The East Face, Right Side is probably the easiest route from the east
side of Mt. Darwin. Leave the maintained trail at Midnight Lake, climbing west
towards Blue Heaven Lake. Pass this lake on the south side, climbing up
towards Darwin Col. Pass the unnamed lakes on the east and north sides. A class
3 chute can be climbed just to the left of peak 13,048ft (which is northeast
of the col), or class 4 rock can be climbed directly to the col (the flat spot
on the ridge). Once on the ridge, it can be followed all the way to the summit
(this is the class 4 Northeast Ridge route. Alternatively, you can
climb the lower portion of the ridge, exiting to the left shortly after
encountering a 60-foot class 4 chimney. This is the start of the East Face,
Right Side route, and follows easy ledges over two sharp ridges before dropping
into the main chute that leads to the summit plateau. Climb on the right side
of this chute, then cross several gullies to the left to reach the summit
plateau. The true summit is detached from the plateau. On either the left or
right side, climb down to the small saddle between the summit pinnacle and
the plateau. Then go around the pinnacle on the right (south) side. Once on
the southeast side, climb the easiest of two crack systems found here. These
are exposed but easy class 4. You can also climb around the pinnacle on the
left or west side, but this is more difficult and requires descending one
snow-filled chute and ascending another before reaching the southeast side.