(1 min) to th hiking trail along th summit ridg. rturn to th parking ara, go right (north) and hik down to th junction with th trail that lads back to High ank (right). ou can mak a much shortr dscnt of Giant by hiking lft (south) and ovr th summit to th trail that dscnds to Chapl Pond. Howvr, this option rquirs a scond vhicl. East Fac Dirct. R 10' êê Climbs stppd slabs nar th right nd of th hadwall and right of th th-class ldgs in th cntr of th hadwall. An old piton high on th pitch is of unknown origin. Start: From th bas of th slid, bypass a bulg by staying in th drainag ara to th lft, thn hik up and right across slabs (nd class) toward th stpst sction of th hadwall. Scrambl alongsid a drainag ara that lads to a larg lft-facing cornr at th right nd of th hadwall. lay on a grassy ldg bnath th larg cornr with a shallow lft-facing cornr ' to th right 0,0. P1. R: Up and lft ovr small ovrlaps to an '-tall right-facing cornr. (V1) Up th cornr to a ldg and travrs lft to a shallow right-facing cornr (optional blay). Up th cornr (cru), or th fac to th lft, to a right-facing flak. Abov th flak, th rock bcoms low-angld and dirty. Up and lft to a '-tall wall (fid protction), thn asy slab climbing up and right for 0' to a blay at a right-facing cornr with a " crack. 10' V1. R: 0' up (. R) to a horizontal (optional blay), thn continu on clan rock and mov lft to a horizontal ovrlap. Past th ovrlap on asy slab to a blay at a horizontal crack ("). FA (V1) 00, Ed Paln, ob Hall, Shila Matz Location Wildrnss Ara, accssd from th Gardn Trailhad or th Adirondack Mountain Rsrv Trailhad Summary A backcountry pak with larg slids on vry sid. -.......1.1+ total has th gratst pans of tchnical alpin rock in th Adirondacks. Th only othr U.S. pak ast of th Rockis that cds th potntial for long mountain routs is Katahdin, Main. Evry sid of has posd rock. Th hiking trails cling to th mountain in th narrow bands of that adorn th ridgs. Compard to th othr slids in th Adirondacks, thos found on ar both clanr and stpr. On most slids, th climbr nds to sk out th difficulty. On, howvr, tchnical climbing abounds, and th asy scrambls to th top ar not obvious. has a broad summit ridg with a sharp, minor summit to th south, Pyramid Pak, which is connctd by a narrow ridg. Two southrn cirqus ar locatd on ithr sid of th narrow ridg: th South Fac to th wst and th Rainbow Slid to th ast. Th broad North Fac sits on th opposit sid of th mountain, dirctly bnath th ldgs of th main summit. Th Wst Fac of is visibl from nighboring Saddlback Mountain and saw a coupl of solo ascnts by Craig Pattrson in th 10s. North Fac Northwst Hight 0' ê Approach hr, difficult Summary Th Nordwand of th Adirondacks, ominous in apparanc but asir to approach and climb than pctd. Faturs slab routs that ascnd a compl fac riddld with ovrlaps and moss-covrd rock. -.......1.1+ total This is th biggst, highst alpin fac in th Adirondacks. Th North Fac of is a sought-aftr climb in summr conditions, matching its rputation as a wintr rout. Du to its northrn aspct, th North Fac is lichn-covrd and oftn wt. Crisscrossing th cntr of th fac ar two historic routs for which similar tchnical difficultis (. R) wr rportd. Th fac is filling in with vgtation, and th bst lin of ascnt is not ncssarily that of th documntd routs. Th clanr Nw Fingr Slid is surpassing th oldr and mor difficult routs in popularity. This rcnt slid is lss difficult and provids a dirct and intrsting way to rach th summit 1,1. sids Old Rout, all of th North Fac routs finish at th uppr right sid of th fac, which is notoriously wt and moss-covrd. Th approach to th North Fac is straightforward, as it follows a broad strambd, has modst lvation gain, and rquirs minimal bushwhacking. A 0'-tall slab that lans against th cliff th Dugal Slab and th right-rising cornr-ramp on th right sid ar important landmarks from which to locat th starts of th routs. DRECTONS (MAP PAGE 0) Park at th Gardn Trailhad (pag ), hik to Johns rook Lodg, and tak th Orbd Trail past th Orbd lan-to ( hr). 