Linear Encounters 

The first time I ever visited the New, my partner and I walked around without a guidebook, picking out routes to climb as if no one had ever been there before. It was a satisfying and engaging way to experience the area, and one that I should employ more often. One of the routes we got on was Linear Encounters. Great crack climbing led to a facey topout, NBD. Later on we looked this one up in the book and found it to be rated .11aR, a grading which would definitely have kept me off it had I toted the book along. As it happens, the R isn't the .11a, so no biggie; it's more like 5.9 PG13 as Josh suggests. Sometimes one's own judgment is superior to the received wisdom, I guess. The only other place I regularly climb established routes without some sort of beta is at Indian Creek; I suppose I like the security of knowing more or less what sort of pro and moves I'll be getting into. Anyhow, Linear Encounters is excellent, and you should do it.

I agree with Rob, the hard moves are in the well protected lower portion of this climb. The copperhead protecting the upper section can also be backed up with some very small gear. The finish is rather exciting and this part of the route stuck with me much more than the awesome crack for at the crux. Don't discard this route because of the R rating in the book.

I remember being pumped and gripped at the top and didn't have any confidence in the fixed copperhead, which if I remember right is hammered in a horizontal crack. I don't know much about strength of these things but I wouldn't even hang on it. I didn't know how to back it up with the gear I had and I felt like that section was "R" but, I guess, that's subjective. Really great route otherwise.

Classic crack climbing! That copperhead does look like crap, and would certainly be better (relatively) if it were a circlehead. But, considering it's age and the amount of traffic that route recieves, it must be a pretty bomber piece (once again, relatively).