Ring Mountain, Aug 27

The gorgeous views from Turtle Rock

Ok, so it is no secret that I am not the biggest fan of the climbing areas in the immediate Bay Area.  There are a few nice sport routes at Boyscout Rock near Mount Diablo, and I like the two 11s on Billy Goat at Castle Rock, but there is certainly no equivalent of Lincoln Woods for San Francisco.  I burned through most of the Bay Area climbs I am capable of doing in my first few years in the area, and since then have sucked it up and gone to the Sierras.  I was having a lazy Saturday, and didn't want to go to the gym, so I went to do some solo bouldering at Ring Mountain. 

There are a bunch of highball v0-v1s at Turtle Rock

I last went there 6 years ago with my friend Dave, and his high school buddy, Andy.  I started out at Split Rock, where I played around on the traverse, then did Split Slab (5.6).  Yes, that is 5.6, and not v0 or v0-...it is a bit high, but very easy.  Next, I did all of the v1s at Turtle Rock, then hiked around a bit after.  These two boulders are in a spectacular setting with great views of Mt Tam, Mount Diablo in the distance, East Bay, and San Francisco (which was socked in with fog).  The climbing is generally ok, but the feet are all quite polished, and the rock quality isn't always the best.  Overall, it is definitely worth a visit for a lazy Saturday afternoon.