“Another Bitter tribute to RP’s and loved ones,” begins the description of this route in the Ruckmans’ 1998 guide. The first piece was originally a fixed Lost Arrow, now 30 years old and rusted. With Merrill’s consent, a nice fat stainless 3/8” bolt now backs it up (the pin is there and likely will eventually fall out -- see the photo on the

Trail of Tiers

page). Still R though – the next pro is real thin (think RPs and the smallest of micro cams) and if they blow, you’ll risk landing in the shale-toothed gully that you stem across to start the climb. Truly a testament to Merrill’s boldness – leading it from the ground up, he launched off on overhanging quartzite armed with 1980s gear (no offsets or microcams), knowing he would be confronting infrequent protection and questionable rock. (Most of the new lines in Higher Education have required substantial top-rope cleaning to be passable.) Although the route has received a few hours of recent cleaning, expect some remaining minor choss.

To start, figure out how to clip the new bolt then commit to the seam system above, which eventually widens into an obvious flaring, overhanging hand crack. New chains are up and left.

Dr. Luval Goes to Harvard

The Dweeb

Chris Cranks a Co-ed

Grading on a Curve

Big Man On Campus

Pop Quiz

The Professor

Physics of Flight

Mr. B Cranks a Feces

Order of Operations

Full Ride

Party Girl

Critical Reasoning

Ms. Luval Cranks a Thesis

Tuition Hike

Orientation

Graduate, The

Vocational Training

Reading Comprehension

Friends in Low Places

Basic Aeronautics

Frat Boy

Academia Nut

Shyster U

Too Far to Travel

Egghead

Lycra at its Limit

Trail of Tiers

Chris Cranks a Co-ed

is the obvious golden, right-facing, right-arching dihedral on the right side of the

Ms. Luval

face.  The bottom third of the dihedral is usually – well, always in my experience – seeping water.  Gary and Chris, for the first ascent, avoided the water-soaked section by climbing an unattractive vegetated crack to near its top, clipping a fixed pin, then traversing left into the corner.  With Gary’s blessing, two bolts have been added to protect decent face climbing and bypass the vegetated crack, turning a route to be avoided (the vegetation in the crack includes poison oak) into one well worth doing.  Chains on top make for a convenient lower/rap.

A little contrived, but worth 10 minutes if doing

Frat Boy

and you’ve brought the cams.  Starting from the ledge with the cedar tree, climb up to a left diagonalling handcrack, plug in a good cam, then climb the line of bolts above that trend right initially then back left at a large horizontal break.  Finish by surmounting a short but juggy overhang above the break to chains

Grading on a Curve

is the longest route on Higher Education Ridge, and if it weren’t for an easy section in the middle and some suspect rock at top, would warrant three stars.  (Yeah, I gave it three stars so you might consider trying it.)  Climb

Academia Nut’s

hand crack to its top then stretch right to clip the first bolt.  Puzzle through the moves (there’s a reason the bolt is where it is) to get established at the right edge of an obvious horizontal crack, get in a good cam, then climb more or less straight up past 8 more bolts to the top of the ridge.  The horizontal crack sometimes seeps and may be frequented by wasps, but other than using it for pro, it is completely avoided -- at least if you do it the "right" way.

This climb is on the first nice west face, up the gully.  To attain the beginning, scramble up a dihedral and gain the ledge just up gully from the start.  Scramble down to the base of the climbs.  This climbs the left bolted line.  Nice balancey moves to start off, turning reachy and then blind holds over the roof.  After clipping the 3rd bolt, make a beeline for the anchors.  This makes for a fun traversing roof pull.

Quick (of course), well protected, and somewhat cryptic , this line begins with a short right-leaning flake topped by a bulge, then diagonals left across an attractive purple slab and up to another bulge and the anchors.  The fourth bolt, on the other side of the purple slab, and the seventh (last) bolts are hard to spot while on route; have faith.   Borders on three stars.

This one climbs like a mid-term exam from a disgruntled college professor.  Like an absurdly hard first question, the strenuous initial moves almost seem designed to crush your confidence right off the bat. Then a barrage of trick questions is thrown at you in the form of sucker holds. But once you've found your holds the route flows well and is a lot of fun.  A redpoint crux is encountered after the 4th bolt.  It's nice to have a stick clip for the first two bolts.

For some this course may not be theoretical. Start by climbing on or near an obvious arête. Follow the bolt line above, using a good cam or two to protect the moves to the fourth bolt. The crux is somewhat cryptic climbing on slightly overhanging rock to a nice perch, followed by easy gear protected moves to chains. Expect some new-route choss -- consider a helmet for the belayer.

