Brain Surgery

Brain Surgery is on the shady side of the face. Watch out for the Poison Oak as you traverse onto a generous ledge with an easy clipping stance (depending on how tall you are.

One tough bouldery move gets your feet up on a bulge where you can clip the second bolt with ease. Slap your way out to the right while pasting your feet on vertical nothingness. After getting your body weight out right, mantle up onto the ledge. A third bolt can be clipped mid-mantle or after standing up on the ledge.

Move up to the fourth bolt where juggy hand holds and an easy mantle bring you to the base of the finger crack. You might have to do a move or two to get high enough to sink in a piece of gear. Pull your way to the top with painful finger-locks and worthless pastes.

The most difficult thing about the crack is the downward direction it faces. the rock below is smooth and facing away from you making smears from a layback position very difficult (not to mention the lichen at top.)

This route is pretty classic and makes the long hike worth it. It is almost like a series of boulder problems connected by rest ledges.

Park at the Quarry Trailhead a little past Turi Road. Take the trail out past the Rockland and El Dorado cliffs (Small formations on a sidetrail to the left) Follow the trail leasurely until pass you pass another set of three small cliffs. A distinct trail splits off to the left and goes to the Old Stone Face. You can see it way up on Cerro Cabrillo. Its a bit of an uphill on loose dirt, but there is a well defined trail that goes up past the Face and then arc back around to the backside of the formation.

Four bolts. Two small pieces (We used #1 C3 and .3 C4) Two nice clean bolts for anchor on top. You want to bring a long sling if you plan to TR.