Elephant's Perch — Mountaineer's Route

P15.8~180 ft

Start in the gully (5.5). Go 20–30 ft up gully then exit LEFT via 5.8 mantle (good divot on right edge, good feet below). Above: easy crack to pine tree B1. Alt: start on slabs left of gully.

⚡ RUNOUT: Pro at/below feet at the mantle. Commit carefully.

#0.5#0.75#1#2sm-md nutsalpine draws

B1: Pine tree (slings) + #0.75–#1 cam backup.

P25.8~180 ft

Big left-facing dihedral. DO NOT traverse left at first ledge (old bolts may be gone). Go 15 more feet up then find the obvious leftward ledge to the gorgeous hand-jam crack. 2-bolt belay below triple roofs (B2).

⚡ TRAP: Chalked false features at first ledge lure climbers left too early. Multiple parties made this error.

#0.5×2#0.75×2#1×2#2offset nutslong draws

B2: 2 modern bolts — best anchor on route. + optional cam backup.

P35.7–5.8~160 ft

From B3: slabby terrain trending slightly right toward the large blank diamond. Low angle but sparse pro. B4 is a good gear ledge directly below the diamond feature.

⚡ SLABBY RUNOUT: Low-angle but sparse protection. Confident slab footwork essential.

#0.5#0.75×2#1×2#2nuts

B4: Gear anchor. #0.75–#1 ×2 + solid nut.

P4/55.8 "slabby"~170 ft

The long "slabby 5.8" section up the left edge of the large blank diamond — labeled exactly this in Steph's photo. Exposed and airy. Stop at B5 at the base of the crux finger crack. Do not over-run this belay.

⚡ STOP AT FINGER CRACK: Running 20–30 ft past B5 causes severe rope drag on the crux.

#0.3#0.4#0.5×2#0.75×2#1sm-md nuts

B5: Flared placements — #0.3–#0.5 ×2 + SMALL/OFFSET NUTS (critical per multiple sources). May need re-engineering.

P65.9 ★ CRUX~150 ft

Off B5: undercling traverse immediately into a lieback — get 2 pieces in before firing (mungy rock). The 5.9 crux — sweaty hands = real fall. Above: #3 Camalot at base of overhanging wide crack (hand-to-fist, 20 ft). Exit via left crack. Belay at comfortable stance.

☠ FATALITIES (1980s): Loose flake anchor pulled, killing 2. Test every flake.

☠ OFF-ROUTE: If holds run out left → wrong crack. Traverse RIGHT on thin hands.

#0.3×2#0.4×2#0.5#0.75#1#2#3 KEYsm nuts2 PIECES IN CRUX

B6: #0.75–#1 + #1–#2 + nut at comfortable stance.

P7Easy / 3rd–4th~100 ft

Broken rock, wide cracks, scrambling. Photo says "5.7 5.9 / lotta 3rd" — some parties hit a short 5.9 move in the wide crack before the angle eases. Summit via additional scrambling beyond.

⚠ LOOSE ROCK: Most rockfall hazard on route. Helmet mandatory.

#1#2#3slings

Full Rack

Item	Spec	Qty	Priority
Rope	60m single (70m better for rap)	1	Essential
#0.1–#0.2	Silver micro cams	1 ea	Nice-to-have
#0.3 Teal	0.37–0.64"	2	P6 crux
#0.4 Purple	0.48–0.83"	2	P3, P6, anchors
#0.5 Pink	0.61–1.05"	2	Every pitch
#0.75 Yellow	0.77–1.32"	2	Every pitch + anchors
#1 Red	0.97–1.69"	2	All pitches + anchors
#2 Blue	1.34–2.32"	2	Hand jams, wide
#3 Gray	1.76–3.08"	1	P6 wide crack KEY
#4 Purple	2.38–4.14"	1	P6/P7 comfort
Nuts	Full Stopper set	1 set	All pitches
Offset nuts	HB Offset / DMM Peanut	4–6	B5 anchor — critical
Alpine draws	60 cm extendable	10–12	Every pitch
Slings 120cm	Double-length	2	Back-clean P3
Lockers	Locking biners	5–6	Anchors
Helmet	Mandatory	1 ea	Non-negotiable
Headlamp	Fresh batteries	1 ea	Mandatory

Belay Anchor Details

Belay	Type	Key Pieces
B1	Tree+gear	Slings + #0.75–#1 backup
B2	2 BOLTS	2 lockers + optional cam
B3	2 BOLTS	2 lockers + optional cam
B4	Gear	#0.75–#1 ×2 + solid nut
B5	Gear	#0.3–#0.5 ×2 + small/offset nuts — flared!
B6	Gear	#0.75–#1 + #1–#2 + nut at comfortable stance

☠ Historical Fatalities

P5–P6 ZONE — MID-1980s: Two climbers died when anchor behind a loose flake pulled. TM Herbert (first ascentionist): blocks are "big and loose enough to force creative stemming." Test every flake. Multi-piece anchors only. Never trust a single flake.