1 min past th lan-to, and a fw minuts past a hous-sizd bouldr nt to th trail, you cross th stram from th North Fac 0,0. This is a significant strambd, and if you continu past it, th trail bgins to climb abruptly. Turn lft and follow th stram. Kp right at all branchs and choos th major drainag ara. Aftr a half hour of rock hopping, you'll s th North Fac, and th strambd divids into slid paths. Go lft up a wid slid path with bar rock, thn up a -class bulg in th slid path to arriv at th bas of th North Fac nar th start of Th Dugal at a 0'-tall slab laning against th cliff th Dugal Slab,. Karn Stolz and Stv Franck on North Fac Dirct (.-) in 1, a rout thy dscribd as having "big, thick, wt moss." Photo by R.L. Stolz. F, Fi, Fo, Fum. PG (. R) 0' ê Epct to find hollow holds and crumbly rock. Larg nuts ar rcommndd for protcting th hollow flaks. Start: Sam as East Fac Dirct. P1. PG (. R): Up th shallow lft-facing cornr not th larg cornr to its lft for 0', thn right across th fac (cru) to hollow lftfacing flaks. Up th flaks to a ldg, thn up a short lft-facing cornr (fid protction). Climb slab (. R) to a fid anchor. 0' FA Sp, 00, Ed Paln, ob Starinsky anstalk. TR 0' êê Climb a black strak that is 0' right of th start of F, Fi, Fo, Fum. Th brown strak to th lft is.. Fid protction, 0' down and right of th F, Fi, Fo, Fum anchor, is usd as a dirctional for this rout. FA (TR) Sp, 00, Ed Paln, ob Starinsky ob Starinsky follows F, Fi, Fo, Fum (.) on th first ascnt. Photo by Ed Paln.
lan-to (1 min) and Johns rook vally Colvin hous-sizd bouldr East Summit 1 r oo k b d Uppr Wolfjaw Mountain Tra il Tru North Slid Mountain Tru Orbd rook Or rt h No Trail t cn d s Dugal Slab Lak Road NORTH FACE ng Ra switchback on hiking trail 1 RANOW SLDE Ca sc ad always muddy hol ro ok Saddlback Mountain rappl tr WEST FACE 0'0' slab SOUTH FACE -Pyramid col Pyramid Pak Wld 0 m 0 1/ 1/ i l s Lowr Ausabl Lak Tr ai l Sawtth GOTHCS: NORTH FACE 1 Old Rout (th class) Th Dugal (.) North Fac Dirct (.-) Ain't a Marching Anymor (.) Nw Fingr Slid (.1) DESCENT OPTONS rturn by trail to th Johns rook vally, hik wst along th Rang Trail to th -Saddlback Col and th uppr junction of th Orbd Trail. A scond option is to rturn to th bas of th North Fac via th Tru North Slid, thn hik back down th approach drainag ara to th Orbd Trail. This is much quickr than hiking down th trail. This dscnt ntrs th drainag ara blow th fac; thus, it is rcommndd that all gar b carrid up th rout. From th summit, hik ast along th Rang Trail for lss than min until th trail switchbacks to th south and drops ovr a ldg. At th switchback, lav th trail, and follow a hrd path that gos lft (north), and slightly uphill, for ' to th top of th North Fac at its ast dg th North Ridg of approach from Orbd Trail. Hik north, down and (skir's) right along th shrubs to a rock buttrss; pass this on th right and continu down to th top of th slid, which is 00' blow th buttrss. Hik th moss-covrd slid for min until it bcoms chokd with shrubs and a narrow slid path drops down and lft. Follow th slid on th lft, which bcoms a stp strambd, to th wid slid path with bar rock that you ncountrd on th approach to th North Fac. HSTOR Th first mntion of climbing on th North Fac was Jim Goodwin's dscription of Old Rout in Adirondac in 1. Crdit for th first ascnt of th main fac (Aug 1) gos to Dick Pitman, Dick Lawrnc, and Paul Jim Goodwin, "Kn Vally Chaptr," Adirondac 1, no. (Nov Dc 1), p. 0. 1
Lawrnc, who had an pic day that involvd a -hr bushwhack from th vicinity of th -Saddlback Col to th right sid of th fac. Thir harrowing dscription of th ascnt involvd 1 pitchs of climbing and a nar fall by th ladr (Pitman) whn, 0' out from a poor blay, his ft bgan to slip. yars latr, Dugal Thomas and Molly McNutt climbd and rportd in grat dtail Th Dugal, a dirct rout up th cntr of th fac. Th Dugal ncountrs unprotctd slabs, numrous ovrlaps, and a dmanding sction of mosscovrd rock at th top of th fac. n 1, m Roscrans and Kn Jackson climbd North Fac Dirct, a rout that parallld Th Dugal to th right and bgan bnath a bolt of unknown origin that was 0' up th slab. At th right nd of th fac is a right-rising cornrramp that may