This route is something of a nemesis for me.  Perils of Pauline begins just left of Nettlesome, climbing up benign terrain to a stance just beneath a slightly overhanging and mostly blank headwall, where the character of the route changes.  Overcoming this short section is the crux of the climb and involves a series of moves to establish your right hand on a powerful and tiny side pull, then delicate and precise footwork to move your left hand up onto positive features.  Once you are standing on top of the headwall, the difficulties are over.  The crux is well protected, so even those of us with a low probability of success can venture up with little trepidation.  This line can also be toproped after leading Nettlesome; both routes share an anchor.

Perils of Pauline

Nettlesome

Playin' Possum

Honkey's Lament

Poultry in Motion

Gun Rack

Kissin' Cousins

Climb up the slightly overhung dihedral to a hole. 2 lines of bolts split at this point. Climbers right is easier (11c) but is more sustained. Climbers left line at 11d.

Nettlesome is the located between Perils of Pauline and Playin' Possum, the middle of three routes nestled near the top of the approach trail.

P1.  Nettlesome starts with some tricky moves off the ground to a mentally challenging step up and onto a lip midway up the face.  I find this the crux of the climb.  The climb then swings right and back left as you tackle a steeper section just below the anchor. (5.9+)

P2. If you do the second pitch, the character of the climb changes.  The second pitch is thin 5.8 friction climbing, with an emphasis on friction.  The bolting is safe, but had my attention.

Playin' Possum is located just right of Nettlesome.  P1 & P2 can easily be combined for a long and fun 5.8 jaunt.

P1.  Begin up a small corner just behind a tree, and continue up fun 5.8 moves to an anchor.

P2.  Slabbier than P1, P2 continues up another 5 clips to an anchor (5.8).

P3.  This pitch is the meat of the climb.  Getting established on the face requires some thought, but is not as hard as it might appear.  Follow bolts to a shallow, diagonaling crack which requires supplemental gear (~30').  Bolts lead from the end of the crack to the anchor through additional fun and thought provoking moves (5.10a at the beginning and end).

The first pitch is trad requiring gear to 2.5". Follow the large crack to the right of Gun Rack up and over the ledge to a two chain anchor. The second pitch is bolt protected (5 draws) and has a 5.10a crux.

Right of Honky's Lament (the crack system right of Gun Rack) is Poultry in Motion.  This climb begins up a steep face to a ledge, then goes up and right through balancy moves to the crux-- a series of moves on tiny edges just below the anchor.  Look for the cool green crystals embedded in the rock on the upper third of this route.

Gun Rack has a brilliant double roof sequence (especially for the grade), with mostly pedestrian climbing before and after.  There's an optional second pitch of easy slabbing (5.6 or .7, crux at top). By skipping (or back cleaning) some of the first pitch bolts, it's reasonable to climb the entire route as one long pitch (two raps with a single rope).

Description

Protection

Routes in Clem's Holler