Trout Fishing in America...
August 8, 2015
Ed Hartouni, Linda Jarit, Bela Logan

Everybody says that there is a huge potential for new routes in Tuolumne Meadows if you are willing to walk just a bit off the road. We did last Saturday and were rewarded with a wonderful area, Trout Wall, developed by the Gerberdings... our total beta on this was a general location, a note that said a 70m rope was fine, and a listing of routes (with some hints of gear)... the list started with a 5.11a, then 5.10c, and ended with a 5.9... Linda's memory (it was Linda's beta) was that the routes were listed right-to-left, but you never know...

We did find the place after a bit of wandering around, I launched up on the "5.9" only to find it a touch more difficult than 5.9... Bela kept saying, "that doesn't look like 5.9..." I got the first two bolts clipped and decided that the moves to the third bolt were definitely more like 5.11a than 5.9. I retreated to the ground and Linda took over...

Linda working above the third bolt...
...and nearing the top of the route. The bolts are mind easingly close, and the knobs thickly dot the steep wall. The route took a small cam.

Here's Bela getting ready to run a top-rope lap...
... and some old guy working past his previous high point.

We pulled the rope and Linda was next in the rotation, so she did the next route over, the 5.10c...
...and high up it ends at the same anchors, which are painted to match the rock color.

The bolts are not easy to spot but it turns out that climber FA instinct is a good guide to getting you to the right part of the cliff.

Great day, no one else out there (of course), absolutely silent except for the wind in the trees, far from any roads... just a great place to pull on crystals, route after route...

really wonderful routes too, thanks to the Gerberdings!

Bela captures our feelings before we packed up and did the very pleasant hike out.