hav bn crossd by t'll Probably Mostly a Scrambl (.; Aug 1, 1; utch Kinnon, Jann Kinnon). Howvr, on Jun 1, 10, th right margin of th North Fac slid and mad many of th faturs of this rout unrcognizabl. Shortly aftr th slid occurrd, Ain't a Marching Anymor and Nw Fingr Slid wr climbd. Ain't a Marching Anymor appars to climb nar th lin of t'll Probably Mostly a Scrambl and ascnds th mor challnging rock to th lft of Nw Fingr Slid. Th 10 slid is still obvious but has bgun to grow in. 1 Old Rout th class 0' Popular with wintr climbrs and skirs, as it follows low-angld slabs and tr-filld dprssions to th ridg. caus it has grown in, this rout is no longr a rock climb and cannot b rcommndd. Howvr, it is still th path of last rsistanc up th North Fac. Start: 00' lft of th Dugal Slab and 0' lft of a rightrising ovrlap at th bas of th fac, bnath lowangld th-class slabs that lad up to th minor, ast summit of. Rout Dscription: Climb up slabs (th class) that ar lft of th ovrlap toward th larg stand of lft of th stpr main fac. Go up and right through, thn climb up dirty slabs to th top of th fac nar th low point of th ridg and lft of th main summit. attl th brush up and right to th Rang Trail. Th Dugal. R 0' Start: At th Dugal Slab, abov th approach slid. Rout Dscription: Up and lft of th Dugal Slab, thn up and right past a long horizontal ovrlap abov th right-rising ovrlap nar th bas. Continu up, thn ovr an ovrlap on th lft that has clan whit rock bnath it. rak through anothr ovrlap, thn up and right through a vrtical gash filld with vgtation. Abov th gash is a low-angld band of vgtation that riss to th lft. Climb up and right through th band of vgtation to an ovrlap bnath a long slab. rak th ovrlap, thn up th slab (cru) to a horizontal ovrlap. rak th ovrlap and continu up a highr slab to a small horizontal ovrlap. Travrs right bnath th ovrlap, thn across ovrgrown slabs to low-angld rock and shrubs. Angl lft through th shrubs to th rock ldgs at th main summit. FA Jul 1, 1, Dugal Thomas, Molly McNutt North Fac Dirct.- PG (. R) 0' êê Th top of this rout is probably unclimbabl in its currnt condition, and it is rcommndd to travrs ovr to Nw Fingr Slid aftr P. P1 climbs som of th smoothst and clanst rock in th Adirondacks. Start: 0' right of th Dugal Slab and 0' lft of th right-rising, lft-facing cornr-ramp, bnath an ovrlap 0' abov th ground. P1.- PG: Up to th ovrlap (small cam), thn stp lft onto a stp slab (.-). Sustaind friction climbing up and right past two bolts lads to th bottom of a right-facing cornr that is lft of a strip of moss and vgtation. Go right across th moss strip and up to a blay at an ovrlap. 10' P. PG: Up th unprotctd slab (.) abov th blay to a stpr slab protctd by a bolt. Abov th slab, travrs right on a ldg to th lft nd of a larg ovrlap and climb up a lft-facing cornr to a tr blay abov th ovrlap. 10' P. R: (V1) Mak a lft-rising travrs (dirty) and pass through a notch in an ovrlap to a blay. ' P and abov: Travrs lft bnath th vrtical gash filld with vgtation (climbd by Th Dugal). Climb slabs that ar intrsprsd with vrtical cracks to a low-angld band of vgtation that riss to th lft. Climb up and right through th band of vgtation to an ovrlap bnath a long slab (sam as Th Dugal). Travrs right bnath th ovrlap, thn brak through th ovrlap and climb up th slab past svral shrub islands. Travrs right from th highst shrub island to avoid climbing th moss-covrd slabs abov. From th right margin of th fac, climb up and lft across moss-covrd slabs and shrubs (sam as Th Dugal) to th rock ldgs at th main summit. 