Surprisingly good route we found inside the Great Chimney on the right wall.  Note the Location section for different ways to get to this area.

Climb Great Chimney past the two trees in the dirt slope to a two-bolt ring anchor on the right wall, at a stance just below a double-forked tree.  Climb past the trees (between or on the wall-side to help with drag) and move up the dirt slope to a small ledge on the right wall, below an obvious clean left-facing corner about 20' up with a crack in the back.  Make a few nice committing moves up the face to gain the corner.  Pull up into the overhanging crack.  Follow the crack until you can traverse right across a nice horizontal crack and get into another large crack.  Follow this to the top and a two-bolt ring anchor at the "window" looking west towards town.

After the overhang it backs off to 5.6/7 climbing.

Considering a "first known ascent" as we found no evidence of previous ascents.  However, given it's proximity to Great Chimney, Craving for Pink/Hidden Gem and Gephardt-Dufty it's surprising that it was not previously entered.

Combined with the anchors atop Hidden Gem/Craving for Pink (which need to be replaced), the anchors we installed provide a good descent route for Gephardt-Dufty.

Window on the West

Craving for Pink

Hidden Gem

BEVOS

Far From The Maddening Crowd

The Rowdy Goose

Loosey Goosey

Southern Thriller

Great Chimney

Where The Wild Goose Goes

Free Ballin'

Mrs. Robinson

The Fragmatist

(VAR) Indirect Start to FFTMC

Initiation

Back Scratcher

Great as in "large," not as in "fantastic."

This route is listed largely for historical completeness, as it does not (and perhaps should not) get climbed much, other than as easy access to the better climbs adjacent to it.

Both current guidebooks list this route as 5.1, although today's consensus is that it is at least a 5.5 PG/PG13.

This is not a suitable beginner's route

: it's a dirty, chossy adventure route. Be warned, and be ready to retreat if you get in over your head.

P1: Begin by climbing / scrambling up a loose, dirty gulley filled with blocky bulges, dirty ledges, and loose scrambles. There is pro on either side wall, and there are some trees along the way to sling. Continue up to a tree with some in-situ slings on it. OPTIONAL BELAY.

The climbing isn't great for the first half of the first pitch, but if it's chimney moves you seek, the second half of the first pitch will not disappoint. Continuing up, move up a dirt slope passing two more good sized trees and gain the main chimney below a large boulder stuck above you in the chimney. Pass under the boulder and continue up using cracks in the back wall and chimney moves. Work your way up through the blocky upper portion to a large ledge on the left. Around the corner is Mrs. Robinson and a host of other decent climbs.

P2: Continue up through the blocky gully to the top. The 2nd pitch gets a bit more overgrown but just a short ways up the pitch are two good climbs on the right wall: Craving For Pink and Hidden Gem.

If you continue straight up P2, be prepared for a very organic experience.

Special Thanks to Andy Weinmann for encouraging a better route description, a warning on the grade, and for calling out the route as not-beginner-safe. (See discussion below.)

Nice finger crack right of Hidden Gem.  Short and fun route on surprisingly decent rock.

Climbs right of Craving for Pink through decent rock.  Just steep enough to stay on you.  Bolts and pro (cams to 1.5" tri's and brass if you want to feel extra safe) lead through some interesting moves to anchor.

Start just to the left of Great Chimney at the base of the Initiation buttress.

#1. Climb the chimney that lies just to the left of the Great Chimney. (140 ft.)

#2. Continue up to the top.

A nice route in a quiet setting, a short ways uphill from The Fragmatist.  It goes directly up the face to gain a vertical crack system with an obvious alcove at about half height.  There is a good oak tree on the start ledge for an anchor.

Climb up easy ledges to a short wall and a small formation that forms a small triangular pedestal.  Climb up on the left side of the pedestal (small gear through here) to a stance at a steep wall with a tiny crack at about eye level.  You can get some small gear here (very small brass offsets and IMPs helpful) and then make the reachy moves to a great horizontal (crux)...easier if tall and you might even skip the small gear.  Continue up to the alcove and follow the crack system, passing a small roof on the right side. Finish up on some ledges and then move to a good pine tree and belay on the right.

At the top, you are about 20 yds right of The Wild Goose Wall.  You can walk off that way, reversing the approach for that or rap off a tree in the area.  There is also a large pine further to the left with some cord on it that needs a quick link or rings.

There are a few small pro placements up to the pedestal but the climbing is pretty easy.  Once up on the pedestal, I nested 3 brassies in the small crack, not knowing how the climb would unfold.  After that bit, it's G and very nice 5.7 climbing with no loose rock found until the very upper ledges.  Use caution up there because we may not have cleared out all of it.

Start on the left side of The Wild Goose Wall at an obvious crack.  There is a small tree growing from the crack near its top.

