Fool's Gold

Start off the ramp about 30 feet left of the large squeeze/dihedral (

Face Value

) on the west side of Helen's.

Pitch 1: Head up the face past a bolt to a finger crack. Place pro and head up the face to the right-leaning crack system. Traverse right across the face to the next crack (make sure to place pro immed. After the face to protect your second from swinging big). Head right on easy ground to the 2-bolt anchor. An alternate 5.10 start goes up the crack (small gear) between the above start and "

Face Value

" past 2 (3?) bolts to the crack that heads right to the belay.

Pitch 2: Head right off the belay, place pro with a long sling and go up and left to the first bolt. Follow the bolts up the face staying left of the water groove. The climbing is on great feldspar crystals which provide plenty of small foot/hand holds. The technical crux (5.9) comes somewhat early (hard to identify exactly), but the mental crux comes in the increasing runouts between bolts as the climbing gets easier. Be prepared for 20-30+ foot runouts past the last 3 bolts (5.6-5.8).

Rap the route with double ropes or head up left thru the notch and right to the top.

Pro: 10-12 quickdraws and a light rack of small/medium wires/TCUs and cams/hexes to 3". (Take a few longer runners for the 1st pitch.) Fixe rap anchors at both belays.