Ikigai

Ikigai means "a way of being" and it's where all the boxes are checked.  This route checks all the boxes of a classic.  Sitting 7.5 miles back in a beautiful setting, Ikigai has excellent golden granite, short well-protected cruxes, and a ton of terrain that all goes free at a fairly moderate grade.  There are two-bolt anchors at every belay, except the last.

P1: 5.10a, 100'. Crux off the ground to the top of a chock stone.  Easy scrambling leads to the back of the chimney and a bolt.  Stem up past 3 more bolts to the anchor.

P2: 11b, 70'. Scramble up the gully for 20 ft, then head up a short section of face to an awkward mantel to a ramp.  Follow the ramp up and right passed another bolt to the base of the dihedral.  Jam the hand crack in the dihedral (5.10), then step down and left to the anchor.  Can be combined with P3 with a 60m rope.

P3: 11b, 80'. The Seam. Climb up easy terrain to the first bolt, then clip a second bolt and reach/throw for a jug (10a to 11a, height dependent).  Continue up 5.9 crack moves protected by medium-size cams to a ledge.  Tip toe up the cool technical seam passed 5 more bolts  (crux) to a descent sloping belay.

P4: 10d, 90'. The Dave Slab. Climb up the big right-facing dihedral for 20 ft, then cut right at a line of bolts through immaculate slab to the anchor.  Can be combined with P5 with a 60m rope. That's what Dave did.

P5: 10d, 90'. More Dave Slab. Continue up the slab through varnished edges to a belay standing on a cool tufa.

P6: 12a, 80'. Crux Pitch. Clip a bolt, then pull a technical mantle (11a) to a ledge.  Traverse right and pass an optional belay, then cruise up an easy crack (hand-size cams) to a ledge below a vertical face.  Crank up the bolted face (crux) to a good belay.

P7: 11a, 90'. Zig Zag Pitch. From the right side of the belay, climb an easy right-facing dihedral to a small ledge.  Two bolts lead up to another right-facing dihedral.  Cut left through a golden bulge (crux) passed two bolts to easier terrain. Cut hard left and down a dyke system to a bolt.  Pull onto the ramp, clip another bolt, then downclimb 10' until it is possible to climb left into the left-facing dihedral (5.10+, awkward).  Continue up the finger and hand crack to the top of the pillar next to the trapped death block that protrudes over the pillar.  Cool belay.

P8: 11b, 100'. Climb under the roof and exit on the left into powerful laybacking (exposed) passing bolts to a right-leaning ramp into a left-facing corner to a great belay.  At the roof, it is also possible to tension traverse left into a left-facing dihedral (5.9), then passed a bolt to join back with the main line.

P9: 10b, 80'. Climb up through steep, but good holds passed two bolts (5.9) up to lower angle terrain.  Pass a bolt, then head straight up the left-facing dihedral placing a couple finger-size and smaller pieces to a bolt at a bulge (10b) then up to a good belay at the base of the headwall.  Alternatively, before the gear placements, it is possible to cut right through an easy bulge (5.8), pass a bolt, then up and left to the anchor.

P10: 11b, 130'.  Follow the Leader.  This was a joint effort bolting this pitch on lead.  A really fun pitch. A short hand crack leads up to glorious 10b face passed 3 bolts to a ledge out left.  Go back right, clip a bolt then climb triple cracks (10b) to a ledge.  From the ledge, lieback the hollow flake passing a bolt to a short tips crack and another bolt.  Lieback up and left to the last bolt, pull one more move to jugs that lead to a sloping belay below the big right-facing dihedral.

P11: 10d, 90'. Traverse right on cool knobs (5.7) passing a few bolts and slung horn or two to another bolt.  Pull into the chimney with a hand crack in the back up to a decent belay out right.

P12: 11b, 90'. Another really fun pitch. Go left, back into the narrowing crack that eventually forms a thin seam.  Head right at a bolt to a second bolt that leads up to a low-angle right-facing corner to more bolts out left and a couple small pieces in the crack.  At the top of the dihedral, traverse left at a final bolt across smooth golden granite to a short finger crack that leads up to a good belay.

P13: 10b, 50'. Head right passed two bolts.  Sling a good horn, then climb down and right to another bolt , traverse right (crux), then up to a decent belay at the base of the steep finger and hand crack. Can be combined with the next pitch.

P14: 11c, 80'. The Headwall Crack. A steep finger crack off the belay climbs passed two fixed nuts to hands and more fingers and cool face holds on stellar golden granite.  A sloping ledge leads to an optional belay (50') followed by an easier crack section to a good belay at the top of the headwall.  You can see the rest of the route from here.

P15: 8, 90'. Head right off the belay to a first bolt (crux), then up and left passed bolts to a good belay.

P16: 8, 180'. Low-angle hero climbing passed bolts to a good belay.

P17: 10b, 170'. A couple bolts leads to an awkward, yet interesting move to jugs then up to the super fun Twin Fins, passed another bolt to a good belay.

P18: 170'. Low fifth class takes you to the tree and official summit of Ikigai.

Rap from slings on the tree or walk off.

From the Charlotte Creek Camp, hike about 1 mile to a new climber's trail (36.768106,-118.473115).  Follow the cairns, eventually joining a steep, dry creek bed.  At the top, cut left to join the main gully that terminates the right side of the entire Bubbs Creek Wall.

12-14 draws/slings, single rack from purple metolius (blue alien) to #3, nuts could be useful