BETA PHOTO: Charlie Cundiff takes a quick break before tacklin...
Description
The first pitch is the crux and climbs up to an old bolt anad fixed wire in a small crack/bulge about twenty feet off the ground. After pulling the bulge, continue up the ramp as it steepens and narrows. A two-bolt belay is reached by a large tree. Pitch two is an easy 5.4 traverse to the left, following a clean wide crack around the corner and then a short ledge system to a good belay stance by a bush. Pitch 3 feels sllightly run-out and climbs up and right past a vegetated crack to a nice hand crack in a nlock. Belay on top of the block. Pitch 4 starts with an aid-step onto an old button head. Carefully stepping up onto this and balancing to full extension gains a horizontal edge. Hand traverse left (5.9) for about 12 feet with wild exposure until you can stand on ledge. Continue traversing left for another 15 ft, then do a scary mantle (5.8) to gain a discontinuous crack system and easier climbing to the top.
Location
Located about 100 ft below the saddle between ORP and Lesser Spire, and easily identified by the fixed wire 20ft up. The descent can be made by 4th class scrambling to the NW and then bushwhacking back around, or by 4th class scrambling down the east side to a single-rope rappel off a block. After this rappel, you can either scramble east around a rock spur, or scramble down an easy but chossy gulley which lands you directly on the saddle between ORP and Lesser Spire.
Protection
Big pieces really aren't required for this route unless you want to protect the 5.4 traverse on P2. A hidden fixed pin is found 10 ft into the first pitch below the fixed wire/bolt. The belay at the end of P2 is by slinging a chockstone so long runners are helpful. A fixed wire may still be in place in the hand-crack of P3. P4 is the most comitting pitch to lead, as it is very strenous to place gear while on the hand traverse.
By Aaron Hobson Administrator From: Las Cruces, NM Mar 16, 2007
Wasn't sure as to the name of this route, although a great description of it was provided to Charlie by his friend Dave Lucas. Charlie thinks the aid move could go free but he didn't send it on this day.
Lesser Spire
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