Rock For Climbing Routes To

(Note: the person who orignally submitted this route only described the last pitch. Here is a complete description of the route.)

This is an entertaining route with a burly roof on the first pitch. I've never seen anyone climb the crux pitch or know anyone who has. When my partner was following the first pitch, some passersby asked me about the route. One said that it looked "rowdy"; I can't disagree.

The route starts just to the left of the dihedral on the first pitch of Break on Through. Scramble easily up to the dihedral, but veer left. The feature to climb will be obvious from the ground. When you're positioned under the roof, you'll realize that it's just as steep as it looks from the ground.

Pitch 1 (11c): climb the overhanging flake and hand crack out the roof to a welcome thank-the-diety-of-your-choice jug. Recover a little, move up on good sidepulls, and then carefully balance your way up to the slab. Breathe a sigh of relief and continue easily up and left to a belay just right of the second pitch of Long John Wall. The gear is good on this pitch, but after the initial handcrack is small (Aliens and small stoppers).

Pitch 2 (7): climb the seam about a body length to the right of the second pitch of Long John Wall. When you get to the roof, traverse easily to the right for about twenty feet or so and make a belay near the tree below the second pitch of Break on Through (be careful of loose rocks in that area).

Pitch 3 (10c): traverse right from the belay, climb carefully through the shattered band, and go up the crack a few feet to the right of the last pitch of Chianti to a good ledge, and make a belay there.

Once on top, one could traverse climber's right to the chain anchors atop Atom Smasher. I find it so awkward to set up that anchor for a rappel that my preference is to continue up and over, scramble down to a good ledge with a tree, traverse skier's right, and rappel from the cable anchor atop the second pitch of Washington Irving. I like to go to The Unsaid anchor from there.

(The route name and first ascent information were obtained from Steve Levin's excellent guidebook to the canyon.)

It appears the current consensus rating reflects the 3rd pitch, but the route description for P1 suggests a harder difficulty, perhaps 11c. Those who have done the route and rated it on this website might suggest checking their rating suggestion.