Back to the Wall

Interesting thoughtful moves in a variety of rock situations.

Up the left arete of the Sharks Tooth detached flake to its top - (extra points for standing up straight on top in balance with no hands). . . Variation 1 (less exciting but perhaps better protected for Leading): Start up the gully+face behind left side of Sharks Tooth.

Step (or fall?) across to the main face into a shallow alcove just left of a right-trending crack. Trend right up crack, or up to top of alcove then exit right to crack, and up to a ledge.

Next up shallow gully on right side of bulge. . . Variation 2 (more interesting but not protected): Step left on ledge, then up over left side of bulge. Move left to base of arete with fins which forms left edge of upper Tower Wall.

Up the arete with fins, perhaps with moves both strenuous and balancy (crux) . . Variation 3: Climb a few feet on the face to right of arete up to overhang, then escape left to join the arete.

Finish up a short slab.

warning: The rock around this sector has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.

The Sharks Tooth is a detached flake about 15 feet high and 10 feet wide at the base of the left side of the Tower Wall. Start on the left side of the Sharks Tooth.

Lead: normal NY style Trad rack.

The 2011 print guidebook and the Rakkup phone app (as of 2017) seem to imply that this route is reasonably protectable, but a substantial percentage of climbers think it's more like PG-13.

Perhaps this route might be said to be reasonably protected if the leader "does everything right", including: - uses Variation 1, - takes extra care to make sure one of the low pieces does not pull out after climb past it, - makes at least one strenuous placement which does not seem necessary at the time but is the last chance for awhile, - accepts that a lengthy less-difficult section in the middle has no protection, and - is prepared that while the tricky balancy sequence of the upper crux section may be 5.8 after you know it, on sight it might feel more like 5.9 and need more finger endurance/strength just to hang on while working out each move.

Top-Rope: Likely easiest with a very long static line (at least 100 ft) - to reach tree set way back from top of cliff - also likely want to rappel or down-climb below the top 20 or 30 feet to set the carabiners lower, so to avoid dragging / abrasion of the rope over the cliff top edge.

Reaching the top of the cliff: One simple (but not short) way is to hike left (WNW) past the base of sectors Three Bears and Daves Wall to the intersection of the Tower Wall tier trail with The Good Book access trail. Turn Right and follow The Good Book trail up a steep slope, then after it gets gentle, find a way off it right and upward toward the mini-summit view at the top of the Tower Wall cliff.