Anchors: Maple Canyons - The Matrix

From September 29 to October 2, 2026, three members of the anchor crew headed to the often-overlooked Middle Fork of Maple Canyon. More frequented by hikers than climbers, this quieter part of the canyon offers a sense of solitude and a few forgotten gems.

The west face of the Matrix is one of them. Featuring some of the best rock we’ve climbed on in Maple Canyon, it was the crew’s first focus of the week. We worked on long routes such as Under a Red Moon (5.11d), American Dream (5.12b), and Twelve Tasty Doughnuts (5.10c), along with its extensions.

The crew then moved to the south face to work on the shorter moderates found right off the trail. Throughout the week, we encountered the usual suspects: stacked washers, rusty five-piece bolts, and holes that hadn’t been drilled deep enough to allow for proper bolt removal. We also found plenty of what we call “carabiner breakers”—placements where a carabiner clipped into the bolt hanger rests against a cobble, creating leverage and unfavorable loading that can damage or potentially break the carabiner.

As with much of our work, we installed Team-Tough glue-in bolts, stainless steel anchor hardware, and mussy hooks for lowering.

Over four days, the three-person crew replaced 104 bolts, maintained 13 bolts, and worked on 12 routes, giving these overlooked climbs some much-needed attention.