[Redacted]

This is another route similar to the others up there and at a similar grade. This particular line starts as for the shared start of

Crack Tack

or

Of Human Bondage

. The latter of these is a book by W. Somerset Maugham and the inspiration for the now redacted name of this climb, '

Happiness in Slavery

.' According to Maugham, reflecting on his life (as a free man) metaphorically as a pattern of threads in the design of fabric of a rug:

"

...the simplest pattern, that in which a man was born, worked, married, had children, and died, was likewise the most perfect.

"

As for the title...

Happiness in Slavery

is perhaps best known in modern times as NIN song about commercialism in modern society (think: wage slave) and a term that figures prominently in '

Be Who you Want to Be

,' by Sarah Fimm, each of these dealing in similar themes and philosophical currency from another angle.   I pause to note that the music video of

Happiness in Slavery

has masochistic sexual content as a roughly sketched modern play of the book '

The Torture Garden

' by Octave Mirbeau, a book which which was political commentary in and of itself, on the Dryfuss Affair of late 19th century France. Although the song lyrics are not related to this, the video is. I believe that Reznor chose to do this to push the envelope with the 'Gore Hoards' and censorship, and this was his method and commentary on that.

Though referred to philosophically by each of the above works, The literary origin of the route title is actually somewhat older than the songs mentioned. It was a turn of phrase specifically used in the Prelude to the book,

The Story of O

. As with this route title and it's origins, that book that has nothing to do with Chattel Slavery and has a long history of being burned for the ideas it contains.

How ironic, that we should end up in the same place here. Now we are into a long chain of banned or burned books, songs, videos, and route titles, but I digress.... It was never my intention, but I could not have scripted this more strangely appropriate if I had tried.

As for the route itself:

Climb up and onto good edges and features just right of the first bolt of

Crack Tack

. A couple of large stoppers and a hand-sized cam can go behind a right-facing crack/flake here just before the bolt on

Crack Tack

. You can skip the bolt as it is slightly further left (and you are going right), and it will create slightly more drag. The gear is good anyway.

Continue up and slightly right on positive crimps and reasonably good feet. You'll pass by the first of 2 bolts of '

Of Human Bondage

' just to the left climbing perhaps as you might as for that route. You can clip this bolt as you'll just left of it by a meter as you reach its height, but be sure to put on a long sling if you do. If you have clipped it, it may cause some minor drag. At this point, at the height of the bolt, having clipped it (or not), you head up and left on relatively easier moves to a point that intercepts the bottom of 2 parallel seams that run up and right towards the top of the wall. Just before reaching them, I found a small/medium stopper and small cam placement. These are more directly above the previous gear placements and will make a zig-zag of the rope if you clipped the bolt on '

Bondage

; Place this gear, regardless, as it will be the gear that keeps you off the deck in a fall. Head up and to the rightmost of the two parallel, leaning seams that go to the top of the wall. They offer no gear at first, but I cleaned some rock flakes and dirt out of a spot a few meters up these and got in a grey or purple (I chose the purple, but either would work) Mastercam. I presume a purple/black Alien would also work, but those are wider, and I am not sure. A ballnut might also fit and work as a back-up piece to the cam. You'll see the second bolt of '

Of Human Bondage

' perhaps 3 meters to your right. Continue up the seam you are in to get up into the tiny, left-facing offset, and take that up to the ledge as for '

Of Human Bondage

.' Place a few pieces of gear before traversing to the anchors to protect your second and the rope from a nasty swing.

This route takes a line primarily between '

Crack Tack

' and '

Of Human Bondage

', overlaps with the latter of these at the beginning, and may share a few moves and a bit of gear in the middle with the former. The seams up top were the primary target and have no documented history.

2 optional bolts that will offer security but create a zig-zag in the rope's line that may make the gear less secure. Plan a few large nuts, a 2-2.5" cam down low, a few small stoppers higher with a finger-sized cam, and then a very small (tips) cam and possibly a ballnut up in the top seam. A few pieces went in just prior to the traverse to the top anchors on '

A Hike for Y2K

' to protect the second from a last-minute swing.

The route should be considered R/X like the majority of the routes on this wall. There is groundfall potential from non-crux moves if the belayer is not fully attentive, and much of the route depends on distant, and even very small gear, to prevent serious consequences.

A TR is possible from '

A Hike for Y2K's

' anchors if you traverse left and set a directional.