a bigger ledge and offers some fantastic mid climb views of the gorge and The Prow. From there, you can finish the route. I would definitely recommend the pitch 3 variation and skip the 5.3 lichen covered route.

Climbed it over 4th of July 2010. Very few crowds, nice weather, and good climbing.

The hike back to the bag stash along the Rim Trail is also very nice albeit very close to the edge in some spots!!!

By blake green
Oct 20, 2010

This route has amazing placement for any type of gear you choose to bring along. The climbing is fun and easy. The whole route can be quite easily done in two pitches rather than 3 as long as you manage your rope drag on the linked 2-3 pitch.

By Mike Holley
From: Boone, NC
Mar 13, 2012

Great quality climbing! The most exposure of all three classics down there! First two pitches are fantastic crack/face climbing with tons of pro and the upper pitch is unreal (especially if you can time it just right to catch the sunset). Another great moderate down in the Gorge!

By todd w
Apr 12, 2012

April/2012: There's a rappel station (thick cord, quick links & rap ring) attached to a block inside the dark, narrow gully directly behind the mummy that you can see in the photos. You can get to it by walking the obscure trail along the amphitheater rim--start at the flat rock. The trail could use some clippers.