25 New Lower Gorge Routes in 24 Months - An Obsession

       It was October 2015 when we started riding our bikes to our usual haunt (the Central Owens River Gorge) via the lower gorge parking area, a well-paved gradual drop north into the canyon over a mile or so of maybe a 6% grade max – super easy going in and out. There were few climbers daring the Lower Gorge old-school routes as we rode by on our bikes – the routes were trad, mixed or run-out by most estimations. The crossings were sketchy to non-existent - adding to the mystique. We soon abandoned the biking, but I just like the Lower hike out - so Skip started picking me up at the Lower parking on the drive out. Formations began to catch my eye, & thoughts on access solutions, as well as new routes soon filled the 20 minute hike out. 

One day, walking the road out, it struck me that the lower gorge is the easiest access for people with kids/strollers, pets, non-climber family, etc. I had already noticed that many choose the longer walk in and out this way as a low-stress scenic access point. What if there were an area that would take the pressure off of Warm-up Wall AND provide easier, closer access (from the Lower parking)? Compared to the exposed drop and scramble of the Middle Gorge and the shorter, but daunting gully scramble of the Upper (neither approach super friendly with pets or kids), it is a cake walk... Middle Gorge descent after a winter storm: 

The problem lies in the fact that 95% of the decent rock is on the other side of the river. My wheels started turning as I scoped access points, measured crossings and scrounged around for wood. Being a carpenter, I saw that the Lower Gorge materials-haul would be an easy one: a couple of hand-trucks, some cargo straps and a gentle down-hill grade. An idea was forming that would become 2-year obsession that shows no signs of abating.

       A crappy bridge at low water, patched together with found materials gave us a taste of the potential at the Pink Wall/ Big Tower area – the first major formation at the bottom of the descent into the lower Owens River Gorge:

We played around on a few of the existing 17 climbs we felt comfortable on without gear or bad run-outs, then in March talked my friend Morgan into helping me put up “Toorete” – a short 5.10c arete that shared an anchor with existing route “Shell of A Man” (5.10b). That route is not that great, but it got me going on the first ascent train. The thing is this: when you are putting up a route and hanging out in an area, one starts casting about for other stuff – and often finding it. 

The next few months were a flurry of new route activity with the wife and friends. “Low-hanging Fruit” (5.10b) went in next, followed by “Pink Panther” (5.8) – both on the fabulous rock of Pink Wall. I then set up at Big Tower, the larger formation on the right and went to work with friends. When the dust and rubble had settled, “Director’s Cut” (5.10a), “Cult Classic” (5.9), “Alternate Ending” (5.9) and the steep and exposed “IMAX” (5.11a) were new additions to the tower. Bolting on the steep part of IMAX, and the main face of the tower:

We then turned our attention to infilling the area with as many moderates as we could find, following our original intent to create another area besides “Warm-up Wall” that was beginner-friendly. This was a great time with the wife, as we scoped, cleaned and bolted “Muppet Show” (5.9), “PeeWee’s Playhouse” (5.8), “Sesame Street” (5.6), and the ridiculously easy “Fraggle Rock” (5.3, and the easiest route in the gorge). When we had finally finished there were an additional 11 routes in the area, and word was getting out about our activity. We also completed a network of trails and platforms to ease access and make permanent places at the base to gear up. This turned out to be as much, if not more work than the routes themselves. Thousands of pounds of rocks and scree were moved, rebar and reinforcement boards installed, as well as excavation and leveling. The topo of the area, finished (some routes out of view), climber Kevin on an early ascent of “Director’s Cut”:

Summer arrived, and the gorge got too hot, so we curtailed our activities until the fall, but not until I had wandered up-stream and found the next area to develop. Original crossing & bushwhack, only 2 existing routes on this end:

       The fall of 2016 found us again back in the Lower Gorge, with sights set on the north end of the “Diamond Face” formation (pictured above). Again, I built a low-water crossing and spent many hours clearing brush and rocks to make a reasonable path to this fairly obscure area. As mentioned, this spot only had 2 existing routes (& a project), and there was some taller features here. As I looked up at the towering walls, I remembered that someone had told me: “No one ever goes to the Lower Gorge, the routes are all short, and the crossings are sketchy.” I set it in my mind to change that with some longer routes, and better access. As we prepped the next area for development, we would walk by and see people trying to get across our crappy Big Tower/Pink Wall bridge, so we decided to make a permanent crossing that was kid & dog friendly. At Diamond Face, I climbed “Bob & Eric’s Crack”, a stiff 5.10a trad route and fixed a line on the slightly overhanging wall to the left. Inspecting the wall on the way down, it looked really hard. I wrapped up the cord and decided to revisit the area later. 

