Ascent Notes for: Dark Shadows - 5.8 popular Average Rating : 4.56/5

P1, slab protected by two bolts. It's easy, just keep moving. P2 and P3 beautiful corner climbing. Great gear. P3 is long. P4 has a short offwidth, a tiny bit spicy, unreal varnish on this pitch. You need a full 70 to rap off. If it's short, you will not make it to the ground and will have to rap off the end of your ropes. Our rope landed in the creek. Not to worry, tried out very quickly in the dessert heat

Great moves on solid rock in a cool beautiful area with a creek. What more do you want? Easy first pitch on a slabby wall to the real meat of two pitches of fairly sustained 5.7 & 5.8 climbing.

Wished I would have lead the first or third pitch. We decided to head home right after so linked the first and second to speed things up. Got intimidated by the third but it turned out to be just as the book described...holds appear just when you need them! Beautiful climb.

Very cool corner - the varnish is really cool! Only real 5.8 part felt on the 3rd pitch where the crack arches out under the roof, otherwise a fantastic jug-haul!

GO lead up to the 1st pitch, then I did P2-3.

.

so fun!

With Joe K. from Dallas. Have no idea how the tourist aspect of this route turned it into a 4 pitch boy wonder. It deserves to be climbed in whole as much as Crimson Chrysalis or any other route at Red Rocks that leads to a summit. Decent rock all the way really. My 2nd had a bit of trouble on that 10th pitch roof, but I thought nothing above the 4th pitch was any more difficult than that pitch itself. If with a client, etc. best to rope up for those last two pitches to the summit I suppose, although I would solo it no worries. The exit we chose was a unique and interesting canyoneering experience down into the south fork. Just follow the cairns, descending southwest a short distance from the summit and enter a narrow gully which turns into a narrow water worn course, dry enough in mid March. Several single rope raps off of trees get you down to the south fork. Fun terrain.

My first climb on this side of Mescalilto--the rock and surroundings are gorgeous. Did Y2K in the morning to warm up, then we had DS all to ourselves on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Led P3. Great route!

The breeze off the water cools off the 1st pitch, seemed like five to ten degrees warmer on higher pitches. Led P1, though didn't feel comfortable to do anymore leading after that. favorite pitch was P3. When rappeling from 2nd rap rings with two60 meter rope clear the knot over the lip. We had the knot snag at the top and had to jummar up to unsnag the knot.