Climb the crack a good stance.  Plug some good gear and do a few difficult moves up to a horizontal beyond the small tree. Move left and up to a good stance.  The blocks out right look dodgy but they're firmly attached...good pro options in horizontals abound.  Move right to the central crack system and follow it (joining Where The Wild Goes) to the top.

Harder than it looks from the ground but well protected.

Start on the right side of The Wild Goose Wall at a nice handcrack with a ledge about 10' above.

Climb the crack and face up to a good stance on a ledge (crux). Follow the right-facing corner system up to the top, staying right of the central crack on the face.  The difficulty backs off to fun 5.4 climbing after the initial section.  A "bouldery start" would be a good description.  Make a belay on the pine tree at the top.  Walk off climber's left (south).

On the FA we knocked off some pretty large blocks.  As well, we cleaned out the dirty stump of an old tree in the initial crack.  It WAS a bit "loosey" but now it's an enjoyable route and worth doing if you're there.

Fantastic arete on the INITIATION Buttress.  I happen to really like this route.  Not sure how much traffic it sees these days.  If you're at the Pillar knocking off the harder classics swing around and run up this one.

Locate the nice crack that begins at the lowest point of the wall. Climb the crack and hand-traverse left and up to a good rest at the base of another crack.  Climb the crack till it ends then move right (crux) and up.  Follow some easier flakes (a bit hollow but good pro options are available in solid rock) then move back left to the central crack system and finish directly up to the top.

This is a surprisingly nice route.  All three routes on this face are decent and worth checking out if you're into "adventure climbing".

This is a harder, direct version of Back Scratcher.

Climb directly above the two-bolt anchor directly to the small roof on thin gear (crux).  Continue up the thinner crack directly above and step right to follow the next thin crack system.  The climbing is steep and does not back off until you reach the larger ledge 2/3rds the way up. Choose your own adventure to the top.

P1: Climb to huge ledge at base of chimney (5.3 PG 40')

P2: Climb the chimney. This pitch might make the route worth doing (5.6/7 PG/R 100')

P3: Follow a ramp that traverses up and left across most of the face. Very, very dirty (5.easy...100')

From the trail, bushwack up the loose ledges to the base of the crack system.  The lower handcrack is overgrown as of this writing but I'm hoping to clean it up.  You can bypass this lower bit by scrambling up easy, but seriously exposed ledges to the left.  Recommend roping up.

P1. Climb the clean cracks to a perfect belay tree on a ledge.

P2. Move up and out left, climbing the face and crack and through some questionable rock.  Hard to recommend this pitch.  Safer to rap off after P1.

The crack and arching corner up and right above the belay tree is P2 of Mystical Membrane and goes at 5.9.

This is the obvious crack line to the left of the original start of FFTMC.  It is a beautiful, well protected finger crack that leads over into the main line.

Boulder up past a tree and get established at the base the crack (#4 cam helpful here).  Climb the crack, making a big reach to the right past a thin section that has very thin/smearing feet and join the main route where the crack turns upward toward a small alcove.  Finish up FFTMC.

This climb ascends the taller eastern (left) buttress (fin) as opposed to the western buttress (fin) which is the last pitch of the Gephardt-Dufty. Scramble up to a ledge on the buttress that lies to the left of the Great Chimney route, or climb the first three pitches of Gephardt-Dufty and do some easy bushwhacking pitch to connect to the base of the eastern buttress. This latter method is really where the decent climbing is; the rest is highly vegetated and poor quality rock.

#1. Climb the narrow (less than 10 feet) north face to a ledge near the top. (140 ft.) Initial climbing is on very clean, light color, rock with almost no lichen. Belay on a ledge on a west (climbers right) wall.

#2. Climb up to a large ledge on top of the buttress (30 ft.). Parts of this section was covered by thick layer of lichen.

Staying left on the 2nd pitch is also an option and is about 5.6 R on decent rock.

Originally led ground-up with a small tree overhanding a ledge about 2/3rds the way up. Two kicks of the tree on rappel sent it tumbling down into the chimney. First of three first known ascents on this wall. See also Window to the West and Free Ballin'. The dangling tree caught Baumgartner's rack on the way up, hence the name.

Start at the two-bolt anchor and step right on to a protruding block. Use the right flake to gain the small roof, travers left about 5 feet, and step on to the face (crux).  The climbing backs off here after. Follow the left-leaning crack to a ledge and then continue straight up through the ever increasing crack.  A #4 is helpful through this section.

From a small ledge about 2/3rds up, you have to choices to gain the anchor. Either follow the crack on the right to the top and traverse left to the new two-bolt anchor. Or step left to the larger crack that leads straight to the same anchor.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Southern Pillar - East Side