Monster Groove Direct Start

This is a 4 pitch direct start to Dike hike- monster groove that we did a while ago. It makes for the steepest, longest, and most direct groove climb at laurel knob. It can seep with water often, but it is slightly drier than the forbidden fruit groove and comparable in wetness to the groove on defective sonar.

P1: climb slab past a cam and one bolt to belay ledge at start of stellar sonar, 5.9R

P2: Climb stellar sonar corner than up overhanging 1/2 pad diagonal crimp crux section. Amazing climbing. Have done it with one hang several times and should go free at 5.13-. You can A0 the crux section off of a hangerless bolt (bring a wired stopper or rivet hanger)

P3: Climb overhanging jugs to step left into water groove, 5.10

P4: Climb ridiculous overhanging water groove, 5.12b

Everything but P2 has been redpointed. P2 is an open project.

cams and one nut for the hangerless bolt. Everything 5.10 and harder is well protected. Specific gear needed (Take this info with a grain of salt because it is from memory from being on the route a while ago):

P1: medium cam for before first bolt. Belay off of gear in corner or tree.

P2: cams for slabby corner and long slings for this part. Then all you need is quickdraws for the crux section. aidable by using wired nut on quickdraw

p3: assortment of small - medium cams for below the first bolt. I might have slung a horn to, I forget.

p4: bolts and maybe a tiny cam in a horizontal above the first bolt. I think I didn't have the right cam size when I redpointed it and I did it on all draws. I seem to recall that there also might be a hole up high that might take a tricam or a number 2, 3, or 4 camalot. Or maybe not. Maybe Nathan remembers better than me.