Animas Spire (I, 5.7 + , A3) is located just 50 feet downhill from Ghost Tower. Mike Baker and I climbed it on February 15. Baker led the single pitch by first threading the lead rope through the middle of the spire, tying it off and then jümaring the fixed “sling” around to a stance on the northern side of the tower. An awkward off-width followed. Descent was made using simul-rappel techniques. Crackerjack Tower (I, 5.9, A2) is a tiny tower located up a canyon directly north of a rest area on NM Route 84, a few miles south of Ghost Ranch. Baker and I made its first ascent on February 25. He led, placing several pitons and drilled angles. Coyote Pinnacle (I, 5.9, A2) was climbed in June 1990 by Mike Baker and Leslie Henderson. It lies in a canyon west of Crackerjack Tower and is almost invisible to passers-by as it blends into the cliffs beyond.

Cameron M. Burns