BETA PHOTO: Overview of Girl Scout Slab Photo by Bill Lawry
Description
Climbs are about three quarters of a rope. Double rope rappel from bolts with rings. An easy slab for beginners of all sizes and shapes. Success of reaching the top is likely. Rock quality is good. The named routes are very easy. One can find some moves up to 5.6 by beginning at the steepest part of the slab. Developed in the Girl Scout spirit of being nice to mother nature.
History: Probably old. but the FKA for now: A dad of girl scouts discovered this slab while helping with a girl scout camping trip. He wandered up Cake Walk in approach shoes and decided a rap anchor would be good for discouraging the obvious “walk off”. The walk-off is arguably about as treacherous as climbing back down the slab but it is tempting and using it will cause substantial soil erosion. The alternative anchors at the top are cams (size 5 to 7), big bros, etc. and nobody wants to leave those behind. With chain anchors, it is a great easy place to bring the kids for some climbing success. Please do not add bolts for “leading”. The FA was free solo and a handful of gear will get the beginning leader up Cakewalk. Rock jocks might scramble, sans gear, to set the double-rope top rope. Then one can top-rope most of the slab.
Getting There
Approach: Start up the canyon as for the other climbs in Doningo Baca Canyon. Pass the old house foundation. Then, the trail crosses to the S side of the stream and shortly crosses back to the N side. Very soon after, one encounters a step up through rocks with a boulderable boulder on the left. Just after this is a spot on your right that often has the appearance that people camp in the stream bed on a grassy tuft. Look across the stream and locate a big boulder with a Ponderosa Pine in front of it and a Rocky Mountain Juniper in front of the pine. Go to the base of the juniper and find a path that zig zags (to avoid soil erosion) up the small hill to the slab. The left fork goes to Cake Walk, the right fork to Crab Walk. Come back to the fork to walk between the climbs to avoid soil erosion. We have done sufficient pruning for access. Please do not clear the remaining trees away from the base as they are pretty and help stabilize the soil.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Girl Scout Slab:
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