0' V1 Nw Fingr Connctor. G: This is th rcommndd finish to North Fac Dirct. Go right across an asy slab to a long lft-facing cornr. Climb ovr th cornr at a right-rising crack that bgins in a wid flar. Follow th crack until it nds, thn continu right for 0' to a blay at th lft nd of a shrub ldg. This blay is dirctly abov th cru pitch of Nw Fingr Slid. History: Roscrans and Jackson chos this lin bcaus it would b on of th longst routs in th Northast. ginning at th bas of th fac, thy dcidd on a start that would ascnd a clan, smooth slab that, surprisingly, had a mystrious bolt. Th bolt had bn rportd as missing sinc th arly 10s and was rcntly rplacd in ordr to rstor this rout's suprb lowr pitchs. FA Oct, 1, m Roscrans, Kn Jackson th lft (.) and continu up moss-covrd slabs until you can scap right to th right margin of th fac. Climb up and lft across moss-covrd slabs and shrubs (sam as Th Dugal) to th rock ldgs at th main summit. FA Jul, 10, Ptr Hnnr, Nancy Lawson Nw Fingr Slid.1 R 0' êê Mor difficult than Eagl Slid on Giant, Nw Fingr Slid has a cru pitch of pur friction on clan rock. This is th rcommndd rout for th North Fac and a dirctissima to th summit of. Start: Sam as Ain't a Marching Anymor. Rout Dscription: Up th cornr-ramp, thn right across a tr-covrd ldg bnath an ovrgrown slab. Avoid climbing th ovrgrown slab by instad climbing a clan, narrow slid to th right that is sparatd from th main fac by a tr island. Travrs to th right bnath th ovrgrown slab and tr island to an ovrlap. Climb th ovrlap (wt) and th narrow slid abov to its top. Travrs lft across th top of th tr island to th main fac. Th cru pitch is dirctly abov and is approachd by travrsing (lft) out a vgtatd crack until it widns to body-sizd. Climb pur friction (cru) for 0' to a ldg. Abov th ldg, th tchnical difficultis as, and svral th-class pitchs ascnd th right margin of th main fac. At th top of th slid, mak a hard mov ovr an ovrlap; abov this, stp lft and climb moss-covrd slabs and shrubs (sam as Th Dugal) to th rock ldgs at th main summit. FA Jun, 10, Don Mllor, Jant Mllor, ill Dodd South Fac South Hight 00' êêêê Approach hr 0 min, difficult Summary Th most alluring alpin fac in th Adirondacks, with cllnt rock quality and routs of all difficultis. -.......1.1+ total Gracing th stpst fac on ar som of th bst alpin rock climbs in th Northast. A tribut to th scouring powr of glacirs, th South Fac is a dp basin of sculptd rock, not th shattrd rock that is commonly ncountrd at 00' in th Northast. Th southrn posur nabls th fac to dry mor quickly than th north sid of th mountain. Howvr, th vgtation at th top of th cliff will continu to sp for a coupl of days aftr a rain. DRECTONS (MAP PAGE 0) Park at th AMR Trailhad (pag ), hik th Lak Road to Lowr Ausabl Lak, and thn up th Wld Trail to th summit of Pyramid Pak, rachd at hr. Pyramid Pak provids cllnt viws of th South Fac of. An altrnativ approach from th Gardn Trailhad (pag ) is longr, but offrs camping and climbing to th main summit via th North Fac. ou can rach th bas of th climbs on th South Jrmy Haas follows Ta and iscuits (.a), blayd by Robrt Livingston on th Piano Ldg. Photo by Rachl Sloan. Ain't a Marching Anymor. R 0' Start: 00' right of th Dugal Slab, at th bas of th right-rising, lft-facing cornr-ramp and bnath a slab with a larg ovrlap 00' up. Rout Dscription: Up poorly protctd, ovrgrown slabs (cru) to th lft nd of an ovrlap (joining North Fac Dirct at th top of P). rak th ovrlap on th lft and continu up and right on asir slab (.) for two pitchs. Up two additional pitchs of flaks and cornrs (..) that stay lft of th strip of vgtation and climb to a lft-rising ovrlap. rak th ovrlap on
GOTHCS: SOUTH FACE GOTHCS: SOUTH FACE Original Rout (.) Ta and iscuits (.a) South Fac Dirct (.d) Gothic Arch (.) Goodwin Rout (.) Original Rout (.) Ta and iscuits (.a) South Fac Dirct (.d) Gothic Arch (.) Goodwin Rout (.) -Saddlback col -Saddlback col Rang Trail Rang Trail RANOW SLDE RANOW SLDE Pyramid rou win flaks tr win rou tr t t th-class sction dscnt from -Pyramid col Pyramid dscnt from -Pyramid col th-class sction Lak Road Fac ithr by a bushwhack from th -Pyramid Col or by rapplling South Fac Dirct. ushwhack to bas: From th 0' sction of lvl hiking trail in th -Pyramid Col, lav th trail, and bushwhack wst to a stp, trfilld drainag ara. Hik down th drainag ara past on short downclimb to arriv at th bas of th fac (on th right sid, nar th start of Goodwin Rout) within 0 min of th col. Rappl to bas: Locat a hrd path on th Rang Trail, 0.1 mil wst of th main summit and bfor th opn ldgs of th minor summit to th wst. Th landmark for th start of th hrd