Northeast Ledges  5.8+

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Type:  Trad, 5 pitches, 700 feet, Grade III Consensus:  5.8+ [details] FA:  J. Boyd Pearson & company? Season:  summer, spring, fall Submitted By:  Pat Erley on Dec 24, 2008 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (2) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: View from Pioneer Pt.

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2013 Raptor Closures MORE INFO >>> Serpent Point and the adjacent walls within one-half mile are closed to public use from March 15 through July 15. This includes the landscape portions above the walls extending 50 feet from the rim edge. This pertains to the following areas: North Rim areas - The Alpine Aretes, Porcelain Arete, and Painted Wall. These climbing routes are closed: Alpine Route, Porcelain Arete, On the Border, Broken Porcelain, Northern Arete, Beyer Route, The Dragon, The Serpent, Forrest-Walker, Stratosfear, Journey Through Mirkwood, and Southern Arete. South Rim areas - Dragon Point and Dragon Point Buttress. These climbing routes are closed: Pilgrimage, Crumb Blunder, Magic Dragon, Black Adder, Black Snake, Black Heathen, Black Dragon Rider, and Silent Rage. This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

Description 

Me and Clay Meier climbed this peak this fall, and it was quite an adventure. It involves lots of route-finding through chossy and usually mossy steps and 4th class terrain. For the first pitch, raft from Curecanti Creek inlet (there is a john there), to the east side of the peak and park your raft up a few feet on the shore, the water fluctuates so make sure to anchor it in. From here, scramble up and right to a prominent nose facing northeast. You will be about 60 - 80 feet off the water at this point. Tope up here.

Pitch 1 - 2: climb chossy terrain up the nose and to the right a bit, eventually hitting many ledges and 4th class terrain. Follow this terrain up and slightly right following path of least resistance and hitting many ledges and steps. Climb this until you hit a blocky, northeast-facing pitch on an arete type feature.

Pitch 3: climb this blocky arete (5.6) passing many bushes and loose blocks with great exposure to the left. Find any ledge to belay on, or simulclimb to a false summit/spire.

Pitch 4: we unroped for this one: traverse the ridge to the right, passing through an exposed notch, through some trees, up a step into a cave type thing about 160 feet below the summit.

Pitch 5: climb out of the alcove/cave (tricky 5.7+), and follow easier terrain aiming for an obvious crack on the left of a little arete. Climb the crack straight up for 25 feet (.8+, 9-), and traverse right in hand crack to right-facing aspect of arete, from here follow chimney/gully to summit. Quality pitch.

Although this climb is not on quality rock until the last pitch, I still gave it a two star rating for the adventure, history and amazing summit. Definitely worth doing.

Location 

Looking from Pioneer Point, it takes mostly the left skyline/face.

Getting there: raft from Curecanti Creek inlet - a nice trail goes down from Pioneer Point. Park raft on left, east side of peak and scramble to start.

Descent: from the summit, walk down west about 50 feet and find two shiny bolts with rings on a west-facing rock on south side of summit. 2 or 3 double rope raps will get you to a notch, scramble either way to get where you need. Careful on the last rap - we got our ropes stuck.

Protection 

SR, long slings to sling trees, bolts for rappel. There might be some fixed pro along the way, can't remember.