Obstacle Course

This is not a good route by most standards and majority would think it’s garbage. There’s bushwhacking, filthy rock, some loose blocks, and chance ledge fall on mellow terrain. Chris remarked afterwards “that’s the most dangerous obstacle course I’ve ever been in”. Thus the name as the nature of the course is harder than the climbing. With that said we both enjoyed the route for what is was and that’s an adventure.

Pitch 1: Climb Grouse Call. A friend mentions starting to the right under the roof and traversing out left to the route. I didn’t know this route existed to begin with and started directly under vertical crack and pulled through an overlap to reach the crack. A small offset nut or possibly a medium sized tricam can protect the first moves with an attentive belayer. From here romp up the mellow crack system to the rhodos. To save time skip the anchors and tunnel through the small rhodo hole to the base of the next pitch. 5.9

Pitch 2: Walk left to the corner system capped by a huge roof. Climb the corner system and then traverse under roof. I did that as a super short pitch and set a belay in an alcove under the roof as there were some massive blocks that were barely hanging on and I didn’t want to the ropes to be in jeopardy while the second climbed up the corner. The nastiest of the blocks are gone and linking two and three should not be a problem if you are climbing on halves. 5.10

Pitch 3. Pull the roof and carefully continue upwards eventually punching through another rhodo tunnel and reaching the base of the next corner system.

Pitch 4: Pull the small overhang and into the corner system continuing to be aware of loose rock. When the corner ends traverse left on a ledge to the prow for some great exposure. Climb up the blunt prow to the top and belay.

5.10

This route is located on the left hand side of The Cat Walk. Walk past the main routes and the trail becomes less of a trail. Passing under some low roofs. You will enter an alcove with some overhanging cracks that climb around a detached block which is the 3rd pitch of Conquistador. To the left is Grouse Call which can be identified by a short thin hand crack 30/40’ up. Obstacle Course starts on Grouse Call.

I had singles 00-4, a couple small offset cams, some small nuts, and tricams black to blue. I’d also recommend half ropes due to some wandering and loose/sharp features.