path is a prmanntly muddy hol on th trail 1,. Follow th hrd path downhill for min to an 0' slab abov th South Fac. Lak Road Scrambl down th slab, thn travrs (skir's) right across th top of th main fac (vry posd) for 00'. Locat a tr 0' back from th top of th cliff with long rappl slings,. A 0-m rop is rquird to mak thr rappls down South Fac Dirct that nd at a -class lft-rising ramp (Original Rout). Follow it down and (skir's) lft to th bas of th South Fac nar th start of Gothic Arch 1,1. DESCENT OPTONS Don't plan on rturning to th bas of this fac. Carry out whatvr gar you dscnd with. HSTOR Th South Fac is hom to on of th oldst tchnical climbs in North Amrica. Original Rout climbs th striking crack (th class) that cuts up and lft across th wall and involvs th-class climbing to surmount th bulging rock abov it. n 1, Jim Goodwin mad a solo ascnt of th right sid of th fac as a dtour whil hiking th pak with a frind. Goodwin avoidd th stp lowr hadwall (climbd by Gothic Arch) and climbd th longst strtch of rock on th fac. Mor than a cntury aftr its original ascnt, th South Fac got a nw look in th nw millnnium whn Ed Paln and Vinny McCllland addd four pitchs of clan, wll-protctd fac climbing on th stp cntral sction of th fac. Original Rout. PG 00' ou can asily s this lft-laning crack from Pyramid Pak. Th crack is clan, but th slabs abov it ar moss-covrd. Ta and iscuits and South Fac Dirct start partway up th crack. Start: From th bas of th South Fac, hik grassy slops lft and up to th bginning of th crack. Rout Dscription: Th lowr portion of th crack is -class, and fid protction marks th start at South Fac Dirct and again at Ta and iscuits 0' highr. Nar its nd, th crack bcoms th-class, and a stp lft onto a slab (cru) avoids th stp wall abov. Continu up th slabs (th-class) past shrub ldgs to th top of th fac. Travrs right across th top of th fac for 00' and locat th hrd path to th Rang Trail. History: This rout was on of th arlist tchnical ascnts in North Amrica. A rop was carrid, but thr is no mntion of its bing usd. FA Aug 0, 1, Nwll Martin, Milford Hathaway Photo by Kvin "MudRat" MacKnzi.
Ta and iscuits.a G ' êêê A singl-pitch rout that bgins at th lft-laning crack of Original Rout and nds at th roof-cappd ldg (Grand Piano Ldg) high on th wall. t can b approachd ithr by rapplling South Fac Dirct or bushwhacking to th bas and starting up Original Rout. Start: At th highr of th two blays, with fid protction, along th crack of Original Rout. f you approach th climb by rappl, you'll nd to angl th rappls to th lft to rach th start. P1.a G: Climb past a low ovrlap to th stp slab (cru) with crystals. Continu toward th stpning hadwall and climb to a fid anchor at th lft nd of th Grand Piano Ldg. ' FA Oct, 00, Ed Paln, Vinny McCllland South Fac Dirct.d G 0' êêêê Each pitch of this climb is uniqu, and th climbing gts progrssivly stpr. Th Grand Piano Ldg is on of th most scnic and spacious blay ldgs in th Adirondacks. Prviously.a, a hold brok nar th top of P1 in 01, making this considrably mor difficult. Start: At fid protction in th crack of Original Rout that is 0' blow th start of Ta and iscuits. f you approach th climb by rappl, you'll nd to angl th rappls to th lft to rach th start. P1.d G: A sustaind pitch of low-angld fac climbing (fragil flaks) ascnds to th lft nd of a narrow ldg blow a stp hadwall. Travrs right across th ldg to a fid anchor. 0' P.+ G: Climb narly vrtical rock up and lft on positiv holds to a thin travrs (right) and asir climbing up to th Grand Piano Ldg and a blay at a fid anchor. 0' P. G: Stp right (V1) and climb up a larg bouldr to rach th lip of th roof. Ovr th roof on dimpld rock, thn up an asy slab to th top of th cliff. lay from a tr with fid anchors. 