Description

This traverse is very technical and very difficult. You will begin your climb right away, and it will feel never-ending.

The climb up Ankle Biter is on loose rock, but it is a fairly well-defined trail up.

You will still need to pay attention to stay on the right trail and not get sucked into the valley.

Once you get up top, you will see the route you are heading to. As you traverse across and up the ridge, you will get to some very spicy scrambling and route finding.

This is where you need to move slowly and make sure the rock will hold you.

This rock in this traverse is very fragile and can crumble apart easily. You will go through phases on the ridge of very technical sections with nice breaks where it opens up, and you can relax a little bit. Once at Gap Peak, you can see the whole route to Mount Fable.

Off Gap, it is knife-edge, but you can skirt to the right and stay on a shelf for the majority of the way.

You will cross some unique rocks where you will feel like you are on another planet. You might come to snow with overhanging cornices, but you can get around them and stay on solid rock ground.

However, you want to make sure you are not walking on any of the snow for safety reasons. As you drop down to the saddle and look up to Mount Fable, it seems so far, but you just have the last climb left.

You will have some loose rock.

Some route finding is required to get up to the top.

Once on the summit, you'll be met by an iron cross.

As you head down, you will head descend some scree into the valley.

there might still be some snow and some water trickling off the massive wall across the valley.

You will head out in the river bed.

There is no easy way.

You just want to pick the best route, staying in the river bed.

You can sometimes locate the old trail in the trees, but it is not worth searching for.

The floods destroyed the trail and riverbed.

A good rule of thumb while in the river is to always stay right at any junction until you meet the road. Warning: near the end, you might enter Lafarge.

you can get through, just be courteous and safe while heading through there.

A lot of people end up taking that trail for ease and safety.

There is a gas station where you can get snacks and drinks—even beer to celebrate the trip.

You would ideally want to park a car at each end, as the run or hike along the highway is a grind at the end of a big day.

You can always take your chances hitching a ride back to Grotto pond.