The Cleaver

The second pitch offwidth is a real beauty from the ground, but when you get up there, it turns out it's so much harder than you'd think. Everything just lines up wrong! The climb begins in a dihedral, which on the second pitch, turns to a roof, which then turns again. I started working on the line just before covid shut everything down. Good progress was made over two days (accessing the top, cleaning, drilling bolts, etc...) Then a year later, I had a one-day opportunity to send the line and came away with the one-hang! Life's distractions closer to home kept putting this on the back burner, until it came time to tell the Wide Boys about it. Pete, Tom, and Mari all came away with sends, but not without one boatload of effort and try-hard. In the end, they confirmed what I wanted to know so bad; yes, this thing is an absolute beast and a classic!

P1. 5.12c   Place a few small cams, then really small cams (.1s), then crank a few tough layback moves until you can clip a bolt. From there, it's fun 5.11- bolt-protected climbing and funny stemming in the dihedral to the belay ledge. There appears to be some gear placements near the bolts, but most are in hollow flakes, which did not pass the hammer test, and would likely sheer off. Play it safe and clip.  

70' Gear: .1 (x2), 3" and 6 bolts. 

P2. 5.13b    The money! Climb a hand crack through a few mini-roofs, then another 10' before the crack widens to offwidth abruptly. While around 6-8" wide, the crack makes an aesthetic curve. This curve in the crack really throws everything for a loop, and passing it is very technical. There is a bolt above the roof, this is because my first time up it, that beautiful curve cut my rope to the core. If you plan on weighting the rope with the rope above the roof, the bolt needs to be clipped. The bolt is positioned for the safety of the rope, not for the ease of clipping. My beta made it easier to skip the clip on the way up, promising not to fall, then after clipping the anchor, I did an assisted/self lower down to clip the bolt I lowered to the ground. I think the alternate beta, it may be easier to clip the bolt on lead.

50' Gear: 1", 2-7", 1 bolt

Hike up Day Canyon, then after leaving the cottonwoods in the drainage, about 10 minutes in, the canyon opens up and you can see Raptor Tower in the distance. Look left and you'll see the unmistakable curve. There is a slight trail off to the left of the route. As always, be attentive where you walk as to avoid stepping on the cryptobiotic soil.