0' V1. R: ou can mak an asir scap by travrsing off th right nd of th Grand Piano Ldg toward a tr island and unprotctd climbing (.) up and lft to a tr blay at th top of th cliff. FA (P1, P) Oct, 00, Ed Paln, Vinny McCllland FA (P) 00, Chris Hyson, m andon FA (V1) Oct, 00, Ed Paln, Vinny McCllland Gothic Arch. PG (. X) 00' êêê Ascnds th longst lin on th South Fac; a fantastic alpin climb. Varid climbing and committing position with no fid gar. Th fac has thr distinct sctions: th faturd, high-angld slab at th bottom that nds at a vrtical hadwall; a middl sction of low-angld friction that nds at ; and a narrow slid with ovrlaps that nds bnath th hiking trail (sam as Goodwin Rout). A 0-m rop is rcommndd. Start: Locat a 0'-tall arch at th bas of th South Fac and a continuous black strak that runs down th fac and ovr th arch. Start at a short slab immdiatly lft of th lft nd of th arch. P1. PG: Climb th slab to a vgtatd ldg, thn up and right to a spacious ldg with a wid crack on th right. 0' P. PG: Ascnd th wid crack, thn travrs right on ldgs (and across th black strak) and climb flaks toward th right nd of a long hadwall. Establish a smihanging blay in th faturd rock of th hadwall. 00' P. G (. X): Climb th stp, pocktd fac abov th blay and onto a broad slab. Up th slab past a short, vrtical crack (optional blay), thn asy slab climbing (. X) to a tr blay on th lft sid of a tr pninsula. ' P. PG: Stp right and go up vgtation to th right of th tr pninsula to a slab bnath an ovrlap. Up th slab and blay at th ovrlap as for Goodwin Rout. ' P. PG: Sam as Goodwin Rout. Stp lft and climb th ovrlap to a crack and thn up to th nt ovrlap. Mov lft 0', thn up at a small flak and continu to a third ovrlap. Climb th ovrlap, thn mov up and right to th for a blay. 0' P. PG: Sam as Goodwin Rout. Up a slab to an ovrlap, thn climb th ovrlap to a lft-arching crack. Follow th crack lft, thn climb up and right to th top of th slid. lay from, thn bushwhack (0' 0') to th trail that conncts and Pyramid Pak. 0' Goodwin Rout. PG 0' ê Climbs th right dg of th South Fac on low-angld slabs to th narrow slid with ovrlaps that nds bnath th hiking trail. Gothic Arch joins this rout for th last thr pitchs. Start: At th right sid of th fac, in a grassy madow bnath a low-angld whit slab lft of th. P1 class: Up th whit slabs to a tr blay. 00' P class: Up slabs to a blay that is ' blow a tall, black ovrhanging wall. 00' P. PG: Travrs lft bnath a vgtatd ldg to a pocktd wall. Up th wall, thn back right to a blay in vgtation. 0' P. PG: Up a slab to an ovrlap, thn lft along th ovrlap to a blay. 0' P. PG: Stp lft and climb th ovrlap to a crack and thn up to th nt ovrlap. Mov lft 0', thn up at a small flak and continu to a third ovrlap. Climb th ovrlap, thn mov up and right to th for a blay. 0' P. PG: Up a slab to an ovrlap, thn climb th ovrlap to a lft-arching crack. Follow th crack lft, thn climb up and right to th top of th slid. lay from, thn bushwhack (0' 0') to th trail that conncts and Pyramid Pak. 0' History: P and P, which wr dscribd by utch and Jann Kinnon, mak th rout hardr and mor sustaind than th asist lin, which is along th right margin of th uppr slid. FA 1, Jim Goodwin FA (P, P) Jul 1, 11, utch Kinnon, Jann Kinnon Rainbow Slid South Hight 00' Approach Summary êêê hr, difficult Ecptional friction climbing on som of th clanst and smoothst rock in th Adirondacks. Phnomnal viws of Lowr Ausabl Lak and th Di Rang. -.......1.1+ total Th Rainbow Slid is th larg pans of rock that can b sn on whn it is viwd from paks to th southast. caus hiking trails ar found on th adjacnt ridgs, it is an oftn-admird wall that can b scopd out asily. Dspit its visibility and proimity to popular hiking trails, littl climbing has bn rportd on th Rainbow Slid. Two conditions that may hav dissuadd climbrs ar th apparntly long bushwhack up th drainag ara and th ovrgrown apparanc of th uppr fac. Th slid has thr sctions: a low, clan slab (-class); a stp cntr slab (whr th routs ar); and an uppr fac that has ovrgrown, low-angl slabs bnath a long, imposing roof. Th routs on th cntr slab involv sustaind friction climbing with dcnt protction. Th rock is bautiful clan, smooth, and goldn in color. class approach G OTHCS: RANOW SLDE class Goodwin-Stanly Rout (th class) 1 Tddy's Trauma (.-) 1 Pot of Gold (.) Ovr th Rainbow (.