Trip Report
Dream Easy - new 4 pitch 5.8 at Reed's

by Clint Cummins
Tuesday March 25, 2008 3:25am
Back in February, I ran into Eric Gabel in the Valley, and he happened to mention that he had recently done a new 4 pitch 5.8 at Reed's which was actually good! We often joke about how many of the new routes we do are kind of obscure, without much popular appeal, mostly done for our own fun of exploration. But sometimes the unexpected occurs and a new route is pretty good! So, two weeks ago, when Noriko and I saw Eric at the Reed's pullout, we had to get the lowdown. He gave us a topo and some beta, and we went for the 5th ascent! (I think Brad and Jim did the 3rd or 4th ascent the previous day, I believe they felt the last move above the bolt at the end of p2 was 5.9).

We had a nice adventure up there. It's not a 5.8 for people just getting started in the grade, since there are some runouts on 5.6 where you need to be very solid. But it's cool if you are leading 5.9/5.10 and like to explore new stuff (i.e. if stepping on a moss hummock, or doing something which is not in the guidebook does not freak you out).


Visit on photobucket.com

topo from Eric Gabel, with a few notes added

http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/yos/dreameasy.pdf PDF version

top left corner top right corner
bottom left corner bottom right corner
view from the road below

top left corner top right corner
bottom left corner bottom right corner
route overlay

top left corner top right corner
bottom left corner bottom right corner
better view of upper pitches, from the road

top left corner top right corner
bottom left corner bottom right corner
side view of upper pitches

Check it out and post up if you do it!

  Trip Report Views: 1,948
Clint Cummins 		About the Author
Clint Cummins is a trad climber from SF Bay area, CA.

Comments
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Mar 25, 2008 - 08:36am PT
I want to hear more about the "200', huge chimney"
hossjulia

Trad climber
Carson City, NV
  Mar 25, 2008 - 09:31am PT
Yeah! Nice beta, thanks!
Zander

climber
  Mar 25, 2008 - 10:32am PT
Looks great!
Michal Stewart

Trad climber
harrisburgh PA
  Mar 25, 2008 - 11:00am PT
i can't believe there are still undone lines in the valley. wow, and at 5.8 no less. god i hate living on the east coast. huge props for adding another adventure to the center of the climbing world.
yo

climber
Mudcat Spire
  Mar 25, 2008 - 11:07am PT
I third-classed that rig back in '88 but good go anyways, boys!
k-man

Gym climber
SCruz
  Mar 25, 2008 - 11:23am PT
That looks like a gas.

ION, has anybody done Duck and Cover? I've looked at that thing for years.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Mar 25, 2008 - 11:27am PT
Jaybro - yes we should do the chimney pitch! it is bolted and the question on everyone's mind (well, Eric's and mine's) is: does it need bolts?

Anyway, there's a lot more from where that came from... Eric just got done topo-ing a lot of routes (I think he's responsible for doubling the number at Knob Hill by a factor of 2... and there are even more routes by others, e.g. Grant).

The Valley is far from climbed out... at any grade.

Thanks Clint!

and Yo, you should post up more of your exploits... we'd like to hear...


CAUTIONARY NOTE! the bolts in the middle of the second pitch at the top of Duck and Cover should probably NOT be used for a belay anchor as they are 5/16" button heads (likely to be less than 1.25" long) and placed in 1987 by the FA of Dave Schultz & Jim Campbell). We'll go up and replace those sometime soon, with 3/8" x 2.25" w/SS hangers.
spyork

Trad climber
Tunneling out of prison
  Mar 25, 2008 - 12:18pm PT
Cool, the secret route is out. Got any more topos for us?

I'm with you on the chimney Jaybro!
ec

climber
ca
  Mar 25, 2008 - 12:29pm PT
"I believe they felt the last move above the bolt at the end of p2 was 5.9)." - CC

LOL. That's the Gabel I remember!

Nice!

 ec
drc

Trad climber
Durham, NC
  Mar 25, 2008 - 12:29pm PT
Oh wonderful,
those bolts are precisely what I belayed from.
Karl Baba

Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
  Mar 25, 2008 - 12:49pm PT
What's the story on the splitter crack system on the left side of the photographs in the first post? Is there more easy stuff to go up there?

Peace

Karl
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Mar 25, 2008 - 02:19pm PT
Karl,

Some of those splitter cracks on the left are Bongs Away Left, Center and Right. I'm not sure which one is "Right", as I haven't tried that one yet. I'm not sure of the exact level of the 5.10a traverse on Magical Mystery Tour, either, so I put a "?".
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Mar 25, 2008 - 02:44pm PT
Jim,

> multipitch 5.8 route that finishes with a rappel down to the tunnel blowhole?

