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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 28, 2013 - 12:09pm PT
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I was up at Patterson Bluff area on 3/16 & 17 with Matt Schutz and Danny Gray. We found 3-4 new established routes on a one pitch bluff, behind the power lines, to the west of Black Rock Road just past the reservoir split. Anyone have any info on these? Post it, email or PM me if know who FA'd them or have beta.
What an amazing area. Been about 5 years since I had been there and I forgot just how amazing it is.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Mar 28, 2013 - 01:22pm PT
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Davey,
I don't know who did that, but you might want to check with Paul Martzen, scuffy b or Jaybro. I first went there in 1970, and climbed in the area to the east (right) of Patterson creek, on a formation that looks somewhat like an upside-down map of Italy. We thrashed through the brush on the way up, only to find an established trial leading to within 100 feet of the road on the way down.
It's hard for me to forget the Bluffs. I live in Harlan Ranch and take 168 home every day. Most days, the westernmost cliffs are clearly visible, and often I can even see some crack systems, on the way home.
John
P.S. I know that Mark Powell climbed the big flake at the far east end of the east cliff in the 1950's.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2013 - 01:34pm PT
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Tks for the reply John. That is serious bush wacken going up. I tried once from the far right and after I was in a crawl for a couple hundred yards I turned back. I will prob see Paul this Friday and ask. Those routes looked pretty new and had some tat on a couple. They are all the way around the right side past Patterson Right and the approach to these is like 5 minutes from B.R. Road.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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Mar 28, 2013 - 01:43pm PT
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Ticks!
lol
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 28, 2013 - 02:15pm PT
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Bump! Sorry I can't help, but I'd like to know too
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2013 - 04:04pm PT
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Crab, you take that pic? I was standing where that pic was taken from. The PG&E road gets you pretty close. Just after the last bridge on the gated PG&E road look for a trail cut through the manzanita that goes up from a hairpin turn. Follow it and it will take you to where the pic was taken and further to some covered ladders that will get you down the mountain a bit. We were scouting but you could traverse east to the left side of that pic.
Munge, Never had tick issues, prob too early in the year, but the poison oak was everywhere. Toward the top of the PG&E road or further up Black Rock you get into the pines and it diminishes greatly if not all together.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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Mar 28, 2013 - 06:28pm PT
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below the cliff right to left ... going toward JCAWWS. Trail most of the way, with PO near the end. I stopped at some point deciding that minimal PO was ok, but massive contamination wasn't going to work. lol
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 28, 2013 - 09:37pm PT
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99% of the people I've gone there with have had poison oak issues. Seemed worth it to me though!
I got some extremely cool FA's there and apparently don't get PO! ....been crossing my fingers for the last 56 years thought!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 28, 2013 - 10:35pm PT
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Ya I took the picture while looking around up there, it's currently the background on my computer. Your directions sound just like what I did, but with some old cable assisted 4th class. I'll have to go up there sometime with you and Matt, and I think I might have met Danny Grey at Metalmark this morning?
On the PO note, I have a bit right now and have been putting chalk on it to dry it out every time I climb. Seems to be working better than calamine lotion and all the other crap I have!
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2013 - 11:24pm PT
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Jaybro, soo many FAs to do up there. We did one on D.U. Dome. Put it on RC.com. I got poison a few times up there but if I stay at pines level it seems to be OK. PM me or post your FAs. I would love to check them out.
Crab, I'm sure you met Danny at the gym. We have a morning crew of great guys and gals at 0500. I will be there tomorrow but missed most of the week so far. Def plan on going back. Rt now looking at going back to P.B. soon. PM me and we can hookup unless I see you at the gym before. I have some lines picked out.
When I have some time I will post more pics, info and topos on RC.com and maybe people will add to it all their FAs and beta.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 29, 2013 - 02:47am PT
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Jaybro, nice links on your efforts. That roof crack is sick. Haven't tried it but got half way up an FA on the wall behind it to the left. I had been calling that rock wall area Road Gold. I had to down climb because of poor rock. Needs some cleaning of some exfoliation curtains. Have you been up to that pinacle on the wall behind the roof. Think I would call it Gold Member if I was able to climb it. Looks 2 pitches.
Anything on the routes just past BR Reservoir turn to the west by power lines? Very featured stuff.
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Mar 29, 2013 - 02:48am PT
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Wow, a fair bit of activity up there. Are some trails being developed to some of the cliffs? The ones I cut are long grown over.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 29, 2013 - 02:54am PT
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Hi Paul. Going to gym in the morn. Hope to see you there.
I was up there a week and a half ago and didn't see any trail but I didn't know one had been cut in.
Jaybro, can you post wherre the trail starts? Might get more traffic on it to keep it clear.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 29, 2013 - 09:12am PT
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I haven't been there since 2010 there was a cairn at the start of the trail. It's past the sign that says 2,000' and before the one that says 3000'. Paul m and Her Laeger will be your best reference for this area, but Scott Cosgrove (Coz here on the Taco) as well as Richard Leversee have done a bunch of stuff in the greater area.
Road Gold sounds perfect for that area, I always wanted to do some of those cracks there but was mostly drawn to Patterson Flake.
I might get out there this Fall. I have a 'hot climber chick' friend who has expressed I terest in wide world of sport and the Passionate life, & I've got some potential lines and unfinished projects there as well. At OR '12 Cedar Wright expressed an interest in the area as well, he has family in the area and, I think, has seen it from the road as well.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Mar 29, 2013 - 09:13am PT
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there is a spooky motel at balch camp,
looks like something right out of a hitchock movie,
but there is a coke machine, gets hot up there,
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 29, 2013 - 10:53am PT
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You mean the man camp building?
Last time I was there I asked a resident where the water faucet was and he gave me a case of bottled water! He said the same thing about the thirstiness potential!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Mar 29, 2013 - 11:06am PT
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Herb Laeger and I did a good number of routes there in the 1980s and early 90s after a fire cleared the PO from the approach. We had a pretty good trail going for a while but it grew over. There was a school teacher in Balch who let us bivy in the classrooms there. I hit a cow with a porsche one rainy night driving in around Pine Flat Reservoir. Bob Yoho was on that trip too, but not in the car with me.
Along with Julie Lazar we did some nice multi pitch face climbs up water streaks on what we called the "Wedding Wall." I recall naming one such line "In Slickness and in Stealth." We also did some good crack climbs with Tom Marshall (Seneca Rocks "Marshall's Madness..") Tom named the routes Digital Exam (nice 5.11 tips) and Rectum and Eject 'Em... (wide)
Wedding Wall is circled. The climbs are bizarre being low angle but at the same time quite hard. Later Herb and I think Leversee and some others, maybe Brandon Thau, set up a rap route in from the top and did some long routes on the western wall there. By then I was hooked on the Gorge of Despair and never went back to Patterson. Cool place... saw a condor there once.
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Radish
Trad climber
SeKi, California
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Mar 29, 2013 - 01:05pm PT
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I got some information about Patterson Bluffs from Paul Martzen some years ago with Topos and posted it here on my blog, Check it out.....scroll down a bit.
http://southernsierraclimber.blogspot.com/
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