Yosemite Valley, Clint Cummins, 5/13-5/14/00

Clint and I went back to Higher Cathedral Rock (Braille Book Buttress area) to finish our projects. After the standard toil up the Spires gully, I led up the first short pitch of the Syllable, stepping over a small water streak. Our new route climbs the featured face to the left of the Syllable chimney. About 35' up a small roof and a 5.9 move are encountered. I found it somewhat exciting rigging the pro (bomber when placed) for this section. A short finger crack and a wild hand traverse on golden incut holds (10a) follows and one attains a ledge. 3 bolts and some TCU placements protect the next 50' section to the first belay at a small stance. The rock is hard to read, but nearly always you can reach up and grab an excellent hold or two. I led the next pitch, too, which has 6 bolts and similar rock. The crux here is a couple of pulls on small holds (ca. 10b) at the last bolt, which gains one large holds again and smooth sailing to the belay, which is at the apex of the tapering face.

We next went to work on the prominent corner system to the left. This corner defines the last bit of the dark and desirable featured rock of the buttress (further uphill there is a rockfall zone and less-appealing rock). It was possible to avoid the obviously wide section of the corner by traversing in from the left via an easy flake and ramp system. At this point the corner has narrowed to finger size, and I received a pleasant surprise, clean rock! I plodded up the corner on fingerlocks, working the right wall with my shoulder and with the occasional stem. 20' up I found a fixed Forrest Foxhead, 1970's vintage, possibly Sylvester's? With 150' of rope out, I set up the belay at a stance and brought Clint up. The next pitch continues up the clean corner. I was stopped for a while at a steep and hollow-sounding headwall but brushed off some holds, placed some TCUs, and wobbled over it (10a). At this point I traversed right back into the main corner for 50' of easy chimneying and liebacking to the next stance, about 100' up. The corner continues for about 80' more but is mossy so we stopped there. We fixed the belays and Clint removed the sticker bush on P1 on the way down. Nice route.

Sight Reader, J. Ager and C. Cummins, 5/14/00
1. The short first pitch of the Syllable to a belay bolt (60')
2. Step left and ascend finger crack to a move over a roof (5.9). Up the finger crack to a hand traverse L to a ledge (10a). Up and slightly right past 3 bolts (also TCU placements) to a stance with 2 bolts (120').
3. Up past 5 bolts, traverse L to another bolt. A 10b move reaches a crack on the LH side of the tapering pillar which leads to the top and a 2 bolt belay (100'). 2 raps to the ground.

Steal This Book, J. Ager and C. Cummins, 5/14/00 (Probable FA)
Route starts at the prominent tree leaning against the face L of the Sight Reader pillar.
1. One 5.7 move and some easier rock gains a flake and ledge system that allows one to traverse R into the main L-facing corner system at about the 50' level. An alternative would be to climb the wide crack of the main corner directly. At this point the corner has narrowed to fingers. Climb it for about 50' to a stance and 2 bolt belay below a prominent overhanging crack on the R wall (10b).
2. Climb the corner above the stance to an overhanging headwall with a finger crack. Ascend this feature (10a, spooky) and traverse back into main corner. 5.7 chimneying and liebacking gains a stance and a 2 bolt belay. The corner continues but is dirty. An alternative would be to climb the overhanging hand crack above the P1 belay to gain the chimney directly. 2 raps to the ground.

Sunday was interesting but less productive. Clint's dream flake looks Wheat-Thin-like in quality but is protected by mossy rock above and below. A cold shut on top (but no bolts below) meant others had checked out the arete I had spied. Rapping down, I concluded, as apparently those other guys had, that the crumbly rock did not merit further efforts. Toproped a short 10+/11- handcrack on a formation in the Rostrum gully. Grungy climbing up a gully to reach its base was required. I suggest a name of the Colostrum for the formation and the route.

Regrouping, I suggested we check out a route I had always been curious about. I don't anyone does Overdrive (11a) - the rap slings looked 20 years old and the top part of the final 10d fingers section was filled with dirt and surrounded by lichen and moss on both sides. I rapped down over the lip and into space, executing a tricky pendulum to reach the access crack. I climbed up and traversed 15' R to the base of the roof crack (on TR). The roof spanned greater than 1 bodylength and the rope ran down to the lip. Failure meant a fall into space and a 60' lower to the slab and a repeat of the pendulum. Cowed, I reversed back to the access crack, downclimbed, snagged the rap line, and jugged out. Perhaps in the future with more solid engineering … or on the lead…