Firecracker

We did this route on the 4th of July and didn't make it back down in time for fireworks in town. Oh well.

Pitch 1 (5.6, 100 feet):

Scramble up into the major recess as for

Jim's Buttress

.

Move the belay 150 feet up the scree gully and traverse right along the ledge, passing a hanging left-facing corner en route to a short right-facing corner. Belay with small gear.

Pitch 2 (5.8+, 140 feet):

Jam the short overhanging corner and continue straight up the center of a bowl/weakness on discontinuous cracks to a tree belay.

Pitch 3 (5.7+ R, 200 feet):

Take the path of least resistance up the giant broken slab (poor pro), aiming for an obvious shiny trio of left-facing corners on the steep green wall above.

Pitch 4 (5.10a, 200 feet):

Head up into the right-hand corner with an insecure move to get established. Layback this corner for a short ways until forced left into the middle corner. After 15 feet, step right into the initial corner. Fight grainy rock to the top of the pillar. Clip a bolt and bust an exposed face move up and left. Optional belay here, or keep going if drag isn't too bad. Zigzag up easy ramps, keeping a direct rope line. Make a gear belay at the end of your rope.

Pitch 5 (5.6, 150 feet):

Climb and scramble up into a giant right-facing corner and belay beneath a short wide overhang.

Pitch 6 (5.8, 180 feet):

Grunt past the wide overhang and cruise up the corner to a major ledge. Don't slog up the gully; instead, continue straight up a fingercrack in the middle of the face. Past the splitter, trend right on white dihedrals to a belay on a prominent right-trending ramp.

Pitch 7 (5.9, 180 feet):

Follow the big easy ramp to the right, aiming for the clean-cut left-facing corner beneath the Firecracker Roofs. Climb up the corner past a wild overhang and belay below the huge roof.

Pitch 8 (5.9, 80 feet):

Undercling and jam the huge, jagged Firecracker Roofs. It's only difficult when the feet disappear.

Pitch 9 (5.6, 100 feet):

Finish the route on easy terrain. Keep going hard right for a couple hundred feet (4th-class) and look around the edge for the two-bolt anchor that starts the

Bioluminescence

rappels. May take some time to locate.

Rappel down

Bioluminescence

. Check out that route page for details.

Firecracker

meanders up the middle of the pillar between

Jim's Buttress

and

Bioluminescence,

aiming for its namesake, jagged, red roofs at the very top of the slab.

Standard Sierra rack to 3"

Two 60m ropes