Absolutely Free- Lower Brother
Sierra Nevada– Rock Climbing
Total Time: 6:20
Distance: 1.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000′
Crux: 5.9
Pitches: 6
Protection: Double rack of cams #0.3-3 plus extra BD 0.75 and 1
Companions: Jesse Gandt
Trailhead: Northside Drive, no services
It had been two years since I last climbed with Jesse, blitzing the East Buttress of Mount Whitney in a 15 hour car to car push. We hadn’t had the opportunity to climb together since, but a stint working in the Bay put Jesse a little closer to the Valley, and we made plans to tick off a few classic 5.9 multipitches. While a number were still wet this early in the season, the south facing Lower Brother featured Absolutely Free, 5.9, 3-4 pitches. Although short, every pitch on the route was quality 5.9 with a splitter crack on the second pitch. It had only seen a handful of ascents for the year and a scrambly approach and descent tended to keep the crowds away. But with a heat wave hitting California in mid March, I still wanted to start early to beat the heat, especially for the crux pitch. So Jesse and I met at an unmarked pulloff along Northside Drive at the toe of Lower Brother, an indistinct trail leading into the forest from the lot.
Although you can rappel the route, we planned to descend via the more adventurous Michael’s Ledge, and thus would not be returning to the base of the climb. So we racked up at the car, putting on our harness and quadrupling up on 0.75 and 1 BD cams before starting off into the forest. We lost the use trail a few times, navigating over fallen trees and around boulders. However, the occasional cairn guided us to the base of the rock, where we arrived exactly at another classic 5.9 – Positively Fourth Street, another route on my to-do list. We followed the base of the cliff northeast, eventually finding the approach ramp marked by a massive cairn.
The initial scramble was easy enough up grassy ramps and slab. But when we encountered a low fifth class hand crack, I called for the rope to pitch out the rest of the approach. From this tree at the base of the handcrack, I was able to make it all the way to the base of the first pitch with a two bolt belay, scrambling up a bit further to a manzanita tree at the base of the first pitch chimney to more easily belay Jesse up the first pitch. I brought up Jesse to the start of the climb, with the plan for him to lead odds while I took evens.
I offloaded the rest of the cams to his harness, and he started up the chimney, rated 5.7 with a 5.9 exit to a ledge at the top. He made short work of it, reaching the first belay just after a second party showed up at the base behind us. They would be the second of five parties on the route, a busy day for an off-the-beaten-path classic! They planned to link the 2nd and 3rd pitches together, and after hearing their previous impressive ticks from over the weekend, decided it would be reasonable to let them climb past us, as I wanted to take my time on the splitter second pitch. Jesse brought me up the first pitch finding the chimney exit a little trickier than I expected, my helmet getting hung up beneath the roof.
The belay ledge was spacious, offering plenty of room for us to wait as the second party climbed past. From the ledge, we had outstanding views of the Valley and I had plenty of time to study the next pitch and psych myself up for the crux lead. Once the follower started up, I began climbing on lead shortly behind him, the lower crack starting out as loose fingers/ tight hands then widening to excellent handjams to a ledge about 10′ up. I followed broken cracks up to a higher ledge and base of the splitter and eyed the route above me. Although the surrounding rock looked featureless from below, there were actually a few small dishes and lips of rock out right to give some secure stances to place gear. I placed a 0.75 cam as high as I could and started up, finding the crack not the dreamy handjams I had hoped for but baggy fingers, relying on ring locks and finger stacks that felt far less secure than I had hoped.
I slowly moved up through two planned rest stances, now about half way through the crux sequence. I backcleaned and bumped a series of 0.75 and 1 cams up higher hoping the crack would widen a bit more soon. Alas, it stayed baggy fingers and I felt the pump clock ticking, moving right into the more featured crack 3/4 of the way up just before almost falling. I gave myself a rest, now only 10′ below some jugs and the end of the crux sequence. I moved the cams up higher and started up once more, getting within one move of the jugs before taking a fall with the cams at my feet. Bummed that I blew the onsight (although I was expecting handjams for the crux, not my weakness of loose fingers) I took a long rest, found one more intermediate stance to bump gear a bit higher before reaching the jugs and small ledge above the crack. The crack was considerably easier above this, and I slowly reached the Bay Tree halfway up to belay up Jesse. He started up the pitch, locked in and fired through the crux, reaching the belay breathing heavily but smiling ear to ear.
The tree belay was cramped for two so he swung directly on to lead, heading up the wider and more featured upper crack, awkwardly climbing past a bulge and up to a spacious ledge and base of the final pitch. My forearm pump had recovered when it was my turn to follow, and I quickly climbed up to the shady ledge where we had a short break as the team ahead of us rappeled down.
The final pitch has a few variations. The traditional route heads straight up off the belay through a tough 5.9 offwidth. Another 5.9 variation follows a dirty crack off to the left. But the recommended option followed a series of 5.9 liebacks to the right, which was ultimately what I chose to lead. I felt a bit nervous after falling on the last 5.9 pitch, with a crux coming early moving left around a bulge to gain the lieback crack. But I quickly found myself smiling as I flowed up the lieback, excellent stances for gear placement and many small lips and ledges for rests. I called down to Jesse how it was remarkably easier than my lower lead.
I trended up and to the right, following another lieback flake up and over a short headwall to a final massive detached flake that seemed to be held to the cliff by nothing. I reached the upper webbing anchor and clipped in smiling. Although the splitter pitch had the glory, the last 5.9 pitch was by far the most fun. I put Jesse on belay and he climbed his way up to join me, agreeing that it was the most enjoyable pitch of the route.
We took a short lunch break at the route’s summit just below Michael’s Ledge, enjoying the views across the Valley and already cooking up plans for our next outing. I knew from the topo that there would be a bit more fifth class to reach Michael’s Ledge above, so we switched into approach shoes but stayed roped up, keeping Jesse on belay as he quested through the brush and up the dirty slabs. He stopped a bit short of the trail, and I led of us up a final series of low fifth class ramps with an exciting step across to reach the descent trail, marked with a small cairn.
A party behind us had caught up as we were coiling the rope for the day, and the four of us descended Michael’s Ledge together, finding the descent route to be fairly easy to follow, in general hugging the face of Lower Brother all the way down to Eagle Creek. We rock hopped the creek a bit before crossing to the other side, weaving through the forest and hitting the road about 6 hours after starting out. Jesse’s friend met us at the parking lot, and after swapping photos of the day we parted ways, Jesse heading back into the Valley to meet up with his girlfriend while I headed home for dinner and a well earned Margarita.
