Spoiled by Shade

When looking at the Sugar Bowl, Spoiled by Shade is the prominent corner on the left side of the wall. We spent a July morning there enjoying the shade, hence the name. The route has certainly been climbed, we found an easily removable piton on it, so if anyone knows its original name, please let me know.

Pitch 1. 5.7, 70 ft. Climb up to and up the black streaks left by water falling over bulging rocks. Head left below the first, tiny tree. Traverse left on a ledge to a steeper section in a poorly defined corner. A few interesting moves will take you to a nice belay ledge in now very obvious corner.

Pitch 2. 5.8, 80 ft. Go up the chossy, right-facing, corner. It slants right, so except for the very start of it, any loose rocks are guaranteed to the belayer. The climbing is protectable but tricky. The crux, located where the rock gets steeper, may be done in the corner (5.8+) or out on the chossier rock to the right (5.8). In either case, the protection is solid, as it is throughout the pitch. Belay may be set up at the top of the corner, allowing the leader to watch his second.

Pitch 3. 5.5, 30 ft mini pitch. Climb up the easy choss, but don't drop any flakes of destruction on your belayer. This pitch could be combined with Pitch 2, but the danger in that is having the rope rub against the sides of the super-choss found here and rain on the follower as they come up the upper part of the corner.

On the left side of the "bowl." The easiest approach is along the widest ridge, the one directly below the left rim of the bowl. At the top of it, scramble to the bottom of the corner. (You might want to start climbing from there if you are ambitious.) We followed the bottom of rock about 30 feet to a grassy spot below the location where the water goes down. (Note a large tree on a ledge above that, directly over the start of the route.)

It may be a good idea to leave packs lower on the ridge, so you don't have to go back to the start of the route.

There is a walk-off descent to the east. Head down toward the first gully. It is not feasible to continue down it all the way. Traverse east instead as you near the bushes above the steep drop off. (It will take a big of going up.) Take the second gully down. There are shrubs/trees to rappel from should things get too steep for you. Or, if you can find it, you can use the rappel on top of Five O'clock Shadow for the tail end of the descent.