This overlooked route is worth the effort for the NC climber, though it can be exciting without some specific gear beta. Best to use double ropes at the start and then release one when the 1st bolt is reached.

Climb up the chimney placing the #3 camalot. Move up to a stance and locate a great medium stopper. Step back down and move across the chimney onto the face. Dance over to the 1st bolt. Clip 2nd rope and release 1st rope. Move straight up to the 2nd bolt. Climb up (blue tcu here) and then around left onto the delicate face and stance. Get Ready.

Fire in the key sideways #5 WC rock. Make sure it's good! Move up on delicate crimps and layaways to a right foot stance. Look up and fire in that pink tricam (tape the sling for stiffness, its a high placement). Climb up and right (crux) to easier ground and a stance. Medium BD cams here. Climb up and left to the fixed stainless anchor courtesy of Tim Fisher.  Inner Peace is now yours!

For extra credit you can give the direct start a go!

FA- Bruce Burgess, Thomas Kelly, Ralph Fickle

Start up the hill from the regular start beneath a left rising ramp/flake. Climb up and left to a bolt with a new modern SS painted hanger. Bust up and left to a crucial small tcu, c3 or hybrid placement. Step slightly left and then bust the move up the ledge. 5.11c

Inner Peace

Climb the obvious, newly excavated dihedral to a roof.  Follow the crack around the right side of roof and then up to a tree.  Rap from tree OR,

climb up and slightly left to the Frankenberry anchors, OR,

climb up to the right until under the large roof above.  Climb up a short but fun crack then traverse left under the roof.  This variation, "Obamanation Continuation" was put up by Shannon Millsaps and Sean Cobourn on December 6, 2009.  Lots of trundling of loose blocks involved.  Downclimb to Frankenberry anchors which are at the pine below you.

Obamanation

This may be the most classic finger crack in the state of NC! It's got sustained moves all the way with an awesome fingertip crux. You may have to take a number for this one on a cold, clear Saturday.

Shredded Wheat

Climb the newly excavated dihedral to the roof.  Pull left around the roof and follow the crack to a tree up high.  There are anchors for Frankenberry 20 feet to the left of the tree to descend.

Faith Based Initiative

Wide off-width to lay back. You can also do some stemming on using a detached pillar on the right

Name Unknown (5.8 R/X)

Climb up the massive gaping chimney (5.8ish) just to the left of Fruit Loops. Climb up and clip two bolts before preparing to do battle. A hard and bizarre sequence of moves gives you purchase to the other Chimney out left. After getting into the other chimney, climb up jugs following the chimney to the anchors.

Petrified Frog

Whisky For Breakfast

This is an outstanding route that any leader will enjoy, even if it's below your normal lead level.  It's almost three climbs in one:  crack climbing; chimney; and face climbing.  Many people skip the second pitch, but it's lots of fun and very worthwhile.

P1 - Start at a somewhat steep crack, working your way up with jams and some face holds.  The going quickly gets easier/less steep, continue past some flake moves to the base of a chimney with bolted belay anchors (80').

P2 - Climb the chimney (well-protected), continuing until it begins to narrow, then make balancy moves out onto the face to the left.  Continue up the low-angled face to the top (80').

Fruit Loops

Start on buttress right of Breakfast of Champions.  Tip toe up crux face past three bolts to chossy middle section.  Blast up through the headwall past a few bolts and some small gear (second crux).  Follow slabby crack to pine tree above.  Rappel route from rings if you have two ropes.  If only one rope, stop at Breakfast of Champions belay.

Frankenberry

This beautiful flake formation will test your willpower, your stamina and your ability to jam your feet into cracks and still get them back out.  For the grade, Frosted Flake is a strenuous lead.

Starting up a corner on easy ground, move up to a roof and traverse left until you get to the end of the roof where it turns into a left-facing corner/flake.  Power up the corner (crux) on laybacks and the occasional jam, and on to the top.

Frosted Flake

Climb "a devilishly thin arete that should be on any slab climber's agenda" says the NC select guide book.  Yes, very thin and the climbing starts right from the ground.  You will be smearing, crimping, slapping, humping, balancing and mantling your way past a couple of bolts to get to a rest.  More slabbing and thin climbing past a couple more to a slung boulder for anchor.  Back it up if TR-ing it.  You may also want to stick clip the first bolt.  And be careful between the second bolt and the rest...I blew it there and took a good fall.

Mennonite Surf Party

Climb the wide crack left of Obamanation until it hooks into dihedral below the roof.  Go either way around the roof. Named after my law partner's newborn baby girl.

Wylen

This is an old route of mine that needed a little TLC.  This route has a cool variety of moves and  holds. Originally there were just 2 self-drive bolts and a tree limb for pro. Now there are 4 new stainless bolts. Climb bouldery moves past the diHARDral to a nice ledge. Clip another bolt and crank straight up to easier ground and up to another bolt.  Lower/rap from the MSP cable anchor.  I think most everyone will enjoy this route if 10+/11- is in your ability.

