Hakuna Matada

This fine two pitch route takes the most obvious and tallest line to the top of Lion's Head. The first pitch is fun and juggy 5.9 climbing and is worth doing just on its own.

The second pitch is the business pitch with a hard, thin crimping crux on the cool patina plates of the upper wall.

Climb the fine first pitch past seven bolts to a bolt and chain anchor on the face. While it's fine to anchor here, it's a lot more comfortable to continue up another 10 feet to the scoop/ledge and a single bolt belay below the upper headwall.

Now get psyched for some painful crimping and head up past two bolts on the left of the upper headwall. Make a tough move to the horizontal crack to clip the bolt that will protect the crux moves. Find good feet and crimp hard past the horizontal on patina plates to better holds. Clip a couple more bolts on more moderate ground to the anchor near the summit of the formation.

It seems reasonable to do this whole climb as one long pitch but only lower to the anchors atop pitch 1 because a single 60m or even 70m won't get you down.

The middle of the Lion's Head formation. Identify the bolts of pitch one leading up past cool features and jugs. The upper pitch is obvious.

Seven bolts on the first pitch. Six bolts on the second pitch. A bolted belay with chains at the top of each pitch. Two single rope raps required to get down.