Utopia Ledges (True Summit Ledges)

The great fire incinerated plants and burnt trees dead. Lots of plants and small trees are competing for height growing like weeds below the tall dead trees. The ledges with this undergrowth can be an awful poor visibility bushwhack to find the area. Its not above Jimmy Cliff. Utopia used to be reached starting at the top of Jimmy Cliff and going east beyond the next cliff band and up to ledges. Its really thick now with fallen trees and young trees. Utopia has plenty of clean rock. There's the east side, central and Freedonia side. Central has approximately 150-200+ feet of alpine trad rope climbing and the first fifty feet the steepest on all climbs. To the mountain summit are tree bands adjoined by slabs and by a little veering able to stay on rock. These are exfoliation slab ledges with short steep overlaps with holds or cracks. There's also a band of blocks to climb left central. They make up a 15-30' ground head walls about 40' long. The ways up here are extreme climbing beyond my ability and need bolts or pinned. Freedonia is left and up from central. It begins at the next rock band over and has slab starts to fractured head wall to similar upper rock and tree bands to the summit East side has long slabs to grassy ledges and rock gullies and upper 20-30' head walls. Furthest east the ground height is near equal to this head wall and not climbed yet. The upper tree bands and gullies thicken east so directly or westward up the best higher slabs of rock to the summit. The actual mountain summit and trail are higher up. Rescue from here is very difficult. Weather can be unbearably hot in summer or hypothermia cold by thunder clouds on the same day. Know the weather predicted before ascending. Loose rock is possible while hiking and climbing. I've been up and down much without any problems. There are many dog and a few dear ticks. Tree trunks often are charcoal. This gets on your hands and clothes. The new downed trees and their branches on the climbs continues. After fire, nature now doing its thing, young trees and tall plants competing for light in the incinerated enriched soil areas and rock cracks. There are nasty thorn plants. The climbing season is best in October until the snow falls. Its very warm in the fall. Early spring has lots of ticks. Summer no vision ahead from leaves. Contend with there'll be an obstacle coarse on the approach and some climbs. Rock climbing to the summit has its bonus the view. Don't go up there, unless you are capable of getting back to Buffalo Road. Worst comes to worst, there is the yellow marked hiking trail to the road but it'll bring you out several miles west on Buffalo Road.