Start up a left-leaning finger crack over a bulge, then work out a right-diagonalling crack to a short left-facing dihedral.  Continue up the dihedral and crack system above to (new) chains.  Ruckmans’ 1998 guide describes the route as climbing the “broken face” above the initial left-leaning finger crack, but Drew and Conrad climbed the line described here.

After I climbed this route the first time, I went back and spent several hours cleaning it producing what I thought was a much better climbing experience than the scatological reference in the name suggests.  I asked Drew if I could drop the reference to bodily waste in posting up the route, so folks might be more encouraged to climb it, and he was agreeable, suggesting it be renamed “Bury the Hatchet.”  In light of Merrill’s

Ms. Luval Cranks a Thesis

uphill, and sensing a good story, I pushed him to explain where the original name came from.  You’ll have to ply him with adult beverages for more, but suffice it to say that he and Merrill were in a bit of a contretemps regarding climbing ethics – not unusual as bolting exploded in the 1980s – and the name of this route reflects, as Drew put it, his “maturity” at the time.  They’re decades-long friends now, of course (not to mention old men), hence Drew’s suggested new name.  Having heard the story, though, I thought the original name is infused with too much lore to change.  If you like BCC trad, this route is very worthwhile (a little detritus may remain, but it is easily dealt with).

Order of Operations

is the center of the three lines of bolts left of

Ms. Luval Cranks a Thesis

.  The first bolt is about 15 feet up, above a usually seeping, small overhang.  Getting to it is not as bad as it may appear, but some might want to stick clip it.  Undercling and crank your way past more bolts to a no-hands-rest ledge and the last of the difficult climbing over a bulge above (resist escaping right to the juggy crack).  One more bolt and you’re at the chains shared with

Reading Comprehension

.

Long and sustained for BCC, with lots of variety. Climb overhanging arête (.12+) to a point where you can pull left onto the vertical face after the 5th bolt, then move to the mini dihedral for a good shake. A tricky rightward traverse under the big roof starts a long crux sequence getting over the roof and established on the headwall. Continue past a smaller roof to reach the chains on the ridgeline.

If only this were longer.  Starting from the ledge with the cedar tree, climb the line of bolts left of

Frat Boy

to chains.  Almost gym bolted.  Grade is dependent on how true one stays to the line.  Can also start from the ground by climbing

Frat Boy’s

initial face then trending left after

Frat Boy’s

third bolt.

Technical and devious,

Critical Reasoning

climbs the line of bolts just left of

Ms. Luval Cranks a Thesis

. Power past the first bolt to a nice leftward rising hand rail. Take a breather, then think through crimps, sidepulls, and underclings to a small roof and shake-out.  Pull the roof then continue up easier rock over another bulge and trend slightly left to chains.  Some of the clips are a bit tenuous, but the route is very safe.

When Merrill climbed Ms. Luval over 30 years ago, he likely established BCC’s proudest trad route at the time. Pumpy, devious, and with suspect rock, the route required two full sets of RPs, a very cool head, and judicious movement to avoid flaming out or choosing an unworkable or friable hold. In their 1998 guide, the Ruckmans said of the route, “Bring loads of micro nuts and extra guns.”  Today the endeavor is more reasonable, with sophisticated microcams and offsets, new 3/8” stainless bolts protecting the crux, and recent extensive cleaning, but it is still one of the most noble leads in BCC.

Begin by gaining a right-leaning finger crack that soon turns into a seam.  Face climb into a shallow, right-leaning, right-facing dihedral, clip a very welcome bolt, then puzzle your way past another bolt and over a roof to easier climbing 5-10 feet right of the bolts on

Critical Reasoning

.  Continue straight up to the top, set a good cam for your second, and move right to the chains on Full Ride.

For old or weak-minded folks like me,

Ms. Luval

can be readily top roped from the chains on

Critical Reasoning

.

Steep little route with a bouldery start and a pumpy finish over the roof. Start from a stance on the big block to the right. This is essentially a sport route with a single cam placement that protects a couple easy moves on jugs. Great introduction to the type of climbing on The Professor.

Orientation

climbs the right edge of the tower bearing

The Graduate

and

Big Man on Campus

.  Start by a large oak and diagonal right and up to a bolt and 5.4 climbing past another bolt to the large ledge bisecting the face.  Continue up steeper rock past four more bolts to chains.   Amply bolted but there may be some minor new route detritus.  The difficulty of climbing depends on how true one stays to the bolt line -- pretty standard fare for the Gully of Higher Education.

Approach as for Big Man on Campus.  This is the right route.  A thin finger jam to start off, with a nice undercling to pop the roof.  Watch out for a mini-horn that feels excellent to finish off the roof on.  It is so thin, that it may come off soon.

