Fun steep arete on the northwest corner of Boxcar Boulder (nearest arete to Main Wall), starting low off a sit start. Work your way up the arete, finally committing to the highball exit moves (scary!).
I climbed this thing back in 01' or '02, early spring. The thing was completely overgrown with moss, and I gardened a very strategic path through the greenery.
Someone later denuded the entire thing alas, ridding the route of its original garden stroll aura.
I assumed it had been done back in yesteryear, but after talking to locals with a rather keen knowledge of historic local events, came to the conclusion it had probably not been done (that, and the fact it had no traces of chalk anywhere, a very un-trafficked look and feel....)
Just a comment about the boulders in general. About 20 years before 2001 the boulders were located several hundred feet above the ground and were part of an A4 route. They came one stormy night I think in '82. Then they were incredibly clean "fresh" rock. There was a short flurry of popularity and some well known boulderers got in to the act including Dick Cilley and Todd Skinner. I seem to remember Russell Erikson (cover shot on the Smith Guide) doing some crazy things in tennis shoes! It is amazing to see how vegetated the area has become especially with regard to trees.
Unfortunately most of the good boulders at the Town Walls were quarried. Walking east from the Lower Wall just north of the RR tracks most of the large boulers or boulder remnants have ancient drill marks. I think that the quarry activity hardly impacted rope climbing but destroyed most of the good boulders. Ironically the quarry gave back what it once took.
Boxcar Boulder
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