Flight of the Trundlebee

This one's a real hair-raiser! As shown by the picture, the route roughly follows the path of least resistance up the rock rib just left of the central gully on the North Face. We found the crux to be in the 2nd pitch in a right-facing, bulging dihedral. Protection on the route can be sparse and takes some imagination at times. This route may be borderline X-rated. Belays are also tricky (welcome to quartzite climbing!), so bring your a-game. This is kind of a "choose your own adventure" route, and route finding can be a bit challenging at times. Have fun out there!

The route roughly follows the rock rib looker's left of the central gully on the North Face (see picture). After ascending the talus slopes above the lake (may be snow depending on the season), scramble up slabby terrain until you are at the base of the gully. The first pitch goes around the corner and to the left onto the rib. The descent is down the east ridge to the saddle between Peak 13,405 and Storm King Peak. Also, depending on the season, it is possible to descend the couloir just behind the East ridge.

There are no fixed anchors. Bring at least a single rack of cams up to a #3 and nuts, maybe a few larger hexes, a strong heart and mind. Some smaller pieces (TCUs, micronuts) may help as well.