Live Free or Die!™

Live Free or Die!™ is an excellent boulder problem halfway up the east face of liberty bell, featuring a rather involved approach (3.5 warm up pitches) and a sustained 7-pitch cooldown, leading to an enjoyable topout (mantle optional) on the summit.

You may ask, "Why would you choose another route with "free" in the name, when there are already 2 of those on this wall?" But there are already 3 routes with the word "Liberty" in their names, and since this is 'Mericuh! and these colors don't run, you can't just be satisfied with only 2 "freedom" routes.

Live Free or Die!™ begins (and mostly climbs) shortly to the south/left of the Independence Route for 8 pitches up to M&M Ledge. Above M&M, the last 3-4 pitches to the summit are best shared with the upper section of Thin Red Line (5.8) or Dark Side (~.11 b). All LFoD belays are bolted.

P1-P3: 5.8, ,5.11, 5.11 Easy to follow and mostly on-your-feet bolted climbing past some overlaps in the V2-V3 range. A couple cams will come in handy. Veer left at the top of P3 to bolted pedestal belay under a broad roof. The quartz chimney of Independence route is a few meter right.

P4: 5.11 V5 The #SidewaysDownclimbDyno crux of the route occurs about 30m into P4. Let's hope that the prior 300' of climbing were a good warmup. It is height dependent rightward crimping but easy to pendulum through on a bolt if you forgot your crash pad. Finish via some excellent 5.10 and 5.11+ face climbing which is shared with the original (aid and free versions) top of Independence route's P4. Use longs slings and/or backclean low on this pitch.

(Var. "The Alt. Right" - It's possible to avoid the crux and climb the whole wall via a steep plumb line no harder than .11+. Veer hard right to a ledge near the top of P3. This ledge is right of an early 90s-era bolt covered in silicon caulk(?) where LFoD & Independence converge. From this ledge, which held a piton+horn belay on Independence, climb the runout quartz chimney above, then step right past 2 bolts to juggy flakes and a lieback. This is the Independence Route's easier free option for P4.)

P5: 5.11 Step right to a mostly bolted pitch, where Independence follows pitons and crack straight up. Finish with a few gear placements and pitons in overlaps to a delicate v3 mantle shared with the Independence. The belay atop this pitch is a tiny stance. Link w/p6 if you have a ton of draws and lots of finger cams.

P6: ~5.11d Step right (going high is easiest) to a flake, height-dependent v4, then continue directly up a thin crack system with small gear to a nice ledge below a huge roof.

P7: 5.11+ Climb left past a bolt to the weakness in the roof. Climb through the roof (V3?) , and follow 5.9 cracks to a bolted leftward traverse. Traverse left (5.10), then backclean the leftmost bolt and step back up and right (another bolt, 5.11-) to the belay.

P8: 5.10 Climb splitter hands to M&M Ledge. Up and right from this pitch is the fun 5.11 flake pitch on “Dark Side”.

P9-P11: Follow Thin Red Line (which has basically become the only way anyone finishes from M&M to the top). Rad easy V0 type climbing atop Liberty Bell! Extra style points if you climb the excellent splitter #3 camalot crack that starts 35m above M&M. Extra Extra style points if you climb the nice 5.11 crack pitch off M&M just right of where LFoD hits the ledge (P6 of "Dark Side of Liberty"). Subtract several dozen style points if you bail from M&M ledge.

Doubles tips to #.5

Singles #.75-#3

Small Wires

70m, numerous slings/draws