Wizardly Way

Not a fan of this pitch for a few reasons: The first bolt is ridiculously high, making falling before then a very serious no-no. If I had known the first bolt was that high I would have taken some trad gear or something. It just didn't make sense. Also, as I was climbing above the last bolt it wasn't clear to me which side of the bush to top out on (I guess I was dumb enough to not have read Perin's description which said to go right). The bolt is smack in the middle underneath the bush. I went left and found nasty, crumbly choss and scary moves. I was also not impressed with the single ring anchor at the top. Why not put two in??? I backed it up with a crappy slung horn. Sep 8, 2009

Exactly what I was thinking....kind of scary. Sep 8, 2009

Yeah, you actually have to make a move to get up to that first bolt too, it's not just a scramble. You could definitely fall and hurt yourself. Going left of the bush also presents some danger because the rock their is just awful and will crumble to bits. Then finally, not only is there only one ring anchor, but it took Tristan forever to find it. Kind of strange. Sep 8, 2009

After my partner led this pitch and found only the single-bolt anchor (we didn't have anything else to make any other kind of anchor), we decided just to lower him off, pull the rope, and retreat to some shade. It was at that point we learned a valuable lesson about friction and what it does to climbing ropes that run over sharp quartzite. Two hours and some great improvisation later, we finally got our rope down. If you climb this pitch, your exit is up, not down! Jan 18, 2010

There's a green C4/dragon placement right before the bush, It's shallow and flaring but it gives some piece of mind and utility when belaying followers up. I was told that there were gear placements nearer the bolt but could not find them. Sling the small tree, use a super long sling on the bolt (greater than 4 feet) and add the cam to the mix cause who knows how well that little bonsai is in there.

I totally fell after the first bolt, hit the ledge and pitched over it head first. After falling, it felt harder than 5.7-8, could have just been my rattled nerves though.

Be careful at the top as there are still some large stuff that can come off one such piece came loose after testing it for a cam placement.

Lord of the Slings pitch two is directly below the single anchor bolt on the lower ledge. Tread carefully on the traverse to your next pitch. Mar 31, 2011