We then got materials, found a good spot for the Big Tower crossing and enlisted friends to help. It was a great success, but not ideal – more on this later. Early haul system and the finished bridge:

With that finished, we turned our attention back to the Diamond Face. I went back to the steep wall, and someone had pulled down my rope as far as they could and chopped it – leaving it dangling out of reach. Discouraged, I abandoned the area for some time and explored more of the amazing Owens River Gorge. 

 In late November, I went back and stared at the chopped rope. Damn it, I gotta get that stupid rope. I scoped a top-down way in, and walked the base left from the Diamond Face proper looking for routes. I ended up at the start of “Daughters of a Coral Dawn” - an old-school 5.11a mixed route. My eye wandered left to a series of pockets and eyebrows on this gently overhanging wall. Yes! I stepped back to follow the holds and saw a second pitch on the face above. Double Yes! It’s on! I grabbed the kit and scrambled around from the right side of the area (completely ignoring the rope I was supposed to get) and fixed a line to the base. Friends Tom and Weston helped me put up “Diamond in the Tuff” (5.11a). Route line & Weston at the crux:

Then things started rolling again. I gave over the steep wall to friends and local guidebook authors Marty and Tai with the request they get my rope down? Then I turned my attention to the large area left of the Diamond Face, where there were only 2 existing routes and an abandoned project (besides the new one). The wife and I then went over to check out the “abandoned project”. This route became “Finked” (5.7) and gave us access to all the other routes from the top. “Chewey the Beaver” (5.9) went in next, followed by “Shadow Plan” (5.10b). On the right side, just under the Diamond Face the wife and I put up “Keeps Me Out of Rusty’s” (5.9). We were cleaning Shadow Plan and in a period of about a half hour, I raced off with the drill, climbed an easy chimney, set anchors on a short arete and rappelled down cleaning. We all took a run on it, and it was bolted and climbed within another half hour. “Edge Zeppelin” (5.10a) was the easiest & fastest route I have ever done. The wife on “Chewey”, and me on the First ascent of “Edge Zeppelin”:

Around this time, DWP started the big water releases from Crowley Lake above. This was a wet winter, and the release flooded the gorge. All of the low-water crossings got washed away, and even the high permanent crossing we put in was underwater, leaving climbing and route development mostly inaccessible in the Lower. First ascent of “Shadow Plan” and underwater crossing at Big Tower (huge water flow):

After a month or so of raging, the water level finally went down enough to do some bridgework. During the high flow, Marty and others had been prepping to get a permanent high-water bridge to the Diamond Face area. The wall Tai & Marty were working yielded an additional 6 or 7 routes, from 5.10b to 5.12c? – so they were keen on access as well. We gathered funds & friends and built, hauled & installed a 20-foot bridge:

The bridge done, we added “Phylanthropy” (5.6) and “Full Moon Fever” (5.11a), and extended “Keeps Me Out of Rusty’s” to 35 meters. I also put in “Dusk ‘til Dawn” (5.10d) at this time and retro-bolted “Daughter of a Coral Dawn” (5.11a). Me on the first ascent of “Full Moon Fever”, and my wife on her FA of “Phylanthropy”:

Gorge Season 2017! There was still some infrastructure issues with the Warning Signs Wall crossing, and we had done some patching the previous year. We ended up climbing there after bridgework, and started looking around. We first put up “Safety Meeting” (5.10a) on the lower formation, then I took on a major platforming & approach project to put in “Worker’s Watching” (5.10a). Sending the first on “Safety Meeting” & Strong Tom on “Worker’s Watching”:

While I was cleaning “Worker’s”, I looked at the wall behind me & saw a better climb than I was working on. Had to climb well above an anchor - then through a steep, loose crack on sketchy gear again to get the anchors on “Flight of Fancy” (5.11b). I was packing it up to leave when I spotted another route at the top of the main wall trail. An easy scramble and mostly clean rock quickly produced “Time Out of Mind” (5.8). Friend & local Jeff on probably the third ascent of “Flight of Fancy”, and that Wolfe guy again on “Time Out of Mind”:

 Edit: I miscounted, but here's Joe on the FA of # 25. Hope you enjoy the new routes! Cheers, Erik

Erik.... I have sampled some of those climbs! 

They be good

THX

I've sampled phylanthropy, chewey the beaver and finked.  Good to have more easy/moderate routes to climb. :)  

Thanks Erik, Maidy and everyone else developing routes and replacing the river crossings.

There are more routes, but was limited to 10,000 characters - probably a good thing. LOL.

My wife and I (both beginners) and our dog thoroughly enjoyed both the access and routes at Pink Wall this past fall. Thanks for being so considerate and putting in so much time, energy, and love to make such a great place for people like us to enjoy.

Sounds awesome. I’m gonna check them out in a few days. Thanks for putting them up and sharing. 

Great job guys!!! Thanks for all the hard work.

I’m so appreciative of all the work you’ve done down there.