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Peak Mountain 3

Toot

FA: Molly Higgins and Dan McClure, mid-70s
CREATED 
UPDATED 

Description

A one pitch finger crack with good supplemental edges. Find a steep finger crack that does not reach the ground on the wall right of the gigantic

Howling at the Wind

dihedral (same approach as for

Fat City Crack

, and a good climb to do when you come back to get your stuff after climbing that route). Traditionally, there are stacked rocks at the base of the route below the crack. Starting from the rocks, make a wild, footless, crux move to a perfect finger jam, which unfortunately is also your first good gear. I actually stick-placed (yes, placed) a nut there before starting to mitigate the good possibility of a sprained ankle or worse (the ground drops away sharply to the right)-- a devious (read: weenie) technique that is nevertheless quite common, I hear. Regardless, one encounters two more 5.10 cruxes before reaching a ledge on

Pear Buttress

. It is possible to continue up that or other routes, but most people rappel (75 ft.) from webbing (of cordalette length) around a flake right at the top of the route (may not be fixed, so bring some).

2018 edit

: I haven't seen any slings on the flake for years. It seems what most people do now is continue up into the easy second pitch of Pear Buttress and rap from the pin/nut anchor (with chains). As Jeff G. points out in a comment, it's probably best to keep the tat to a minimum.

A 60 meter rope works for this rap if you stay climber's left and come back down to the base of the route.

The left-leaning corner directly above Toot looks like it would go, too, and lead to the same belay on Pear Buttress.

Protection

Small stoppers and cams, and Friends #s 2-3 up high.