Devil's Thumb via Devil's Spiral (5.4)
Point 12,660' via South Ridge
August 4, 2013
Crew: John, Pete, Brian K.
Crew: John, Pete, Brian K.
Approach: Starting from Rollins pass, follow the beautiful trail across to Devil's Pass. Follow the divide upward to PT 12,660' until Devil's Thumb magically pops into view. Drop your pack here.
Route:
P0 - 5.0 - Cross the scree gully and follow a slightly loose gully upward to gain the ridge. This is easily soloed with some care, but is a tad loose in spots.
P1 - 5.4 - From your perch on the ridge, climb carefully downward toward the notch. If you follow the path of least resistance, the climbing is not too hard and easier sections come between the tricky bits. Protect your second if using a rope.
P2 - 5.2 - From the notch, work upward toward the summit, clip a pin, and then angle leftward following the path of least resistance. Make an ascending traverse to the left all the way around onto the other side of the tower. You will pop up onto the summit from the exact opposite side that you started. If you do this correctly, the terrain will never be harder than 5.2.
Descent: From the summit, make a 60M rappel from a slung boulder. You will come off the rope right as you reach the ledge, so be careful. If the webbing is in bad shape, you will need approximately 20 feet to replace it. Once in the notch, retrace your steps back through pitches 1 and 0.
Gear: This could easily be done with a single set of cams from 0.4-4 and a set of nuts.
Thoughts: This is a fun, easy climb to a unique summit. The whole hike is above treeline and the views are splendid. Devil's Thumb would be a great introduction to alpine climbing and 5th class summits and I highly recommend it.
Route:
P0 - 5.0 - Cross the scree gully and follow a slightly loose gully upward to gain the ridge. This is easily soloed with some care, but is a tad loose in spots.
P1 - 5.4 - From your perch on the ridge, climb carefully downward toward the notch. If you follow the path of least resistance, the climbing is not too hard and easier sections come between the tricky bits. Protect your second if using a rope.
P2 - 5.2 - From the notch, work upward toward the summit, clip a pin, and then angle leftward following the path of least resistance. Make an ascending traverse to the left all the way around onto the other side of the tower. You will pop up onto the summit from the exact opposite side that you started. If you do this correctly, the terrain will never be harder than 5.2.
Descent: From the summit, make a 60M rappel from a slung boulder. You will come off the rope right as you reach the ledge, so be careful. If the webbing is in bad shape, you will need approximately 20 feet to replace it. Once in the notch, retrace your steps back through pitches 1 and 0.
Gear: This could easily be done with a single set of cams from 0.4-4 and a set of nuts.
Thoughts: This is a fun, easy climb to a unique summit. The whole hike is above treeline and the views are splendid. Devil's Thumb would be a great introduction to alpine climbing and 5th class summits and I highly recommend it.
