The Shield

This route has some tragic history as written in Rossiter's guidebook, but don't let that steer you away. The crux pitch is excellent with thin technical moves that keep you thinking and searching for the correct sequence.

The first pitch is pretty contrived and hard to locate as it appears to climb a blank slab with no gear or major features? Another option is to climb an easy flake to the left and follow the ramp right to the start of the second pitch. There is really no reason to stop and belay on the ramp since your only about 30' or 40' above the ground at that point.

The second pitch follows a thin flake with a pin and then breaks right to a bolt. Getting to the bolt is a bit spicy, but the bolt is bomber. Continue up a thin crack with another fixed pin and into a broken-up section of rock and belay on a ledge. The book says there's an anchor at the end of this pitch, but we never saw one.

There is no description for the last pitch in the book, since the route write-up states that it was never completed. But we traversed right on a lichen covered ledge and climbed straight up a dihedral to the top. This pitch was sketchy with lots of lichen and loose rock and difficult to find gear placements. Probably would weigh in at 10- PG13.

This route is located to the right of "Young, Blond and Easy" just right of some large trees that are near the base of the wall.

Mostly small cams and RPs and maybe one large cam (#3.5 Camalot) for the last pitch. Fixed pins and one bolt.