Pinnacles:  Richnak's, Foreplay, Feed the Beast, Hot Lava    12/9-10/89

On Saturday the gang was:  Clint, Nancy, Renata, Joel, and Marc.  I led the
"noname" 5.10d left of Monolith regular, which has a 10' diagonal through a
bulge.  Everybody followed; Nancy fell a few times at the lip apparently due
to improper beta (we have the evidence on 8mm and VHS) for her reach.  I TRed
a new independent line to the right with one fall (Lodestone 5.11c).  Joel then
led Hawaiian Noises 5.10b, and Marc followed (w/ injured thumb, incidentally).
I led 4-Play 5.11a (I had followed it 2 weeks ago).  Had to reverse at the
crux once, but no falls.  Joel hung at the crux, but Marc and Nancy got it with
no falls.  To complete the pump, we toproped the new 5.11c right of Monolith
Regular.  It's overhanging with small holds (finger edges) for most of the way.
By this time it was getting late and a bit chilly.  I flashed, Joel made it
halfway, Marc fell, lowered, then got it with hang near the top when he got
off route, and Nancy got it with 3 hangs.  I tried TRing the line just 2' right
and I got an exciting ride when a pebble broke as I was cranking on it.
I dogged my way up (2-3 falls), guessing a rating of 5.11d/5.12a.  It's a
"rules problem" (the arete 1' to right is out of bounds sometimes), and it
needs cleaning of lichen, loose tinies, etc.

On Sunday the C family returned with Alice, Phyllis, Joe and Wags.  Wags led
the "noname" 5.10d with one fall (pumped fiddling with biners).  Joe followed
after at least one fall.  Phyllis fell; I'm not sure if she made it (she was
somewhat out of shape).  Alice didn't make it.  Nancy did it again.  I led
Cantelope Death 5.10d at the same time.  The start involves clipping some old
rusties (bolts), and then leaning over a gap from a boulder opposite the cliff.
Even Phyllis managed to do this move, and she's only 5'4"!  After your feet
swing over you have to crank a few overhanging moves to a stem rest, then it's
vertical or less on good-sized knobs to the top.  Everybody followed with no
falls.  Next I tried to TR Hot Lava Lucy 5.13a (the next route right, as we
are systematically bagging all the routes on the Monolith).  Joe said he'd try
it if I would.  I got the moves with 2 hangs -- they are mostly moderately long
lunges to decent finger holds.  Therefore I doubt if it's "real" 5.13, and I'm
calling it 5.12d in my notes/guide.  Most 5.13s I've seen are longer, although
I've never tried one before.  I had many more hangs on Panic in Detroit 5.12c.
Wags tried it a bit but couldn't envision the long horizontal lunge at the
start.  Next we moved the P.O.D. area which was a real circus (4-5 topropes in
place).  Wags, Joe, Nancy, and Alice (1 hang again, I think) TRed P.O.D.
Phyllis made it to the crux move.  Unfortunately the people on 4-play would not
share their rope.  Alice and I headed to Discovery where we bagged The Big
Pucker 5.10d as it got dark.  This route has a blank bulge with a long reach
from a hand jam in a horizontal crack (Alice fell there when she did not reach
all the way to the good bucket).  The second bulge is even harder -- even I had
to dyno for medium knobs (w/ finger edges); then there was lichen on the upper
holds (5.7 R) from TR attempts on Saturday.  The rock is unsound in places so I
don't think this route should get a *.  Conclusion:  a good pump was had
by all, although some found the rock unappealing.