Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.10920°N / 118.484°W |
Route Type:
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Trad Climbing |
Season:
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Summer |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.10 (YDS) |
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Difficulty:
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III, 5.10A/B or 5.8 |
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Number of Pitches:
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9 |
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Grade:
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II |
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Approach
About one-quarter mile north of Quaking Aspen Campground and two miles north of Ponderosa Lodge on HWY 190, turn right (north) onto paved Forest Road 21S50 at the sign reading Golden Trout Wilderness Pack Station; Lewis Camp Trailhead.At 4.6 miles the pavement ends.
Turn right on the road to Lewis Camp, Pack Station. The pack station is 2.5 miles down road 20S79.
About one-quarter mile past the pack station, turn right on road 20S79B. Follow this to near it's end (.7 mi.) at the crest of the ridge coming down from the Hermit Spire.
Walk east to the crest of the ridge. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Hermit from there.
For the climbs on the SW side of the dome, drop 500 feet from the ridge until it is possible to traverse left to the base of the spire/dome.
Route Description
Descend the west side of the formation to the lowest point of the spire. Move left about 15 feet. Above is a huge buttress with chimney-like gullies on each side.Jazzing is about 50 feet left of "A Pitch and Nine Takes Time", which was one of the early routes on Hermit, put up by Herb and Eva Laeger with Dan Levack in 1983.
A six-foot pine tree (in 1988) growing out of the rock marks the start of the route.
Face climb to a flake 40 feet up, move up and right, reach hidden four inch crack, climb it to a ledge (5.8).
Climb a finger crack on the right edge of the buttress (10A/B), move into the right-facing dihedral, climb to its top (5.8). Move left into the large dihedral and climb it(5.7).
The next six pitches go slightly left and climb steep, knobby face (5.7 to 5.5.) to the summit block.
All in all,there are 9 or 10 long and wonderful pitches.
I guarantee you will love the route, the climbing is on a steep and very clean rock. The route was first climbed by Miguel Carmona and Alois Smrz in July of 1988.
In 1989, Bob Lindgren found a variation on the second pitch that avoided the 5.10 crack and climbed the steep buttress to the left of it on impropable looking (from a distance) small edges of 5.7 or 5.8 (See the Main Photo).
For further information please see pages 24 to 47 of 1992 Greg Vernon/Sally Moser/Patrick Paul GUIDE to (Southern Sierra Rock Climbing) NEEDLES. I would be happy to provide any details you might need. Email me.