Pinnacles:  Nexus routes   10/90

     On Saturday I went to Pinnacles West Side with John Novat, for some
research on recent routes for the guidebook.  We climbed in a bowl at the
right end of the Balconies, doing Echoes 5.8, Prairie Home Companion 5.7 R
(3 pitches), Plexus 5.8 R.  After some moaning and cursing at lack of bolts on
the latter 2 routes, and lack of time, we started toproping.  The third pitch
of Nexus 5.9 *** is a deep waterchute with the best rock in the Pinnacles --
vertical with big high-friction jugs.  Unfortunately the first pitch is much
harder, and approaching for a toprope would require a lot of hiking.  As the
sun was getting low, I TRed the first pitch of Nexus.  Rated in our info as
5.10c, I found parts this hard down low, but things really blanked out up high.
After some hard moves I reached all over but couldn't find any decent holds,
and soon I was hanging on the rope.  It wasn't dark, just blank!  Finally I
made a rad traverse using a bogus undercling/pinch and grabbed the only decent
holds -- 2 sloping, slightly loose pockets in overhanging rock just right of
the chute.  Wild stemming followed, with a final lieback on flexing knobs to
gain easier (5.10) ground.  Every bit of 5.11c.  Unexpectedly hard for a
Holmgren route, as he does his routes completely free (i.e. no hooks or aid
to place the bolts).  We rapped quickly and stumbled
down to the trail in the dark.  John hadn't been climbing in a while, but had
no falls, and we were chalkless except for a couple of dips by me on the cruxes
of the R leads.