Orange Sunshine

Overview

Eagle Lake Buttress is the prominent rock escarpment (basically the southern terminus of a long ridge) high above Eagle Lake. This buttress is obvious from Emerald Bay and from points along the trail to Eagle Lake. A handful of routes in the 5.5 to 5.10 range.

Getting There

Park at Emerald Bay off Hwy 89. Follow the trail to Eagle Lake; cross the outlet of the lake and skirt the lake on the right for a few hundred yards. Head right up a faint trail through manzanita, eventually bearing northwest towards an obvious talus gully flanked on its right by a large (150-200 ft) rock wall. Go up the right/middle of the talus, crossing through manzanita halfway up to the left side of the gully. At the top of the gully, head northwest for a few hundred yards, and then head north over a short 3rd class section. At the top of this, Eagle Lake Buttress will be obvious to the north, so head cross-country towards it. Approach times ~1.5 to 2 hours.

Route Description

Orange Sunshine links Orange Book and East Ridge with a nice one-pitch variation. Scramble up over manzanita and 4th class to the base of the corner, flanked on the right by a wall of orange rock.

P1(5.8): Cruise up the nice corner to a large square belay ledge. (~80 ft.)
P2(5.9): From the ledge, head up the crack on the right-hand wall, over a small bulge, then into the lefthand of two cracks splitting the orange wall. Belay on a ledge at the top of this crack. (~80 ft.)
P3(5.7): Move up into double right-leaning cracks. At the top of these cracks, trend up and right over blocky sections to a finger crack/layback in a right-facing corner. Belay on the huge sloping ledge at the top of this. (~120 ft.)
P4(5.6): Move up the easy slab to a short 5.6 move onto the summit block. (~60 ft.)

Descent: 4th class downclimbing to the west.

Essential Gear

Standard rack

External Links

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