Patterson Bluffs, South Face, Sunset Buttress. This 1000-foot-plus cliff is just west of Balch Camp Flake facing south above Balch Camp in Sierra National Forest. In the spring Paul Martzen and I completed a nine-pitch route near the west end of the cliff which follows the prow of a huge, thin, sweeping buttress. The first half of the route is mixed and the last half is all free with a large ledge at the top of the sixth pitch. The approach is via a dirt road extending south from the highway near Dinkey Creek and a short walk to the top of the cliff where one can either rappel down the buttress or descend the gully to the west. Hardware should include some copperheads and thin to medium pitons. This high-quality route, the first on the cliff, is on excellent rock with great views. (IV, 5.10, A2.)

Dick Leversee