The first pitch used to be worth climbing if you were looking for something easy in the far Nears, but now you are better off walking a bit farther to get to Eowyn. As of Sept. 2017 the climb has largely returned to its primordial state and gardening skills will be required for any ascents planned for the near future.  

  P1: 5.3, head up an obvious arching, right-facing corner over slabs to an alcove. Move right over lichenous ground to a corner then move back left and up to the rap tree for Cherokee. Wire brush and weed whacker useful.  

  P2-4: Choose your own adventure: the original route veered left rather than heading right to the Cherokee anchors, then continued up and right for a pitch, then walked back 40' left to a line 10' right of BM (5.8R, loose rock) right around an overhang then tend left to a ledge below a shallow open book with a crack. Several P4 variations (5.6-5.8) will get you to the top from here. Note that the FA'ist does not recommend any of this. Instead P2(5.6) and 4(5.7G) of Cherokee with a 5.5 P3 near BM are preferred.

Animal Farm

Honky Tonk Woman

Scuttlebutt

Root Beer Crack

Bush League

White Pillar

Interiah

Raven's Run

Gouda Climb

By the Toe, direct start

Beauty and the Skink

Moxie

Boston Tree Party

Gunks Burghers

Ambien Knights

Raven and the Cat

Coyote Crack

Slab Shtick

Cherokee

Birch Beer Crack

Day Tripper

Elf Stone

Double Quacks

Woot!

You're in the wrong place, my friend

Shtick It

Old and Mossy

Easter Time Too

Saving Grace

Spic and Span

Giddah!

Saving Face

Whet Stone

Route Awakening

Summer Breeze

Orc Stone

Serfs' Up

Bush Lite

Wolf and the Swine

Halfbeak

Good Friday Climb

Wrong Place, Right Time

Left meets Right

Catnip

As the Cliff Turns

Zachariah

One Way or Another

Move up and into a short low angle, shallow, left-facing corner just left of Animal Farm's corner. Step right and transfer around into the right facing corner/stem box. Pull through a little notch to a stance below the crux. Finesse your way through the crux and then pull the wild roofs above on the middle or right side (staying away from Cherokee to make it harder.) 

  Variation: Instead of going right into the low angle corner at the bottom, climb up and slightly left then back right to the ledge below the crux. This makes the line more direct and difficult.

This is an atypical Gunks route - rather than burly overhangs, it features delicate footwork on less-than-vertical rock.  The protection rating is debatable since you can't really be sure of the tiny wires that protect the crux.  I compensate by putting in lots of them. 

  The business starts after you clip the bolt -- climb a hard-to-protect groove to easier ground.  Above, traverse left to a rap station atop White Pillar.  A single rope gets you down.

The beta on this route is a little confusing; the Dick Williams guides variously list one or more pitches.  If there is in fact a second pitch, it evidently never gets climbed, judging by the loose rock and lichen. That having been said, Scuttlebutt is definitely a worthwhile climb, especially when the more popular routes are occupied.   

  A challenging start goes up a face with sparse pro, trending left to a nose.  Follow this nose and the face climbing above it to a spacious belay ledge with a pine tree.

Step up 3 feet to grassy ledge and stem and crack moves to the birch tree. Then up left of tree to slabby rock and up to pine tree rappel. 

Climb the small right-facing corner past a small tree to the roof that is about 25-30 feet up. Traverse to the right end of the roof, move up to a stance (crux), then straight up to a pine tree and rappel anchor.  

  A lot of fun packed into one pitch.

Another atypical Gunks route.  If you're looking for a chimney fix this is the place.  Not really that hard and there's decent pro hiding in the chimney walls.  I haven't done the rest of the climb past the anchor atop the chimney.

This pitch has two fun sections of climbing but it is too discontinuous to earn more than one star. 

  Climb the dirty open book to the left end of a ledge. Move right and then climb the face past two large horizontal breaks to another ledge; this one has a large pine tree on it. Up and left on easy rock for 25 feet or so to small platform  below an overhang. Immediately above you will see a thin crack and a narrow v-slot. Climb past the overhang at the crack (crux) and through the v-slot to a belay ledge. From that point you can make a single rappel or do the second pitch of Zachariah.  

