Helen Highwater

Both routes follow the blackest water-streak flowing down the face of Helen's Dome [a most beautiful face, like Helen of Troy]. The first 25 feet are the hardest, harder than my old topo claimed (maybe 5.10+). If you skip the first belay ledge and only clip protection bolts three, eight, nine, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, then that's pretty much doing my original and rarely climbed Buffalo Tears. The original route, hand drilled on tiptoe at huge risk, has been sitting mostly unchalked for a long while. Helen Highwater, like the climbs at Staunton State Park or Pine Valley Ranch, is more of a route for everyone. The original route name is mentioned above so those who have done the original version can still have a name for their bold lead.    

Pitch one is sport protected (5.10, 12 bolts, 25 meters, ring bolts @ belay). 

Pitch two is also sport protected (5.8, five bolts, 15 meters, ends @ the "Four Bolt Belay").

Pitch three, 5.8+, starts with 15 meters of thin trad protection - where Highwater joins Borderline Boulevard. It is best to have a double set of Black Diamond Micro Stoppers or RPs from #3 to #6 (5.7?). After the thin flake of Borderline, the last miraculous piece in the groove is a #0.75 C4 Camalot. Finally, climb just left of the water groove, past three bolts to the belay rings and an old buttonhead (3 bolts, 30 meters).

Pitch four is unprotected, easier than 5.0, and ends at sparkly stainless ring bolts - just below the perched, tabular, five foot boulder. The boulder is a good landmark for finding the descent anchors of Highwater after doing any route on the main face of Helen's Dome.

All four rappels are fine with a 60m rope. When lowering off belay #2, an 80m rope can easily reach the Helen's belay terrace but not a 70m rope. For safe guiding of friends, use the Disney Dad anchor to get off Helen's lower belay terrace.

To continue to the top of Helen's, either slab walk up left or climb the upper pitches of Helen Wheels or Big Jar of Honey.

There is single 1/2' bolt anchor to rappel 10m off the backside.

. To use the Helen's Gully descent, slab walk past the pothole pools atop Fractured Fairytales, climb a loose, 10 meter, Class III crack. There is a bolted friction pitch just right of the 3rd Class. Walk around the giant overhanging boulder, Diamond in the Rough, via the south side, then up left to a saddle under a barrier headwall. Dodging the headwall to the right (south) leads up to a nice campsite, Route-to-Top, and Charley Don't Surf, but to head down, go left and avoid the boulder choked gully by staying close to the massive walls of Helen's, hopefully passing an old sawed-off fallen log along the way. Once the horse trail is reached, turn left, hike down to the ranch's fence, and turn right on another horse trail that leads downstream. At the first boulder on the left, leave the trail, and cross-country a bit to reach the Goose Creek crossing at the "Meadow Ford". Finally, follow another trail up and over the creekside bluff, under the ranch's power lines and up to the Molly's Gulch parking..., and pray your car starts, because it is an hour+ drive to reach Verizon phone service at Buffalo Creek (text only) and Pine Junction (voice).

The hard work done at Narrow Gauge Slab inspired me to make my old route more route accessible. To dodge the pitch three gear placing, use a 5.7 friction ramp that leads up to the Scatterbrain/Scotty's belay ledge. It needs a couple bolts still but has been done as a flawed runout.