Ranger on the Rock

Like all the other routes in the gorge, the view is the one of the best parts of the climb. Set about 1/2 mile down the gorge the panorama includes the face and Agharta and Feline climbing walls to the north. Just across the way lies Mt. Haystack with its impressive summit ridge of bare rock.

The route starts on featured slab and climbs up to a partially vegetated corner. Step left over the corner and follow it up until its end. The feature becomes more rounded and less vegetated at the top. Climb 30’ up and slightly right over small overlaps to an edge with good protection.

Pitch 2 traverses right and up over more small overlaps toward a tree island with a large dead tree (tree is loose).

Pitch 3 (crux) begins from the opposite side of the tree island and traverses right to the beginning of a sloping ledge with small evergreens on the far side. The best quality rock is away from the trees. Climb the face up to the base of a large overlap where the first good protection is available. Traverse left to another tree island.

Pitch 4 ends with a climb up the face and into the grass to the base of the cliff at the top of the slab.

Descent: Traverse right (north) across top of face on grassy shelves into trees. Your target is a gully about 300 feet north of the top of pitch #4. Rappel down the gully with over 530 feet of elevation loss; plan for 6 rappels from firm trees.

Navigate southwest toward the east face of Marcy once at the bottom of the gorge. Cross the drainage from Grand Central Slide (about 15 feet wide). Avoid a large debris field from a 2011 rock-fall on the right side of the face. Hug the bottom of the face on easy terrain until you're about 100 feet away from the Margin Slide along the southern edge of the face.

Medium to small cams and good navigational skills to get there.