Start on the beginning of

The Strike

, sharing the first bolt. Power straight up a steep series of jugs, pinches, laybacks, and gastons to a quick shake. Crimp your way into the scoop, rest up, and transition into a technical series up and right to the ledge just below the anchors. Cruise to the two-bolt anchor at the top of the

Strik

e arête. It is highly recommended to hang a double slung draw on bolt three to clip that bolt from lower holds. Otherwise, bring an attentive belayer for the lower section. This may feel easier if you can reach through some powerful sections.

The lower section of the route is in the shade throughout the day, but the top does see some sun.

Mufasa

The Strike

El Gato Monte

Scar’s Lunch

Simba Learns to Prowl

Prowler

Watch Your Dog

This is a short but stout route, which essentially amounts to a roped bouldering problem. I'm settling at a V4, shouldery crux.

Start with some stiff moves off the block, and gain a decent clipping ledge for bolt 2. Decipher the powerful crux, and continue on dynamic 5.11- climbing to bolt 4. A couple careful moves will bring you over the ledge to the anchors. I've scraped a bunch of lichen from the moves to the anchors, but it's still a tad dirty on the final (easier) moves.

This route faces SW and gets afternoon sun in the summer. All other routes on the block will be in the shade at this time.

Natural History teaches that when a big cat makes a kill it is often via a powerful, accurate, focused strike to back of the neck, severing the cervical spinal cord. This seems about right for the crux sequence on The Strike.

The Strike begins on the left overhang. Power up to a rail system and swim out right to the arete. The first crux comes in standing up at clip four. Moving past clip five is the technical crux and entails a number of tricky and powerful moves. The crux ends when you stand above clip six. Bolts above guide the rope away from snags on the ledge.

This is a slightly technical boulder problem that moves to the right of the overhang with a nice swing and pump connecting into the overhangs lip under the first bolt.

This is a fun, warm-up boulder problem before the sport climbing routes. Start deeper in the cave right under the sport route

Prowlers'

starting point.

Pull out of the cave on jugs and zip up on more great stone. It is a tad pumpy for the grade. The first two clips are shared with the route immediately left.

Start with the first two clips of

Prowler

and move left after the second bolt. The crux is getting past the 4th bolt. Watch your dog, however. Dogging the crux will make it seem easier, but keep the sequence and it may seem tricky for the grade. The route was actually named after the dog from the house just downstream that got picked off by the big cat in the spring of 2012.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Mill Creek Block