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.
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: Atlanta, 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.
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
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