Clear-a-Sill

A nice route with two good pitches. Start directly below the belay tree of

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at a wide crack. This is maybe 20 feet left of the upper

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dihedral. Up the wide crack using various holds (no offwidth required) to an easy low angle area. Aim straight up for a crease at the left edge of an overhanging headwall. Get gear at the base of the crease -- cam straight up, small wire in the crease -- and move left onto the steep wall. Get a cam above in an undercling. You can escape further left for a rest, but if you can, continue straight up on good face holds--it gets easy quickly. Continue to the belay tree. This pitch felt contrived, since at the crux headwall you can go just a few feet left to easier climbing.

Pitch 2 climbs a bit right of the tree with decent gear to the base of an overhanging buttress. Move left, then up a crack with good gear in the crack and out right (crux). Another easier but tricky bulge leads to a low angle slab and the

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rappel tree.

As of 2/16/03 the slings on this tree were crap. One ancient sling and one newer but partially cut. We traversed left on the east side of the ridge to the cable anchor that leads down to the bolts above

Washington Irving

.

Rated S in Rossiter, I felt this was G. Standard rack.