Sleeping Giant

The southern slopes of El Cajon Mountain rise steeply for  two thousand feet out of the San Diego River bed. Nestled within a thousand feet of that elevation gain are a series of rock walls that sit one atop the other, allowing you to climb thru from one to the next, summitting high atop the southern escarpment.

The climb is characterized by low angle slabs of beautiful stone, which steepen and  progress in difficulty the higher you climb.  Under the best conditions the cityscape of downtown San Diego is backdropped by the Pacific Ocean and Coronado Islands to the west, and snow capped mountains to the east. I can't stress enough how quickly conditions become unpleasant on a cloudless day when the sun radiates off this south facing solar furnace.  

After nearly two decades of poking at him, with the help of numerous friends along the way, we've finally awoken, the Sleeping Giant.

The route begins on The Toe (more like his ankle), climbs up his Thigh (West Tier), thru his Fat Belly, across his Chest, and tops out on his Head.

The approach is via the Mountaineers Trail to the Toe,  which is about one hundred paces beyond the trail to the Wedge. As you approach the east edge of The Toe from the Mountaineers Trail, Sleeping Giant is the first line of bolts you encounter above the trail. 

For leading each pitch comfortably at its grade a rack of singles; green and yellow alien size cams and Camalots grey .4  thru yellow #2, optional blue #3 camalot. (yellow alien and grey .4 camalot are similar in size, double this range only). I only get so specific so as to help you keep it to a minimum. 

7 quick draws, 6 alpine draws, one 48" runner, 14 total. 60M rope

All belays are bolted, rap the route or top out and scramble down the South Ridge. Double rope raps not recommended. I much prefer rapping back to West Tier and walking off from there. Several raps are 30m rope stretchers, tie your ends together and learn how to throw ropes effectively down low angle vegetated terrain (after threading to middle, throw the middle of each half down, then elbow coil from the ends to give you a tight compact coil to chuck as far as you can, lifting the rest of the rope off the slabs).

P1 7 bolts  150'  5.6

Begin directly below the first bolt and follow a few geodesque pockets in marbled granite up an otherwise easy slab.

P2 4 bolts green alien off the belay  85'  5.7

Linking these two is not recommended if leading at your limit, rope stretch ledge fall hazard at the crux while your partner is starting to simul climb thru the starting crux.

Along the way ignore the bolts to the right which would lead you into Stemtation.

At the belay flake your rope in a way that allows you to quickly carry it 250' across the slope to West Tier.  The path begins climbers left of the belay and immediately switches back to the right or east, to the lone boulder at the base of the next wall.The boulder makes for a nice rest stop.

Take note of where you are. When you rappel back to here the trail to the Mountaineers Ridge descent traverses off to the east.

Link 3 and 4

P3  7 bolts  grey .4 camalot  85'  5.8

Above the boulder are two bolted lines.

Start up Doing Time, which is the bolt line to the right, and left of the left angling crack.

At the 5th bolt, before the grass, 48" runner the bolt and move right. Grey .4 above the grass ledge, 2 more bolts to the belay.

Extend the right most bolt at the belay and continue into P4.

P4  3 bolts  green alien and purple camalot off the belay  85'  5.7

Anchor bolts are out of sight to the right of the last bolt.

P5  3 bolts  grey camalot off the belay  80'  5.4

Move right off the belay, into the beautiful red stone and up the 3rd class lumpy clumps above. From the rappel station walk right and up another 100' of loose terrain to the start of the next pitch, belay there off a pair of bolts.

The Hip Pitch

P6  All your draws/runners, and all your bigger cams, optional #3 camalot   150'  5.8

Chains @75' are a rap station.

Belly Fat Pitch

P7  3 bolts  green and yellow alien  75'  5.6

Begin to the right of the anchor

P8  6 bolts  75'  5.7

At the 6th, or last visible bolt step down and right into a better sequence thru features than the scabby slab directly above the bolt.

 Yes you can link 7 and 8, just don't stop to belay at the chains atop 8, instead grassaneer your way up to the right to the visible belay bolts.

The grass slope sucks, don't trundle me bro.

Chest Pitch

P9  8 bolts  red camalot, yellow alien, grey camalot  125'  5.10a

Red #1 off the belay, 5.10a crux between the first and second bolts. Finger size cam between 1st and 2nd bolts.  Chains @65' are primarily a rap station. Use these to rap all the way to the previous chains atop P8, across the loose grass slope, stay on rappel getting there.

Head Pitch

P10  9 bolts  green, red, yellow, opt. blue camalots  110'  5.10a

Above the belay a right trending ramp leads ~3 bolts to a move left, with a dirty flake for a right hand. Don't use this dirty right hand. i went up to take it off one day but, there's often others below. You want to move more left anyway, to get into the bottom of the next right trending ramp. Atop this ramp sits the .10- hand jam.

The crux involves stepping off the ledge and getting established into the crack. Protect it well or deck back onto the ledge (#1 and #2 camalot, #3 higher if you brought it)

Above the crack are two short headwalls, the first one a steep slab, the second one a steep bulge. Don't climb the second steep one direct (ledge fall hazard 5.10), traverse out right and back instead 5.6

Enjoy the top out ledge.  If you intend to scramble down the south ridge continue past this anchor for another 30' up the visible 4" crack (5.5)

to another pair of bolts above. The path down the South Ridge is ~200' to the west. 

Note on this rappel:  110' back to the belay chains, or 98' to rap only rings 20' climbers right of the belay, you should see them easily on rappel.