Trad climb with a couple of bolts protecting R/X sections. Bolted rap chains just below the pine tree formerly used for TRing.

Climb the slab to the roof. Put in some mediocre protection in unreliable rock, and pull the roof (crux) past a small pine. Climb more slab to a belay tree. 

Climb up to the roof and a very short, left-facing corner. Move over the roof (crux) and into the larger left-facing corner system above. Go slightly left to a crack, move past this back into the left-facing corner and go up to a small ledge. Traverse left approximately 15-20 feet and to a pine tree and belay. 

Short, fun and focusing.  Nice face climbing on clean rock with one 15 ft run out(crux)section before angling right toward bushy rap-shrub.

This is a short corner climb near White Pillar.  The crux is the corner -- it felt pretty stiff for 5.8+.  Start below and left, making a few hard steep-face moves as you approach the corner.   

  Rap tree anchor.

Climb the dihedral almost to the roof, move right then climb out and around onto the face. Straight up (crux) to a small roof. Move left, then up to the belay/rappel tree. 

Thoughtful moves and relatively easy route finding. No real crux to speak of. 

  Climb the face to the first overhang. Exit right, and diagonal up right following a seam to the obvious ledge with a lip. Climb over the lip and up the face to the pine tree belay/rap station.  80 ft. 

Climb a short face to the overhang. Over the hang at the thin seam (crux) then straight up the face to a small pine. Abseil from there or traverse up and right to a larger and more secure tree. 

A nice little vertical crack buried far in the nears.  It's a dirty bugger, so be prepared for foliage and loose rock.  I used my cleaning tool to scrape dirt out of the crack.   

  Climb the crack to a ledge with a pine tree belay station.

A high-quality pitch with lots of climbing on it!

 Face climb to the right of a thin crack up into small overhang. Pass the hang on the right, and follow the corner and crack up to the belay/rap station.

Climb up and right to the shallow open book. Move up to good holds (crux)and a decent stance. Diagonal right to a right-leaning fault and at its top, climb past reddish rock to a large block. Go straight from there to the pine tree on top of the buttress.  

Climb up a short distance on the face left of large right-facing corner to overhang, move right and climb up continuation of right-facing corner to pine tree rap slings (which I replaced).

A long, meandering climb. It can be done in 3-4 pitches.   

  P1 (5.7): Go up a corner, then up right through grooves to a small overhang. Pull this and head left to tree with rings/slings.   

  P2: We climbed the face rather than the broken corner. It seemed like 5.6 any way we went.   

  P3: Go up and right to make a belay below the big roof. You'll need some small gear to protect the crux.   

  P4: Make the airy traverse out left. You can combine this with P5 by exiting the traverse and running up the slabs.  Most of this climb was pretty dirty and had some suspect rock.  That said, it was a blast and it's easy to avoid the sketchy stuff.

Day Tripper follow an obvious left facing corner to a chimney below a large roof (Daytripper Direct). After exiting the chimney, move to the right edge of the roof, up onto the face, then back left to the belay tree.

The route basically goes straight up, from the start at a thin crack or seam.  I found the challenge of creatively placing gear on sometimes thin stances the most fun. It is G but takes some creativity.  It goes over an overhang 25 feet up and then up through some horizontals.  

  The shrubbery 20 feet above the climb has some tat that should be removed (sorry I did not have a knife) as it has things growing out of it.  There are a few places for a directional then a rap anchor about 20 feet to the right.

Climb the two cracks to a stance and then go up a low angled dihedral to a ledge. Move right and rappel from a bush. 

Start the same as Easter Time Too, with hands 10 feet up traverse left to the small 3 foot high left facing corner capped by a pebble covered overhang, follow the crack up and right to another small left facing corner, go up passing a frisbee-sized area of orange rock, move up and left to a ledge before traversing left to the Day Tripper oak tree rap station.

Move up a short face, traverse left to the obvious, small block that is jutting out from a ledge and make the stand up move (crux). Follow a short crack to the base of a flaring, right-facing corner. At the top of this corner, go right to a belay tree. 

