The hilarious part of this climb (other than the fact that we weren't on the
route we thought we were on) was that when we got to the top we found a
small summit register in a mason jar. Now this is not unusual in the
Black Hills, but inside we found a home made guidebook detailing the routes
on the rock we had just climbed! Will and I busted up laughing--it
sure would have been more useful before we reached the top!!! Turns
out this rock is called 'West Lies Mirkwood' and holds several routes that
reach the summit. We couldn't quite ascertain which route we
followed--perhaps it was a combination of existing routes. If I
remember right, the logbook hadn't been signed in almost 10 years!
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This photo, taken from an adjacent fin of rock, shows the true height of West Lies Mirkwood which looks deceptively shorter when looking up from it's base. The first pitch ended about halfway up, on top of the separated fin that lies straight below the righthand summit. In the previous picture, the second pitch looks ridiculously short, but here you can see it's true length and seriousness, especially considering that it only had one bolt for protection.
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