Starting near a tree growing at the base of the cliff, climb up and right on plates and chicken-heads past several bolts to reach good horizontals on lower angled rock. On an early ascent of this climb on a cold morning I jammed my hand back into a horizontal and reached down o my harness for a piece of gear to place into it. I was surprised to feel something smooth and slick jammed in the very back of the crack and much more surprised still when that smooth slick something started moving under the force of my jam. I ran quickly from that spot. My partner climbed carefully around it, peeking in and reporting to me that I was lucky not to have been bitten by a now very awake copperhead!  Perhaps the cold morning made it less aggressive or perhaps I'd accidentally pinned down its head.

Captain One Eye

A Way of Life

Coffee Talk

5.11 Jimmy and Spike Go Craggin'

Pleasant Surprise

Delusions of Grandeur

Pebbly Poo

Electric Cowboy

It Ain't Easy Bein Squeezy

Come In Your Lycra

Social Butterfly

Big Crack

Hot Licks and Rhetoric

Grunt

The Love Shack

Flaring Crack

Shish-kebab

Burden of Dreams

Into the Purple Valley

Climb pockets and ledges through 4 bolts to the chain anchors.  The chains can be reachy if you clip them low on the climb.

This is the bolted route 50 feet right of Coffee Talk.

A hard start leads to very ordinary climbing.

Climb the face/arete past 2 bolts to reach a small horizontal below the overhang.  Place a piece here and climb over the bulge on good holds to the anchors.

Climb up the thin bouldery start to reach the small overhang.  Place a piece in the crack splitting the overhang and pull the roof (crux).  Follow the right leaning finger crack, then straight up the crack/face where it turns vertical again.  Hand traverse left once you reach the large ledge and top out below the start of Hot Licks and Rhetoric.  This route has a brief crux and can be a bit dirty toward the top.  It would benefit greatly from more traffic.  It's fairly light for the grade due to the brief crux and supplemental face holds.

Delicate 5.10 slab leading to slight jog left and a overhanging jug crux.

Boulder up the initial face to the ledge and protect. Step up and clip the bolt and then pull the reachy crux.

Enjoy the face above to a great ledge where you can build an anchor to bring up the second, set up a TR or walk off right.

You can continue up a steep crack to the summit of the pinnacle, but few people do so. There are bolt anchors near the summit.

A good route and probably one of the easier 11b's in the gorge, as it is not very sustained. Climb up a few bolts on a face, go left under a small roof to gain the arete, and fire the crux section on the arete to go to the top.

Fun chimney movements up to a hole in the rock. Push through the hole into a  corridor in between the pinnacles.

The opening moves are the crux of the climb as the crack is very tight fingers.  The route quickly eases up, and when you reach the shuts you'll wish it was 100 ft longer!

Scramble up to the ledge where The Love Shack is located and climb this so-so crack system to the right to a ledge and bolt anchors.

A great climb that deserves more attention. This is one of the better lines at the cliff, and one of the longest if you consider any one of the 3 climbs you have to do just to get to the base of it as part of the route.

Start with "Grunt" for the most consistent start and belay at the base of this line on the ledge if you protected just before the traverse. If you did not protect just before the traverse and put a monster-long sling on your last piece and intend to do the same with your next, you may simply continue...

Climb up the bright orange corner on the available face holds and flake, protecting when possible and as often as possible to account for the possibility of pulling some gear. Continue to a ledge with a belay tree and belay. Alternately, continue to the top over an unprotected roof.

The most recent book documents the FA of the alternate finish to be by Tom Kwasny. Although it is presently undocumented, I believe that his partner on that affair was Eric Pinkston.

A good obtuse corner with a jamcrack. Perhaps the name comes from the precept that if you have a lack of jamming skills, there is always the layback, or perhaps for a awkward slot that must be passed just before the wide section up top.

For the best line, or a second pitch, step left on awkward moves from the first good ledge and join the route "Hot Licks and Rhetoric" up the orange corner just left.

Extremely delicate friction slab climbing, keep your eyes open every little nub counts. Bring wired stoppers someone has removed the hangers.

This is the flake/crack to the left of The Love Shack and the more beautiful sibling of Big Crack. Despite the name, this climb is rather nice. Unfortunately for your camming devices the crack flares IN and not out. This can be a problem if you're attached to your gear and not skilled at retrieving cams that have walked deep within the rock.

Climb the unprotected crux near the arete then continue up with natural gear.

Climb up through an easy approach pitch, build an anchor and belay from the ledge.  Climb through steep but easy shelves and fist jams to reach the roof.  Pull an offwidth section then work your way to the lip.  Beached-Whale onto the top and take a bow.

Scramble up past a wide section to a roof. Commit to the crack and jam up through a vertical section which gradually eases up. Follow easier (but fun) ground to the summit.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Purple Valley