Here is a new topo for the Bubbles Area at Little Eastatoee. There really aren't too many climbs out at this area, and they aren't of the best quality, but because this is one of the first spots I started bouldering, about 20 years or so ago, I wanted to topo it so it might see more action. Old and In The Way was the first climb out here, and was first climbed in combat boots by local "climber" David Hayes, back in the early 90's (I've never seen him in a pair of climbing shoes, but I have seen him send a 5.10 in cowboy boots:)). After I really started to focus on bouldering, this was one of the first places I revisited to start developing. All of the routes mentioned have been climbed at one time or another and many of them are now under a sheet of moss, so you may have to take a brush to some of the holds to re-animate the routes. I still think that Jerry's Beard, the hardest route in the area at a V5, is a Little Eastatoee classic, and not as easy as it first looks. I have always enjoyed the challenge of climbing the Bill Graham Slab in hiking shoes, with a crashpad on to get up to Jerry's Beard and Old & In The Way...and Casey Jones is a fun route that is destined to have some local hardman come and add the difficult SDS to make it an area classic too. If you're out at Little Eastatoee, and don't like being watched by every car that rides by while you're climbing in the Bridge Area, take a short hike over to the Bubbles and see if anything tickles your fancy!
Approach:
To get to the Bubbles, you can take either trail, the hard to follow trail that heads up beside the Bridge Area, or take the old fishing trail that stays down near the creek. These 2 trails rejoin each other about 1/4 mile from the Bridge Area, right across from the bottom of the Bubbles. If you continue on the trail after the other 2 converge, it takes you down to the Indian Rock House Area and Rhodorete, which will be topo'ed very soon. Even if it is a little mossy and chossy, I think there are still a few climbs out here that are worth a visit to check out. Enjoy!
The Little Eastatoee Bubbles Mini-Guide
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