In late May, I completed a new route on the north face of Angels Landing. Civil Disobedience (1,250’, 10 pitches, V 5.9 A3) takes a direct, independent, and rather sheer path immediately right of the historic Lowe Route (1,200’, 12 pitches, V 5.10 C3, Bryan-Lowe, 1970; FFA: V 5.13a R, Anderson, 2004; see AAJ 2005).

I climbed and equipped the route mostly solo. (I believe solo aid to be the safest method for leading the big roof on pitch eight.) Pitches seven and eight were equipped during an incomplete ascent—we ducked left and finished on the Lowe Route—with Sam Macke and Jackson Marvell. Jackson took a good whipper on that trip. During the complete first ascent from May 24 to 27, I climbed solo, establishing new ground on the last couple of pitches. 

The main bivouac ledge (which is shared with the Lowe Route) atop pitch four is really nice. I also made a portaledge camp below the big roof. It was not a nice camp (read: pile of bird shit.)

The route is independent but for 20’ of pitch six that overlaps with the Lowe Route, and the final pitch, which it shares with Lucifer’s Ladder (1,200’, 8 pitches, VI 5.8 A3+, Shock-Trump, 1998). The last pitch is no joke: In my contemporaneous notes from the ascent, I described this A2+ affair as “scary desert-alpine shit.” Most of the rock on the route is really good, with hard, thin nailing typical on many of the pitches. 

I drilled about 20 lead bolts and about 20 anchor bolts, all stainless steel.

            —Nathan Brown