As the direct approach was melted out and we didn't like the idea of wet 5th class slabs that we might have to belay, we opted for the longer, cl. 3-4 route with less first-hand information. So we hiked over the climber's version of Jackass Pass, descended a hundred feet or so before picking our way over on a ledge system. Now, we had in mind that the switchback would be smaller than it was, and that the cl. 4 might be old school, so we were ready for some harder soloing. So when the ledge seemed to choke off, we started up a broken ledge system above us.
Don't do that.
I ended up in iffy 5th class terrain, and the ledges above looked less reasonable as I got higher, so we had to work out a retreat option. It just so happened that we saw a few rappel slings in the area as we backed down and added ours to the cliffside . . .
We headed up the chute where the ledge appeared to end and popped out the backside on a much longer ledge system. In the end, we nearly ended up on the south side of the peak before we reached the ledge that traversed back up to the Plume, but it is casual, scenic, and probably goes much faster if you know where you're going.