Rad

I think Crest Jewel is much better than Royal Arches, though very different creatures. Hike in and out from Tuolumne, leave the rack behind, and avoid the North Dome Gully descent.

NE Buttress of Higher Cathedral is choice. Braille book is fun too. Nutcracker is crazy popular, and I think both of the routes above are better. If you do it maybe go in the late afternoon to avoid a mid-morning crunch. It has several variations that all lead into the third pitch, so there tends to be a funnel of newbies channeling their enegies there. Better yet, go solo the thing first thing Monday morning and score yourself a new set of cams they left behind.

or at least Uranus

Thanks. Best case is dry. Worst case is A0. In the middle is free with a little xtra adrenaline like when pi DHLA is wet, which it often is. I feel confident the goodness above it will be dry

I've only been on it in the summer. Any comment on whether it is likely to be wet the day after some showers and rain? thanks.

Yes, but we're not telling you what they're rated

I don't understand the fuss about ratings. If a climb is great does it matter if one book calls it 10d and another 11a? Or if one person's TR calls it 11- and someone else 10c? The climb is what it is. Ratings are subjective. As long as they are within a letter grade or two of the consensus then any would be suitors have some approximation of what they might expect. In this day of videos and endless internet beta, it is sometimes really fun to go climb something where you have no idea what it's rated. You stand at the base with your partner and say, "yeah, that looks fun and doable with solid gear, let's give it a go". Then one can be free of preconceptions of "this will be a total cruise" or "no way I can free that route" both of which detract from one's ability to be positive, focused, and climbing at one's best.

summit, newsflash: the internet records all of your annoying gadfly tactics for the whole world to see for all eternity. Avatar anonymity is a sham as anyone with half a brain will eventually connect you to you. Try sharing some positive energy here and you may find partners and friends. Or you can just keep digging your hole deeper and end up a grouchy old geezer who hates bolts. Golden rule... cheers, Radrigo

Heart of the Country has a 10a hands section and an 11b crack, if I recall correctly.

In the 10+ to easy 11 range you might try Cunning Stunt, Tunnel Vision, Angora Grotto, Leave My Face Alone, and Heaven's Gate. Others I haven't done but want to are Kite Flying Blind, Hairway to Stephen and Golden Road. They're safe so go for it!

Want to learn about investment? Read thirty years of shareholder reports for Berkshire Hathaway written by Warren Buffet. Not only does he know how to invest better than anyone on the planet, but he's a great and funny writer to boot.

There will be plenty of great climbing to be had. Shoot me a pm when you get back, Tim, and let's go climb something.

chicken heads rock, but that middle one is not perky enough to keep anything on board.

Weather in your window will determine your options so while researching is good, make sure you have options in different places (e.g. Rainier or Forbidden area if weather is good or Enchantments or even farther afield if weather is poor in Western WA.

Nope, but I've seen lots of leaf cutter ant colonies. They are really cool too. BTW, one defn of civilization is division of labor - and ants qualify! But humans are still better because we have middle managers, and even micromanagers...

"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to do, Nothing ain't worth nothin', but it's free."

Thank you for the work!

Great. When I put up a new route I'll make sure to use 1/4 steel that rusts away within a couple of years. That way people can get really scared on stuff that was safe on the FA.

yep...that old aluminum hanger is just like the one used by the FA!! , likewise them bomber 1/4"-ers!!!!! Same as the day they were put in, i tell ya! keepin' it real... This sums it up for me too. I've clipped bolts in Yosemite and Pinnacles and many other places that might have been safe and solid when they went in but are garbage now. Reputable areas and organizations, including Yosemite and the Access Fund, support upgrading crappy hardware to make it safe. The focus is usually on anchors, but the same logic applies to bolts. Perhaps not to pins. That said, I too enjoy seeing and clipping old gear. It's part of the magic of experiencing older lines, so I would hope hardware is only replaced when absolutely necessary (i.e. failure is imminent). Finally, this is an issue for the Castle climbing community to decide, not the interweb SWAT team.

Here's a good article he wrote on the subject: http://www.mountaineers.org/nwmj/08/081_Pantilat.html

This kid is fun to watch. Moves much better than Sharma did at this age.

I guess the lesson is WEAR YOUR HELMET because this is not a steep climb.

If you never fall you're not going to improve, no matter what grade you are climbing now. If you only wear a helmet when you plan to fall then you WILL fall. You've set yourself up for it. Motivation is strongest when the chances of success are close to 50/50. The most satisfying leads for me are ones where it felt like I was going to fall and then somehow I kept it in control and pulled it off. Sure, being in a great setting with great partners is wonderful, but to get that heightened awareness I need to be at or near the edge of my abilities. Difficulty doesn't matter in that regard, which is why I can be as excited reading someone's 5.8 TR as someone else's 5.12 TR. It's about adventure, which means the unknown. Try it. You might like it.

cc.com needs an autobot to search and destroy any threads with "infinite bliss" in the title.