The Wedge Rock Climbing

The Wedge is situated just above The Tooth and shares the same approach. Depending on which route you intend on doing you will diverge from The Tooth at different points.

The descent: There is a good rap station on the east face over a steep wall. To find it, from the summit walk along the ridge in the direction of Sugarloaf and look to your left for a large boulder right on the edge with a slightly scraggly looking, small aspen tree above it. The rap station is in a pinch on the right side of the boulder, but you won't see it until you are right on top of it. One single-rope rappel gains a saddle below the summit.

If you came from the West Ridge, once off the summit scramble down the north side until you can see a col between The Wedge and Lost Peak. Gain this col and descend down the narrow gully between these two peaks. This meets up with the approach for the West Ridge above the "hole" that you must climb down after you collect your packs.

If you have approached the Wedge from the east or south, scramble/down-climb to the south all the way to the oak forest. From here you can either hike down to Aguirre Springs, or hike west over a saddle and down into the gully between The Wedge and the Tooth.

There is also a rap station on the Normal Route, just below the crawl-through near the top, but the rock below it is not as clean. I heard that there is another to the north as well (going straight to the col between the Wedge and Lost Peak), and I have rapped down the huge south face of the Wedge, in several rappels but without problems. This might work well for a way back to the start of Shillelagh.

For first timers, the approach and descent will probably take about 3 hours each. Plan accordingly, or beg a local climber to act as a guide.