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Peak Mountain 3

Little Murders

FA J. Erickson, C. Stanley, 1975
CREATED 
UPDATED 

Description

Just down and right of the cleft between the upper and lower sections, there is a bulging thin crack. This goes up past a few small (#4 BD or equivalent) and perhaps a small cam placement past a crux of sloping holds, feet and hands, before you get a jug and better gear.

Once you get the jugs, the climbing eases off and ascends a crack and corner system with moderate climbing and the occasional awkward bulge up and right to the obvious OW-looking crack for a few body lengths. The thing is, I say OW-looking, because it is not climbed that way. Grab jugs and jams up in it, protecting on gear fist-sized or smaller (IE 3" cam) to the top. Long slings make this possible.

A special note: approach via the Maiden, then traverse over from above. What isn't thorny raspberries here are either nasty nettlesome other plants, or "pickies" with those little rounded pill-like burrs that stick to everything. This can be avoided by staying away from the base until you traverse in, more or less directly across from the tree belay on the North Face of the Maiden.

Location

Just down and right of the cleft between the upper and lower sections, there is a bulging thin crack. This goes up and right gradually into a crack and corner system with easier climbing culminating above in another 5.8 bulge with a wide crack. Smaller gear can easily protect the section above, provided you place it in the back with a 2' runner. Tackle the top bulge to emerge on the top. Belay there (larger gear again, did you bring extras?) or continue up and left 50' to a giant horn belay, to 100' (now 70m rope) to the belay/rap station on a tree that you can take down 60' to a second tree, then 90' to the ground. If you rap down the ramp a bit to the right, it will both make the rope pull nicely AND put you right back on your packs.

Protection

A reasonable route with OW in a few places. While this is true, that the crack is wide, it can be very reasonably protected with nothing bigger than a #3 Camalot.

Take a rack of stoppers + cams from tiny to 3". Larger cams can be placed, and I won't discourage taking them, but in my experience, they would have never saved me more than a few feet of distance between possible placements. Just be sure to carry plenty of slings.