Maverick

This pitch has some pretty nice climbing on it, but it is marred rather frequently by bushes or loose rock. An experienced adventure climber will not mind, but it is not a route for tentative leaders.

The crux is probably the first 3 meters of climbing and involves a massive but precarious looking flake. While I was comfortable climbing on that and jamming it, the thought of placing gear behind it was rather unattractive, and so there was a runout there.

This route starts as for

The Hot Spur

, in a left-facing, left-leaning corner. After a move or two, pull into a handcrack behind a massive flake and pass a small tree. Continue up and left past a small roof and head sharply left away from the left-facing slot of

The Hot Spur

and out to a second crack system. The climbing improves. Continue up cracks on some 5.7 to 5.8+ terrain past a medium pine to a ledge with additional pines. A delicate traverse (sloping ledge with loose rocks on it) will take you South 4 meters to a very solid and well situated tree to rap, if that is your goal.

Be VERY careful pulling the rope from the wall. "Bricks" abound on the ledges....

A standard rack of nuts & cams to 4". This area of the wall tends to accept large gear too, but it is not necessary, as other options are not far away. Take some cord or webbing if you want to retreat after completing this pitch and not continue on

The Hot Spur

. A 70m JUST touches down from the best tree we could locate.