Yes, that is: Edge of Absurdity, 7 pitches (4 pitches are 5.8, 3 are 5.7). Eric sent me a topo for it. I'll scan it and post in a separate thread.

[Edit to add:] Posted now:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=564266
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Mar 25, 2008 - 02:46pm PT
Ed,

> CAUTIONARY NOTE! the bolts in the middle of the second pitch at the top of Duck and Cover should probably NOT be used for a belay anchor as they are 5/16" button heads (likely to be less than 1.25" long) and placed in 1987 by the FA of Dave Schultz & Jim Campbell). We'll go up and replace those sometime soon, with 3/8" x 2.25" w/SS hangers.

Those Duck and Cover anchor bolts looked like 1/4" to me - 5/16" have a larger diameter button head. I placed a cam in the far right end of the flake, so if I had plunged from the 5.6 R, I might not have factor-2ed onto them. Good news is that 1/4" are much easier to pull out with a tuning fork for replacement.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Mar 25, 2008 - 02:51pm PT
Karl, we're working on it!

Anyone interested can request info from ablegabel
Orion

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
  Mar 25, 2008 - 03:50pm PT
Oh man if there is a top rope cue on lunatic fringe when I go to do it this season, Clint, I'm going to curse your name and the day you were born.
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Mar 25, 2008 - 04:02pm PT
> top rope cue on lunatic fringe

haha, don't laugh - I showed up one time and there was somebody aiding Lunatic Fringe, very slowly.... So we just did Reed's Direct instead.

Are you suggesting climbing Dream Easy or the big chimney as a way to toprope Lunatic Fringe? That would probably take several hours for people who are not ready to lead Lunatic Fringe.
spyork

Trad climber
Tunneling out of prison
  Mar 25, 2008 - 04:26pm PT
No, we want to lead the Chimney for grins, hehe!

I climbed Bongs Away Left, it was a fun lead.

I was told Bongs Away center is a nice 10a OW. Might be a bit mungy, I heard no one climbs it.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Mar 25, 2008 - 04:30pm PT
here's a portrait of the Edge of Absurdity Arete, taken at Eric's birthday bash in the Valley last year:


it's the central one
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Mar 25, 2008 - 05:40pm PT
Steve,

Bongs Away Center is very clean - it should have been easy to spot if you rapped from Bongs Away Left.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Mar 25, 2008 - 11:55pm PT
Eric at the top of p1. You can see the ultra-thin lieback flake of Duck and Cover above and to the right of Eric. Also the yawning darkness of the "200 foot chimney" is on the right margin of the image:


Eric about half way through the crux dike traverse on p2, heading for the bush. This is now protected by a bolt, but on this trip we didn't have much in on the traverse.


Eric on the p3 lead off the belay of p2, this is the '5.7 2-3"' first part, with him moving over out of the crack


Eric on p4 just below the thin, steep crack going up to the head wall.


notice the hummock in the foreground and the vegetated environment. Be kind to the vegetables!
Chicken Skinner

Trad climber
Yosemite
  Mar 26, 2008 - 12:05am PT
Very cool Clint! Thanks for the post. It is true there is new stuff everywhere.
From one of your pictures, I recognized a climb I did with Grant about twenty years ago. It is the crack system to the right of the Center Route of Bongs Away with a tree in it. The climbing was three short pitches and involved some tree climbing and an angry community of ants.

Ken
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Mar 26, 2008 - 02:05am PT
Ken,

> I recognized a climb I did with Grant about twenty years ago. It is the crack system to the right of the Center Route of Bongs Away with a tree in it. The climbing was three short pitches and involved some tree climbing and an angry community of ants.

Cool. Is it the one labelled "Bongs Away Right" in the latest Reid and Supertopo guides?
Mighty Hiker

climber
Outside the Asylum
  Mar 26, 2008 - 02:39am PT
Thank you - another one for my pre/post FaceLift list.
Chicken Skinner

Trad climber
Yosemite
  Mar 26, 2008 - 08:30am PT
Yes Clint. We called it Bonged Out as it appeared to be the last line to the formation.

Ken
drc

Trad climber
Durham, NC
  Mar 26, 2008 - 04:28pm PT
bump, Ed's got the right idea.
tadhunt

Trad climber
Sunnyvale, CA
  Apr 7, 2008 - 02:25pm PT
Yo,

Just wanted to drop some kudos to the FA party. My friend Dan and I just did this climb on Saturday 04/05. Lots of fun!

I must admit that we weren't expecting quite so runout climbing! I wouldn't recommend this route to someone that isn't a very confident leader at the grade.

