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dee
Sep 22, 2004, 5:31 PM
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Registered: Nov 24, 2003
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Has anyone climbed this route (FL) or anything to the right of the Red Dihedral? Info. beta?
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chrismcnamara
Sep 22, 2004, 6:04 PM
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Registered: Apr 20, 2003
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Here is some beta on variation i call the "Falling Dihedral" that i think starts on the Falling Leaf route and finishes on the Red Dihedral. If you are going to walk all the way into the Hulk, I don't think you really want to climb right of the Falling Leaf route. The wall is shorter, and the rock is generally worse.
This info comes from my High Sierra Guidebook:
http://www.supertopo.com/packs/highsierra.html
In that guidebook there is a topo and more beta for this variation and other Hulk routes.
Falling Dihedral Variation
This is an easier and less classic start to the Red Dihedral that bypasses crowds and cruxes. It’s a good back up if Red Dihedral is too crowded or you are running short on time. The rock is not the Hulk’s finest but is well protected at the 5.6-5.8 moves. Most of this variation is 4th class with only a few moves of 5.6-5.8 before joining the Red Dihedral.
A story
I call this the Falling Dihedral Variation because I think the initial pitches are on the Falling Leaf route. In the summer of 2003 I started up Positive Vibrations with Todd Offenbacher but a continuous 40+ MPH wind beat us back at pitch 5. Desperate to climb something that day but without enough time to use a rope, I waited until the wind died a few hours before sunset and started soloing the Red Dihedral. My solo was short lived as at the first crux spooked me and I backed off.
Now I was truly desperate to climb something before the day was over. I stepped away from the wall in the vain hope I could find more courage or an easier route. I found what appeared to be the latter a few hundred feet right of the Red Dihedral. An hour before sunset, I started climbing with the strategy that there was so little daylight that I didn’t have time to be scared. Fortunately, the route pieced itself together I moved untethered over a 1000+ feet of granite cast in soft orange evening light. I stood on the summit right at sunset and immediately began running down the descent. I paused only once to send a large round boulder on the longest trundle of my life: this boulder went from the top of the final gully to within a few hundred yards of camp. A thousand plus feet of great granite climbing and a big trundle... ahh, it doesn’t get any better than that.
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dee
Sep 23, 2004, 7:42 PM
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Registered: Nov 24, 2003
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Thanks Chris. So, the rock quality isn't as good to the right of RD? How about to the left of the Polish Rt. Rock qual looks good but I've never heard of any routes to the left.
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jer
Sep 23, 2004, 8:10 PM
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Registered: Sep 26, 2000
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Cmac- is Todd O still climbing much? I spent a weekend with him in Jtree once.
As far as new lines on the Hulk. Left of Positive and Right of Polish looks promising. Also, right smack in the center, there are numerous unmarked corners. I am sure Croft, Mac, or Nettle haven't hit ALL of them yet. However, I would imagine some would be quite hard if you wanted a plum line.
Little slide could keep you busy for a long time I presume. Consider a new line on the cracked up buttress just north of it, or up the obvious arete outside of Brutus(or Dingus's?) wide corner route on the totem pole(I think that's what it's called) across the valley.
I better stop now before I give up ALL my ideas...
jer
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chrismcnamara
Sep 24, 2004, 7:13 AM
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Registered: Apr 20, 2003
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all route RD and left have amazing rock. and get harder.
jer
yeah still see todd all the time. we were drinking in the city last week. we put up a bunch of routes in south lake last summer. he showed me around when i was writing the south lake book: http://www.supertopo.com/packs/southlaketahoe.html
Yeah, there are still new lines to do. but they are getting scarcer and harder!! If Peter stays psyched on the cliff for another two years then most of the killer lines will have been done. at that point there will just be a few sick lines for Caldwell and the future...
Nobody has raved that there are classic routes around the hulk (Outgard and the rest). everything looks cool. but most folks say the rock is so so. and since the Hulk has easily the best rock in the High Sierra, its hard to not just climb that.
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