LinkedIn Crossclimb answer for Tuesday, September 15: #868
LinkedIn Crossclimb #868 is the puzzle for Tuesday, September 15, 2026: a seven-rung word ladder, five clues and one clue shared by the top and bottom rungs.
Updated 1:08 PM PT, Nov 7
Puzzle date Tuesday, September 15
The ladder, rung by rung
The two end words together describe a budget way of exploring faraway places on foot, and one rung in between is the outer layer of a tree.
Outside covering of a tree
Crossclimb #868 clue 1: Outside covering of a tree → BARK
BARK
Bark is the tough outer covering of a tree.
Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun
Crossclimb #868 clue 2: Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun → LARK
LARK
A lark is a songbird, and doing something on a lark means doing it impulsively or for fun.
Shortage or absence of something
Crossclimb #868 clue 3: Shortage or absence of something → LACK
LACK
A lack is a shortage or absence of something.
Short taste, as of a lollipop
Crossclimb #868 clue 4: Short taste, as of a lollipop → LICK
LICK
A lick is a quick taste, as of a lollipop, taken with the tongue.
Choose between a few options
Crossclimb #868 clue 5: Choose between a few options → PICK
PICK
To pick is to choose one option from a few.
Top and bottom rungs
The top + bottom rows = A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders. Keep in mind: The first word may be at the bottom.
Opens after the five rungs above.
BACKPACK
BACK is the other word in the compound for adventurous travel with a bag over your shoulders, and it names the part of the body where the bag rests.
PACK is one of the two words in the compound for adventurous travel with a bag over your shoulders, and it names the bag you carry.