Trouble Ahead on Sargents Ridge

January 10, 2010 - Just after we merged with the Green Butte route we were cliffed out by a rib extending down the ridge to the west (#1 in this photo). There was no reasonable way to climb over it, and descending around it would have meant dropping at least several hundred feet. There were many other ribs after this that had obviously had the same problem, so dropping around them really meant dropping off the route and traversing into Avalanche Gulch. In a final effort, I climbed along the ridge crest hoping it would provide a way past the ribs. Instead, I ended up on top of a spire (#2 in this photo). Doh!