Yup. I'll just confirm what I mentioned before. The first time I went into Millbrook was in 1966 and the tradition was to simply walk in from the bottom. The tradition was to do an "easy" climb first and we just followed the practice at the time, which was to avoid the lower tier and head to the traverse ledge to start the routes. Later, as we grew more ambitious, the first ascent parties routinely avoided the lower tier entirely, but not due to any issues over landowners. It was simply because there was too much good rock to climb on the upper part, and no reason to forge through lichen, loose blocks, and dirt on the lower angled lower tier. A similar situation was felt about the Bayards--and I believe that caused a discrimination against the Bayards as being dirty and filfthy--to be avoided. But like any area, I wouldn't rule out that 40 years later, there might be good rock worth exploring on the lower Millbrook tier!

A few further comments.

1. On his ascent of the Old Route, Fritz bushwacked up from the bottom, observed that the lower tier was "slabby and uninteresting," traversed the boulder field all the way to the Northern end of Millbrook, gained the Death Ledge from there, and in order to "to study the whole cliff more closely," traversed back to the Old Route start. On the way down, he walked South until it was possible to descend to the Death Ledge, which he then traversed all the way back North again, again looking for additional route possibilities, before reversing the bushwack to the car.

2. My comments about choss on the lower tier notwithstanding, Mim's post is accurate; there is some good rock at the far left end of the lower tier, underneath the portion of Millbrook known to the cognoscenti as The Beach.

Know to the original cognoscenti as the "The Third Band".

http://gunks.com/ubbthreads7/ubbthreads.php/topics/58242/MILLBROOK_and_THE_GRAND_TRAVER#Post58242

Opps, I meant "THE FOURTH BAND". The place had, was given that name, for a couple of reasons.

There are actually three ledges at that point, not two. One can traverse a higher ledge above Nuclear Waste to access many short Uberfall type climbes from there near the top of the cliff. You can make out a ledge there in the Guide book.

Opps, I meant "THE FOURTH BAND".

Note that since the area is known to but a few, the "Third Band" post above went uncorrected for more than a day and the correction was done by the poster himself.

So? Basically, who cares. You should be happy that the sound of crickets in here was momentarily interrupted.

Retroscree -

A bit off topic, but here is a real trivia question for you.

What climb did the authors of the last two posts in this thread do as a first ascent?

Phlan will know so that doesn't count.

What climb did the authors of the last two posts in this thread do as a first ascent?


Shucks, I'm one of the last two posters you mentioned and I don't know the answer to that question.

The rock at the bottom of the cliff is similar to the Uberfall as well.

Much too easy.

Vultures Know, 5.10 R, Near Trapps