The East Arete is a mountaineering route in the middle of the Valley.  It begins with a few chimney moves, climbs up a couple of pitches to a shoulder, then traverses along an airy ridge to a penultimate perch poised over hundreds of feet of air.  The final summit block is just big enough to stand on.

Pitch One - start at the oak with five trunks.  Chimney past two chockstone/steps, then wander up to a notch in the ridgeline.

Pitch Two - head up the shattered chimney.  There is (in 2014) an ok fixed cam and a good piton on this pitch, and a fair amount of loose rock laying on horizontal surfaces.  Near the top is a two-bolt anchor:  two ancient button heads with aluminum foil hangers.  We continued up to the ledge just above, where you are finally on the ridgeline and have great views of El Cap.

Pitch Three - up a short step, traverse along the ridgeline, then up another step with an appealing crack running up its nose.  (An old bail anchor is out left from here.)  At the top of the step go past a large pine and belay at the next convenient boulders, or continue out along the ridge a ways (either option works, it just depends on how much you are feeling the rope drag).

Pitch Four - continue along the ridgeline, passing another step on the left (gear here is a little sparse for the leader, but don't forget to back-protect your second or he will chew you out!).  At the final summit block continue traversing around to the right - it looks totally improbable.  Where it looks like everything ends, peak around the corner and spy the crow's nest!  Belay there, there is great gear plus a good fixed pin.

Pitch Five - the final 15-20 feet continues circling around the summit block - you can either go up or down here, both work.  At the southwest corner of the summit you will find an easy path to the final perch, just south of the summit.

Descent - a 30 meter rappel will get you down to the saddle between Church Tower and Lower Spire (you might need to replace the slings around the summit block).  From there one 60 meter rap or two 30 meter raps to the east will land you on the ground, not far from where you started.  Some consider this final rap to be 4th class, but there is a lot of loose dirt and leaves to deal with.

East Arete

Wrong Arete

The wrong place to start the East Arete, which it joins at pitch 2 of that route.

We began maybe 50 feet up from the toe of the northeast arete.  From the approach trail/gully, wander right around the corner and up a step.  Scenic, moss-covered ledges line the arete to your left, and a low angle, dirt filled chimney will be above you.  Head up that.  Where there is a horizontal break, head right and around another corner.  Belay at the base of a slope strewn with freshly fallen rock.  Why would anyone continue up from here?

Pitch two picks its way up through recent rockfall to the base of a solid-looking wall.  The worst pitch of a bad route.

Head up and left under a light-colored roof.  Pro is sparse.  At the left end of the roof, wind a little further left until you can make your way up to a large tree, with a trunk growing horizontally along the rock.  Squirm between the tree and the rock until you can stand on the tree trunk.  Pity your partner with the pack.  Then a couple of nice! moves take you around a corner to the right, to a small stance with good gear and a small pine tree (just in case you are still thinking of bailing).

Pitch four.  Head up a shallow right-facing corner above you.  There is an ancient piton here, festooned with moss-covered bail-tat.  Get in a couple of pieces and fire on past.  That was probably the crux.  Continue up and right to a notch in the ridgeline, and step through.  Congratulations, you are one pitch up the East Arete!

Continue up the remaining pitches of the East Arete, which is what you meant to be doing anyway.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in 2. Church Tower