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Walk off Cat in the Hat

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Jonny 5 · · Squamish BC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 1,220

I want to do this climb. I really don't want to haul my 2 full ropes up. I am wondering how doable/safe walking off is. Oh yeah I has no $ to spend on rope or tag line. Thanks

Muscrat · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 3,625

Oh Lordy!! Don't do the walk off! Hours of misery, IF, big If, you find the way down. Too many epics in potential. I have climbed this multiple times, with 60m or 70m. The seventy was nice because one of the raps is a 60 stretcher, but ok. From the top, short rap to chains above the third belay station. You will not see them from the belay, they are the top of "Rabbit's Arete". From here rap to 3rd belay spot, big boulder. (i think of this as a 5 pitch climb, as you link 1&2 into 1 long pitch) Now look down and climbers right, you should see some slings (i added a purple last year, still good) slung around a huge boulder. (The slings are 35' long, big rock.) You are to the right of the third pitch of Cat, the one that you really enjoyed. Next rap, down to the tree, then 2 more (this time using the station you skipped on the way up, keep an eye out for it on the way up, you can not see it from above, it is on a HUGE boulder on the first set of ledges) and down you are.
The other alternative is this is very popular route, and unless it is snowing or over 100˚ you will find someone to share a double rope rap with.
And If it is too crowded, go around the 'front' of the cliffs and do Cookie Monster, well worth it. May i also suggest 'Birdland', great exposure, and a great intro into RR sandstone.

NickinCO · · colorado · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 155

+1 found birdland to be a lot more fun than CITH

Peter Blank · · Grand Junction, Colorado · Joined May 2008 · Points: 720

Go to the top and walk off. Long awesome day with Cookie Monster.

Matt Edlund · · Saint Paul, MN · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 40

Any other advice for the best way down from Mescalito summit? I was thinking of bringing a buddy up Cookie Monster for his first long multipitch, finishing on CITH and then rapping CITH with double ropes. Anyone know from experience the best way off?

Thanks!

Brian · · North Kingstown, RI · Joined Sep 2001 · Points: 804
Matt Edlund wrote:Any other advice for the best way down from Mescalito summit? I was thinking of bringing a buddy up Cookie Monster for his first long multipitch, finishing on CITH and then rapping CITH with double ropes. Anyone know from experience the best way off? Thanks!
The top of CITH doesn't go to the Mescalito summit. Your best bet is to rap down with two ropes. Cookie Monster to CITH is a better combination than the first few pitches of CITH.
Doug Hemken · · Madison, WI · Joined Oct 2004 · Points: 13,668

See the beta page for Mescalito for the walk-off options.

If you like mountaineering or canyoneering, you will LOVE the walk off. If you prefer climbs with short approaches, you might not.

Derek Doucet · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 66

It sounds like this may be your first trip to Red Rock? If so, I'd personally recommend against going to the summit of Mescalito unless quite confident in your route finding skills. I've done quite a few Red Rock descents and would place this one in the middle of the pack in terms of route finding challenge in an area known for sometimes complex descents. While not as bad as some make it sound on the intraweb, it's certainly a bit involved.

Also, as mentioned up thread, CITH doesn't actually go to the top, and I've never been from the top of the route to the summit. I therefore can't offer any details on the terrain involved. As I dimly recall, it looked loose, blocky and low to mid 5th, but appearances can deceive. Somebody on here must have done it, surely?

I have however descended from the top of Mesalito in to the North Fork of Pine Creek. It's fairly straightforward scrambling and easy down climbing until near the end when some more intricate route finding and 2 raps are required. IIRC, we may have used 2 ropes for one of them anyway!

I've heard rumor that one can keep traversing west (up stream) above the North Fork and eventually drop down without rapping, but doing so looked rather involved and would land you significantly farther up canyon anyway. The most obvious descent to us definitely involved the raps and landed us just a few minutes up stream of the start if Dark Shadows.

Again, not something I'd really recommend if new to desert "rockaneering".

