Lexington Peak - East Face

 

Description:  In the summer of 2011, my buddy Justin Davis and I decided to give the East Face of Lexington a go.  Going at 5.9+ with some burly offwidth/ Chimney sections and the fact that it was the first time I was climbing from the big boy side of the Liberty Bell range meant I was in for a full value climb.  To top that off,  it was a carry over that required me lto lug up my size 13 aircraft carrier mountaineering boot in my pack while leading through terrain that was pushing my alpine trad skill. I'm already heavy enough as is, so any extra weight on my back multiplies my level of pump instaneously.  I led off on pitch 1 and came to some unprotectable climbing that was a bit of a navigational puzzle so I setup a belay.  Justin then flossed this unprotected overlapping slabs sections with limited to no pro.  My next lead involved climbing up the corner and doing the traverse out right before pulling the 5.9+ crux remove.  Given my skill I close clipped several cams through this zig zagging pitch and by the time I hit the 5.9+ section I was sure I had strapped a small fridge to the end of the rope.  I did have a bomber #5 under the flake as well as some other pro near by.  After sometime, ( felt like the 1-2 hour range) I eventually committed to the move and stuck it just fine and led up the base of the chimney.  Justin dropped his pack, climbed throught he offwidth and then pulled his pack up to finish the pitch. The next pitch started with a similar offwidth that was just a grade easier, so I dropped my pack and continued climbing 'til the end of the rope.  Needless to say, I got a nice little smack upside the head when Justin came climbing up to me having to drag 2 packs behind him through that section.   It ended up being a fantastic climb, though It doesn't actually reach the summit of Lexington.  The rock to the summit looks very friable. 

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