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Becoming the Hermit (Hermit's Cave Right Exit)

V5, Boulder, 8 ft (2 m),  Avg: 3.9 from 8 votes
FA: unknown
Massachusetts > Eastern, MA > Hammond Pond > Temple Area > Hermit's Cave Area > Hermit's Cave

Description

Climb the cave from Hermit's Cave, but instead of following the arete up to the jug and left exit, reach straight up to the lip, and top out. There are nice holds to the left and a spot to heel hook directly above the jug. Once rocked over onto the lip, there's another jug on the second lip further up that you can pull on.

I prefer to do this climb from the deeper lip in the cave, which can add some difficulty to both Hermit's Cave and this problem.

Location

It is at the Hermit's Cave Boulder.

Protection

2 -3 pads.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

This shows the right side of the top lip. I will take a better lit picture in the future. <br> The yellow Xs are for notable hand holds, and the blue Xs are for notable foot holds.
[Hide Photo] This shows the right side of the top lip. I will take a better lit picture in the future. The yellow Xs are for notable hand holds, and the blue Xs are for notable foot holds.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Alex H
  V5
[Hide Comment] youtube.com/watch?v=GXia1j7… beta video! May 9, 2023
Dan Rogers
Newton, MA
  V4+
[Hide Comment] This was a super fun and natural variation on Hermit's Cave—thanks for putting it up!

It's definitely harder, but I'm not sure by how much. The throw to the lip versus the traverse left felt about equivalent. The topout is harder than on the original but felt repeatable after trying it out a couple times. For me, this problem is easier than Reefer Madness (sit start) or Hepatitis. I would be interested to see what others think! Jul 21, 2023
Vincent Tang
  V5
[Hide Comment] Agreed that this is a fun variation! Skipping the good lower crimp on the arete forces a more powerful move up to the crimp ledge (the first move coming out of the cave), which I thought was a nice way to further differentiate this route from Hermit's Cave. May 6, 2025
Peyton Luc
Dirty South
 
[Hide Comment] Beta: kaya-app.kayaclimb.com/clim….

Get after it. It is such a fun variation. Jul 5, 2025