Luciferin is a great warm-up with excellent protection.  Start on sloping rails and climb 10 ft. into the shallow corner below the 2-3 ft. cap roof. Pull onto the face using the huge horizontals, trend up and Right (5.9), then around blunt arete. Climb down-sloping features on slabby terrain to gain the vertical seam, then head up and Left towards obvious horn. Stay to the right side of horn and climb ever-easing terrain to the Fixe ring anchors. 60M rope lowers you to the ground.

5.10 variation: Start about 4 feet left of Luciferin near an obvious thin, vertical seam. Climb up to the right-most jugs used on Jug Route and then keep going straight up until at the horizontal below the triangular-shaped, slightly overhanging face. Get gear (your last until the crux is over), then power through crimps and shallow pockets on the face and left corner until you get the goods up top. Step up to easy terrain and then traverse right into Luciferin.

The route name comes from the first ascent party having a bioluminescent experience on the way back to the trailhead, walking into a firefly hatching and a glowworm by the trail. Luciferin is the light-emitting compound found in organisms that generate bioluminescence.

Luciferin

No Free Lunch

Dead Man's Head in a Mason Jar

Hemlock Arete

Appalachian Spring

Hard Rock Cafe

Green Wall

Tips Ahoy

Manifest Destiny

The Diamond Roof

Prepare to Qualify

Lichen Surprise

The Courageous Grace Greenlee

Triple Bypass

Bongo Fury

Lichen Inspector

Line of Fire

If You Bolt It They Will Come

Lackey Vision

Lunch at the Y

Pseudo Hardmen

Tweakend (AKA Pascal's Route)

Jug Route

The Green Wave

Real Hard Men

Fat Girls Can't Jump

Traditionally Certified

Lichen Worms

Carpe Freeum

An absolutely fantastic route. The first half is steeper than it looks. From the start, climb up and right before traversing back left toward the big scoop/bowl feature. Climb up just right of the scoop to a good stance. Then climb the slab to the bolted rings.

This line is a linkup of on existing sport route and a trad finish. Dan and myself re-discovered this finish sometime in 2004.

Climb the 2nd sport route on the lower slab to the anchor(5.11A). Continue up and right to a roof. Move left then straight up aiming to top out right, of the obvious V-shaped block at the top(5.10 c/d). Double bolt anchor at the top.

Done as one long pitch, I recall it being quite fun.

Slab to the right of green wall. Starts with short steep slab/vertical section, followed by long slab of a lower angle. Route eventually reaches the big corner and follows that to where you must climb short steeper section to reach anchor which is located in an alcove. If memory serves, two bolts on the route + bolted anchor station.

The crux is the pump.  Get used to resting on your arms.

From the anchors of the Green Wall, step up to clip the first bolt on the slab apron.  Step up and left onto the apron and follow large horizontals back and forth to reach the second bolt.  A small hand sized piece can be placed before clipping the second bolt if the clip is too far.  Make the bulge move to get to more of the same good holds and the third bolt just left of the arete.  Pull around the arete to the left and catch a rest.  Another small hand sized piece can be placed out left to protect the final hand traverse to the anchor.  Step up from the rest and traverse right until you can gain the ledge with the bolts.  For full value, do this in one pitch from the Green Wall and sling the anchors long.

Note: There is a semi-detached flake down and to the right of the third bolt.  Some of the horizontals down low are really sharp and may pop.

This route has perhaps more variety than others on this wall.  Crimpy crux, some jugs, bomber gear placements, and some weird bouldery movement up high.

Another cool sport route on this wall.  Very sequential at the top.

Climb up a low ramp rising from left to right to a remarkably pocketed face. Small cams protect the opening moves. Climb past three bolts to a two bolt anchor.

Sustained, technical climbing on small holds the entire way.  Keep an eye out for a few key "resting" holds that are slightly larger than the others.  Perhaps the hardest route on the wall.

Fun sport route.  The easiest on this wall.  No razor holds required!

Usually tope roped from the anchors of Traditionally Certified. This route is heads up on lead. Start in the small tan dihedral. Boulder straight up and out the somewhat diamond-shaped roof. Continue just left of the bush, then merge back into Traditionally Certified to finish. Originally rated 5.10b. Careful of suspect rock.

