Lotus Flower Tower, New Route, 1975. In August of 1975, the Colorado climber Bill Putnam and I visited the Logan Mountains. Our objective was the impressive unclimbed face on Parrot Beak Peak in the Cirque of the Unclimbables, previously attempted by Galen Rowell et al. We had climbed three-quarters of the face when a 40-foot fall resulted in a broken knee-cap and forced a retreat. We found extremely rotten rock and difficult protection. Two weeks later we were able to climb a new route on Lotus Flower Tower which ascended the prominent buttress left of the Frost-McCarthy-Bill route. We had extraordinarily good rock and the climb went 70% free: NCCS VI, F9, A3. Three days were required, including the descent. We picked up candy wrappers, presumably left by the 1975 Swiss party as they rappelled. We also carried out a full haul-bag of their garbage from the Cirque. Such housekeeping practices in North American wildernesses are to be regretted.

David Loeks, Vulgarian Mountain Club