Described in most guides as an option to skip the crux of

Plumb Line

, this route is more like an option to skip climbing....for 6 to 8 weeks?

Start left of

Plumb Line

on a large selection of chicken heads. Work up and right towards the crux of

Plumb Line

, which coincidentally enough, is the crux of

Acute Angle

.  A run-out, and barely easier variation that suffers from no protection.

Delightfully terrifying, Good Luck!

Acute Angle Var.

A Little Razz-Ma-Tazz and All That Jazz

Boomerang

Hangman

Plumb Line

Filthy Garbage

Gravity's Rainbow

Calderone Slab

Euphorbia

On the approach to the

Plumb Line

there is a large boulder hidden off the left side of the trail.

Razz-ma-tazz

climbs out the overhung south-facing side of the boulder. Might want to tape up for this one. A good lesson in crack climbing with feet over your head.

Follow the regular approach to plumb line, but go right up the plumb line gully rather than left to plumb line.  Bushwack a ways up the gully until a right leaning finger crack appears to your left.  Pitch 1 climbs a rising traverse up the crack using a cool mix of liebacking and finger locks.  Expend good fingers coupled with exfoliating granite foot holds (these should clean up with more traffic).  The second pitch is 5.9- s.  If you're in the area of plumb line, this climb is well worth doing.

P1

: Overhanging handcrack/flake to a slab with 3 very closely space bolts. Super Classic Mantle moves! Slab is somewhat mottled. Burly moves at the bottom, seems more physical and less technique than

Plumbline

... (.9+)

P2:

A lieback, finger to hand crack on a broken face. Difficult, sustained climbing up an arcing break. The crux comes early on past the second protruding tree, then a redpoint, technical/power crux comes up high at the mini-roof/undercling. Build a belay at a large pine tree if finishing, or build a belay with small gear and a slung chicken head at an overlap if continuing to the top. (.9++)

P3:

Follow a small crack up the prow passing a bashie and a bolt. Build a belay and walk off. (.5)

Descend P1

by scrambling toward

The Thumb

(West) and back down to the base of

Plumbline

.

Descend P2

by scrambling west towards

The Thumb

down some moderate, but secure terrain.

Descend P3

via a more difficult scramble west towards The Thumb

Typical LCC slabbing at an incredible and improbable angle.  Work your way up unique chickenhead mantles interspersed by spacial voids of holds.

Finally finish up the last part of the climbing on slightly easier but just as committing moves far above your last bolt.  Top out directly or traverse to the Plumb Line chains.

Below and slightly east of the

The Thumb

is a small, slightly triangular wall leaning just shy of vertical.  Splitting this wall is a thin fingertips-to-thin-hands crack which begged ascent pre-1968 when Mayor Ted aided it and named it

Plumb Line

.  Today, it's a classic, steep finger crack which despite it's lengthy approach is a must do (and one which I do at least once a year for grins).  Follow the approach description under

The Thumb

.  Gather your less-than-1.5" pro, and prep for an entertaining climb.

Begin right at the base of the crack, and attain a stance right below the steepest part of the crack.  Place a piece as high as you can, and then work slightly left of the crack for two moves, and then back directly into the crack (If you choose the

Acute Angle Variation -  5.9

, this is where you'll joining the crack).  Continue up the ever-widening crack to the relatively recent two-bolt belay.

When I first did this (see the "action photos") the tree at the top was the belay anchor and there was still a bush growing at the top of the crux. Now there are two glue-ins. The last 15' warrant tape if you're as wimpy as I am.

Right of Plumb Line and Zot, is a wide crack that starts bush and tree choked.  Climb this to the top of it.  The initial moves seemed harder than 5.6, and the rock was rice-y.  The crack chewed up my hands, and the trees detract a lot.  Getting above the trees, I realized that I did not bring enough wide gear to finish it safely and backed off of it.  It looks from this point to be very fun.  If the route cleaned up and the trees weren't there it would be a very fun wide crack.

Gravity's Rainbow begins in a right-arching hand crack that quickly widens to OW, then into an awkward squeeze.  Savor the "Little Cottonwood Lean" as you move out of the maw, then onto the wafer-thin flake above.  Traverse right along the splitter, undercling flake to a two-bolt anchor.  From the belay, climb past a mahogany and to a finger crack leading up to an overlap.  Surmount the bulge by aiding off of the antique 1/4" bolt on the slab above; undercling-lieback the right-angling corner--the rock quality really begins to degrade here--and into a small alcove.  The Ruckman topo shows the line traversing off of the slab to the right; however, it is also possible to climb directly out of the gritty alcove to the rappel tree--a small, uninspiring mahogany tree adorned by faded tat.

7 bolts with tan/brown painted hangers (has "Calderone" engraved on hangers). This is the left of the 2 slab routes on the wall. Watch out for a slightly runout section past the 1st bolt, then it's fun friction up the slightly grainy face. Contrived crux at last bolt if you don't use the crack on the left, which is hard to avoid...

Fun new slab route with an exciting crux at the very last move. Start on botton right of slab. Friction up the low angle slab past 3 bolts to a bulge. Runout on easy ground to pro in crack. Stand on 2 chicken heads, clip bolt and figure out the sequence past 5th bolt. Cruise up easier terrain to the exciting last move over a large chickenhead.

70 meter rope mandatory with knots in end!!!

Easy to stick-clip 1st bolt or spot leader.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Plumb Line Gully