Three Lane Highway

Refer to the directions to "P3 of

Working Class Hero

" to locate the "Upper Construction Zone" buttress. This is in the general vicinity of rock above Positively Fourth Street.

At the very left-hand side of the Upper Construction Zone, a large evergreen stands at the base of a rotten looking wall, just left of a rotten, shrub-choked, left-facing dihedral. This wall is even worse than it looks. The cracks directly behind the tree on the wall which become three parallel cracks (within reach of each other) are called "Three Lane Highway (5.8, S)"

Three Lane Highway is a route which starts from under the shade of the branches of the big pine, and climbs the wall up and right through a spot where the branches to do reach the wall. From there, the route moves up and slightly left toward 3 parallel cracks 20' up. Climb these and stay on them (do not go left, or the rock is even worse) to the top. After 60 feet of rotten rock and poor protection, you will top out immediately below the rap station we added to the tree above.

To descend: At the top of the vertical rock, you reach a shelf directly below a large pine tree, at which there is a solid fixed rap station. This station is presently 2 independent tied slings around a solid tree and a single leaver biner. It needs a quick link or two added or to replace the single biner present. Rap from this to the base of the Upper Construction Zone, then walk off in reverse of the description as for approach #3.

A Standard Eldo rack can protect the route in theory, but the rock quality in terms of gear and holds demand a VS rating. Your belayer should take cover behind the huge belay tree at the base and wear a helmet. My partner and I both did the route withoug breaking holds, but we consider ourselves lucky. I did not test the gear, nor would I care to.