Description
5.7 R II
This route meanders up the right side of Cone. The line follows natural features that tend to dry out while the rest of the ledge is seeping, which makes this a great early season option.
p1: Start far right on the main wall. Easy face climbing gains a big low-angle corner crack. Follow the crack then exit left to a ledge and build an anchor on a protrusion at your feet.
p2: Head left and up past the dagger-like feature, using a tree to pull through if needed. Easy unprotected face climbing passes briefly through a couple of nice moves on a dihedral, then out left to a ledge with a cluster of pines. Belay off a tree on the left side of this ledge.
p3: Climb up the finger crack on the left end of the ledge. Continue to the obvious large roof and build a belay in the roof.
p4: Step right and pull up on amazing holds. Once through the roof, traverse right. There is a (small, bad) opportunity for gear as you begin the traverse. In any case, run it out into the corner system to your right. Your first decent gear is in this corner crack, and placing it requires some careful footwork on seepy rock or a big kick out right. After placing, move back onto the face and continue to the small but obvious belay stance under the next roof.
p5: There are several potential options through the roof, and you're probably best off with whatever is most dry. We went straight up. Enjoy some fun easy climbing through flakes and features, then continue slightly left through a half pitch of quintessential cone climbing: very dirty, very low angle, very easy, and very run-out. Belay from a tree at the top of the ledge.
Some additional notes:
- The follower will take a ride if they fall at the crux on P4. Both the leader and the follower should be comfortable with the grade and safety rating before launching into that pitch.
- The 3rd and 4th pitches can be linked. This may be a better approach, both for efficiency and also because a fall at the crux of p4 is likely result in pulled gear and a factor two onto the p3 anchor.
Location
Rightmost side of the main ledge. Do some dirty scrambling along the base until you find the big low angle corner crack.
You can see Murphy's a few dozen feet to your left from the p3 belay, which is the leftmost frontier of this climb. This route might cross and/or follow Love to Hate It for a half pitch or so, but that route description could describe two or three different lines, so it's hard to say.
Protection
Standard rack of nuts and cams. A #4 and a .1 are nice to have.