Tollhouse Rock- Free And Easy
Rock Climbing– California
Total Time: 3:00
Distance: 0.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 500′
Crux: 5.7
Pitches: 4
Protection: Doubles to BD #3, nuts, quickdraws, 70m rope
Companions: Holly
Trailhead: Burrough Mountain Rd, no services
Holly and I had not climbed together at Tollhouse since our first multipitch together after Avery’s birth years ago, a fun romp up Elephant Walk. Although many of the routes at Tollhouse can feel repetitive (scary run out slab), we still had a few interesting moderates to tick off, and with a Friday free, set our sights on Free and Easy, 5.7. After dropping Avery off in Clovis, we drove up the four lane and turned off towards Tollhouse, the recent rains creating some ruts in the dirt road leading up to the parking area. Low clouds rolled through as we racked up at the car, not quite the warm sun we had been hoping for.
Although it had not rained for a few days, the slabs on the approach were wet, and Holly and I both slipped as we worked our way down past Sunday Morning Slabs and Hippo Wall. The route was pretty easy to find from the base, the obvious crack and flake system just past the amphitheater.
We flaked the rope at the base, tied in and I started up the first pitch. Starting from the base of the crack system, the first pitch is a rope stretching full 70 meters, starting with an easy 5.5-5.6 finger and hand crack that led past some dirty flakes to a long left facing corner. The corner system was excellent, with almost limitless options for protection, aside from one tricky section about 3/4 of the way up, likely the crux of the route. The corner system ended at a two bolt belay on top of the leaning flake and I clipped into the anchor, pulling up the little remaining slack and bringing Holly up to the belay.
The second pitch was a short section of slab, protected by several bolts, tightly spaced by Tollhouse standards, and I worked past these to a left trending seam. This was a bit dirtier than I expected, still with plenty of pods and pockets for protection, but interrupted by sections of muddy and grassy crack. I quickly reached the next two bolt belay but since it would be a semi hanging belay, I continued past to a small rooflet, with an easy step up and over on the right side.
Above the small rooflet, the slab became very low angled and wet, and I continued upwards, missing a bolt hidden in the moss and up to a ledge and two bolt belay. This was technically the end of the route Free and Easy, with a few options to get to the summit of Tollhouse Rock from there. The first ascensionists originally escaped off to the left on fourth class slabs. There is now a more modern exit, working left but following a series of easy fifth class steps and cracks upwards. Lastly, immediately above our anchor were three sport routes, rated 5.10b, 5.8 and 5.9 respectively. I ran through the options with Holly, and we both agreed to try one of the sport routes, ultimately deciding on the 5.8. A ramp to the right of the belay brought me up to the base of the 5.8, named Munge Master, and I clipped the first bolt from a small ledge. I made one move up, and a hold immediately snapped off in my hand. Thankfully both feet were firmly planted on knobs, but it spooked me a bit for the rest of the uneventful lead past a half dozen bolts, to a corner protected with a medium sized cam, and up to the two bolt belay. We were now directly below the Cap Rocks, the 20-25′ band of rock protecting the summit.
Above the belay were two wet and dirty off-width chimneys that looked more unpleasant than fun, so we escaped left on fourth class, clipping a few bolts for protection to lead us to the edge of the summit slabs. We untied and had a quick snack before going up and over the summit back to our car.