- Edit (TBD)
Description
This is an interesting historical route, and might be part of a completist experience of Eldo, but both obscure and of minimal merit, if you are looking for a destination climb. The present guidebook refers to this as a 'grungy chimney' albeit there is only perhaps 8' of chimney moves out of the 180' of climbing.
The climb does encounter a reasonable amount of questionable rock, some real run outs, and a short section of chimney that was indeed inhabited by the route's namesake at one time. (Although not presently and not apparently recently, judging by the decomposition of the doodoo.) It is also a sandbag at 5.8; it is more like 5.9.
Climb up vertical flakes and cracks on what is more recognizable as a shallow corner system for 100+ feet to reach a 'chimney' with a huge chockstone with a wad of slings (an old fixed rap) below it. Do a few chimney moves to go up into the crack and place a small nut and a green Camalot in a feature on the left wall (long sling). The next few moves are cruxy and otherwise run out on the wad of slings below the friable death-chockstone (just leaning, not socketed) do the sandbag crux to go up and right out of the chimney and up above to good protection and good rock. Continue to the top and belay on a few nuts and a tree.
Considering that the 'fixed rap/belay' was more or less in the least appealing section of the climb and not that great of gear, I opted to run the climb into a single pitch.
Location
Left of Vertigo by 70 feet, or for those more familiar, left Mickey Mouse Nailup by about 30' feet. Just right of Lower Psycho Pigeon...
Protection
A standard rack + #4 Camalot might help protect as you exit the chimney (or might be tipped out?). Lots of long slings.
Routes in Redgarden - Tower One
- 23Pigeon Crack5.9Trad