This route is dedicated to my good friend Matt, aka "The Whopper."  He passed away a little over a week ago and will be greatly missed.

This route was made possible by the same mistake that led to the discovery of

Buckets of Rain

. Two little trees were accidentally removed by JCOS that obscured this part of the wall. I noticed this line then but didn't get around to investigating till today.

This route starts just left of

Buckets of Rain

and goes straight up passing 7 bolts. Shorter folks might want to stick clip the first bolt. This initial overhang is probably the crux, but there is plenty of interesting climbing above.   Watch out for the runout section to the 7th bolt. Then step to the right onto the arête for the easiest access to the anchor.

The Whopper

Dirt Trek

Beasto

Batso Canal

Box of Rain

Holiday Road

Snake Eyes

Panama Red

Made In The Shade

Lame Line

Bear's Choice Easy Variation

Venice Beach

Turkey Jerky

Buckets of Rain

Ivy League

Walking With A Ghost

Bear's Choice

Cut Loose

Ripple

Gondolier Arete

Berga

Route Canal

Ridin' the Moon Buggy

Aretnophobia

It’s A Little Bushy

Lambada

Levada

Face climb straight up past two bolts then trend a bit left to the arete passing several more bolts.  Finish on the headwall above.  The crux is probably getting to the first bolt, but the grade seems to stay pretty constant all the way to the last bolt.  There is a 20' runout from the last bolt to the chains on easy, but fun terrain.

Ascend a fun slab with more features than there appear to be from the ground. Negotiate an easy section of rock to a #0.75-1 sized crack below a bolt. Plug in a piece of gear, and maneuver your way up to through a featured dihedral to a juggy finishing headwall. This is a very fun route.

A fun Alley Oop move gets you past the first clip. Then up and left around the arete to snag the huecos, then back to the prow to finish.  For bonus points avoid the huecos out left and go straight up the arete at the seventh bolt.

Use a stick clip or pull the .10+ bouldery start to clip the first bolt (can be protected with finger sized cams), clip the second bolt from a hidden jug on the left, traverse right and balance out onto your perch on the arete (the bailout left is fun too), find the pockets and mount the bulge to reach the anchors.  Beware the bat.

Power up and layback past the first bulge and the crux is over....

Maybe you'll find direction

around some corner

where it's been waiting to meet you.

Enjoy your holiday, there might be a few twists and turns along the way, but the vacation isn't over till you pass the fork in the road and clip the anchors.  Make your mind up at the fork; head left to keep your holiday casual or make a right for a trickier, more exciting finish.

A two bolt variation to

Walking With a Ghost

, Snake Eyes comes in from the left, starting just right of

Turkey Jerky

, and pulls through two amazing huecos to clip the second bolt on

Ghost

.

This is a fun jug haul on bulletproof, red rock.

Pull out of the alcove, laybacking a hanging flake, to engage the long sustained face above.  Be sure to look around and find all the amazing pockets for full value on this one.

If you brought a rack (e.g. for

Route Canal

), this route is worth a run. Start just right of

Buckets of Rain

in a right-angling corner on easy terrain. Pull through the left side of a slight bulge with some loose rock, then angle right again up an awkward but fun slot. Despite the 2014

"Rock Climbing Clear Creek Canyon"

guidebooks' title, I didn't think this route was lame.

Start out on

Bear's Choice

, and bail right to

Box of Rain

at the roof for an easy variation. This is an awesome route ... there are a few tougher moves near the beginning of the route.

Pump it up as you haul through the starting jugs, then style your way to the anchors. Paint a righteous picture, dude!

Pull the bouldery start to the first clip and reach left to a huge bucket for the second clip. Follow the seam on the left or cut right to layback cool side pulls, wild turkey style.

Make a few moves off the ground to a featured and low angle slab that leads to another headwall and the crux. This climb is likely to feel more difficult if you are short.

Climb past two large red scars.  Don't miss the historic bolt holes.

Thin sustained crimps, cool movement, and intricate footwork lead up a steep line.  Avoid the bailout left and stay on course through the last clip for full value.

A two bolt variation to start adds to the fun; Snake Eyes comes in from the left, starting just right of

Turkey Jerky

, and pulls through two amazing huecos to clip the second bolt on Ghost.

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire....

If you make Bear's Choice and pull for the left side, you'll be rewarded with a tricky .10 roof crux.  Bail right and finish on Box of Rain for an easier alternative.

Take care to get clipped from the rail before attempting the crux.  If you fall from the rail before you're clipped, you'll hit the slab below and likely break your ankle.

Clip the first two bolts on

Bear's Choice

then head left into the middle of the roof.  Getting the jug that lets you Cut Loose is the crux, match and let 'em fly.

You who choose to lead must follow

But if you fall you fall alone...

Ripple in still water,

When there is no pebble tossed,

Nor wind to blow.

Traverse in from the corner, right of

Route Canal

, balance past the first clip and gain the arete. Pull the crux above the last bolt.

Climb straight up past three bolts, then angle up and right to the obvious dihedral with the crux at the sixth bolt.

The route is named for the Nazi concentration camp in which my dad was interned during the final months of WWII. He was 6'2" and weighed 88 lbs when liberated. You can read his memoir here:

marshallfoundation.org/100t…

.

Climb the clean dihedral crack, face climb past the bolt and pull through to the anchors.

This route follows sort of a shallow gully up into a dihedral before pulling through/around a small roof and then up a slab to the anchors of

Dirt Trek

. The gear is decent once you get about 40 feet up, but until then it's very sparse. There's also a little runout from the last gear above the roof to the anchor.

Start just left of the arete on jugs, step right, make a few moves on the face (shares a hold or two with

Batso Canal

, depending on how you climb

Batso

), and then follow the inviting arete until it ends below a short but imposing headwall.  Clip the high bolt on the headwall before committing to this tricky crux section, then pull over the roof on increasingly better holds.

Climb the seam - there’s plenty of gear and pro. Make your way over to the

Gondolier Arete

anchor the last 10 feet on 5.3 terrain. The flake after the horizontal horticultural crack is the fun part. Do 3 5.5 moves, and you’re done with the crux. This is a perfect beginner lead for a trad climber as you can place nuts and cams.

Climb past the first roof protected by the second bolt and head up the slab.  Pull into the final roof, step up left, and make a big reach left to a jug hidden on the arete to clip the anchors.

Staying right at the final roof and continuing up on big holds until you can reach left to the anchors provides an easier finish.

Description

Protection

Routes in The Canal Zone