The Nautilus

 

There are well over 100 routes on the Nautilus. About 80% of them are trad routes ranging from 5.4 to 5.12c, and there are a relative handful each of sport, toprope, and bouldering routes. The vast majority of the trad routes are just one pitch, but there are some 2-pitch routes and even two 3-pitch ones. (The MP page is very helpful for sorting these).

 

 

Because of the huge number of routes and because I am not a local well-versed in the crag, I am not going to list the routes or attempt to speak with some kind of authority on what the classics here are. Please use the other sources mentioned for specifics about locating routes.

 

Instead, I will limit the scope of this page to my experiences at the crag.

Easy Jam (5.4)-- I did a solo lead of this my first time, slinging a good boulder as my anchor, and have led it with a partner a couple times since. This is said to be maybe the easiest off-width at Vedauwoo and thus a perfect introduction. This is a short route, about 40', and it is recommended to have several pieces the equivalent of a #4 BD C4. (My actual rack for this climb consisted of a #4 BD C4, a #9 Trango Flex Cam, a #1 and #2 Big Bro, a #10 and #11 BD Hexentric, and a #10 and #11 CAMP Dyneema Carvex. I think I used 5 or 6 of the pieces.) Beta I'd read suggesting racking everything on the right side and using the left-side limbs to jam the crack turned out to be accurate. The beta I read also suggested placing pro below the climber so as not to collide with it while climbing through the crack, but I did not do that because it was going to be too much of a pain when using a Silent Partner. In any event, I found the climb pretty easy, much easier than a notoriously scary 5.4 off-width in North Carolina I'd led earlier in the year. Easy Jam is on the northwest side of the Nautilus and is very easy to find and get to. There are good bolts above it for belaying a second or rappelling, but there is also a walkoff to the climber's right; it involves crossing over to the south side and negotiating some exposed ground before scrambling down back to the north side.

 

Cornelius (5.5)-- This one I solo-led my first time as well as well and have led  with partners a couple times since. Not an off-width, this is a fun climb with an interesting crux move for 5.5 (well, I guess it's more confidently protecting the move that made it interesting for me), and because it has a diagonal aspect to it, it makes you think about rope management as well. It is the next "natural" line right of Easy Jam (there is a bolted face route between them), and the climbs share the same set of anchors. Follow a diagonal finger crack up and right and finish up a vertical crack. My rack for this one was a set of Master Cams sizes 1-6 and two sets of stoppers. I placed six pieces (see photo), maybe seven (I might have placed one more above the crux but not in view in the picture).

 

 

Mother 1 (5.7+)-- To get to the Parabolic Slab, I wanted to solo-lead Baldwin's Chimney but wasn't seeing a good ground anchor. At the same time, an 18-year-old embarking on a year or two of dirtbagging asked me if I wanted to follow him up Mother since his partner (present) had some kind of foot injury and wasn't up to it. I accepted. Mother is considered an area classic, and it is an off-width, which made both of us feel it was a real grunt for the grade, but we got up. His pro consisted solely of #4 and #5 BD C4s, though I have read that after the horizontal crack about halfway up, #3 work better. This climb is on the northwest side of the crag and is easy to see but not easy to get to. The way to its base is not obvious and requires dropping into a slot and then following the slot until you can scramble up to the base. I'd call the approach Class 4 or maybe even easy 5.

 

Straight 4 Ward (5.5)-- This crack is at the far right end of the west side, close to the parking lot. Some feel it's harder than its grade, but at what I thought was the crux, I found a not-so-obvious awesome hold that made the moves pretty easy.

There are four routes that put one in position to reach the top of the Parabolic Slab. 

 

Three are on the northwest side and are next to each other: Baldwin's Chimney (5.4), Mother 1 (5.7+), and Father 1 (5.11a). Baldwin's Chimney goes up a wide chimney (too wide for gear, a tight squeeze, but easy going) to a chockstone. Once there, getting past the chockstone and finishing the climb is where the 5.4 comes in, and it is said that you don't need big pro for this. For beta about Mother 1, please see above. I have not climbed Father 1, but it is supposed to get sketchy on the pro up high and then runout after the crux, so you should be solid at the grade for this.

 

The fourth is on the southeast side and is the 5.6 Piton Perch route. I have not climbed this, but it is reputed to be tough and scary for the grade.

 

These climbs do not actually top out on the Parabolic Slab. The three on the northwest side all end about 30 vertical feet from the top. This final pitch is a 5.2 friction climb on a slab. There is no pro available (apparently, someone once put a bolt or two in, and someone else did some chopping). When I climbed it after following Mother 1, we just scrambled to the top after puckering up a little, but one could belay off the Mother 1 anchor and then the leader could belay off the rap anchor up top. However, a leader fall would place a Factor 2 impact on the anchor. A better idea, and it seems from comments on other sites that some do this, might be to clip the Mother 1 anchor (or continue from above Baldwin's Chimney) and treat it as a piece of pro while continuing to the top to belay off the rap anchors. This could create significant rope drag, but the extra security may be worth it to some.

 

 

After enjoying the view and the exposure, rig your rappel, take a deep breath, and take the leap. There's actually a little bit of feet before you hit the empty space, so stepping off isn't as scary as you might expect.

 

A 50m rope will work for the rappel. I think 50m is sufficient as well for going to the top in one pitch via Mother 1, but 60 will definitely do it.

 

 

 

There is a 28-site campground in the recreation area. It is first-come, first-served and fills quickly on weekends in good weather. Vault toilets and drinking water are available, though in July 2014 the water wasn't flowing or I was just at the wrong pump. The camping fee was $10 per night in July 2014. Closed during the winter, the campground is usually open by the beginning of June.

 

There is a lot of dispersed camping available nearby, with some restrictions (for example, postings prohibit camping too close to the turnoff for the recreation area).