After
an easy day on Birdland
and The Big Horn, it is still too cold to climb comfortably in the shade.
Something on Solar Slab would make sense. We have climbed several routes there
before but have yet to try the Horndogger Select - Sundog linkup. It is one
of the selected routes in SuperTopos so we figured it'd be worth it.
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Solar
Slab (seen from high on "The Woman of Moutain Dreams",
Mt Wilson).
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On
the approach trail in Oak Creek Canyon.
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The
Solar Slab Area, early morning.
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The
routes are shown in red.
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Eric
starting the first pitch of "Horndogger Select" (5.8).
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Overall
it's OK, and starting up Horndogger makes for a fairly direct and logical
route, but Horndogger is really not a very good route. The rock is scary (soft,
white stuff), particularly on the first pitch, and the climbing is nothing
special.
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The
first pitch turns the overhang on the right, but then traverses
left.
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Pitch
2 (5.8) face climbs up on brittle white rock with very fragile
knobs.
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Views
from the belay.
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On
the last pitch of Horndogger (5.8).
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Sundog
is a lot better, though not classic. The first pitch is 240' long (not 190'
as listed in Handren), and really not that runout. The first 30' are unprotected
5.6, but then you get very good pro for the rest of the steeper section, followed
by a long (maybe 100'), unprotected low angle (cl 3-4) slab to a single bolt
anchor at the base of the steeper wall (good modern stainless steel bolt here).
The second
pitch is really fun; lots of edge climbing on great small nuts between varnish
plates, just left of the corners.
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Higher
on the same pitch.
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Looking
back toward Rainbow Mountain.
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Leading
the easy but somewhat runout first pitch of Sundog (5.6).
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Pitch
2 (5.8) is one of the best and follows intermittent cracks on
the face to the base of the right-facing corner (above Eric).
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Now,
there's a scary-looking rap anchor!
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After
that, the rock quality degrades again, but not as bad as on Horndogger. The
5.8 pitch involves a long R/X section of solid edges at about 5.7. The crux
pitch starts with poor pro on steep, fragile rock before the first bolt. Fairly
risky. Good bolts after that. The last pitch is pretty fun, and not awkward
at all, I thought.
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On
pitch 3 (5.8).
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Just
above the bulge (crux) of pitch 4 (5.9+).
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Looking
back toward Mt Wilson.
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The
last pitch follows a right leaning arch (5.9).
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Views
from the top.
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We top
out at about noon (after starting around 9:30 or so) and start the long raps
down. Note that belay/rap anchors are slings with rap rings on ¼" to 3/8"
bolts with loose hangers. The bolts could use some tightening (though they
feel adequate), and the anchors would be much cleaner with chains.
It's four
long raps down to the top of pitch 1 of Sundog, then class 3 around skier's
left to the main ledge at the base of the upper Solar Slabs. From here, follow
the standard descent down Solar Slab Gully (several short raps).
We get
back to the packs at 4PM. A glorious hike out among all sorts of flowers (the
peak is not there yet, but it's getting quite spectacular already) and we're
back at the car.
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Hiking
back to the trailhead.
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A
far better climber than we are...
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Spring
is spectacular at RR. Flowers are everywhere!
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