Proud Mary

Proud Mary may or may not be a work in progress. In its present form, it consists of three pitches, but two more await above. A final pitch would take a terrific position on the final dominant feature of MB. The linking pitch (P4), however, looks like it would require extensive cleaning and this may be enough to halt progress at three pitches.

In the current form, P1 is a very well protected slab, 100 feet, 5.9, on quite good stone. Double bolt anchor and chains get you to the ground.

P2 pulls a burly 5.11d right off the belay and remains hard for 30 feet. The midsection is a romp that leads to a devious rib that climbs more like an arete with micro-crimpers on both sides. The crimpers have seemed brutally hard so far, hence the A0. It is not clear how difficult this will be completely free, time will tell.

P3, still a project awaiting a no-falls red point burn. Climbing moves right on easy ground for 20 feet and fires up a lay-away seam that gets progressively more difficult. Very hard as the pitch nears the anchors. In the last trip through some possibilities started to emerge from the polished face on the right, so we are hoping that this pitch goes down free!!

Overall, PM climbs on stone typical of the BTC. It can be sharp in places, but is largely as solid as stone can get. I found myself still brushing off lichen in some spots. PM does differ from the routes on right side of the crag by getting good sun for most of the day.

Proud Mary begins on the far left of MB just where the trail turns sharply uphill.

15 draws and a 60 meter rope. NB: it is now possible to rap straight down from the top of P3 in three steps of 100 feet, 90 feet, and 85 feet. The rap stations are 20 feet right of the climbing.