Type: | Trad, 800 ft (242 m), 6 pitches, Grade III |
FA: | Chuck Lipinski, Dave Webster, Jeff Mayhew |
Page Views: | 3,983 total · 21/month |
Shared By: | Charles Vernon on Nov 17, 2008 |
Admins: | adrian montaƱo, Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen |
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concernedclimbers.com/Mendo…
Update from Jeff Mayhew 3.12.14:
Extended Access Info
Matt Walton from the AZ Game and Fish Dept. advised me that extended access to Mendoza Canyon will be allowed to hikers and climbers through a pilot project again this year. The normal closure begins March 1st and runs until September 1st. From March 1st thru April 30th you can contact Matt at 520-400-4022 or at mwalton@azgfd.gov to apply for access. You must have a valid AZ State Land Permit and apply with Matt 10 days to 2 weeks in advance.
You will then be given the combination to the gates on King's Anvil Ranch that lead to Mendoza Canyon. These combinations will be changed every week or 2. Consecutive days of access may be allowed, but overnight camping will not be allowed.
Matt asks that we NOT approach the ranchers about access during this period. All questions should be directed to Matt.
Update from Charles Vernon (12.6.10):
We ran into John King's daughter herding cows yesterday, on the way into the canyon. She was very nice, and we talked to her for a little while. She believes that the missing traps that led to loss of access last year were a result of hikers (climbers? hunters?) whose dogs got caught in the traps, leading to the dog owners taking or destroying the traps to free their dogs.
Regardless of what exactly happened, she made it clear that dogs are not welcome. It sounds as though just heading out there with dogs, without more, could be enough to cause them to rethink access. So please, do not bring dogs to Mendoza!
Description
A note in the summit register laments the "demise of adventure climbing" and complains that Table for Two is a "sport route". I didn't find it to be that exactly, but I'll allow it as there's some nice bolts there.
We thought this was a really fun route, with substantial runouts on every pitch on 5.6/5.7 climbing, but good pro on anything 5.8 and harder, and mostly good rock. Some bolts are old buttonheads, some are relatively new (note that although BC Rock Climbing correctly describes the route as retro-bolted, the new bolts are not shown on the guidebook topo). All belays are bolted with chains. Only about 10 feet of the route seemed harder than 5.8 to us and it's actually a lot less sustained than Wily Javelina, although the book does rate the start of the crux pitch at 5.9+.
ETA: With all that said, this is a Southern Arizona backcountry route: it does have run-outs, loose rock in places, some questionable bolts, and gear placements in dubious rock. Although it is “retrobolted,” that's only a few added bolts across the entire route, and the route as a whole only has a dozen or so lead bolts total spread across six pitches.
the route (reference p. 163 of the guidebook):
1) Turn the roof (bolt), place pro, then head up and right past *two* more bolts, with great climbing on perfect brown edges up and right (not left as guidebook says) of the 2nd bolt to the belay (5.8, 150')
2) Wander up large features past 2 bolts, then head right on the obvious & very cool "heebee jeebee" traverse, over to & up a LF flake, which with all the bushes removed is probably more like 5.6 than the book's 5.8 (5.8, 100')
3) Up and slightly left past 2 bolts, then up & out of a short LF corner, up & right, through a slot in a roof, and up a somewhat poorly protected LF corner (one bolt) to the belay). (5.8, 150') Note that there is some poor rock approaching this belay and at the beginning of the next pitch.
4) Straight up the obvious RF corner on hand-sized gear (probably no harder than 5.8, but some friable rock - you're climbing a big flake of sorts that gets more solid the higher you go). Exit left as the crack dies & run it out 20+ feet to a bolt, then up and left to two more bolts (1 old & thankfully 1 new) that safely protect the steep, exciting crux, then super fun plate climbing to a 2-bolt belay. (5.10a, 150')
5) Short pitch straight up past 2 bolts, over the bulge to a 2-bolt belay right of a tree. (5.7, 100')
6) Essentially, go straight up to the large ledge below the summit. Low angle at first then really fun chickenheads to finish (5.6 150') Scramble to the top and contemplate the actual summit, which fairly defies belief.
Rappel the route (2 ropes).
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