Sun and Steel  5.11c

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Type:  Trad, Sport, TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet Consensus:  5.11c [details] FA:  Dave and Mike Hatchett and Rick Lovelace Submitted By:  Brian Quiter on Oct 18, 2003 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: The recommended start for Off-Width Their Heads is...

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Description 

Sun and Steel is a good granite face climb. Most of the climbing is less than vertical, but a couple small roofs and a short vertical section near the top make it memorable.

Begin just left of Off-Width Their Heads (the odvious off-width crack) and work through the foot-less start to a tricky face that finally leads to the crux roof. After pulling the roof, there's about 15 feet of 5.8 or 9 crack climbing. After the crack you're left with a steep face before the climbing lets off as you gain the anchors.

In my opinion this route should be called 'Off With Their Shins' because messing up on the crux roof is likely to cause some bleeding in your shins... believe me.

Protection 

4 bolts to a two bolt anchor. It would be wise to bring some nuts for the crack between the second and third bolts. Failure to do so gives this climb a serious rating, though this runout section isn't nearly as difficult as the rest of the climb.

For setting up a top rope, hike around the left of Old Peculiar then find the old wind-blown tree that is depicted in Carville's topo. From there, downclimb some class three for about 15 feet to a large ledge where Off-Width Their Heads, Sun and Steel and Hanus Anus all finish.