A great warmup for the harder routes in the area. Start between the two bolt lines at dirty jugs. Climb up and then traverse right, past the first bolt. Make a few crimpy moves up to better holds. Finish on large pockets and bigger holds to the shuts.

Great climbing on crisp edges and sidepulls gets you past the initial headwall. Enjoyable face moves and mantels pass more positive holds, bringing you to the anchor ledge. A stick clip for the first bolt might be helpful.

Start between the two lines of bolts at some dirty jugs. Climb small sharp crimps up and left past 2 bolts to a bigger move to the 3rd bolt. Mosey up to the shuts on less steep terrain.

This is the new mixed route on the 5.12 wall at Middle.  A worthy addition that features similar climbing to the other routes but with a slightly different flavor.  Bill called it the "smallest and sharpest" crimps on the wall.  On the 2nd ascent, I "bypassed" those holds using a very long deadpoint/toss.  While still hard, I personally think the cruxy business is friendlier on the tips than others on the wall and very fun.

5.11 moves off the deck, so bring a stick clip or be really confident getting to the first bolt. Climb edges to an obvious harder move at a big quartz crystal involving a highstep and a perfect incut half pad mono crimp.

Climb the crimpy face up to a thin crux at the top.

Crimpy climbing on perfect rock, with some big moves thrown in for good measure.  One of the more popular sport routes in the high country.  A few " extemely positive" holds.

Start at the arete that forms the right margin of an obtuse left-facing dihedral. Climb past approx. 6 bolts to a two bolt anchor. A good warmup for the harder routes to the right.

This enjoyable climb starts in a rhododendron nook about 20' left of Lichen Worms. Climb the low angle slab to the moss ledge under the left-facing mini-dihedral. If you want, plug a .5-1" cam in the dihedral on the way to the high first bolt, then solve some trickiness to gain the fun slab above. The high-step crux comes near the top, going directly through a distinctly rippled and ridged horizontal band--many skirt this worthwhile move via an easier 5.9 passage to the right.

Stick clip or move carefully up flat edges to the first bolt. Climb easier ground to a harder move at a left-facing sidepull requiring some high feet.

Tricky face climbing past 5 bolts to a 2 bolt anchor. Crux is getting to the third bolt and past it to the fourth bolt. There can be redpoint crux at the top for shorter people. Pseudo Hardmen was originally rated 10c in 1993. See description for 'No Free Lunch' for a jug-a-licious extension that summits through the impressive headwall.

Another sweet route for the 5.12 wall.  This one seems less travelled, perhaps because it has 2 less bolts than the rest.  Really stout crux, hardest moves on the wall IMO, but not as sustained as Tips. Good variety (even has a sloper!) and an exciting finish.

Climb through an overhanging wave of rock on good holds to a bolt. A reachy sidepull move gets you set up on a lower angle, gear protected face. Pull through another bolt protected overhang for the routes second crux.

Follows steep ramp up to first bolt high off ground. Enters tricky section with crux located at top of climb. Two bolt anchor (chains attached). Freakishly high first bolt. It was bolted this way due to the fact that there used to be a tree near it that helped you out psychologically.

Starts in small and often dirty corner which is technical but has some small gear. Pulls over bulge to face and continues mostly straight up to where face steepens for three bolts of technical, pumpy, cryptic steep slab climbing.  This route is not often climbed but it should be. Bolted anchor station. Also, slight sandbag grade.

This is the first line you come to as you hike from the Main Wall to Middle Hawksbill. This pitch has great holds and protection with a bolt about 20' off the ground before the crux. Stick clip or place a small cam to gain the bolt, after pulling through the crux, move up and right to a small dihedral with good horizontals for hand jams and continue up the face to a two bolt anchor with rings. Cams .3" to 2". The original grade was 5.9+ but has been updated to the modern standard.

Pull over a small roof right at the start, then scramble up a featured face passing one bolt to a ledge.  Climb the short left facing dihedral then zip on up the face to a two bolt anchor.  The bolts are a little spaced out, but the climbing is never scary.  Bring some small cams to eliminate run-outs.

Start directly beneath the overhanging corner. Move up and left then back right, placing a few tcus. Climb straight up into the corner. Crank the stout corner move and float up the remaining crack/corner to one of the best belay ledges in the gorge.

To get down you have two choices. Move up and left to a large pine tree or locate a bolted anchor on the front of the belay ledge.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Middle Hawksbill