Mountain Project Logo
To save paper & ink, use the [Hide] controls next to photos and comments so you only print what you need.

5.1 The Shelves

New York > Powerlinez > s. Books Tier
Warning Access Issue: As of November 2021, there are new parking arrangements. Please follow this guidance. DetailsDrop down

Description

Three of shelves of rock each 7-15 feet high, separated by ledges.

Adjacent left (W) down from The Good Book wall. Below the Top Shelf sector. Just right (E) of Crazy Tree sector.
Faces mainly SSW.

Top Rope: access to top of routes -- One way is to hike uphill Right (ENE) along base of cliff to the left (W) end of The Good Book sector, then turn sharp Left and walk carefully, with some scrambling moves, roughly horizontal, on a narrow ledge with some exposure.
But ...
if each climber is lowered on the rope after climbing up, there will be significant abrasion of the rope from it running over the edges of the ledges. And the obvious way to hike / scramble from the top back down to the bottom has an exposed section. So need some creative maneuvering to get both the climber and the end of the rope back down - (or just accept the abrasion).

names of routes: The names follow the approach of the names near the adjacent left end of The Good Book wall, which come from the great American novel, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. Except this sector modifies that scheme to base the names on a significant European book. So the idea is to use actions or characters or quotes from a significant book of Europe (including the UK), but without actually giving the title or author. Usually you can find the name of the book by doing a web search on the route name, or names from multiple routes side-by-side, or perhaps together with a hint from the Description of the route.

warning: The rock around this sector has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.

. . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2016. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Getting There

Follow instructions to reach The Good Book sector, then continue roughly W downhill 40-80 feet.

Routes from Left to Right

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The Shelves - lower Left
<br>
2. Rachel’s Obsession
<br>
3. Anna’s Transformation
<br>
B. Consuelo from the South
<br>
C. Tonio Kröger's Duality
<br>
D. Hans the Nordic Boy
<br>
E. Faust
<br>
F. Mephistopheles
[Hide Photo] The Shelves - lower Left 2. Rachel’s Obsession 3. Anna’s Transformation B. Consuelo from the South C. Tonio Kröger's Duality D. Hans the Nordic Boy E. Faust F. Mephistopheles
The Shelves: left side
<br>
Y. Kermit's Escape (Crazy Tree)
<br>
A. Megan's Disappearance
<br>
2. Rachel’s Obsession
<br>
3. Anna’s Transformation
<br>
B. Consuelo from the South
<br>
C. Tonio Kröger's Duality 
<br>
D. Hans the Nordic Boy
<br>
C. Tonio Kröger's Duality
[Hide Photo] The Shelves: left side Y. Kermit's Escape (Crazy Tree) A. Megan's Disappearance 2. Rachel’s Obsession 3. Anna’s Transformation B. Consuelo from the South C. Tonio Kröger's Duality D. Hans t…
The Shelves
<br>
E. Faust
<br>
F. Mephistopheles
<br>
G. Margarete
<br>
K. Raskolnikov's Duality
[Hide Photo] The Shelves E. Faust F. Mephistopheles G. Margarete K. Raskolnikov's Duality