Dear Harvey,

A quick note on our recent Baker Canyon slot trip with Rob [Roseen], Eric [Husby] and my cousin Scott [Greenberg]. Had a great time, though it did snow six inches one night, making for cold swimming. Baker really is a maze of slots, perhaps a half–dozen total. We bagged the two outside slots—the longest of the series. Both had been done before and had been bolted. All of the bolts were unnecessary, though one of them was ‘nice’ to use. We started both slots at the top of the Circle Cliffs. The northern slot took two days and was the easier one. Several short swims, a slew of short rappels, one 150′ rap, and lots of moderate climbing. Very pretty and pretty mellow.

The southern slot also took two days and contained some of the longest, darkest, and most intimidating narrows to date (though it did not compare dangerwise to Egypt 4 or the Long Branch of Sleepy Hollow). Very difficult climbing—to 5.9 or so and some tricky rope work. One rap was just about horizontal across a face—interesting and intense. Lots of ‘bottomless pit’ type potholes in a nearly black section of incredibly convoluted rock was the mental crux. A couple of short swims while it was snowing added zip to the route. Since this slot joined the first one, Scott and Rob found a route out of the canyon so we wouldn’t have to repeat that section. Scott led a 5.9 off‐width slab/crack pitch after a shoulder stand, w/o pro; then Rob lead a long, brilliantly difficult chimney to the top of the cliffs, again without pro.


S.

March 26, 1995

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