Easy Traverse

This is a traverse across Devil's Slide and Cheap Wine Wall to Beer Can Alley and then the massive ledge above the Shield and News Wall. The number of pitches is really up to the party, but here is what we did:

P1-- Climb the first pitch of Easier Than It Looks and belay from the anchors below Fatman Flake.

P2-- Traverse along the ledge to Mark of the Beast's P1 anchors and then to the large ledge where the Boston/Kracken anchors are. Belay.

P3-- Rappel/downclimb/lower down and right a short distance to Beer Can Alley. Belay from so-so rock at the start of BCA or from the anchors for P1 of Dome Driver and Hartford.

P4-- Follow BCA up and right. Belay from top anchors of a route just past the popular Cheap Wine Wall routes.

P5-- Follow BCA up and right. Belay off top anchors for a route on the Shield.

P6-- Follow BCA up along increasingly easy ground and end on the massive ledge.

It is possible and sensible to combine our P4 and P5. Because it was a busy day, we just wanted to get ourselves and our rope away from all the traffic as quickly as we could, so we made P4 a very short one.

There are two cruxes, and they are some exposed downclimbing spots on P2. They felt harder than 5.5, but maybe that was a head thing due to exposure, downclimbing, and a possible pendulum fall.

I have a more-detailed account of the route here: summitpost.org/easy-travers…

Starts with the first pitch of Easier Than It Looks on Devil's Slide. From the Backside Trail, take the yellow spur to the base of the climb.

Cams up to a #4, stoppers, hexes, Tricams. P1 has some mild runout and questionable rock. P2 has significant runout but some so-so protection. Beer Can Alley has lots of options for gear and for clipping anchor bolts.