Leading P2, I was very happy for the 2 bolts (one on the crux 5.8 face before the tree, the other at the top of the 5.5 slab). I should mention that pulling past the 2nd bolt, the handhold I was using (tiny edge on the top of the bulge above the bolt) crumbled in my hands as I committed... somehow I was able to not fall and kept going to where I could stand up and get something in (purple camalot, I think). Phew! I warned my 2nd about the crumbly hold, and asked him if he wanted to know where it was. "I'll find it" was the answer... Sure enough, he popped off when the edge finished flaking off in his hand. heh heh heh.

My partner got P3 up to the hanging-ish belay, and seemed to enjoy it, especially the step left out of the first crack.

P4 is the money. It's the best pitch on the climb! It did take quite a while to find a spot for pro at the end of the traverse. Felt like it took about 20 minutes before I realized I was too low and had to move up higher. After I got something in and committed, the rest of the pitch was quite enjoyable!

There was practically a line on this climb. Shortly after we hit the ground after rapping through the gaping chimney (wow, that looks scary, even with the bolts!) another party started up (sans topo).. We gave them one of our two copies... They ended up only doing the first 3 pitches because they couldn't figure out the pro after the traverse on P4. Then we gave our other copy to another party on the way back to the car.

Great job guys!
-Tad
kev

climber
A pile of dirt.
  Apr 7, 2008 - 04:38pm PT
Whats to figure out on the pro after the traverse on P4? After the traverse you're in the crack? Where they on route? Also is it still wet? The start of the crack on p4 was a wet a month ago...

kev
drc

Trad climber
Durham, NC
  Apr 7, 2008 - 04:57pm PT
I thought you was still in the Valley, kev?
kev

climber
A pile of dirt.
  Apr 7, 2008 - 05:02pm PT
Yo drc,

Came back late last night...Call me for the details...

kev
k-man

Gym climber
SCruz
  Apr 7, 2008 - 05:13pm PT
Tad, thanks for the topo. It did help minimize the "Where the??" factor. We bailed after 3 mostly because we were freezing our arses... The last pitch does look like the best, and I want to enjoy it.

As for the route, fun stuff. But I do not recommended it for the budding 5.8 leader. I can't imagine doing that dike traverse with nothing but blocks below for "pro." Great job.

One note--when rapping, I would use the bolts at the top of Duck and Cover instead of the ones at the top of the [bolted] chimney. That chimney rap is a real rope-catcher.
tadhunt

Trad climber
Sunnyvale, CA
  Apr 7, 2008 - 10:55pm PT
kev said: Whats to figure out on the pro after the traverse on P4? After the traverse you're in the crack? Where they on route? Also is it still wet? The start of the crack on p4 was a wet a month ago...

As for wetness -- nope, it was nice and dry!

Regarding the traverse, I must have come across too low. There wasn't really a crack where I ended up... There was a garden! It actually looked like there was a spot for a #5 or #6 Camalot (which was home to a lizard) Of course I didn't have either of them ... Up a little higher, there was a micro crack cleared out, which I didn't have gear for either... And then even higher, there was a small-but-not-micro nut placement that had been previously been cleaned out, which I cleaned a tiny bit more (not killing any plants, just removing a bit of dirt). Then there is a good placement (don't remember the size) under the block-o-moss that you work around to the right. After that, it's fun, smooth sailing to the belay!

k-man said: Tad, thanks for the topo. It did help minimize the "Where the??" factor. We bailed after 3 mostly because we were freezing our arses...

Sorry for the confusion, I must have misunderstood when we were talking about the last pitch. Yeah, it was a bit windy and chilly up there, I was happy to be heading down.

BTW, I think the white rock in the headwall right above the P4 anchor looks like a tombstone from the belay at the top of P3!

Ed's photo from above

"Where does it go" ... "See the tombstone" ... "yeah?"... "that's the top"!
Greg Barnes

climber
  Apr 8, 2008 - 12:49am PT
Ed or Clint, if you're up there doing replacement, that old 1/4" bolt with Leeper hanger at the start of Bongs Away right (actually "Bonged Out" as we now know!) is pretty nasty, and could use replacement.

Ed, you'd better hope that those are 1/4" buttonheads. Messing around with trying to pull 5/16" buttonheads is an invitation to rebolting epics. If they are 5/16" I can give you the beta on the best way to pull them. Actually it's pretty straight forward, just drive thin then thicker pins under the hanger to pop the bolt out a bit, then tap the bolt back in (not too snug), then repeat. After about 20-30 cycles, the bolt pops - you're basically using the 5/16" buttonhead as a drill bit to break away a bit of rock so it will pull out. As you can tell from this method, it doesn't work if the rock is weak at the surface - you end up digging/cratering the rock with the pins.

