With autumn only days away, we were reminded that it is definitely still summer. The temperature on the trail rose up into the high 80’s with not a single cloud in the sky.

A few miles into the main trail, we reached several talus fields that would have to be crossed before we could reach The Tooth.

Most of our time was spent scrambling over big, small, loose, and awkward rocks.

A steep gully led to Pineapple Pass where we would cross over from the South face to the Southwest where the route begins.

The other side of Pineapple Pass had this short traverse waiting for us. It went around, down and then back up before leading us to the route.

As it turns out, not much protection needs to be placed on the route. Several pieces of stuck gear are left for climbers to clip into. All in all, Andy ended up placing  just 3 pieces of his own gear.

Four pitches up, four pitches down. Andy steps over the edge to rappel back down to the base.

With the short climb over, all that was left was to head back down the rocky slopes. The Tooth looms in the distance.