The Optimist (The Nolan Smythe Memorial Route)

Nolan Smythe was ever the optimist. He was always psyched on big missions, free climbing and huge walls. Nolan had a way of making you believe you were capable of great things, even when you had great doubts. His positivity was infectious in every way and his capacity to love seemed limitless. In 2019 he and I went to Mt Hooker to climb Original Sin and we made a plan to return to put up a new route together on the north face in 2020.

Sadly, Nolan would never return to Hooker. His life was cut short in March 2020 when we were climbing together on El Gigante. His rope was severed when a large ledge came out from under his feet and the world lost an incredible friend, son and climber. This route is dedicated to him, his positivity, his love and his never ending appetite for adventure.

We found clean rock, great cracks, and navigated unlikely face sections and an in-obvious headwall that required us to harness all of Nolan’s optimism in order to make it to the summit. We climbed the route ground-up from the top of P4 after checking that the Razor Roof would go free and cleaning some loose rock from P3 on rappel. All but 4 bolts were placed on lead. We didn’t use any bat hook holes and we used the Cache Pirates rap anchors for belays on the lower portion of the route below the Razor Roof. Expect consequential climbing in the 5.9 - 5.10- range.

P1, 5.8, The Plank: Find the start of Cache Pirates and start up the obvious left to right leaning ramp passing the finger crack on p1 of Cache Pirates. Belay from a fixed nut and piton anchor or build a gear belay at a nicer stance fifteen feet lower. 60m

(Alternatively start on All Grown-ups are Pirates and finish at the same anchor).

P2, 5.10+: Follow the right to left trending splitter until it is possible to take a finger crack straight up to a ledge. 2 bolt belay. 50m

P3, 5.10+, The Flakes: From the left side of the belay ledge, climb a right facing corner until you come up to a ledge below the left to right trending thin crack with flakes sticking out of it. Eventually this crack curves left to a bolted belay below the intimidating roof above. 50m

P4, 5.11, Razor Roof: Climb the awesome finger splitter going straight out the roof overhead. After pulling the lip, navigate the run-out slabs above eventually meeting the traversing 5th pitch of Cache Pirates and belay at a bolted anchor out right. 40m

P5, 5.11-: From the belay follow the crack out right 10 feet until you see a bolt overhead. Navigate the tricky slab moves to said bolt, gain a right facing corner and continue climbing easy terrain until you can follow 2 bolts out left to a small stance. (There is a large block near the bolts at the top of this pitch, you can easily avoid pulling on this). 40m

P6, The Optimist Slab, 5.12: Follow the bolts heading straight up and then trending out right thru several roof and corner features until you reach a belay ledge with a bolt and a fixed nut at the base of a left facing corner. This crux will certainly be harder for shorter folks. Bring some rack. 40m

P7, 5.10: Head up the left facing corner. When it ends start heading up and left to a shallow right facing corner. Step right with a 5.8 move to avoid the large block roof overhead. Follow left trending cracks to a gear belay at a sloping stance. 40m

P8, Triangle Roof, 5.10: Follow thin seams until you are below the roof. Work your way to the right until you are under the triangle feature and pull a cryptic boulder problem thru the roof. From here follow obvious cracks straight up until you gain Der Major ledge. Gear belay 40m

P9, 5.11: From Der Major climb the thin fingers crack straight overhead to gain the next ledge system. Traverse left until you are below a large OW corner (optional belay here). Avoid the OW and climb an arching undercling feature below a thin seam. Clip a bolt and pull some difficult moves to the next bolt. Traverse left until you come across an obvious right facing corner shooting straight up. Climb up to a bolted belay on top of the pillar below the water streaks. 60m (70 m rap to get back to Der Major).

P10, Cold Sweats, 5.12: Head straight up a shallow left facing corner to a ledge head right and then follow a small left facing corner to a fixed nut and a roof with a hand crack. From here the pitch trends up and left passed 3 bolts to a small roof. Pull the roof, clip a 4th bolt and then head to the bolted belay out on your left at a good stance. Rope drag can be an issue if you don’t extend pieces early in the pitch. 40m

P11, Birthday Corner, 5.11-: From the belay do some balancy granite moves to the right. Follow 4 bolts straight up until you can gain the splitter left facing corner. Gear belay at any of the ledges above. Many options. 35-ish meters.

P12, 5.10: Follow obvious cracks up the corner system above until you mantel onto the summit. The cracks just left of the corner seemed cleaner. 35-ish meters. (You can link the last 2 pitches to a large ledge just below the summit, however, in high winds it’s likely you won’t be able to communicate with your partners.)

It’s likely that the head wall pitches could be wet in the early season. Luckily rappelling back to Der Major is easy and you could finish up the mountain pitches at the end of DM or rap Cache Pirates if that is the case.

Find the start of Cache Pirates and head up the ramp feature.

Nuts, Double set purple C3 - #3 C4, single #4