Blacksmiths

This 11 (or so) pitch line is another magnificent and committing route put up by Ogden and Donahue. The climbing is clean and safe throughout and the pitches after the traverse feel very out there. The views from the Hooker Buttress up and down river are extraordinary.

P1. Start in a small, leftward-leaning, arched corner. Continue up a little munge and a deep corner. Step right and pull a steep splitter (10+). Continue up easier ground to a small ledge right of an obvious splitter on the arete, 5.10+, 165'.

P2. Face climb left to the splitter and head up, 5.9, 165'.

P3. Step left and head up to some peg. Climb through this, trending a bit left, then traverse back right into corner. Belay on perch below the next peg band, 5.10, 165'.

P4. Climb out left under roof. Look for a pin way left, then step right around lip of the roof. Continue up a steep corner, then traverse a ledge to stance with a bolt, 5.10, 100'.

P5. Kinda a wacky pitch. Climb down from the belay, then back up a ramp, don't go up the crack at the top. Climb down again to another corner. We climbed up this corner for a ways then stepped left to the belay (5.10+). The route actually steps left around an arete from the base of the corner and climbs up past a bolt to the belay (one bolt and gear). It's very difficult to see the belay until right on top of it. Just keep going left, 5.10, 80'.

P6. Step left and up to a bolt. Continue up on small gear and trend left on a series of ledges to a belay with a bolt, 5.10, 90'.

P7. Traverse up and left past two bolts. Climb up past a fixed nut into a shallow crack (12-). Continue up the crack. Then step left and clip a bolt and traverse left to a thin corner (12). Up to a sloping belay with a bolt. 5.12, 100'.

P8. Climb left, then back right to a flaring corner with a pin. Clip a bolt and boulder up and left again (12). Climb past another bolt to the giant roof. Climb through a cleft in the roof, step right at (or before) a fixed pin. Belay just above the lip of the roof, 5.12, 100'.

P9. Climb up steep ground to a hard-to-clip bolt. Pull the roof to another bolt (12). Step left at the second bolt and go up cracks. Step back right and up cracks to a belay on a pillar. It may be possible to go straight up from the second bolt- good luck with that, 5.12, 130'.

P10. Climb up corner on slightly crumbly rock to a bolt. Pull the roof above and continue up corner. Look to traverse right on good edges before the top of the corner (8R), 5.11+, 120'.

P11. Climb steep but juggy ground past two bolts (11-). Continue up and trend left to an alcove below some bushes. Our topo showed a possible 5.11- flake a little right toward the top of the pitch, but it felt more natural to continue left, 5.11-, 120'.

P12. Traverse right on easy but run-out ground to access exit gullies to the top, 5.7, 100'.

Trundle through the woods for 5-10 minutes to find the trail and take a right. It is about 35 minutes back to the ranger station.

This route starts on the very right side of the Hooker Buttress. We accessed the grassy ledges at the start via an obvious gully system (5.8ish 240') that starts above the river and accesses the middle of the wall. Go right from the top of the gully, across grass, onto stair step ledges. Continue past some ancient stashed gear, and almost into the gully that divides the Hooker from the Russian Arete. A small, leftward-arching corner with a bush is the start.

"RPs" and stoppers, Doubles 00 through 3 Camalots. Single 3.5 and 4 (old) Camalots.