Don't Underestimate Getting Onto The "Access Ramp"
Kudos to Brenta for his great route description. But climbers should be aware that getting onto the Access Ramp is not as easy as he makes it sound.
A friend and I hiked up there on 8/26/09 and spent over an hour looking for an easy way onto the Access Ramp. Brenta says that "there are many options that only require the occasional Class 3 move". We did not find this to be true. The easiest way I found onto the Access Ramp involved about 50' of somewhat exposed Class 4 slab climbing. My friend is quite risk-averse these days (with 2 young kids) so we had to turn around because of this.
JM
Climbed 8/22/2015. I do not believe I directly found the cairn described for the "start of Access Ramp", though I did not have any particular difficulties.
- There was a cairn marking a point that I considered the transition from the grassy slopes above the slabs from Black Lake to the point where I started traversing west below slabs looking for a spot to head upward.
- Once moving up the slabs some and I had started traversing back climber's right I saw a cairn some 20' below me that may have been the cairn at the "start" described.
In any event, I found generally easy and clear passage all the way to the leaning rock.
MurphyJ - Aug 29, 2009 4:52 pm - Hasn't voted
Don't Underestimate Getting Onto The "Access Ramp"Kudos to Brenta for his great route description. But climbers should be aware that getting onto the Access Ramp is not as easy as he makes it sound.
A friend and I hiked up there on 8/26/09 and spent over an hour looking for an easy way onto the Access Ramp. Brenta says that "there are many options that only require the occasional Class 3 move". We did not find this to be true. The easiest way I found onto the Access Ramp involved about 50' of somewhat exposed Class 4 slab climbing. My friend is quite risk-averse these days (with 2 young kids) so we had to turn around because of this.
JM
_alpha - Aug 24, 2015 12:28 pm - Hasn't voted
Start of Access RampClimbed 8/22/2015. I do not believe I directly found the cairn described for the "start of Access Ramp", though I did not have any particular difficulties.
- There was a cairn marking a point that I considered the transition from the grassy slopes above the slabs from Black Lake to the point where I started traversing west below slabs looking for a spot to head upward.
- Once moving up the slabs some and I had started traversing back climber's right I saw a cairn some 20' below me that may have been the cairn at the "start" described.
In any event, I found generally easy and clear passage all the way to the leaning rock.