- Edit (TBD)
Description
The 5.9 first pitch of this route is a popular alternative and easiest direct way to get up to the first belay of The RGC, Crack of the World and various projects that lead off from there, and is good in it's own right.
P! ascends off the flat block in the trail mentioned in the main RGC-Open Spaces area, up the crack in a corner that turns into an offwidth at the top. If you don't want to squirm up the offwidth, a more dignified and to my mind much easier alternative is to reach out left to the nice juggy flake and head straight up on more of the same. Reach up high and you will find them and be able to top out and step over to the bolted belay. There may be a fixed hex pounded into the crack down low. If so, lease leave it there, as it is otherwise difficult to protect the bottom's oddly shaped crack start.
P2 Climb up and slightly right from the 1st anchor, then move straight up as the RGC traverses to the right continuing past where The RGC breaks right, then move a little right to stacked blocks on a ledge that you can climb up onto (scary - Dave plans to add a bolt here), allowing you to gain a crack\corner system that takes you up to the 3rd anchor of The Crack of the World. Finish by doing the last pitch of The Crack of the World. Rap back down the route in three drops with a single 60m.
Location
See the description and directions to The RGC-Open Spaces area. It starts off the obvious flat block that the trail steps up onto as you head left.
Protection
normal trad rack up to #4 Camalot. You can use a wide Camalot (5 or 6) near the top of the first pitch, but you really don't need it. Bolted anchors.