[TR] Three O'Clock Rock - Revolver 6/13/2010

[mattp]

Hey thanks, Otto. I went up there with Jimbo yesterday and we climbed your refitted route. However, we took a wrong turn on pitch 4 because some other old route was easier to spot ... or at least we saw it first.

 

Here's a shot taken from the belay. Jimbo is clipped to the first bolt on our errant variation - is this the legendary Picadilly Circus route? It climbs up the swath of rock above his head for at least 2 more pitches.

 

Anway, Revolver heads up and right out of this shot but eventually re-enters this view at upper right.

 

 

 

 

 

[Otto]

mattp, it looks to me like he is to the left of Revolver, on Penny Lane. It looks like the second pitch, which is 5.8, not the fourth pitch. (Remember not to include the initial "approach pitch" up to the first chain anchor in the numbering. Nor the first pitch of Silent Running if you approach it that way).

 

It is possible there is an old route up the brushy cracks in the middle, possibly called Picadilly Circus, but DavidW doesn't show it in his guide. Anyway, he would probably know.

[jshamster]

Not Penny Lane. We climbed that next. Line of buttonheads. Who knows? Fun climbing, and probably a tad harder than the parallel pitch on Revolver.

[mattp]

David once told me there was another old line up there. I think he found it when they went to look at Revolver and concluded Revolver was more worth his attention.

[mattp]

Considering the current state of it, perhaps the climb Jimbo and I did was "Let it be."

[DavidW]

This short thing is listed in the Rattle&Slime guide as Taxman... but I bet you won't do THAT again... I don't know if it's more than a one pitch variation or not. I pulled a couple of totally rusted-off pitons from that seam by hand a number of years ago and the bolts didnt look all that hot either!

 

Penny Lane is entirely modern bolts and probably 75-100 feet left of the route pictured. No buttonheads at all on that one.

 

The bushy left-facing dihedral to the left of the pictured route used to be called Bushy Galore but I've never heard of Three-O'Clock Rock route called Piccadilly Circus. Are you thinking of the old Beanberry Delight? That one started right of Silent Running...

 

All those modern bolts in Darrington and you guys picked THIS one??? -very Daring! (ton)

 

 

[jshamster]

Only picked it because of my wicked route finding skills. First bolt I saw was the Taxman one. Shiny SMC hanger and all.

Yesterday we stuck to routes with all modern hardware. Over the Rainbow, The Troll, and second pitch of Combshot. All fantastic know routes. FYI, the first pitch, sweet looking handcrack, of Combshot is dirty as hell. Didn't have any brushes with me, but maybe I'll make it back up there and scrub it. Looks worth climbing.

 

cheers

Jimbo

[Otto]

What to do with all those curvy bits of metal?

 

Wind Chimes!

 

[Otto]

This past Wednesday, Yale and I took the day off and got the last scrap of dry weather and ran up Revolver one more time. On the way we replaced the chains on the first three anchors, the ones I rebolted earlier, and equalized the lengths. Thanks for the good years of service with those chains, hanman, we appreciate them and the effort you put in to remove the tat and put them in. I had received a length of thicker chain, thanks to Yale, and didn't want to clutter up my garage with it!

 

Top of the "approach pitch" anchor and chain donor

 

Top of first pitch anchor

 

Top of second pitch anchor

 

I'm glad to say I finally got to the top of this route. The fifth pitch was a thrill, I almost slid off the first crux when one hand slipped out of the curved (wet) edge at the second bolt. With the superior friction on this cool day I was able to get past where I backed off last time, at the third bolt. My bail biner was gone - someone can enjoy that new Trango beauty. Booty. Humph. At the third crux I had to take some tension - the traverse. The factor of doubt (do you really drop down here?) was too much and I had to stretch over on tension. Next time I will glide it with the foolish confidence of the paramour.

 

There will be more in this log, perhaps next year, as I counted one more 5/16" buttonhead on each of the pitches 2, 3, 4 and 5. It will be a day of joy for the besotted. For now, flushed with victory, I had to get some more so we went over to do The Kone. But a third of the way up the first pitch, around Three O'Clock, it began to rain. I bailed off a trash biner this time, so have at it, you scavengers, and know there are many reasons to leave something behind.

[mattp]

What to do with all those curvy bits of metal?

 

Wind Chimes!

 

 

I didn't notice this before. Nice!