Old Rag Mountain Guide

I put this route up in the mid 80's. Is one long pitch. I'm a lot older now, so some detail is fuzzy. I scrambled onto a ledge (rock), then up a large crack protecting with the biggest chock I had at the top of the crack. Then moved up and right to a flake where I could place a nut. Had to run that section out from my chock to the flake. There I stood and drilled for a bolt using a hammer and hand drill. And my bolt hanger was hand made from angle iron. From the bolt I moved up and left to a big flake as I remember. It was a weird spread eagle move to get my left hand on a hold. You feel as if you are going to barn door off. Then it was straight up and then at the top I did this stupid 'Duck Walk' like move (felt like I was waddling) to go to the right and then topped out. Me and my buddy laughed about it. Hiked Old Ragg recently with some friends and clambered down to take a look at Duck Walk. Seems there is still plenty of activity on that old wall.

You get to the reflector oven by turning left off the ridge trail, just after the first set of overlooks. The trail gets to a ridge and you bushwhack down through a gorge. At the bottom of the gorge turn right, walking under a massive rock leaning against the wall. Walk along the wall and you will come to the Strawberry Fields crack. Crack is straight up. Report to Sick Bay is the corner crack to the left of Strawberry Fields. Strawberry Fields is a mix of finger and fist jambs. Tape up. Plenty of friction for the toes. Requires friends (or chocks) and some nuts. If you do just the first half then rappel off the flake. You'll know when you get there. I've done this one a million times.

As I remember a tough climb. Pretty sustained lay back just about the whole climb. Had to run out the top section because I did not have a #4 friend, so put a 3.5 as high as I could and went for the top. Took a fall and then got it on my second attempt. This was in the 1980's.

This climb is a long bushwhack down through the reflector oven, past Oh My God Corner. It was a very long day to hike up the Ridge trail, then down to the climb and back to the car. Climb has a overhang right off the deck. Funny story, I was climbing with Ron Dawson who is extremely tall. I was about horizontal and could not get to my friend so I could protect as I swung around the overhang. Ron reached up and pushed the friend into my grasp. The overhand is literally right off the ground. Anyway, this is a solid crack climb, fist jams. Fantastic climb once you get around the overhang. As I remember we walked off the top around back. Been many years since I did the climb.