Summary

Description

Drove to Moore's from Lisa's parents house. Took just about 2 hours coming up I-85 to 52N. Got up to the parking area, got our gear sorted out and started hiking around 12:15pm. Luckily we hadn't gotten very far when we realized that we hadn't brought the second rope so an extra 10 minutes put us back on the trail with both ropes.

We decided to start the afternoon with Head Jam. I had never climbed it or even seen anyone climb it (although we tried climbing it on another trip and were off by a couple cracks to the left). The route is tucked back in a corner and was in shade the whole time we were on it. I was planning to climb shirtless since I was so sweaty from the hike in, but there was actually a nice, cool breeze coming down the chimney on Head Jam so I decided to go with the shirt. That ended up being a good decision since getting up in the signature crack to place pro was kinda dirty.

The beginning of the route was not problem. I made it up to the big overhanging, detached flake/block then got torso deep into the crack to look for where to place a piece to protect the traverse around the block. I had heard rumors that there was a great #3 Camalot placement so I was looking for a big crack to place it in. Found it and extended it out with a long (4') spectra runner.

Now that the next moves were protected, I started trying to figure out how the heck I was going to continue on from here. Couldn't just slither through the crack because it narrowed too much to the left. (I tried moving that way and got my helmet jammed in the crack briefly.) So I have to go back down/out and around. OK. The problem is, there is a noticeable lack of good footholds that way. Sigh. So I worked around in the same spot for a while trying to figure it out and finally decided that I just had to go for it. I started out with a big undercling on the flake, inched my feet out on left face a little bit, and eventually went for a huge move with my left foot out to the crack. It probably will be easier next time now that I know it's doable, but I was pretty freaked by the position I was getting myself into. I got a left had out to the crack as well, but I was feeling a bit precarious so I got in close to the wall around the flake and shoved my shoulder into the big crack on the right behind the flake/block. Not a very comfortable place to be, especially with my left foot wedged in the crack -- on a crystal point no less -- rather than a little farther on a a nicer foothold.

So now I have to get another piece of protection in. Problem is, I'm in an awkward stance with my right shoulder pretty wedged, and I can't really see into the wide crack which is probably the best spot to put a piece. I fumble through trying a could different pieces and finally pull out the #1 Camalot. By this point, I'm panicky, getting a little pumped, and I just want to start moving again. So I work on plugging the cam in somewhat blind. I got it seated, but I could tell that it had the potential to walk back into the crack. Didn't really care, though, since I needed to move on up the rock Real Soon. So I did.

Nothing else eventful happened on Head Jam. Getting around the flake/block is definitely the crux. I was planning to go up to the belay and the top of Easy Hard where we've rapped off a couple of times (and it requires two ropes), but a guy talking to Lisa at the base of the route, Dave Hall, recommended only going up to the ledge with a deep cut back into the rock that has another anchor. He explained why he thinks the anchor at the top of Easy Hard isn't as safe.

So I got up to that ledge, inspected the (lower) anchor, and it looked bomber. So I set up the belay there and started bringing Lisa up. The view from up there -- still in the shade -- was awesome. Lisa had no problems coming up. Dave had given her some beta on the Head Jam move, and she did it fine. (Unfortunately, I couldn't see her, but she explained it to me later.) It was similar to how I started it, but you stay committed to the undercling longer than I did. I definitely want to try it again to see if I can lead it more smoothly.

Lisa got to the top, and after taking some pictures, we rigged the ropes -- the one we climbed on and the one Lisa trailed -- for the rappel. As it ends up, you can rappel from that anchor on one 60m rope. Good to know for next time, but I'm happy to have taken 2 ropes since we didn't know.

Once we were down, we had a late lunch. The whole route took about 2 hours, and now it was a little after 3pm. The sun was starting to peek around the corner into the alcove where Head Jam is. We debated what to climb next. We were thinking about Dolphin Head, but when we went to look at it, it was in full sun, and I decided that I didn't really want to lead while baking on the rock. So we decided that it was either Sentinel Buttress or going down and bouldering. Lisa was thinking about leading Sentinel if no one was on it already.

There were a couple of packs at the base of Sentinel, and we could hear voice somewhere up above, but there was no one in sight. Lisa looked at the route and was starting to gear up but decided that she really wasn't in the mood to try to lead it. We chatted for a while about what to do and whether I should lead it or we should just go boulder. We decided that I would lead the first pitch, explaining my placements as I went, then rig to be lowered at the Crow's Nest. That way, Lisa could climb up on top rope, looking at all the gear and seeing how it was placed and we could discuss my thoughts and choices for each piece. Sort of a mini trad-leading class.

I enjoyed giving the running commentary while I lead the pitch. Once Lisa had lowered me, she started climbing. She had just gotten to the first piece when someone called down from the Crow's Nest to see if anyone was on the route. They wanted to rappel down so Lisa backed off and we let them rap. It was Dave Hall, whom Lisa had met and talked to earlier, and a guy named Phil Phelan. They had just climbed Sentinel. Once they were done rapping and had pulled their rope, Lisa started back up. She really enjoyed getting to look at the gear and be able to ask questions about it and talk it over.

Once she was back down, we ended up chatting with Dave and Phil for a while. When we finally had everything packed up, we invited the guys to join us for dinner at Torrero's Mexican restaurant. Dave accepted, but Phil declined since he had to head on home. Lisa, Dave, and I had a good dinner, and it was fun getting to know Dave since he's been climbing at Moore's (and all around NC) for quite a while and had good stories, insights, and advice. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to climb with both Dave and Phil in the future.