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Peak Mountain 3

Arch

FA Dick Wilmot , Brian Rotherham. 1958
CREATED 
UPDATED 

Description

Lawyer/Hass in Adirondack Rock give the route a 5.9+ rating and I have transferred that to this submission, however when I climbed it, as a client-second behind the “Mayor of Poko” it seemed more like 5.7+/5.8 but a “best-not-fall-even-as-a-second” route! Perhaps the “Flex’s-flyer” flake on P2 has broken off???Here’s how I remember it from about 10-12 yrs ago.Please note P3 seems to be different from that described in Adk Rock. We may have done a variation, or it may be just difference in wording, or my memory may have forgotten a part of the pitch, but it (P3) seemed scary to me even following it!P1 - As described in “Location”, it’s probably best to find the bush at the left end of the overlap ( get back from the base) to get oriented, and then climb the discontinuous cracks, flakes and ledges to it. 100-120 ft. 5.8 R-ish, mostly because of poor quality flakes.P2 - Easily move right along the overlap for 15-20 ft until below a bolt ( hand drilled on this ascent by Mark) and a small horizontal flake above it. ( Is this flake still there?) Climb up and over the “flex-flyer” flake (pulling down, not out!) and then move up on run-out terrain , moving right to a belay. AdkRock speaks of a fixed belay shared with Inner Space, I don't recall that, but I know we rapped the line back to our packs at the  base, so it must be there. A short pitch, 50-60 ft  AdkRock gives it 5.9+/ 5.8R Whatever the difficulty, even with the bolt the move(s) at the bolt are probably R-ish due to the ledge below, but WITH the bolt you’ll probably only sprain an ankle or two, vs spraining/breaking, then pitching off backwards down the slab head-first!P3 - Move left from the belay, then scary climbing up a shallow right-facing corner (piton?) then move up and left over thin slab eventually gaining the base of the “visor”, a.k.a. The Arch. Move up and right to a gear belay.  Another short pitch, about 60-80 ft, 5.8+R, scary, even to follow.

P4 and/or one more?- continue along the arch ( 40 ft?) until it is possible to climb up through it on relatively easy rock ( jugs, 5.5-5.6) then up the slab above to a gear belay. 100 ft  5.5-5.6  I think we may have stopped at a birch tree before the Pine Tree rap ledge. another 40-50 ft to Pine Tree ledge???Finish on Catharsis and walk off, or rap with two ropes from the pine tree ledge.  

Location

Find the “toe” of the slab. Pitch 1 climbs up discontinuous cracks, flakes and slab to reach the left end of an overlap at a small bush/ bushy area. Difficult to describe, and in fact finding the correct start may be one of the cruxes....refer to Adirondack Rock. In fact, best do that for the whole route! 

Protection

Std rack. I remember using larger cams (#2, gold,?, #1 red?) for P1 belay, you might want 2 or 3 along.