Question of the Day

Waz'up with the anchors at Mossy Ledges?! (This includes Pussy Nuts!)

DATE OF CLIMB: NOVEMBER 17, 2019
​WALLS HIT: 1 (Mossy Ledges)
NUMBER OF CLIMBS: 2
NUMBER OF PITCHES: 3 (Stef ended up splitting Secret Ingredient into two pitches to control rope drag)
​NUMBER OF FALLS: 0
NUMBER OF TAKES: 0
VERTICAL 5.7 FEET CLIMBED: 260'
TOTAL VERTICAL FEET ON THE TOUR SO FAR: 5,865'
NUMBER OF CLIMBS REMAINING: 183
VERTICAL FEET REMAINING: ~44,502
DIRTY UNDERWEAR ENCOUNTERED: 0
​DIRTY UNDERWEAR ENCOUNTERED TO DATE: 3 (fortunately we seem to be in a dirty underwear draught...)
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START AND END TIMES

• ​Arrived at Parking Lot: 9:30 a.m.
• At the "first pine tree": 10:00 a.m.
• Began climbing: 10:30 a.m.
• Back at car: 3 p.m.

​The Routes

Climb: Roberto Duran (Trad) (5.7)(120')
Wall: Mossy Ledges
Conclusion WTF? What the FUN!

• Like all of the climbs on this section of Mossy Ledges, you have to climb about 60 feet of low 5th class free-solo. If you go up near the far left end of the wall, below the "second pine tree," you can find a spot to place a piece pro higher up where it gets steeper. The middle and right sides of this approach climb have little to no protection. 
• Roberto Duran is a fun, pretty straight forward climb with a lie-back that ends perhaps a little too quickly. 
• At the top of the climb are a couple of questionable boulders that need careful navigation. It's recommended to belay beyond those boulders.
• Guide resources say to use the anchors for Secret Ingredient to rappel. This is a long and dangerous downclimb to old, rusty 1/4" bolts. We slinged a large bush and rappelled to some newer anchors on the face about 30 feet below. From those new anchors we rappelled with a 70 m rope angling left to reach the ledge where the "first pine tree" is located. A 60 m rope will reach to an easy down climb towards the first pine tree. 

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Climb: Secret Ingredient (Trad) (5.7)(140')
Wall: Mossy Ledges
Conclusion WTF? What the FUN!

• This climb starts off the trail below and to the right of the "first pine tree." You do not have to do the 60 foot "free solo to the second pine tree" (as described in Roberto Duran, above, and for Pussy Nuts/CU on Top in Day 18).
• I (Stef) broke this climb into two pitches and am very glad I did. I built an anchor in a horizontal crack (which takes larger gear - #3-#4) below the poorly protected face beneath the roof. Rock angles and zig-zags caused rope drag that would've sucked on that run-out section below the roof and sucked worse on the 15 foot traverse you have to do to avoid the shitty anchors at the top of this climb and then get over to the newer anchors on the face (see the last bullet on Roberto Duran). 
• I brought and used larger gear (up to #4), despite descriptions saying it only needed small to medium pro.
• This is a fun and variable climb on good rock. There is run out on one section, but you can place a small nut or cam in a tiny crack. 

This climb is 140' and is described as single pitch, but Stef broke it into two pitches because of the concern for rope drag on a poorly protected section of the climb and the traverse needed to get over to the new set of anchors.

Pitch 2: Stef going up the barely-protectable runout section below the roof.

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WTF 5.7 Tour: Red Rock Canyon- Climbs By Area & Alphabetically