Patricia Lake Grack

P1(5.10a): Starts in a shallow left-facing corner with a fixed pin or two visible from the ground. After about 20 feet, move slightly right for a little face climbing past an overlap (crux, another pin) to gain the main big corner that is followed to the top of the tower. Belay at a one bolt and a natural gear anchor at the top of the tower.

I am upgrading this pitch to 5.10a. I thought that after cleaning it would get easier, so I rated it 5.8; it has actually gotten harder!

P2(5.9): Continue up the broken crack system in the same corner until it becomes a chimney. Pulling around the chockstone at the top is the crux. Move right to the P2 anchor for Pie in the Sky and rappel that route.

The name comes from the classic Grack, Center route in Yosemite. My father was on the first ascent of that route and always told me that the name was short for "Grassy Crack". The grass is now long gone, but back then I guess it had some vegetation. This route reminded me of that because there was some veg to clean out and it was also my first multi-pitch first ascent I completed.

The first big dihedral system on the left side of the main cliff. Pitch one climbs to the top of a big tower, pitch two climbs to the top of the cliff.

There are a couple of fixed pins on the first pitch to help show the way and fill in any gaps in pro. Otherwise, bring cams from micro to 3.5".