7/24/05: The crux of the...

7/24/05: The crux of the Peak-to-Needle traverse. Much of the ups-and-downs are hidden (dotted lines) but they are not too hard to follow with cairns marking the way. Next to the Black Gendarme is a tricky low class 5 move where you have to pull yourself up on top of an overhanging rock. The dotted line above this represents a brief jaunt on a knife-edge, followed by class 3 scrambling up some ledges and around the final gendarmes to the base of the class 4 crux. This final 100-foot wall is steep and knobby, and is an awesome finish to a fantastic day in the mountains.

Sorry about the photo quality: I was having some camera difficulties that day.