Type: Trad, 5 pitches, Grade III
FA: Bryan Bird, Caleb Padgett ( SD Right) Bird, Joe French, Zach Lee (SD Left)
Page Views: 1,228 total · 10/month
Shared By: EJN on Jan 27, 2014
Admins: Andrew Gram, Nathan Fisher, Perin Blanchard, GRK, D C

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Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
Warning Access Issue: Seasonal Raptor Closures ***** RAIN AND WET ROCK ***** The sandstone in Zion is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN ZION during or after rain. A good rule of thumb is that if the ground near your climb is at all damp (and not powdery dry sand), then do not climb. There are many alternatives (limestone, granite, basalt, and plastic) nearby. Seasonal Raptor Closures DetailsDrop down

Swamp Donkey Suggest change

Approach:

Walk from either the Pine Creek Boulders pull off near the Canyon Junction Bridge up a drainage to reach the bench, then follow the cliff bands to the base of the route

Or

Walk from the Spry pull off below Holy Roller, etc., then follow the cliff band right.

Description:

Fun route with two options on the right side of the West Face of Mt. Spry. Swamp Donkey is way right of the three cracks of Sandblaster, Central Pillar, and Holy Roller. Look for a huge roof with a splitter coming out on the left side of it. Start twenty feet left of a big, dirty, horrible looking chimney on an intermittent crack. You should be able to see chains from the ground.

For Swamp Donkey Left:

P1 Climb a crack up and right, bust right on some face moves to reach the first bolted anchor.
P2 Go up the obvious crack trending left. There is an anchor left of the crack. 10
p3 Follow the crack right through some steep moves to a ledge. Traverse left back to another crack. 10
p4 Traverse up and left to a bolt, pull some wild moves through a small roof to gain a hand crack leading to the base of the big roof. 11
P5 Pull the awesome tight hands roof to a hand crack, and karate chop hand jams all the way to the top. No fixed anchor at the top of the crack. 12-

For Swamp Donkey Right:
P4 Traverse up and right, following a crack into the gaping maw of a chimney. 8
P5 Claw your way up the chimney to the top. 10

Descent:

From the bolted rap station between the top outs of the two variations, you can either do 3 double rope raps to the base of the cliff (Top to bottom of p4, P4-P2, P2-ground), Or rap with a single 70 down every station on SD Left. I recommend the single 70 option, as I got my rope very stuck rapping off the top to the base of p4.

Rack:
Doubles to #4 camalot, with extra thin hands to fists.

Photos

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