LA's Rocky Peak Roof TR

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wallgumby

Big Wall climber

LA, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 15, 2009 - 02:55am PT

Rocky Peak Roof
Oct 9, 2009

I blasted out of work early Friday to kick-off the weekend with a rope solo of Rocky Peak Roof. This climb lies on a bluff in the rocky scrubland above the pass connecting the San Fernando and Semi valleys on LA’s NW extremes. Back in August, Covert and I were doin an aid practice day and were musing why it was conventional to use a string of 2 biners rather than a draw on aid climbing. Rocky Peak Roof educated us when we tried to clean it. With luck my lost draws would still be there.
http://www.bigwall.com/scag_lac.html#anchor2841432
What I had remembered as large bushes at the route’s base turned out to be many small scrubs with 1” stems - kind of wimpy for a rope solo lead anchor. I was a bit spooked about aiding the 1st pitch anyway, so was happy for the excuse. When I led it in August most of the pro appeared to be 3/8” machine bolts pounded directly into holes drilled in the soft sandstone, several not even perpendicular to the slabby face but sloping downward. Two had fallen out and were laying at the base. Luckily they were spaced close enough I was able to reach past these gaps by hooking a wibbly wobbly string of 4 nuts girth hitched together over the next bolt. This go, my silent partner and I took the line to the left, 5.5 crack, 5.8 traverse right, REM anchor of two shiny happy button heads.

Pitch 2 begins with ~6-7 rusty Leaper hangers walking up a lightly overhanging face, then 4 more out a 50º overhanging roof. Fantastic exposure! Leaping Hanging Fun!! Rocky Point roof is perched on the ridge above the pass and soon the setting sun revealed a great view of the lights of the San Fernando valley below. Hanging in the middle of the roof I my cell rang. My wife said to join a B-day party for Jackson my 9-year old daughter’s buddy if I could make by 9pm. Jackson’s mom, Maure, is one great cook. Better climb faster.

“Hello there old friends”, I greeted my abandoned draws and reunited them with the rest of the Biner clan on their harness hangout. Still there from 3 months ago? Hmm this route doesn’t get much action, wonder why. A few more bolts up a light overhang ended with a spinner in rotten rock and a free move mantle onto an easy ledge system leading up right to a corner of a buttress and one last mantle back left onto the top-out ledge.
Dilema. Now I realized I made a serious mistake. Shoulda have trailed a 2nd rope attached to the belay at the 1st pitch. The overhang was too severe to rap-clean. Should I drive home for another rope and re-lead the bottom pitch? No Maure meal now for me. Sh#t, I elected to take the opportunity to learn how to down aid. Newfound fun or nighttime nightmare? Tune in and see, same bat-hang channel … ok I’m getting silly. Backing up the 2 spinner hanger bolt anchors at top with some cams, I rapped down to the overhang. To prevent rope stretch from sawing my cord against the rock while I jugged back up later, I clipped figure-8s on a bight into two of the bolts below the lip of the overhang. Sorry, boring, I’m going automatic betamatic, back to the action …

Measuring out a good measure of slack I attached myself to the rope and launched into back-aiding the roof. Thank you Yates adjustable daisy chains, down-aiding was sweet potato pie easy. Back to the p1 belay ledge, I joyfully realized my mistake had led to a bonus excitement gift. With p2 clean the rope now arced out from me then up around the corner of the roof above. What kind of whoop? Tarzan? Viking? Hyena? Yodel? Leaping off into the black void I yowled a breathy Bwhaaaaaah evolving into hysteric laughter swinging wildly above the valley lights below.

If you do this climb definitely make the scramble to the top. It is just about the highest point around and the Charles Manson fan club (his cult lived nearby here actually) has painted an impressive pattern of concentric and interweaved pentagons, circles, and symbols on the apex. If you are looking for a good spot for calling up a storm, demon summing, alien abduction, or whatever appeals to your wicca witch side, this spot would be hard to beat. I tried to get a snapshot for ya’ll but it was too dark for my cell phone’s camera.

-wallgumby