By Hook or By Crook

By Hook or By Crook is an awesome, technical, and thought-provoking three-pitch climb up Harlequin Dome -- a candidate for one of the best 5.11's in Tuolumne.

P1: Begin at a shallow, right-leaning, right-facing dihedral at the center of the wall, near a large pine. Recent rockfall has made this pitch more difficult and more dangerous -- a stick clip for the first bolt is highly recommended. Ascend this corner via smears and powerful liebacks until a stance at the anchor below a roof. 5.11b.

P2: Start P2 by going right, clip an old bolt and then hand traverse to the right. The route then traverses left to an arete-like feature formed by a shallow right-facing corner. Climb this after clipping an oddly-placed bolt (consider backcleaning or a long runner) up to a poor stance under a roof. Hand-traverse back right a few feet and pull through the roof on extremely powerful liebacks. Good, small gear here. Continue up to another bolted belay. 5.11b, crux. It is possible to descend from here with two raps on a single 60m rope, but the third pitch should not be missed. Bring a second rope in this case or be prepared to walk off.

P3: Climb a long, tricky, right-facing corner to the top. 5.10c.

Standard rack through #2 Camalot. Extra small cams and small wires useful. Stick clip.