HELLO MY NAME IS JOE GUTIERREZ. FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND I WILL BE GOING TO YOSEMITE FOR THE FIRST TIME. I AM LOOKING FOR A LONG 5.7 OR 5.8 CLIMB THAT I CAN DO WHILE I AM THERE. I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA SO I NEED SOME SORT OF DIRECTION. I ALSO NEED TO KNOW IF THE ROUTE WILL BE BOLTED OR IF I WILL NEED ALL OF MY OWN PRO. ANOTHER THING THAT I NEED TO KNOW ARE CAMPING AREAS. ANY INFORMATION ON THIS WILL BE A LOT OF HELP, THANK YOU

-- JOE GUTIERREZ (JOEPGUT@FIXNET.COM), May 04, 1999

Answers

Joe, you can't miss if you want to try ROYAL ARCHES. It is a 15 pitch 5.7/5.9 route that goes all the way to the rim of the canyon up behind the Awahnee Hotel. There is one 5.9 friction move on the pendulum pitch, or you can use the fixed rope to get across at 5.7. It will take you most of the day, so get a good early start. E-mail me if you would like more beta. There are no fixed anchors on the route except for the last pitch, which is also where you begin the rappell from....

-- Jim Leininger (leining@us.ibm.com), May 04, 1999.