Basic Rock Climb - Guye Peak/West Face

Snow on route is gone. We wore boots, but very little need at this point. There were a few snow patches on the descent. Those will be gone in a week or so. No snow in the North peak gulley.

I've climbed this peak a dozen times or so. One thing it's taught me is that routes change over time. I've never roped up for the scramble after the first pitch, but it has gotten noticeably sketchier, especially the last two years. I think going forward, I will trail a rope and tie it off fixed as a handline for other to self belay up the route with a friction hitch. While unlikely, a fall would be catastrophic. There is actually quite a bit of high consequence scrambling. This is not a route for the  timid.  That said, this is an excellent route to teach terrain navigation, attention to footwork, and hazard awareness.

As always, the top out is a slopey loose mess with dinner plate sized rocks waiting to be dislodged by the unwary  onto the heads of anyone below. Be careful when topping out!

If you have a 70 meter rope, that would give you better options for an anchor at the top. every tree on the top out is dead or dying. I used an undersized boulder that was blocked in by a dead tree stump. Not my favorite anchor, but sometimes you got what you've got.

It might be good to organize a clean up climb to remove, mitigate and trundle the hazards here.