Description

Once you gain the ridge at the saddle above and north of the Prow, you can begin climbing whatever gendarmes look fun.

While not strictly necessary, they do offer some fun scrambling and are a nice warm up for your head for what's coming next.

Stay as true to the ridge as you like. The first real difficulty comes after summiting Honeycomb Peak (the small sub peak to the east of Beehive).

Staying on the ridge line proper is extremely exposed and difficult.

Unless you want to rig a rappel, head back the way you came for a short distance, then drop down the ridge line to the north.

This down climbing is exposed and on licheny rock, but it is solid.

You could probably go back farther and find easier climbing, if you prefer. After you pass the gully between Honeycomb and Beehive, you can regain the ridge and continue weaving your way through and over gendarmes.

This section is really fun and offers fantastic exposure and views. Eventually, the ridge gets difficult, so if you want to keep the grade reasonable, drop down onto Beehive's north face.

More scrambling will bring you to the final crux: a 50' slab with a seam.

There are other options, but this one is the least sustained and/or exposed and has good rock quality.

Make a few harder moves close to "ground," before getting into the no fall zone.

You've been practicing your slab bouldering, yeah? From the top of the slab, the summit is a short hike away just to the southeast.

Enjoy the panoramic views! For the next part of the traverse, follow the standard Beehive descent.

When you get to the top of the 4th of July Couloir, however, continue on the ridge line.

As with the start of the traverse, you can climb whatever gendarmes look appealing.

Eventually, the ridge gets choked with trees, and it's time to drop back into the basin. It would be very doable to complete the traverse the opposite direction as well, although I've only ever done it east to west. Just for a reference, it is almost 9 miles round trip, with over 3000 feet of gain.