Ten Years After

This is a really fun route with three pitches of absorbing face climbing, topped off by a nice crack (particularly by Southern Arizona standards!) on the fourth pitch. The climbing is technical and hard to read; there is a lot of micro-route-finding, and some mild spice. Pitch 2 in particular is a gem. Kerry's description and topo are both very good, so I see no need to give a blow-by-blow account here.

[Edit, after a second trip up]: I would only say that on pitch one, after the crux, the climbing seems pretty contrived, as you can just go up the moderate gear-protected corner (shown on the topo) to the belay. The climbing out right may be better but felt almost annoyingly forced.

The route is located on the left side of Golder Dome, and starts just right of the obvious, left-trending vegetated corner system ("Jungle Cruiser"). Look for the first bolt up and right about 20 feet. A hard 5.10 move past this bolt leads to a ledge--don't go up the corner, but instead move right to find the next bolt.

To descend, we did not do the last 4th class pitch, but instead rappelled from the "pointed flake" that Kerry mentions, which is even with the tree belay at the top of pitch four, but about 30 feet left (if you want to do this option, then there's no need to go to the tree on P4). Here was the only discrepancy that we found in Backcountry Rock Climbing: We rappelled with one rope to a set of bolts not noted in that guide, then with two ropes to the two-bolt anchor atop pitch 2, then with two ropes to the ground.

A full set of nuts (include rps), and a single set of cams from tiny to a #3 camalot will provide sufficient, though not abundant protection. A couple extra hand-sized cams would certainly get used on the last pitch (be sure to save everything from #.75 camalot and up for the hand crack on that pitch). Nothing larger than a #1 camalot is needed on the first two pitches. Bring a few quickdraws--the two 10+ cruxes are both well-protected by bolts. To the best of my recollection, pitches one & two have three bolts apiece, as well as bolted anchors. Pitch three has two bolts, one fixed pin, and a gear anchor. Pitch four has no lead or anchor bolts.