Scramble up easy terrain past a cedar tree on your left to the first bolt. Climb more or less straight up following the obvious bolt line to chains (the chains are painted brown, so they're hard to see from the ground).  Originally led primarily on gear, the route was re-engineered in July 2019 to make the line safer and more direct.  Now it seems fair to call it a sport route, but folks uncomfortable being a body length above a bolt can supplement the pro with cams in horizontals, although one might need to wander around to find the placements.  BTW, the re-do likely will force harder moves than the original line, putting the route in the low 10 range, IMO.

The left-most bolted route on the

Ms. Luval

face,

Reading Comprehension

is characterized by a relatively low angle slab leading to a series of bulges separated by relatively good rests.  Toward the top, the line comes within an arm’s reach of the finishing handcrack on

Lycra at its Limit

, just under

Reading Comprehension’s

last bulge.  If you bail to the handcrack, lower the rating by a letter grade; otherwise, the last bulge turned directly provides the crux.  Above veer right to chains.

This is the lowest and right-most route on the west face of Higher Education Ridge.  It’s maybe 130 feet from the pavement.  Climb a line of bolts to chains.  Tony Calderone’s 2017 BCC guide shows the route has having five bolts and being 5.8, but I apparently missed a bolt, and I probably didn’t stay in the line that warrants the higher rating.  Maybe you’ll get it right.  Beware of loose rock.

Basic Aeronautics

ascends a broken face protected by somewhat widely spaced bolts (by gym standards) to the top of the Higher Education Ridge.  Look for the first bolt maybe 20 feet off the starting ledge (easily clipped from the left).  Follow the bolts above, zigging and zagging as necessary to keep it at or under grade, to the final summit slab.  Puts some air under your feet.

Frat Boy

is the line of bolts starting on the left wall of the third class gully leading to the ledge system from which

The Professor

and

Tuition Hike

start.  Two bolts protect 5.7ish climbing on the left wall of the gully until able to step left to a good ledge with a cedar tree.  Continue past the ledge following the right-line of bolts more or less straight up to the chains.  From the third bolt, just above the ledge, trend right (left will get you on

Party Girl

).   A bit crispy here and there, but should clean up over time.

Academia Nut

starts near a cedar tree in a right-facing dihedral with a short hand crack.  Relatively easy climbing protected by gear leads up the hand crack followed by a left-leaning incipient crack to another corner with a bolt, the first on the route, maybe 35 feet up.  Getting past the first bolt is the crux (a "brain-teaser" according to the Ruckmans' 1998 guide), followed by some wild climbing and great position.  Expect some minor looseness.

Named for one of you-know-who’s many scams over the years,

SU

takes a mostly bolted line just right of

Vocational Training

. Hopefully you’ll be rewarded more than those duped to attend his namesake university.  See

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump…

Not pictured or given a topo in either the Ruckman or the Calderone guidebooks so you must find this one with your wits, nose and sharply honed 'Satch instincts. Obscure, forgotten yet has a few worthy moves on it

Mind the security of your holds as you navigate up a steep variety of fingers, hand and face climbing until one gains the scenic top of the ridge.

Descent: No anchors so just scramble down off the east side of the ridge and scree-surf back down--shred that scree gnar!

Egghead

starts by scampering up the third class gully that leads to the ledge system from which

The Professor

and

Tuition Hike

start, but continues up a line of bolts directly above the gully.  At the fourth bolt trend right past a few more bolts to the chain anchors for

The Professor

.  Although really just a boulder problem followed by much easier climbing, I think you’ll find it worthwhile for a quick hit 11+/12-.

Lycra at its Limit

climbs the overhanging crack system starting in the obvious large right-arching corner left of the bolted lines on the

Ms. Luval

wall.  Jam, stem, and grope your way up the crack to its end near

Reading Comprehension’s

chains.  The topo in Ruckmans’ 1998 guide shows the route starting to the right of the corner and traversing left into the crack system, but it is best climbed directly, although the bottom part may be wet early or late in the season.

More sustained and varied than

Academia Nut

to the right, this may be the best route in the Gully of Higher Education, except for maybe Merrill Bitter's

Ms. Luval Cranks a Thesis

(that's going to take some sucking up to get on).

After spotting the first bolt, start about 10 feet right in a right-diagonalling thin crack to get established on the slab. The topo in the Ruckmans' 1998 guide shows a pin somewhere near here, but it apparently rusted out (see photo) and is not needed in any event. Catch a left-leaning crack and stand tall to clip the first bolt.  From here thoughtful and occasionally powerful climbing leads over several tiers to a desperate pull over the lip of the last and largest one to gain the anchors.

The Ruckmans' guide says of the route, "Neat headrests"; this perplexed me for years until Bret told me they were referring to protrusions under one of the tiers that gave a no hands rest.  I think those protrusions have fallen off.  Expect some minor looseness.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Higher Education Ridge, West Face