Uncle Sam's Jam

Uncle Sam's Jam is a mind-boggling roof hand crack. Supposedly it's the

Separate Reality

simulator of the SPlatte. The only bummer on this proud line is how much easy/chossy terrain is required to experience the thrilling, short roof section, oh, and aiding back up the rope if anyone on the party ever falls at the crux. P1 and 2 can be linked if you fancy yourself a whiz at preventing rope drag.

P1. 5.7, 30'. A #4 or 5 in the back of the alcove can keep the belayer stable and protect the cruxy first move. From the belay alcove, make an exposed step left over a thorn bush to gain a short, fun hand crack. Swim to a nice belay stance under the roof, and build an anchor with fist cams and large nuts.

P2. 5.11c, 20'. This is a very distorting but awesome, 4 star, roped boulder problem. This is where you realize the crack is actually past horizontal and goes downwards. Thankfully a slab helps you negotiate the first half of thin fingers. As the slab below you becomes of less use, the crack opens up for some marginal hands, slam some cams 'n' jams in, and get rowdy! Pull the awkward angled lip on perfect hand jams with desperate feet.

Build a horrid, hanging belay with some leftover hand pieces ASAP so the rope and cams don't get eaten by the crack, alternately place a 1-2" hex at the lip below the belay to help keep the crack from eating your rope/cams. You are now comically close to your belayer. Tenderly whisper down:  'off belay'.

P3. 5.8, 150'. Time to get off the dang formation via the grungy last pitch of Opus. Shift the belay left off the thigh killing belay to a good stance with large hand pieces in an orange dihedral. Sail away past the fun, steep dihedral to a chossy, hollow sounding slab with little pro. Head up and right for what seems forever till you can see trees. Downclimb across a small gap, and cord a boulder to belay.

Scramble off right, then surf down the gully to get back to the packs. Or do

Moot Point

,

Traffic Jam

, or

Rip Van Winkle

while you're up there!

Walk 100 yards right and uphill from

Astro Turkey

(towards Poe), and turn around left to see a striking roof crack. Leave your packs on the flat ground, rack up, and do some exposed chossy scrambling to a very small belay alcove. If you really hate yourself, you can do a 5.7 offwidth through some thorn bushes to get the same belay spot.

This is a right-facing dihedral with an east aspect. It gets early morning sun only.

Large nuts, 0.5 to 4.

Doubles: 0.75 to 3.

Optional: yellow Alien, new BD #4 or #5, a ~1.5" hex.