.castlevalley.

As the culmination of Ryan's trip, we set out to spend the night on top of the Rectory via Fine Jade. We loaded up five (!) gallons of water, food, two ropes, a big rack of cams and lots of smoked salmon, then embarked up the hour and a half talus cone

slog.

We loaded up the haulbag and started the first pitch around 4:00pm. Ryan led the first burly 5.10+ bulge.

Ryan linked the next fingers pitch with the 5.11- crux, which features excellent fingerlocks through a bulge with few feet.

I got to dial in my haul system. The Creek 50 pack worked pretty well as a single-night piglet.

With darkness falling, I took the last two pitches (5.9 sand and 5.11- crimps) and got us to the top.

There we yard-saled our stuff and fired up a batch of instant mashed potatoes with smoked salmon and feta.

Brilliant stars, temps in the 40's and no wind made for an excellent bivy spot. The next morning we were treated to a beautiful sunrise above the valley.

Black coffee and Stroopwaffels completed the morning.

We rapped down, slammed a bottle of Dr. Skyeler's Onsight Juice (beetroot powder, pea protein, cacao nibs, collagen powder mixed in coconut water) and racked up for the next objective over on Castleton: Black Sun Direct (5.10- with 5.9R). Heady face climbing (one gear placement and two bolts in 120 feet) on good stone led to a calcite-lined fistcrack. We had a good view of the Kor-Ingalls crux to our right.

The next pitch was an utter delight: #5's in a shallow corner, then a flaring squeeze chimney. Supposedly you can bump a #5 up the entire squeeze, but I placed mine below, and just ran it out forty secure feet to the chockstone. After more chimneying and a roof, I got to an excellent belay ledge.

Still remaining was the Burning Inside 5.10d PG-13 face finish -- without a doubt one of the best tower pitches I've ever climbed. Devious movement well above thin gear with maximum exposure. Before I got to the crux bolt up top, my last three pieces were 0.1-0.2. Big air potential! I was quite relieved to pull the last mantle and summit the tower. The pitch felt like a more difficult and sustained trad version of the 5.11- bolted finish to Fine Jade.

We rapped down and ate some more salmon, and realized that we had an entire gallon of water to spare (8.8lbs!). With much lighter packs, we descended the cone and booked it to Cleaveland Mountaineering World Shedquarters in GJ to have dinner and play with five kids and five gotez.