Sooner or later someone will have to start replacing the many 5/16" buttonheads on some of the routes on East Cottage in Tuolumne (like Disintegration/The Bulge, Orange Plasma, etc). Several of the key bolts are beginning to loosen up. Still, those are way, way better than any 1/4".

On another subject, does anyone know if the bolts on Pole Position in Church Bowl are still 1/4" buttonheads (with good stainless SMC hangers, lots of people don't notice they are 1/4" bolts)? Good winter project, or summer weekends when Harleys drown out hand drills...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Apr 8, 2008 - 03:25am PT
whoa Greg, glad I didn't know your beta last summer when I rebolted Peter, Peter. The anchor bolts at the top of the route had been replaced at some time with 5/16" button heads, and they pulled easily with the tuning fork beat under the hanger... I don't recall any problem at all, they gave up the ghost pretty easily.

I half thought to use them, but something inside told me to go ahead and replace them... glad I did!
Dr. Rock

Ice climber
http://tinyurl.com/4oa5br
  Apr 8, 2008 - 04:49am PT
Yikes!
J2 seam, dips in 20 feet, could break loose...
Rodgers slide at Ferguson is still moving North, so is the whole valley...
jenren

Trad climber
Sac, CA
  Apr 10, 2008 - 12:56pm PT
My Husband and I were climbing the direct route the day they were finishing up. They were kind enough to spend some time going over the route and chatting about what they'd done..very cool people..very cool route..way to go!! : )
Chris Oakes

climber
Hayward
  Apr 13, 2008 - 11:32am PT
We turned around before the 120/140 junction because we didn't want to deal with construction delays. We went back to Reeds and met Eric there who was kind enough to give us a topo of the route.

Eric did the huge chimney while we were on Dream Easy and we saw each other and laughed most of the way up. I came off the second pitch going for a high right hand on friction feet and the bolt was right where it needed to be. Don't come here looking for an easy lead. This is a physically and mentally sustained route, that demands focus and good pro skills.

I pointed out to my partner at the top of the 2nd pitch that he no longer was trailing our rap line. He left it at the top of the first pitch. We were able to work something out with Eric that allowed us to finish the route. Thanks Eric.

If you happen to find my rope, I would like it back. If you decide that botty is botty than please don't use it as a lead line, it's only 43m and it's got a little too much history.

Eric is getting ready to work the roof above the 4th pitch.
ablegabel

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Apr 14, 2008 - 01:42am PT
Hey Chris, good to see someone doing the route. Glad you enjoyed it. Your rope is still hanging off the middle of the second pitch as of Sunday evening. Also, I found a guide book at the base witch I beleive is yours. E-mail me and I will get it back to you. I'll be in the Valley the next few weekends if your around. We sent the crack/corner system that paralels Dream Easy up to the roof. Good climbing. Mostly hands and fingers. 5 pitches, 5.10a/b to the roof. Climbing seemed a little contrived and un-interesting after that, so we ended it there, at the roof. The chimney with the bolts(first 2 pitches) turned out to be quite good. Don't know who's route it is though. Probably 5.8/9ish? - Eric
k-man

Gym climber
SCruz
  Apr 14, 2008 - 02:43am PT
"when Harleys drown out hand drills..."


Sounds like a country western song.
drc

Trad climber
Durham, NC
  Mar 27, 2009 - 07:04pm PT
bump for news
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
  Mar 27, 2009 - 07:15pm PT
I keep promising to go up and replace the Duck and Cover belay bolts.... (maybe I should replace all the bolts on that climb).
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
  Feb 13, 2013 - 10:48pm PT
This is an excellent moderate @ Reed's, bump!
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Author's Reply  Feb 13, 2013 - 11:26pm PT
FYI, the Duck and Cover bolts (belay anchor and protection bolts) were replaced by Roger in summer 2011.
Plaidman

Trad climber
West Slope of Powell Butte, Portland, Oregon, USA
  Feb 13, 2013 - 11:32pm PT
Thanks Rodger. And thanks Clint for posting the update. I'll have to go check this one out next time I am down there.

Plaid
kev

climber
A pile of dirt.
  Feb 14, 2013 - 01:06am PT
FYI

FA = E.G. & Ian (E.G led it)
2nd A = Ian & E.g (Ian led it)
3rd A = kev & drc (swung pitches)
4th A = Brad & co (we gave em that topo)

Get some!
kev

climber
A pile of dirt.
  Feb 15, 2013 - 12:06pm PT
Well I stand corrected,

FA P1-3 was E.G and Ed Hartouni, P4 E.G and Linda Lou....

The rest is right.
Dirka

Trad climber
Hustle City
  Feb 15, 2013 - 06:11pm PT
Love it. Looks fatasmic.
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