Lonely Vigil, 5.10a

4th Pitch- 30’- 5.8/ This pitch has quite a bit of notoriety on the internet. There is no summit anchor on Lighthouse Tower; therefore, each climber will have to down climb this precarious summit block to return to the top of pitch 3. The summit block is somewhat like Ancient Art’s summit minus the rappel. Head left from the belay. In contrast to what some say, you can protect via a few horizontal cracks as you climb the short vertical 5.8 eastern face of the summit block. As you near the top, you can get your hands and arms up over the top. It is important that you try to reach across the summit to the other edge versus weighting loose sandstone plates. Take your time on the down climb; placing your feet in the right spots, and it will go smoother than it looks. The first climber can leave the gear and thus be somewhat top roped on descent and therefore the 2nd will be top roped for the first portion of the his/her climb as well. By the time the 2nd takes out a TCU that protects fairly well on the down climb, he/she should have their hands on a good jug and feet on an intermediate ledge. Lonely Vigil, 5.10a, 4 Pitches, Lighthouse Tower, River Road, Moab, UT, March, 2009