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Psychout Ridge

Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 4:22 pm
by Sean
After limping up the Baldy Notch service road this morning, I went inside the lodge to swallow more pain pills and relax. On the counter was a pretty cool map that I'd never noticed before, created by L. Cramer Design.

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The map inspired me to check out Psych-out Ridge, which runs westward from the final switchback in the service road before the Notch.

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(The Psych-out ski run is on the right)

A ski run/road extends a half-mile down the ridge, making the initial travel very easy.

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The path ends, then an easy cross-country bit put me at Bently's Point, where the view opens up quite spectacularly.

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Beyond the Point, the ridge to the left becomes rocky, slightly brushy, and narrow, all while dropping fast.

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There is a bigger (main) toe of the ridge on the right, which takes a more direct line back to the parking lot. But I decided on the narrow spine option (heading toward the big bend in Big Butch Wash) and found some fun down-climbing class 2 and 3 stuff.

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The final drop was covered in brush, and I had already sliced myself up pretty good,

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so I exited stage-left into Big Butch and stumbled and slid my way through the scree back to the car.

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