Pinnacles:  Flames Face, Son of Dawn Wall, Playground   1/20/90
Subject:      for the birds?

Pinnacles on Saturday with C family, Joel and Bob + hikers.  No clouds or
rain this time, but it was relatively cool.  Discovered when we arrived that
our intended destination, the Balconies, is now closed for the season due to
bird nesting (prairie falcons have arrived 3 weeks early).  Citadel is also
closed although Whitetail (just below Citadel) is open.  This left Machete
Ridge which was still in the shade, so we tried to warm up on Flames Face 5.9.
It turns out this route is loose and runout on 1/4" bolts, but fortunately it
had a good belay/rap anchor chain.  Joel led and Bob followed; the rest of us
passed.  Joel and Bob then went over and led the first pitch of Son of Dawn
Wall 5.11b 17 bolts 80'.  Joel tried to start the next pitch, rumored to go
free at 5.13a/b, but it was overhanging mud (crumbly).  Nancy and I set up
topropes on the Playground (a 35' cliff just off the trail).  I did this by
using my new cheater stick to clip the bolts and self-pulley myself up the
rope (except for climbing to the first bolt).  Then I tried to TR it but took
many hangs -- it seemed about 5.12a (many lunges to small holds).  2 guys
showed up and had a similar experience, except they found it slightly easier
to finish to the left (5.11d?).  Nancy, Joel, and Bob also had similar hanging
experiences, and nobody got a free (no hang) ascent.  There are a couple of
two-finger pockets and also some sloping huecos which make it interesting, plus
a major hold in the crux area crumbled twice on us.  Perhaps the rating will
stabilize when it does.  We also TRed another flexing route on the right,
about 5.10b.  I snapped off one hold trying to start it from the right.  It was
slightly scary because some of the holds were already broken and the rock was
very sharp (you feared what might happen to your skin).