The Citadel, North Face. In early August, TM Herbert, Dennis Hennek, and I climbed the 1700-foot north face of the Citadel at the south end of Le Conte Canyon. We chose the longest most direct line leading to the east summit. The first day was spent climbing in a prominent dihedral capped by some messy overhangs. After six pitches of moderate free climbing and three pitches involving some aid, we bivouacked on the narrow loose ledge that slants diagonally up from west to east across the entire north face. We reached the east summit early the next afternoon after scrambling up ten pitches of easy free climbing. A tiring traverse to the true summit, and the long descent past Ladder Lake left us facing the real challenge: the 18-mile hike back to the car. NCCS IV, F7, A3.

Don Lauria