Unnatural Act

So you love Aqua Knobby and have wondered what the climb would be like if it was a little steeper and the holds were a little smaller.  Well, stop wondering and get on Unnatural Act, the quality climb just to the left.  The climbs share a first pitch (runout 5.6) so you may have even looked over and seen the steep second pitch of Unnatural Act, basically a slightly concave face, without realizing it holds a quality route.  Where Aqua Knobby heads up right from the first belay, Unnatural Act breaks out left, immediately tackling a short roof (5.10b), where a kneebar can be useful.   Pulling onto the scoop above, you will find great holds and and ever-increasing angle as you pass a Tuolumne-style bolt ladder through the crux (5.11a).  The bolt spacing felt like the first pitch of Needle Spoon but the face is a lot steeper. Right after the last bolt, the angle reaches a maximum (maybe just past vertical), at which point the route passes a good horizontal crack that takes thin gear from 0.5"- 1".  I think I placed an old-school 0.5 or 1 Friend.  Reportedly, there may now be a fixed pin and/or threaded hole at the horizontal.  After the horizontal, the climb claims its Tuolumne heritage by treating you to a lower angle runout face with knobs (5.7) until you reach a shallow right facing groove where you can set up a gear belay.  After that, head up and join the last two pitches of Aqua Knobby.

The old Reid & Falkenstein guide gives the route an R/X rating, but with good gear available in the horizontal on the second pitch, it felt like a PG-13 crux pitch, bookended by traditional Tuolumne runouts on 5.7.  So overall, I would say the route felt like a standard Tuolumne R route.

Northwest face of Pywiack Dome, just to the left of Aqua Knobby (sharing the first pitch).

Trad gear to 2.5", including cams and nuts.