Prescribed Burn  5.11a/b

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Type:  Sport, 65 feet Consensus:  5.11- [details] FA:  Vaino Kodas and Bryan Pletta, 2005 Submitted By:  Jason Halladay on Nov 7, 2009 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Getting a good shake out and rest before moving in...

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Description 

Located at the far (south) end of the Grotto's left side are two enjoyable routes with nice position. Prescribed Burn is the left route of the two.

Access the base of the route via a short fourth class scramble up the small ridge below the route or hike around the ridge and back up. From the belay platform, edge out left and up to clip the first bolt in a green, lichen-covered face. Side pull your way up to the big, comfy ledge.

From the big ledge, climb cracks up and left past the second bolt to the big, positive horizontal crack to the third bolt. (I unclipped the second bolt from the rope because I worried, no doubt unnecessarily, that the huge block that forms the stellar horizontal crack could break away and that would be ugly).

Hand traverse out left towards the arete to a huge, immediate dose of exposure and figure out how to get your feet up on the horizontal crack and the fourth bolt. These moves are super cool! Climb just right of the arete up steep rock into the very green, licheny rock for a good rest. Technical moves through the green face lead up through some fun side pulls and an angling crack. One last thin face move gets you to the nice horizontal hand ledge and then the anchors shared with Memory Block.

The secluded location, fine views, huge exposure and variety of moves on this route deem it worthy, in my opinion, of classic status.

Location 

Hike uphill from the lower Grotto past Ojo on the big, blunt arete. For another photo of the area, see this photo from Vaino's website.

Apparently you can walk around the small ridge below the route to gain the belay ledge but we found the short fourth class scramble up the ridge's north side was reasonable.

Protection 

9 bolts and a shared anchor with Memory Block.