Type: | Trad, 250 ft, 2 pitches |
FA: | unknown |
Page Views: | 1,910 total · 14/month |
Shared By: | Aaron Hobson on May 14, 2007 |
Admins: | Hank Caylor, Matt Richardson, LeeAB Brinckerhoff |
Description
Solid climbing up huecos and patina for two pitches, with good exposure and comfy belays. The first pitch is the more dififcult, mainly due to the route-finding challenges. Finding the "5.6" start may be tricky as there are several slightly more difficult ways to start. Also, the protection on the first 30-40 ft is not all that obvious, sometimes relying on the small gaps between patina plates. The second pitch is much more straightforward, following the obvious hand-sized crack for half a pitch. When the crack ends, an exposed traverse to the right leads to a ledge, from which one can scramble up to the top.
A beginner leader should take this route fairly seriously, as the protection is not obvious. However, there are plenty of good stances, and as long as you can be creative with your pro, you'll enjoy this route.
A beginner leader should take this route fairly seriously, as the protection is not obvious. However, there are plenty of good stances, and as long as you can be creative with your pro, you'll enjoy this route.
Location
The Cakewalk buttress is one of the first large walls seen when approaching from the parking lot. It is recognizable by the hand-crack on the second pitch, and a faint water-streak on the lower pitch. The start is on the right side of some boulders at the base of the wall. The grotto to the left is where the classic route Flake Roof is found. 30 ft to the right is a large chimney called Bitchin Chimney.
Protection
Small wires helpful throughout the route. Also shallow cam placments and a few tri-cams come in handy. Nig stuff will fit in the hand-crack on the second pitch, but you can do without it just as well. A two-bolt belay is located on a ledge 130 ft up at the top of Cakewalk Direct. A second two-bolt belay is another 70 ft up just beneath the crack. There is a bolt just below the second anchors which protects an exposed move to reach the anchors. No gear at the top.
The Dungeon, NM
Descent:
From the top of CakeWalk (after the traverse right), scramble up and over a big chockstone in a corridor behind you. At the end of this corridor downclimb on a steep but easy hueco-covered face into a deeper gash, and scramble east out the other side. Walk down slabs to the north, aiming for the pond (Laguna Prieta).
From the top of 'Son of CW', you may need to rappel/downclimb a short hueco'd face on the south side of the summit block to get into the first corridor just past the chockstone.
No big deal, but 5.6 climbers might need some help, or routefind carefully.
Other options may exist. Feb 16, 2009
Palm Desert, CA
Central California
Lenoir, NC
I did not find it particularly hard to protect the fist pitch although if your not used to using nuts I could see it being pretty run out. I think I only used 3 cams on the whole route but there are tons of placements for nuts in the cracks in the patina. I was a bit surprised with how few places I could get a cam in the hand crack on the 2nd pitch. Most of the crack has a narrow opening and then flares significantly so most of the time I couldn't get a cam big enough to sit nicely in the crack through the narrow opening.
As of Sept 2017 there are 3 bolted anchors. The 2 mentioned in the description as well as a set at the top. all bolts looked to be in good shape. Sep 30, 2017