Climb the short corner and face above (sustained, upper-end 5.10) angling slightly left to eventually join the last 20' of Ambien Knights.

Climb the short corner and clear the overhang at a break to a stance (crux).  Continue up past a wide crack to two small trees.  Step right to small dirt ledge at a slab (optional belay).  Continue up right on slab to broken rock, and climb straight up a fault past an oak tree to a large pine tree belay/rap-station.

An obvious, right-leaning finger and hand crack that ends, alas, at a bolted anchor at 80'.   

  Although the start is the steep and strenuous crux, the rest of the route is sustained with good jams and insecure feet.

About 8 feet left of the start to Saving Face, find a very small and not very obvious left-facing flake; it's about 6-8 feet up. Climb the face past this flake to a stance, then move onto a large ledge (crux). From there, go up past a short, right-facing flake to a crack. At the top of the crack, you will see the belay/rappel tree about 20 feet higher. 

In 2011, the anchor tree fell onto and over the top sections of Saving Grace and Saving Face.  

Straight forward climbing on mostly clean rock (might have to brush off leaves and pine needles).  Climbs up and slightly right to the right side of a small pine tree at 25 feet, then up and slightly left to a slung tree with rap rings.  Anchor was in good shape when we did it Oct 2014.

Giddah is a perfectly lovely enjoyable pitch of 5.6, and is even appropriate for a first lead at that grade.  It's not on the well-beaten path of routes, so you'll very likely find it open.  The moves up to and around the white section of rock are an interesting puzzle, and you'll be glad you worked it out. 

  Step to the left side of the ledge and up into a shallow left-facing corner.  Move up and right over a bulge/hang into the very nice right-facing layback.  From there meander up and left to the tree (rings).  Rap in one rope. 

  Some care should be taken to avoid rope drag.

Climb the right-facing corner to its top and a large, dirt covered ledge. Once on the ledge, you will see an obvious, right-facing flake within arms reach that leads to a short seam; Saving Face climbs the face 6 feet or so right of that flake to a thin horizontal and a very small, short, and indistinct left-facing corner. Move up past this corner (crux) then go straight to the pine tree. 

In 2011, the anchor tree fell onto and over the top sections of Saving Grace and Saving Face.  

Start at a thin seam and climb up to the obvious hold at about 10-12 feet (first crux). Go to the roof, over this (second crux), then up the face to the larger roof with a notch. Pass the roof then climb straight up for 30-40 feet. At that point, I went almost straight left for 20 feet or so to a decent tree and a good stance and rappelled from there.  

Climb the face and cracks past a tiny tree - good cracks for protection - to ledges, then up a low angled face and another ledge or two to a pine tree.  

Attain the obvious horizontal around the nose, and step left across it to good holds (crux). Stay left and work up face to a ledge. Continue up the low-angled nose with alpine feel to a birch tree rappel station. 70 ft.

P1. Start up a corner located below a pair of jagged corners and a patch of white rock.  At the top of the lower corner, diagonal up and right, and climb through the broken rock that forms the 'outside' or 'right' upper corner (the inside corner is Cherry's Climb).  Continue around the left side of the white rock to a spacious belay ledge on the right.  While it looks somewhat broken, the rock throughout the corner appeared solid, and was some of the best climbing on the route. 130'. 

  P2. From the belay, continue straight up the face to another larger ledge with a rap station.  Continue up from this second ledge to a good stance just below the left side of a large roof. 5.5, 60'. 

  P3. From the belay, traverse left along the base of the roof to a corner.  There is a single bolt that protects the traverse.  Turn the corner and work up the V slot, passing a second bolt and a fixed Alien at the top.  Follow the line with the least amount of lichen up and left to the top. 5.5, 40'. 

  Descent: We chose to walk off to the left.  There is a tree at the top with a couple of slings, and the rap station on P2.  Not sure how long the individual rappels are.

Climb a right-facing flake/corner to a small ledge about 10-12 feet up; there is a small tree on the ledge. Move up and left past another small tree to a good flake and great holds. Traverse right a bit then climb to a good stance (crux). Follow a thin crack to a ledge. The belay stance and rappel tree are about 20-30 feet higher. 

