The Dragon 

I'd be curious to see what it all looks like now that the Kor's Cave ledge has tumbled off. That was a spooky, hollow sounding, vibrating and massively exposed perch. I wonder if Baillie's ratty haul bags are still there hanging off the anchors?

After doing The Hallucinogen, this route has sat in the back of my mind as a smoldering ember. I am still trying to step up to it. I remember reading that quote from Rustie about if he didn't finish the route, he wasn't really living. Thanks for the topo, Phil. I have printed it off and it will stand in front of me reminding me of my dues.
-Jesse

Rustie used to recount that climb in vivid detail. Some climbs are like that.
He had studied that wall from so many angles and lighting conditions that he had detected a massive continuous fault system like a giant exfoliation flake that encompassed at least a third of the Dragon Wall. During an attempt at one desperate point, the rope tugging pulled off a flake that Rustie said was well over a hundred feet tall and more than sixty feet wide. It was so massive that it blocked out the sun as it plummeted past, just behind his belay stance on its way to the roaring Gunnison River. He said at that moment he was sure the whole enchilada was coming down and they were all dead. They retreated. But as history shows they went back. What Balls!

What about Bryan Becker's solo of it in the early eighties? Burly. He totally talks it down when asked about it.

This route, ironically was the first, and only, roped climb that I ever did in Colorado. It was 1999, and I went down from Montana to visit my friend Pike Howard who lived in Crested Butte, and had big plans for a "warm-up" route before we went to the Vampire Spires near the Yukon/ NW Territories border.

The climb was kind of a mental journey for me. Approaching the cliff is straightforward, but loose rock and rockfall abounds, it's definitely an experience to rope in at the base of this cliff.

We used the topo that is shown on this site, and it's good, with minor modification. I'd honestly rate the route VI 5.10R C/A3- (with note that every pitch has some "R" factor to it). The Zuider Zee traverse is much shorter than what is depicted on the topo, and I free climbed a lot of it at 5.10R, but definitely sat in the aiders when given the chance when a good piece could be sunk, as the pitch is quite exposed. At the end of the pitch, I used Lost Arrows, even though slider nuts could be used, basically because the cable would have gotten badly warped on the sliders. The route could go hammerless, if that's your thing.

Kor's Cave was actually a small overhang with fuel jugs, used as water jug, tied to wired nuts (I think...it's been a decade or more...), with an extraordinary amount of loose rock and scree filling cracks and ledges...loose. It blew my mind that the roof used to be a cave at one time.

I did not like one of the belays with a flexing, broken Leeper hanger that acknowledged every tug like Pac-Man as I hauled the pigs up.

The Dragon Chimneys were very straightforward, and well protected, but were not entirely enjoyable.

When we topped out, a rain and hail storm punished us, and I put the haul bag over my body (and helmet) to deflect the deluge.

All-in-all, I was left with a sense of respect for those that forged the route. As my only roped rock climb in Colorado, I give it a big thumbs up for adventure points. It's been 12 years since I was there, but some of the memories from that adventure will last a life time.
-Jack C.

Hey Jack, As it happens, I am friends with Pike, and I remember him telling me to go get on it and that it was not that bad. I saw a Glimmer in his eye and knew better. I still want it though!

Go for it, Jesse! Bring 2 strong friends, as having one at the belay to provide encouragement is important. After the Hall. Wall, you will do great! Have fun.
-JC