Garfield Goes To Washington

This climb is one of the classics at Rushmore. It is long and has varied climbing. Follow the trail east from the parking near Dire Spire. Look for a prominent dihedral that shoots up to a gigantic roof. This is the climb, although the route traverses and does not mess with the roof.

Pitch 1: Climb up a steep crack that widens near its top. Some plant life is encountered low. This long pitch is the crux, and ends at a ledge with fixed anchors. Also, a slanting crack (Slant Crack, diagonals up and right), reaches this point.

Pitch 2: Follow an easy (5.6) but loose dihedral (wide) to another ledge. This pitch is very short. Then a long traverse must be made to the right on this ledge. Either traverse this ledge now, or do a short intermediate pitch to avoid rope drag for the last pitch.

Pitch 3: Climb up runout face (5.6 - 5.7) to the top of the formation. This pitch is pretty runout, but then again, I had a small rack when I did it. Maybe some aliens would help? At any rate, take the easiest path possible for upward progress.

Standard Rack. Larger pieces for the second pitch.