+) 1 1 1 1 1 1 class 1 it: min to Rang Trail clan slid DRECTONS (MAP PAGE 0) Du to rcnt blowdown in th drainag ara blow th fac, it is rcommndd to approach th Rainbow Slid from th col btwn and th minor summit of Pyramid Pak. Park at th AMR Trailhad (pag ), hik th Lak Road to Lowr Ausabl Lak, and thn up th Wld Trail to th summit of Pyramid. Hiking tim from th trailhad to Pyramid is hr. At th 0' sction of lvl hiking trail in th -Pyramid col, locat a brak in th vgtation (good viws of th fac) on th ast sid of th trail,. Sighting th col btwn and, st a baring of 0º and bushwhack past th 0'-tall trunk of a dad tr to a couch-sizd bouldr that is 0' from th trail. Continu on th 0º baring for anothr 0' and chang to a baring of 0º. Follow on of svral drainag aras that dscnd to a 0'-by-0' slab that is 0 min from th hiking trail 1,. From th bottom of th slab, travrs (skir's) lft through woods for 00' to th lft dg of th Rainbow Slid, whr th slid bcoms a strambd. Cross th slid and hik up and around a pninsula of to th lft sid of th stp cntr sction of th Rainbow Slid 1,0. DESCENT OPTONS Th rcommndd it from th fac is to scrambl ( class) th clan slid up and right of th top of th routs. Follow th slid to its top, thn travrs right across ldgs bfor you ntr th woods. A -min bushwhack up and right nds at th Rang Trail. rturn to th Lak Road, hik ast (right) along th Rang Trail for min to a junction with th trail that dscnds to avr Madow Falls and St. Hubrts on th right. For partis that wish to climb mor than on rout, Pot of Gold can b rapplld from fid anchors with two rops. Th top anchor is 0' lft of th it slid and abov th bginning of th clan slabs that tnd to th top of th fac. HSTOR Nwll Martin, a mmbr of th al class of 1, bridgd th gap btwn hiking and mountainring with his - and th-class scrambls of slids in th rgion. H is blivd to hav dscndd th Rainbow Slid with guid Charli d in that tim priod. Jim Goodwin's 1 travrs of was th first rportd ascnt of th Rainbow Slid. Th travrs involvd climbing th lft sid of th slid to th summit, thn dscnding th North Fac. Craig Pattrson and Ronald Dubay cam nt, with thir ascnt of Tddy's Trauma in 1. Thir multipitch rout travrsd bnath th cntr of th fac bfor it ascndd a committing slab lft of cntr. Svral old pitons can b found on th fac, prhaps lft by th first-ascnt party. Th rmains of thir lon blay bolt ar still visibl high on th fac. Activity stalld for narly 0 yars until rcntly whn two nw routs wr addd Ovr th Rainbow and, mor rcntly, Pot of Gold. Jams A. Goodwin, "Rock Climbing in th Adirondacks," in Th Adirondack and th Forty Sirs, d. Grac Hudowalski (10), pp..
would hav bn a wondr dog to fr th cru pitch, which was a vry bold lad involving a 0' runout of. friction. Trying to gt th most out of a ' rop, th first ascntionists placd a blay bolt (still visibl) at th bas of th cru slab and thankfully rachd a blay at rop's nd. Longr rops, small cams, and sticky shos hav changd th sriousnss of th rout, but th quality still rmains. FA Aug, 1, Craig Pattrson, Ronald Dubay East Summit it approach from - Pyramid col 1 1 Ovr th Rainbow.+ PG (.+ R) 00' êê Start: Sam as Pot of Gold. P1.+ R: Friction up a clan strip that cuts a slab covrd in grn lichn (sam as Pot of Gold). Continu up lft-facing ovrlaps, thn stp right and climb a clan, tan-colord slab to a blay (small cams) at a '-long ovrlap. 00' P.+ PG: Up and right for ' to an ovrlap, thn up anothr ' to a scond ovrlap. Up and lft on flaks to a shallow right-facing cornr and a third ovrlap. Work up and lft across a moss strip to a tr. 00' FA Jul, 00, ob Hall, Shila Matz, Ed Paln GOTHCS: RANOW SLDE 1 1 Goodwin-Stanly Rout (th class) Tddy's Trauma (.-) Pot of Gold (.) Ovr th Rainbow (.