Welcome to the New Mexico section of Mountain Project!
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Charlie leaving the Flea Tree
Description
Pitch 1: 5.5 55m Face climb through intermitent while tending right towards a ledge in the dihedral. Belay at about 55 meters.
Pitch 2: 5.6-5.7 Face climb for another 50 meters to a ledge 30' below a small overhang. Make your own belay on the ledge, or use a bolted hanging belay.
Pitch 3: 5.7 40 m Angle right to a double crack in a dihedral. Follow the cracks up to a good belay ledge
Pitch 4: 5.4 35m Follow dihedral to a good stance directly below the Flea Tree.
Pitch 5: 5.5 20m Follow the dihedral to it's end, then cross the face to the Flea Tree. Alternate: Go left out onto the face from the belay and sling chickenheads fro pro and then straight up to the Flea Tree. Not sure on rating.
Pitch 6: 5.5 65m Climb up and over a right facing dihedral and begin traversing left towards the summit. Placing pro early leads to lots of rope drag and potentially adds a pitch.
Location
If the Sugarloaf were a shark jumping out of the water, the Flea Tree Route would start on the right side of the eye. The Flea Tree itself can easily be identified during approach as the only tree visible on the right side of the face near the top.
Approach as the North Face and continue along the base of Sugarloaf until you reach a small saddle. From here scramble up to a tree. If you reach the Flea Tree Dihedral (a really large right facing dihedral that takes off from the ground) you've gone just a touch too far. Turn around and you can walk right up to the tree at the beginning of the Flea Tree Route. It will likel have a couple of slings wrapped around it to protect past belayers.
Protection
Standard rack: This climb will pretty much take any gear you take. Cams up to #3.4 if you like, but you can protect it all on small nuts too. Lots of slings as you'll be stretching your rope for a couple of pitches.