Matt Edlund · · Saint Paul, MN · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 40

Thanks Doug. Appreciate the detailed info.

Matt Edlund · · Saint Paul, MN · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 40

I've been to RR numerous times but never summitted Mescalito, and was entertaining the thought of a moderate climb with a top out for my buddy but wanted to vett the descent options first.

We'll likely skip the summit if we decide to get on these climbs - at least this time around.

Again, thanks for the input.

Karsten Duncan · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 2,571

Actually CITH DOES go to the top. See the Mountainproject page for CITH and go about half way down the comments. SMassey has the description listed there.

Why does noone do the upper pitches? Well, it gets bushy, the pitches are not that great, routefinding is tricky, and overall it just kind of sucks. Of course getting to the top of Mescalito is actually really cool so depending on what you want it can be worth it.

lucander · · Stone Ridge, NY · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 260

Summitted Mescalito via Cat in the Hat several years ago when I was a new climber, it was a fabulous experience and a memorable adventure.

Details are fuzzy, but I remember a few hundred feet of scrambling to a chimney (felt 5.7, was glad my partner led it) in soft red rock that took us to the summit. From there we walked back towards the limestone band and took a left for descent. A rappel may have been used (?) and I do not know if we had one or two ropes.

Larry D'Angelo's guidebook has route and descent beta.

Jonny 5 · · Squamish BC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 1,220

How bad form would it be to climb CITH with just one rope? It is my first time to RR. I was thinking since it sounds like such a busy route, go early as heck jump on first, have lunch at top and "play dumb" when the next party tells me two rope raps are needed for descent. My plan so far is to take a friend cragging to teach him basics and make sure I can climb 5.7 in RR (in case it's stiffer than Squamish). Then take him up CITH.

Jonny 5 · · Squamish BC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 1,220

Im kinda joking ...

calvino · · Sedro Woolley · Joined May 2010 · Points: 425

yeah, i was kinda thinking the same thing. Talk to some people at the base, and team up with a pair that don't seem like gumbies. I'm sure other people would be stoked to not carry a second rope up. I teamed up with another couple last time i did it, we probably didn't save any time, but we had a lot of fun.

Brian · · North Kingstown, RI · Joined Sep 2001 · Points: 804

Twice I had to "rescue" uninformed climbers on CITH who had one rope and didn't realize you need two to get down. The downside of a classic 5.6 is it attracts new leaders who don't always know what they are doing.

Michael Kimm · · Free Soil, MI · Joined Jun 2007 · Points: 2,585

CitH can be rapped with a single 60m with a small amount of downclimbing, and with a single 70m with no downclimbing at all. I would suggest doing the Cookie Monster start into the last pitch of CitH... it's a much better (and much less crowded) route that way.

cassondra l · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 335

It is possible to descend from the peak of Mescalito on the south side without rappelling at all. It takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes that way. There is a bit of 4th class and some thoughtful route finding, quite a possibility of getting lost, as there is a particular spot that is important not to miss, and there are no cairns there.

Branch Whitney's hiking books (available at Clark County Library, and maybe still at Costco in LV) probably give about the best details on what to look for. There is more than one way to get down on the North Side. I have already been on 3 of them, but still don't know where that best one that I've heard rumour of exists.

It is good that the days are longer, so you will have plenty of time to find your way should you decide to head for the summit. Just make sure you start early.

Jonny 5 · · Squamish BC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 1,220

^^^^

This sounds way better than the walk off...

Cody P · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 15

We rapped easily with a 70.

J. Thompson · · denver, co · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,425

I've climbed CITH to the summit of the Mescalito. You can actually reverse the entire route, from the summit, to descend. I've done it twice, the second time we used it to get down after climbing "Deep Space".
Both times I used a single 60M rope.
The final ,technical, pitch on CITH is a Chimney up high. There is a bolted Rap/Belay station at it's top. From there you have to scramble back to the top of the lower technical climbing, then continue rapping that route. Take a 70M to make it even simpler.

josh

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Nevada
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