Rainbow Slide - Over the Rainbow

Without a doubt the hardest part of this climb was the approach that we took.

Adirondack Rock advises to hike up to the Pyramid-Gothics col and drop down to the East. Good advice ! The directions are a bit complex so will not be repeated here.

We chose to leave the Weld trail (from Lower Ausable Lake) early and bushwhack up the "drainage".  The going started OK along a streambed, then we left the streambed and took a line towards the slab.  A patch of serious blowdown slowed progress. Our ascent was in 2004 and "Pre-Irene" so one can only imagine that the blowdown got worse, not better. 

Eventually we emerged from the blowdown of cris-crossed trees into a beautiful "dell" of moss and ferns, then we continued up a slab (lead photo) through more open forest to the lower, very low-angle slab.

P1 - Recollection is that we roped up (more because there was a nice, flat place to do so)for easy pitch which led up near (recollection is 20-25 ft below, but it might be more) the base of the left-arching overlap (of "Pot of Gold 5.7") 2007, Haas, Rosecrans & Livingston). 200 ft 5.4

P2 - Up and right on flake(s) and friction, and establish a belay. Recollection is about 75-100 ft??? 5.5 - 5.6 and I remember slinging something (flake, horn??) as part of the belay.

P3 - Start off right-ish, then straight up to a small (10 ft high, 1-2 ft "deep") inside corner and belay at the piton left in place. 100-120 ft, more?? 5.5 - 5.6

P4 - Up and left on easier terrain but with limited protection points to the trees. about 100-120?? ft 5.2-5.4

Certainly, pitches can be combined (as seems to be described in "Adk Rock") but on unknown friction like this, when I find a solid belay I usually stop...one never knows when the next one will show up!    

From the tree(s) reached, using a single 200ft/60m rope, we were able to lower down, place a directional cam in a small overlap/flake that was about 50+/- ft down and to climber's right, then from there lower down nearly directly to the corner of what would become "Pot of Gold". I remember we reached below the overlap, but forget how far down the corner. Maybe 1/2 way down??   Bob and Ed both TR'd this high-quality pitch.        

Exit -  I remember that Ed continually said "I've got the exit route". From the tree we moved up and right to a low-angle but scary-due-to-damp-moss slab which we eventually climbed out of into the bushwhack to the trail.   

 The photo in "Adk Rock", taken from the side, appears to show very little bushwhacking, I think that in reality we spent more time in the high-angle trees and bushes than on the slide.  Certainly, looking at the slide "face on" from the top of Indian Head and/or the Lower Boathouse, the top of the "exit slide" is a ways from the ridge crest (and hence the trail) than it appears from the side view.

On Rainbow Slab, which is far East of the South Face of Gothics, East of the Weld Trail. (See Photo ...to be uploaded later)

Std Rack - include small wires and small TCU's.