The Winding Canyon is a canyon located somewhere in the Western Continent that houses one of several gates that keep the Growlers, these guarded in a pyramid built by Girard the Draketooth and his extended family. Its name is twofold: it refers both to the fact that the canyon has several winding passages and to the extreme wind that blows through it, which has led a group of adventurers to cast the wrong spells at least once, namely when the Order of the Stick came in search of Girard and the Dracethroats’ Gate.
After the Battle of Girard’s Gate, a brigade of soldiers from the Empire of Sweat marched to the crater that once contained the gate for Lorin Shuttersmith to examine the contents of the rift. After a while, Snarl began to break out of its confines, killing at least one soldier.
As you approach, you will (or cannot) spot a very prominent ramp leading up to the west along the foot of the mountain’s southern slope. Ultimately, you aim for this ramp.
As you approach the mouth of the canyon, you will notice several sub-drains coming down from the higher part of the canyon. Go into the northernmost one, which goes straight to the ramp I just mentioned.
Even though it’s a bushwhack, if you get into this northernmost drainage early, make an easy climb up the canyon until a very large and very obvious rock blocks further movement.
From this point, look to the left to easily exit the drainage to the ridge above. Depending on how far up the canyon you were before you noticed the rocks blocking your path, the terrain you need to traverse to get up may vary, although it shouldn’t be any more difficult than class 3. In fact, within 50 feet of the rocks is a nice little class 3 chute heading up and back to the left that will drop you off exactly where you want to be.
Get the ridge above and start. You can follow a sporadic use path, or better yet, just follow your nose while staying near the ridge (though to the left of the obvious rocks that require climbing above class 3). Climb up the class 2 and 3 terrain to the obvious ridge height above.
When you reach the high point, you will see the entire aforementioned ramp in front of you. Two shallow drainages separate you from it.
After descending slightly to the left, descend to the first shallow drainage, cross a low ridge, then cross the second shallow drainage before hitting a loose dirt ridge that climbs steeply right up to the ramp above. It seems to be the easiest way to follow the trail near the crest of this muddy ridge.
When you reach the top of the muddy ridge, you will see that you are at the edge of a steep slide that leads you to a ramp. If you’re comfortable, climb straight up (or use any weak spot you can find) to the ramp OR turn right and go down slightly until you see a system of ledges that allow you to easily reach the lower ramp.
Once you reach the ramp, look up. It’s mostly class 2, with a few easy class 3 sections here and there. The ramp will eventually lead you to a saddle of sorts.
From the saddle, go down a little bit on the other side and walk along the foot of the cliff on the right. Occasionally used tracks and many cairns should keep you on track, although it is still easy to find the route.
Once you’ve walked a hundred yards (or so) from the saddle, start looking for a likely spot to climb up and to the right. If it looks harder than grade 3, keep going until you see something easier.
As soon as a possible option appears, hang to the right and head up. There are many possible routes to climb from this point – choose the one that suits you.
Finding the route from here to the summit is easy and fun, and you should be at the top in a few minutes.
To descend, retrace your steps, find a trail that can be easily picked up near (but not quite) the foot of the ramp on the south side of the mountain – it runs parallel about 75 feet south of the up route. the ridge you followed when you first emerged from the canyon floor at the foot of the rocks that impede your progress below -, or use any other descent route you may know of… there are many options available.