SE Chimney  5.5 R

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Type:  Trad, 4 pitches Consensus:  5.5 [details] FA:  Cleveland McCarty, Bill Becker, Ward Koeberle, Ted Koeberle (1957) Submitted By:  fossana on Mar 7, 2012 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Exposed corner traverse.

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Description 

I was looking for quick lunchtime diversion and noticed the SE Chimney in Levin's guide. I wanted something new and figured the W Face would be busy anyway. When I saw that Levin had labeled this a 2-star adventure route, that was good enough for me. I didn't find the route overly chossy, slick, or dirty (by Eldo standards), although it was licheny due to minimal traffic. As a bonus, it tops out on the summit of Wind Tower.

WARNING: Watch for poison ivy in the warmer months.

Route Description
Scramble to the top of the left-leaning ramp.

P1 (5.5, 70')
Climb the huecoed chimney to the top.

P2 (5.5, 140')
From the top of the chimney, make some exposed moves out right around the corner until you can start heading up the leftward-trending trough/ramp. Continue until you reach a ledge with a tree.

P3 (5.0, 150')
Head up featured slabs along the SE rib until you reach the more vertical final summit wall.

P4 (5.2' 100')
Head right up the head wall to gain the ridgeline, then on to the summit.

Notes: there are many ways to go up the head wall at a similarly easy grade.

Location 

Approach
Cross the bridge after the entrance kiosk and follow the trail downstream (NE) along the base of Wind Tower. Immediately after the bouldering zone look for a leftward-trending ramp that leads to a prominent chimney. If you round the corner and can see the gully between Wind Tower and Rotwand, you've gone too far.

Descent
Follow slabs north on the east side of summit ridge. Look for a notch to the west just after the rusty cable. Rap or down climb (5.4) to the trail.

Protection 

I was soloing so not sure about gear.

As of Mar. 2012, there was one old fixed pin on P2 and some sun-bleached slings at the top of the chimney. Otherwise, there is no fixed pro.

Photos of SE Chimney Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: Suggested belays.	BETA PHOTO: The start of the route.	Chimney (bucketed face variation to the right is W...
Looking down the chimney.	Looking back to the corner traverse.	A remnant of climbing days of old.
Trough.	View from the P2 belay.	"Headwall".
Nearing the summit.	Final slabs.	Summit views.