xclimber's Logbook (98 ascents)

An excellent route on good stone. I like to finish by going straight up then traverse to the anchors. A blue C4 will protect the final airy, albeit trivial moves...

Worthwhile. Excellent warm-up. Several top-rope variations possible from the chains.

Adventure climbing... Do it!

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Fantastico...! Go there. Do it!

Stupendous!

Bring yer head... The cruxes are mostly psychological barriers.

“Best 5.8 in the State” is a bit of an overbilling...

P1: Flat out sucks unless you like climbing through lechuguilla and cacti. The start is vague (as advertised). There are two small clusters of trees near the base. The first one you come to has some bare ground and is more spacious than the next one which is about twenty feet further and above the first. We started from the higher position and went leftward around the sharp prow of rock with some good underclings. Follow the ramp/crack affair that trends rightward. The crack is dirty, crumbly and polished in places. The pro is only fair (lots of potential for injury if you fall here). The belay was right next to a wasp nest. I was concerned about getting stung but we all managed to get along just fine.

P2: Better than P1, but still nothing to write home about. There’s a somewhat dicey move traversing to the right in one spot then follow the well-protected crack up to the belay.

P3: This is the best pitch. Starts up a chimney that appears unprotectabel, but takes a couple of small wires (one was actually a “Lowe Ball”). Exit the chimney to the chicken-head/boiler-plate face trend rightward below the dihedral (a small threaded wire that's fixed marks the line) around the corner and up till the rope drag starts to bother you and set a belay you off of a very large chicken-head and two small wires (one was actually a “Lowe Ball”) on the face (more comfortable than it looks...)

P4: Another nice chicken-head hike to a comfortable stance 20’ or so below a very large roof.

P5: Went directly Left from the belay and traversed for a long, long way. At some point you need to gain the upper face (easy, but DON’T FALL). Belay on a nice stance with a small tree festooned with a piece of accessory cord and two rap rings (this is not the descent... or is it?)

p6: Follow three bolts directly above the belay. It’s longer than it looks depending on where you want to belay...

Rap off of two nice fat hangers next to a single bolt then scramble down the ramp 150’ or so to a tree with slings and rings (all trees have this set-up). At the bottom of this rappel follow cairns for a long ways (go up then down, down, down...) to another tree with slings and rings this is the first of the three final raps which are pretty obvious. Some of them are short enough that you may be able to combine a couple of them if you have two ropes, but we didn’t actually do it, so if it doesn’t work out don’t blame me... =;o)

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