North Arete Left Side

"Class 4-5 blocks up from the notch at the base of the arete end at the base of a large right-facing dihedral. Start up the dihedral, then step left to a finger crack that leads to a ledge. Climb the flaring cracks above the ledge to a crack that ends to the left of a left-facing dihedral. Go up and right via discontinuous cracks (5.10) to the right of a large overhanging block to a large ledge. Go up and left to a groove, followed by a short, steep pitch over the headwall and 300 feet of class 4 to the top." - Secor

Approach: Hike up the cl. 4 ‘Lorenzo Route’ from Hamilton Lake into the bowl, it’s south from the lake up the easiest path of resistance,... or hike to the top of Hamilton Falls, walk past the falls and up a few switchbacks. Leave the trail, head south, and bushwhack a bit through chinquapin. Then look for and follow a grassy narrow ledge/ramp up past a tree until you're in the bottom of the bowl beneath Hamilton Towers. Cl 2/3 , In this bowl there are two water drainages, sometimes dried up near the end of season. Take the far right drainage up class 3 until your up in the right side of the bowl.

Continue up higher almost like your hiking to the ridge line that is Hamilton Towers, look for a notch/saddle with trees and scramble over it. Down climb the other side and descend a several hundred feet to the toe of the North Buttress of Hamilton Dome. The first lower crack ramp in the bowl is cl. 4/5 chimneys that has been rapped before.

Descent: After the summit, walk south, then left and zig zag down exposed cl 5 and out a sidewalk left to rap, to a blocky ledge, left then down again for two 60m raps. This is the older way to get off, pretty scary stuff. May need to leave nuts or tat. **There is a newer and much better way off, see Subliminal Verses.

Standard alpine rack. Doubles to #3 & nuts. No bolts, must build your own anchors. Emphasize on small cams and lots of nuts and long runners.