Fun Climbs Around The World

Tristan a little above  the  start of Pitch 2

Sunflower Tower sits in the middle of the Bridger Jack Mesa, towering above its nearest neighbors - Easter Island and Sparkling Touch.  We’d climbed the two latter towers, and now was the time to reach for the top of Sunflower tower.
I like the approach hike to the Bridger Jack Towers - a well-trodden trail that I can get to the top of in a little over half an hour.

Our first pitch looked fun - a slightly awkward crack to start, heading into a wide stem to a ledge.

From this ledge, things would get harder, beginning with the very first move.

I was glad Tristan was leading - he stepped out over a chasm between the tower proper, and the  adjacent mini-tower. Our ledge ended about 8 feet short of the crack- which started tantalizingly close, but over to the left.

Tristan chimneyed over to the crack, stuffed his hands into the crack, and levitated up toward the next small pinnacle. From here, the crack progressively narrowed from hands size to finger size - without any convenient footholds making an appearance.

After battling gravity, and struggling up on insecure finger locks and laybacking when possible, it was my turn to follow the pitch.  Happy with my tight toprope, I struggled no less than Tristan. finally, I joined him on a large ledge barely below the top of a sort of ‘intermediate’ summit - the top of one tower section adjacent to the main tower body. I quickly clambered above him, out of the shade, onto the main ledge, now basking in the very welcome sun.

Looking down at the top of pitch two from the summit

We belayed near here for the last pitch.