Five Easy Steps

Five Easy Steps is the easiest route to the bolts used for rappel from several of the middle-of-the-wall climbs. Along with the ramp below the bolts it can provide access for top roping these routes. The two pitches described below can almost certainly be easily combined, but I have always climbed them separately. I use Five Easy Steps to introduce beginning climbers to trad. This arrangement allows me to watch my second on the traverse.

Pitch 1: Climb up a broken, right-facing corner. From its top, take a sloping traverse to the left aiming just below a small tree (currently marked by a bundle of slings) and to a comfortable ledge with a bush on the left end of it some ten feet beyond the tree. Build a gear anchor at the ledge.

Pitch 2: From the left end of the ledge go up another right-facing corner, staying left of the sotol. Continue up and little to the left over broken ground and few face moves to a wide ledge with chains above it.

Going past Best Bitters, you encounter an obvious left facing corner. Continue up for another 100 feet or so to a left-slanting ramp with two clumps of trees on it. This is the start of the route.

Rappel from chains using two ropes.

Standard rack. There is one piton on the traverse section and a three-bolt anchor at the top.