Climb face and follow (creaky) right arching flake to ledge. Handle flake with CARE - part of it broke off on my partner's ascent. Gain ledge and climb overhang at crack (crux) then slab to ceiling. Good holds on crux but a bit strenuous. Traverse right above huge laurel bush to pine tree rap/belay station. 90 ft. Fun and challenging.

1. Climb the shallow open book to the top, diagonal right, then back left and across a slab (5.6 R). Go straight up to a ledge. Climb the wall above (5.8 R) and belay at a large ledge.  

  2. Climb pretty much straight up the face about 20 feet or so right of the large corner. Belay at a large ledge. 5.5 PG 

  3. There is a cedar tree on the ledge. Climb straight up from the tree past overhangs to a larger roof. Go past this to a fixed pin and a rest. Go past another overhang (crux), then keep moving up and right 30 or 40 feet and belay, or continue on to the top. 5.9 PG 

Step onto a very short slab then move up to a dirt ledge; there is a small tree on the ledge. Hand traverse right around the corner (crux), up the nose and pass right around another small tree. Climb past a short, right-facing corner, over a small roof, then follow a crack to the final slab. At the top of the slab there is a big pine tree for belaying and rappelling.  

Good Friday follows the fainter right-leaning crack to the right of Easter Time Too. While it's most easily climbed as a toprope after climbing Easter Time, it's also a worthy though heady lead (it's quite PG, though perhaps not quite PG-13; be good at small nuts). The climbing is mostly thin face, with a few finger/tip locks thrown in for fun.

 Climb the crack, heading leftwards at the top to the Easter Time Too bolted anchor.

 There are three additional pitches, though they're likely to be vertical rock gardening: P2 is described as breaking through overhangs above, and onto a ledge with a cedar tree, 50 feet at 5.8. P3 reads: climb right up to the ceiling with a short left-facing corner. Clear the ceiling, and continue up the overhanging face above to the large ledge. 100 feet. 5.9+. P4: 30 feet of meandering and muscling through jungles, 5.4 to the clifftop.

Climb up to "Texas" flake/undercling. Work up right to the edge and move up through a difficult move (crux 1, no gear) to better holds. A couple of easier moves left take you to the crux face. A cryptic sequence up the face brings you to a pumpy finish in an overhanging right-facing corner.

Step up on to the small ledge just off the ground, then climb straight up to a good hold under a small roof. Move straight right (crux) and around the corner to a stance. Go directly up the fun face to a pine tree belay.  

Fun and worthwhile.  There is a variety of climbing on this short route. 

  Start by pulling an overhang to a ledge with a birch tree at ~10', then head up and right towards the crack. The crux comes midway at a bulge, and very-small nuts may (or may not) offer your only protection from ledgefall.   

  Rappel from pine trees above. 

Climb a short, thin crack to a large horizontal. Drift up the face (easy) and move left to a good stance below a small, left-facing corner. Climb the crack that starts at the top of the corner (crux) then go up another face to a small alcove capped by a larger roof. After the roof, there is about 20 feet of easy climbing to reach the belay tree. 

  This has some good quality climbing. The upper roof is pretty big, but not at all difficult.

1. Go up the chimney, move left on the narrow ledge, and climb the face (crux) past two large horizontals and a large tree Continue up and right on easy ground, move right around a nose, then belay at the tree above. 5.8, 90 feet. 

  2. Go straight up from the belay to a ledge below a left-facing corner. Swing out on jugs (crux) then up and right to a belay tree. 5.9 (5.6 in the 1972 guide), 60 feet.  

  The first pitch up to the tree is a short, pleasant 5.8. The protection on the second pitch could be better, but if you look around and think creatively, you should be safe.  

  Pretty exciting crux move; too bad the rest of the pitch is mediocre, at best.

Climb or jump to the good bucket holds, stand up and then move slightly left and go up the face (crux) to the overhang. After the hang, the belay/rappel tree is about 25 feet farther. 

  What do you get for the 5.8 climber who's done everything?    Not this route.  

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Routes in c. Moe (closure) to Harvest Moon