Seconds

Though not quite as well-known as routes like Fathom and Groover, Seconds is an excellent moderate with good protection and runouts maybe a little more generously bolted than you might expect of a typical North Carolina slab route. For most of its seven-pitch length, Seconds follows water grooves that steadily cut deeper into the face until you find yourself in what's practically a chimney near the top.

The route goes like this:

P1 - (Direct) Slab up to roof and pull it on good gear to the right or left then move up to bolted belay.

P1 - (Original) Climb up the hill to the climber's left of the clearingto the base of the rock, but directly left of the P1 anchors...traverse easy ground right and up to the anchors above the roof.

P2 - Head up water groove for the original Wild Turkey route (10PG13/R) or move left and up more featured, better protected, crack and slab climbing (5.8+) over a couple bolts and some good gear placements, regaining the groove above. Climb straight up to a bolted belay.

P3 - From the belay, climb straight up the groove past a bolt and upwards. Either continue up on the left following features and gear until possible to move right to the spacious belay...or up the groove and right over face and two bolts to the good belay ledge with bolted belay.

P4 - Climb striaght up the well protected rightmost flaring crack until possible to move right to the semi hanging belay at the top of P4.

P5 - From the semihanging belay at the top of P4, make some thin moves up and right to gain a slight scoop left of the water groove...streeeetch out left to clip the bolt...slab up and into the groove and follow this up to a prominent quartz dike on the right...move out of the groove along this dike and do one of two things...OPTION 1: before the next groove, slab straight up the face with no pro to the anchors. OPTION 2: follow the dike into the next grooove for a couple placements, move up then back left to anchors...this belay is pretty comfortable.

P6 - CRUX - move right from the belay and up following flaring cracks back into the water groove...follow this up to a bolt on the left. Clip this and prepare to pull the crux bulge. There is a good blue TCU placement above the bulge that can be placed from the stance below. Follow the groove on up to anchors on the left.

P7 - Follow the groove on up for one last semi-clean pitch to anchors out and right. Most rap from here.

P8 - Dirty. Head up the groove then out and right on the face to two old, manky bolts...rap.

Rappel the route with two ropes from belay anchor to belay anchor. Two ropes mandatory.

The direct start is just above the wooden footbridge. Take a number 4 for under the roof.

The original start is up and left 100'. From the upper right shoulder of the earthen bank, slab out and right to the first set of anchors. Short and easy.

Single rack of Stoppers, Tricams, TCUs, Camalots to #3 with lots of runners, draws, etc.

Doubles in small to mid may be handy but not mandatory and offsets are always nice at LK.

Bolts protect the most runout sections...more or less.

Belays are bolted all the way to the top.