Type: Trad, 450 ft (136 m), 3 pitches
FA: No
Page Views: 2,555 total · 10/month
Shared By: XOG on Jun 13, 2003
Admins: Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC

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Description Suggest change

This is one of the prominent natural lines (i.e. not contrived) on the Bookmark, lying between Romulan Territority on the left and Backflip on the right. The climb really starts on Library Ledge, sharing the belay with Backflip. Technically a 5.7 pitch 30' left of Backflip (recognizable by an old bolt 30' up) is the start, but we got to Library Ledge via Marginal Line (9+), which looked nicer to us than the traditional way.

The 2nd pitch is what makes the climb great. It is however very runout 5.6 at the beginning, climbing up on the face just to the left of the Backflip dihedral on knobs and crystals. The leader can place a piece above the belay by climbing up the Backflip dihedral about 15' and setting a nut with a *very* long sling, and then downclimbing back to the belay before beginning the lead for real. This can at least protect against a long fall directly onto the belay, as you lead over 40' off the belay on completely crackless but clean rock.

Above the runout section is a beautiful section of 10a in a finger size crack dihedral thing (typical Lumpy fare with the crack hard to reach at times and many lieback moves). The guidebook gives this the 10a rating, but we both felt it was more like 5.9. In any case this is certainly no Gollum's Arch!

Belay just after the 10a section in an alcove just below a steepening crack. The first section of the next pitch is awkward 5.7 with good jams. Above this there is some fun easier crack climbing, followed by some vegetated V-shaped crack climbing reminescent of George's Tree. I didn't enjoy this section very much, but I didn't particularly care for George's Tree either. Out to the right after a stretch of this you can cross over to easy climbing on fun chickenheads to avoid the last section of this crack.

Above this there is one fun move moving right at the end of the cracks and then immediately foot traversing left above an overhang, with one kind of fun move getting established above the overhang (maybe 5.7+ or so).

Then easy climbing finishes the route.

Protection Suggest change

Protection is mostly straightforward ranging from yellow alien to 3 camalot, with plenty of mid-size stopper placements. However, there is a serious runout section on 5.6 at the beginning of p. 2. This gets 'R' in the guidebook, but since it's over 40' directly off of Library Ledge with absolutely no protection possibilities, 'vs' is more accurate.

Photos

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