⚡ Run-Out Sections

P1 — Mantle: Pro at/below feet at the 5.8 mantle move.

P3 — Slab Below Diamond: Low-angle but sparse pro. Confident slab skills required.

P6 — Off-Route: One party 50 ft above last gear after straying left. If holds run out → traverse RIGHT on thin hands to correct crack.

⚠ Rockfall

P6–P7 Wide Cracks: Most loose rock on route. Helmet mandatory through summit.

Descent Gully: Loose dirt + small rocks. Rockfall from parties above. Move efficiently.

🗺 Route-Finding Traps

P2 False Traverse: Old bolts at early ledge may be gone. Continue up 15 MORE ft first.

P5 Over-Run: Running past B5 by 20–30 ft ruins rope management on crux.

🌩 Weather

Afternoon Thunderstorms: Fast-moving July–Aug storms. Start 6–7 AM. Clear technical terrain by noon.

Descent

Standard — SE Descent Gully: From top-out, traverse RIGHT (east). First gully-like feature is the descent gully — don't go too far. Loose dirt over talus.

Rappel at Base: Bolted 30m rap anchor. 70m rope = straight to ground. 60m may be short — knot ends + downclimb last bit. 50m needs a higher station.

Alternate: From top-out go climber's LEFT, downclimb and traverse around the perch bulk to meet the approach trail.

True Summit: Technical finish is below the high point. Add ~30–45 min for summit scramble via SE slabs.

⏱ Timing: Summit to camp <1 hour. Last boat from Redfish ~7 PM — confirm current schedule. Most parties: 5–8 hours from camp.

Field Beta

📸Base photo is Steph Abegg's route overlay (stephabegg.com, July 4 2014). Her magenta line is already in the photo. Our color-coded segments + callouts are layered on top.

🎽Doubles #0.3–#3 is the real rack. SafeSexAndGoreTex 2023: "used doubles of every color on at least one pitch." #4 only placed to get it off the harness.

🔩Small nuts are critical — confirmed by multiple independent sources. B5 anchor requires small/offset nuts in flared placements.

📏60m works for 7 pitches but most pitches use the full rope. 70m recommended for the descent rap.

⏰Start 6–7 AM from camp. Approach only 20–30 min from Saddleback Lakes. Route: 5–8 hrs.

🗺Route is on the FAR LEFT of the face as seen from the lake. Traverse left from camp along the base.

🌲Campfires NEVER allowed at Saddleback Lakes. Hang food with thin cord. Wag bags sold at Redfish Visitor Center.

⛵Boat shuttle ~$24 RT (2025). Confirm pickup times. Missing last boat = 5-mile walk in the dark.

🧗FA: Webster, Herbert, Hennek — 1967. Herbert: "Loose blocks were just part of climbing."

Sources

Steph Abegg / stephabegg.com (2014) · Mountain Project · SafeSexAndGoreTex (2023) · MountainWerks (2025) · KUHL Born in the Mountains (2024) · SnowBrains / WanderHigh (2013) · Climbing.com (2009) · ChossClimbers (2004) · SummitPost rack TR · Sawtooth Mountain Guides · Idaho: A Climbing Guide — T. Lopez (2000)

Permits & Logistics

Permit: Sawtooth Wilderness — free, self-issue at the trailhead register. No quota.

Boat shuttle: Redfish Lake Lodge shuttle to the inlet, ~$24 RT (2025) — saves ~5 mi each way. Confirm pickup times; last boat ~7 PM.

Approach: Inlet → Redfish Creek trail → social trail departs at a creek crossing → ~4 mi to Saddleback Lakes basecamp. Route is 20–30 min above camp, far LEFT of the face.

Season: mid-July–September, snow-free. Start 6–7 AM; off technical terrain by noon.

Team: lock partners — who leads the 5.9 crux? Plan lead swaps.

Trip Checklist

Field topo synthesized from 12+ independent sources. Pitch lengths and belay locations approximate.