First off: what a fun route!!!
This route intimidated me, but I wanted to give it a try. I love the Red Rock Canyon area, and it made sense to try and complete such an amazingly classic route here.
I don't consider myself a "scrambler," so I gave myself permission to go slow, move with intention, and bail if it felt like too much for me headspace.
As it turned out, I went way too hard out the gate and totally blew up on the road up. I hiked a lot, but still wanted to see what I could do so continued on to the scrambling.
It got a little heady for me, but the scrambling felt pretty secure so I kept pushing and taking my time. When I crested up above the bridge, I almost turned around because the final summit dome looked so intimidating. As I approached it though, the route opened up and I saw the series of ledges and slabs. As with most of the climbing on this route, it felt pretty secure.
The summit was very windy and frigidly cold, but as promised, had some of the best views in the area. I had so much fun in the downclimbs that I found myself giggling out loud.
This is a gem of a route. My time on it is soft though, and I believe I could shave at least an hour off my time now that I know the route. I truly hope to see some local ladies come smash my time!
I used Gnarly Fuel2O, a stroopwaffle, and some GU chews.
I wore Salomon Speedcross shoes for their ultra grippiness on rock, my usual neon Kari Traa pants and OR sun hoody, and I took my NWAlpine Black Spider Hoody just in case I got cold or stuck up there.