+) Goodwin-Stanly Rout th class 00' Start: At th highst vgtation on th lft sid of th stp cntr sction of th Rainbow Slid. Rout Dscription: Up moss-covrd slabs lft of th stp, clan slabs in th cntr of th fac. Pass through and scrambl up and right on th vgtatd slabs bnath th normous right-rising roofs to a tr-covrd ldg that is lvl with th right nd of th roof. Travrs lft toward th roof and bnath a ciling. Follow a vgtatd gash btwn th normous roof and th ciling, thn up and right to a short wall. Climb it to th top of th fac. History: Th ascnt was a sction of th travrs of from Lowr Ausabl Lak to th Johns rook vally. Latr that day, Goodwin and Stanly dscndd th North Fac to complt th travrs. FA 1, Jim Goodwin, Edward Stanly 1 Pot of Gold. G 00' êêêê Start: From th highst vgtation on th lft sid of th fac, hik downhill and right, bnath th stpst sction of slab. Continu downhill and cross th lowangl slabs (nd class) to th right sid of th fac and blay on a frn-covrd ldg. P1. PG: Friction up a clan strip that cuts a slab covrd in grn lichn. Continu up lft-facing ovrlaps, thn mov lft ovr slabs to a ldg abov a long ovrhang. lay at a fid anchor. ' P. G: Up dgs abov th anchor to th top of a lft-arching ovrlap; ovr this, thn up and lft bnath a bulg. Ovr th bulg and continu past small ovrlaps to a blay at a fid anchor in a scoop. ' P th class: Stp lft and up clan rock that is lft of moss-covrd slabs to a tr with fid anchors. 0' FA Aug 0, 00, Jrmy Haas, m Roscrans, Robrt Livingston 1 Tddy's Trauma.- G (. R) 0' êêê Start: From th highst vgtation on th lft sid of th fac, hik downhill and right, bnath th stpst sction of slab, to a blay blow a long right-facing, right-laning cornr that bgins ' abov th vgtation. P1. PG: Up slabs to th right-facing cornr, thn follow it to a blay at its nd. ' P.- G (. R): Climb up to a right-facing flak (protction), thn paddl up a 0' strtch of slab (hardr for th first half) to a blay at an ovrlap (small cam and on anchor bolt). ' P.0 R: Up and right to a blay at a tr with a fid anchor (sam anchor as Pot of Gold). 0' History: Th original ascnt bgan at a low bulg at th bas of th cntr sction of th Rainbow Slid. Th first-ascnt party includd Tddy, Pattrson's dog, who couldn't snd P1 (probably th low bulg). Tddy Wst Fac Th Wst Fac, approachd by hading southast from th -Saddlback col, has two historic routs that hav now bcom too ovrgrown to rcommnd (or vn find). Grn Strak: Portsid (. R; Aug 1; Craig Pattrson, solo) frictions up th lft sid of th slab with long runouts. Mountain Sunshin (. G; Aug 1; Craig Pattrson, solo) ascnds a long, clan crack systm on th right sid of th slab. Lowr Wolfjaw Cliff Location Wildrnss Ara, accssd from th Adirondack Mountain Rsrv Trailhad South Hight ' Approach hr 0 min, difficult Summary A short bushwhack to a high cliff that has an incomplt rout with good potntial for mor. On th south fac of Lowr Wolfjaw, bnath th woodd summit, is a stp slab abov th Wdg rook Vally. Lots of unplord, and stpr, rock is visibl farthr right of th slab. With fw cracks and ldgs, this is a challnging fac with potntial for hard friction climbs. Th lft sid of th fac has a highr bas and a fw ldgs bnath a ciling nar th top of th cliff. Although Lowr Wolfjaw Cliff is without a rcommndd rout, it is a plasant stting with opn, frn-covrd slops bnath a shild of clan rock. HSTOR On a hik in th arly 0s, Duois noticd that th posd rock on Lowr Wolfjaw appard to b mor of a cliff than a low-angld slid. H bushwhackd in svral tims to plor th rock. Most of th cliff is stp and quit faturlss, but th on incomplt rout follows a lin of faturs up th mor modratly-angld lft sid. ushwhack plorrs rarly ncountr othr popl in thir travls, but whil th first ascnt party was high on th rout, thy wr surprisd to s Ed Paln walk out of th woods to say hllo. DRECTONS Park at th AMR Trailhad (pag ). From th parking ara (0 hr 0 min), hik th Ausabl Lak Road and, at 0 min, rach a footbridg and sign for Canyon ridg on th right. Cross th footbridg, and follow a trail markd with blu discs to Canyon ridg. Cross Canyon ridg, and follow th Wst Rivr Trail upstram to its intrsction with th Wdg rook Trail, rachd at 1 hr. Hik th Wdg rook Trail and, at hr, rach th intrsction with a trail markd with rd discs on th right. Follow th rd-disc trail for 00' to a viw of th cliff whr th trail turns lft (wst). Lav th trail hr 01,, at hr min, had north, and travrs th mountainsid past minor drainag aras and cliffbands. Arriv at frn-covrd slops bnath th lft nd of th cliff at hr 0 min 0,1. DESCENT OPTONS Rappl with two rops from a fid anchor. Photo by Jay Harrison. Photo by Kvin "MudRat" MacKnzi.