Jack Be Nimble

Capt Crunch starts on the right edge of the backside of the cereal buttress. Look for the obvious wide crack start. You will be salivating when you look up at the upper jams!

Capt Crunch

Thin, balancy moves, a saw tooth corner hand line, and a barn door finish- labeled in the Harrison Shull/Lambert guide as name unknown 5.11b

Call of the Wild

Climb a cruxy start on the right side of the short arete. Step carefully onto the ledge and clip the first bolt (or, better yet, be glad you stick-clipped it). Then slab your way on edges past a second bolt to a mantel crux at the last bolt.

À La Mode

A technical and crimpy face followed by some burly crack.  Finishes at the Shredded Wheat Anchor

Hungry Jack

This route is just left of Name Unknown (5.11b). Go up the broken corner system starting at a short fixed line (it was there in Jan.11). Stem your way up easy terrain with views down cave crevases, then out and right to the anchors on top of the 5.11b. It was a nice lead to TR the 5.8 R/X as well.

Name Unknown (5.4)

Buttress left of Shredded Wheat.  Boulder up easy terrain then head to right edge of buttress.  Follow 3 bolts directly up face.    Step left to anchors above Bee Tree.

Born Again

Unique climb for NC;good hand jams up an obvious crack. Climb a short corner to a ledge, then take the splitter crack to the top of the partially detached pillar

Unknown 5.8 (splitter hand crack)

Scramble to the top of some boulders.  Balance and edge your way past three bolts, then run it out on easy terrain to the top and a one bolt anchor.

Name Unknown

Ascends left wall of boulder strewn gully left of Shredded Wheat. Boulder up to top of rocks choking the gully. Layback up obvious offwidth past one bolt to ledge. Step left to anchors on Bee Tree/Born Again.  There is a second short pitch that has some fun moves leading to shiny bolts and somewhat rusty chains.

Mid-Life Crisis

Start in crack, then work up and left to great, thin, crimpy climbing.  Crux is clipping second bolt.  Continue working up and right past two more bolts.

Breakfast of Champions

Like Harrison Shull says in the guidebook, you should be solid at the grade before jumping on this one. I think the hardest moves come before you get any gear in. The potential fall is hard to describe, but you'll see it when you're looking at the route.

That said, Granola is a pretty fun undercling/crack route once you pull those first moves. And they're not that hard...

Granola

The crux of this route may be keeping your head together.  Several fun and exciting moves over well-spaced bolts and the occasional small piece of gear.  This route is not for leaders just at the grade or unfamiliar with RP/brass placements.

Up the hill from Mennonite Surf Party at a white-splotched blunt arete.  Start on the slab apron with a newly added bolt.  Move up the left side of the apron to a couple of gear placements.  Make the first series of hard moves over gear to move right towards the bolt above the bulge/roof.  The last few moves to the bolt at the bulge/roof can be protected with a tapered brass placement.  Clip the bolt and pull the crux.  Follow the thin seam up and left for a few feet to the RP/brass placements.  Head back up and right to a nice ledge and contemplate how far you will be above that thin gear before you get to the next bolt 15' above.  A fall onto the RP/brass placements would be very bad from above.  Follow the blunt arete for two more bolts into a water groove type feature just to the left.  Get some good TCU's/C3 in a few horizontals on the way up.  Make one last tough move before the anchors.

Sea Wolf

Climb the textured face via crimps, smears and the occasional good hold.  It is best to top-rope this after leading Frosted Flake, since there is no gear to lead it.

Doug Reed Solo

Fun face climb up left side of buttress.  Crux is probably the starting 20 feet.  Gear goes in "hole" feature and flake up high.  Chain belay.

Bee Tree

Stick clip the first bolt. Crimp, layaway, and highstep to the 2nd bolt(do not blow this clip, you will probably hit the ground). Make a few more hard moves to gain a nice ledge and a bolt. Climb past two more bolts and one last difficult move to reach the anchor. 80 ft of highly entertaining climbing.

Green Eggs and Ham

P1- Finess your way up the wide crack.  Where you want a #5 Camalot you can clip the third bolt on Frankenberry to your right instead.  Where obvious, step left onto the fun face passing a bolt and avoiding some nastiness.  Face climb up to the halfway ledge and belay in the obvious arching crack. 5.9+?

P2- Climb the big hand crack up to and through the overlap and then cut right to the Frankenberry belay bolts. 5.8+?  Rappell the route with two ropes.

Good Samaritans

This direct line starts 25-feet uphill from the original Inner Peace start.  Locate the 1st bolt about 15-feet up and find the path of least resistance to this bolt.  Climb up and left past the bolt through some strenuous and insecure moves (there is another bolt up and right which is NOT part of this route) .  Find a critical horizontal for small cams and fire the crux aiming for the ledge.  From the ledge clip the bolt and join the original Inner Peace line.

This direct line makes for a full sustained pitch of climbing.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Cereal Buttress