Upper Cow, 5.6-5.12b

Overview/Approach

Upper and Lower Cow offer the best “remote like” setting in Real Hidden Valley. Real Hidden Valley can harbor as many tourists (climbing and otherwise) as the Hidden Valley Campground itself on any given day. But Upper and Lower Cow stretch out into the northwest end beyond the loop trail, high above the wash below offering serenity.

 Upper Cow enjoys a beautiful ledge perched below the majority of its routes and features several sport climbs that rival the more classic bolted lines that are  popular due to easier access: Udder Chaos, 5.10c** and Hollywood and Bovine, 5.10d**.  Two mixed lines utilizing horizontal gear placements are located to the right of the before mentioned bolted lines:  Reach for a Peach, 5.10a* and Cottage Cheese, 5.9*.  In between these four is a 5.10aR* named after the wall itself, Upper Cow, that I thought protected fine (no relative run out in my opinion).  One bolted rap is located atop Udder Chaos.  You can set a gear belay/top rope above the right side of the wall.  Cow Pie Corner, 5.6, is a quick and easy solo at the right side of the before mentioned routes.  A few stragglers are located even further to the right as you descend from this main upper wall.  One is located by itself on the far left (photo):  Cowabunga, 5.10c*.

You can take a left or right on the main loop trail.  At the opposite end of the canyon from where you first intersect the loop trail is a wash that travels out of the canyon to the northwest.  As you leave the loop and enter the wash, you pass the Brown Wall on your right and then a varnished wall rising out of the wash where Savwafare 1^st Everywhere, 5.8**, is located.  Although this route is included with the Lower Cow formation routes in the guide, it is not on the Lower Cow Wall.  Rather look up high above the canyon floor on your left (north facing) and you will locate the Lower and Upper Cow Walls (photos).  The Upper Cow Wall is stacked above the Lower Cow Wall.  There is no discernible traffic up from the wash.  Access to the Upper Cow is best approached from the right (west) vs left.

Route Descriptions, Routes Listed Left to Right as you Face the Upper Cow Wall (North Facing)

• Cowabunga- 40’-5.10c*

• Hollywood and Bovine- 60’-5.10d**/ Starts up the left side 10’ higher than Udder Chaos.  The crux move on this pure sport climb (5 bolts) is a power dyno move near the top for a mini horn up and left.   The rest is 5.10- fun up large moves with  a few crimps thrown in.  Rap the route on fixed chains that serve Hollywood and Udder. Dow

• Udder Chaos- 70’-5.10c**/ Pure sport climb through five bolts.The crux move is after the first clip. Sparse face climbing but it is all there. More difficult crux than Hollywood despite being a lessor grade. After the crux move, fun 5.10- to the rap ledge with over-sized moves/mantles. Dow

• Upper Cow- 80’-5.10aR*/ Actually the safest route at this end, I don’t see the run-out the guide attributes to it?  But not deserving of the star the guide gives it either as it is chossy and not sustained at the grade.  The start is protected with a C4#.75, following a finger crack up to a widening crack.  Can rap Hollywood. Standard rack. Dow

• Cottage Cheese- 80’-5.9*/ Same start as Reach.  Neither of these routes deserve a star (chossy and old hangers and bolts-2018).  Traverse below the 2nd bolts on both routes to the left one.  Some large mantle moves on large features finish it off.  Few medium pieces. Dow 

• Reach for the Peach- 70’-5.10a*/ The bolts and hangers on Reach and Cottage Cheese need to be replaced.  Climb an easy left leaning ramp to the first clip.  Climb through several horizontals via decent sized features. Climb through another clip to below a large horn out of reach. Sling the horn via a lasso move (because the fixed pro sucks -2018) and finish to the top.  Can rap Hollywood and Bovine by scrambling up and left and then down to a ledge with fixed chains atop Udder Chaos. Few medium pieces. Dow 

• Cow Pie Corner- 70’-5.6/ Easy and secure corner/solo climb for the grade. Can rap Hollywood and Bovine. Dow

• One Bolt Jolt- 45’-5.11a/

• Super Quicky- 45’-5.12b/