Jon Ruland Tucson, AZ   5.9

[Hide Comment] can anyone tell me how the pro looks on this route? is it pretty good or are there some tricky placements before crux/difficult sections? are there enough bolts to give the leader some good peace of mind? Dec 13, 2007

John Peterson

[Hide Comment] The only pitch where the pro seemed a little sparse was #2. In the bolted sections the bolts are plenty close. Definitely nothing seemed all that scary but I didn't lead P2. None of the cruxes were hard to protect. Dec 13, 2007

Jon Ruland Tucson, AZ   5.9

[Hide Comment] great, thanks for the info. Dec 14, 2007

Phil Persson Denver, Colorado

[Hide Comment] Did this over Beanfest weekend, 4-12-08, wonderful route. Fun, mostly moderate climbing with good pro and minimal rotefinding. Surprised this doesn't see more action considering I think it rank's close to classics on Sheepshead like 'Too Tough to Die', 'Absinthe of Mallet', ect.. The infamous 'Wedge' on PIII is pretty unique... squueze through the heinous chimmney if you can fit... or sprice it up with a strenuous chimmney/OW section protected by 3 bolts for some nice peace of mind. The last pitch with it's excellent hand crack is also really fun. Apr 13, 2008

Aerili Los Alamos, NM

[Hide Comment] I would love to know who has actually "squeezed through" The Wedge. Don't be shy! May 14, 2008

Fletch Scottsdale

[Hide Comment] No lie! I tried to "engage the wedge." First I took off my rack and started with it ahead of me. Then my helmet got stuck. Then I got the claustrophobic panic and said "F*ck it! I'm going OW!!" And for those of you who know me, you know I don't enjoy OW. OW = Other Way!(and no, I can't take credit for making that up--I stold it from someone.) All that aside, it was a great route, that I have now climbed several times. May 21, 2008

Meghan Sierra Vista, AZ

[Hide Comment] ...Eric Deschamps and I did go through the chimney... after taking our helmets and everything else besides harnesses off. Even just my knot got stuck over and over again and I'm a bony, small, person. It was great fun, though!! Good route. Dec 14, 2008

Daryl Allan Sierra Vista, AZ

[Hide Comment] How'd you get your britches off without taking off your harness? Dec 14, 2008

Meghan Sierra Vista, AZ

[Hide Comment] ...OK, so we took off all our GEAR except harnesses... Thanks for pointing out my sloppy language... but it would have been much more humorous if it really was EVERYTHING but the harness. That would be a funny stunt to pull. YOU get to be the one going through the squeeze chimney. I'll handle the camera this time! Dec 14, 2008

rpc Portland, OR

[Hide Comment] nice route. so what's the deal with the bolted crack line that heads off right from the base of the wedge? Jan 7, 2009

Geir www.ToofastTopos.com Tucson/DMR   5.9

[Hide Comment] That is the third pitch of "The Inevitable Awaits You". Jan 7, 2009

JJ Schlick Flagstaff, AZ

[Hide Comment] A friend and I did this line last weekend, and I thought it was a pretty good romp. Pitches 1 and 2 have more good gear than you can see from their respective beginnings. Both of us squeezed through the "Wedge"... I am 6'2 and 170 pounds. It took a while, but I made it through. Feb 19, 2009

Jon Ruland Tucson, AZ   5.9

[Hide Comment] be sure to do p6 to summit the formation. standing on the summit is an experience you'll not soon forget, plus that last pitch is a solid 3 stars by itself. be aware that there is some sketchy gear on the route and the first pitch is 5.9R if you start in the dihedral. if you use the 2 bolts from the other route 5 feet to the right and move into the dihedral afterward it's a pretty safe 5.8. Mar 16, 2009

kait boyle

[Hide Comment] I did this route in 4 pitches and slightly different than described above. P1- climb left facing dihedral (40' 5.9R- to avoid this climb bolt line to left 5.10b or right 5.9 and then step in to crack) traverse left across dike, past 2 bolt anchor, and up crack to the roof. Pull the roof to 2 bolt anchor. ~140' P2-The well discussed squeeze- if you get sucked into the bolted crack on the right, and still want to stay on Mystery of the Desert-move left after 3 bolts to stem over the squeeze to the anchor. 50' 5.7 P3- traverse left of belay on face to short hand crack to the bolted slab left of the veg. step onto more face to climb the hand crack and traverse left along dike to 2 bolt anchor 5.9 180 ' P4- climb bolted 5.8 face to top. ~80' Mar 20, 2009

Geir www.ToofastTopos.com Tucson/DMR   5.9

[Hide Comment] be aware there is no gear for the first 15' or so of pitch 1 on 5.8 terrain. a safer alternative is to start on the bolted route immediately to the right of mystery, and then traverse left on to mystery after the 3rd bolt. Nov 26, 2009

Bill Lawry Albuquerque, NM   5.8+

[Hide Comment] The Wedge: NO need to engage it except as needed to clip the first bolt. Instead, I can assure that one and only one of the following techniques can significantly ease the difficulty (height independent!): gaston; layback; stem; heel hook; dyno; figure four. Edit: I'm just sayin, there is an easier way than using offwidth techniques. (just say "no" to spelunking) Dec 1, 2009

Chris M Hailey, ID   5.9

[Hide Comment] I climbed this route in 4 pitches, but would do it in 3 next time: P1: up the dihedral and over the roof to a 2 bolt belay p2: through the wedge and up the veg to a belay below the corner p3: up the corner, across the dike, then past the belay and up two bolts to the top optional p4- from the large notch, follow bolts up a lichen covered face with a few gear placements to the top of Muttonhead. Rappel this pitch back to the notch and follow the standard walk-off the Wedge isn't as bad as people make it out to be- just take your gear off, chose a direction for your head, and move with your breath Dec 3, 2009

Hendrixson Littleton, CO   5.9

[Hide Comment] Pitch 4 contains a difficult to protect 20 foot traverse. As mentioned above there is one bolt and then anchors. While not too bad this could be stressful for a less experienced follower. For the recorded I engaged the wedge. 6'0 and 175 lbs. Mar 21, 2010

Geir www.ToofastTopos.com Tucson/DMR   5.9

[Hide Comment] a topo for this climb can be downloaded at this link: toofasttopos.com/free/ Oct 9, 2010

Angel Mangual Sierra Vista, AZ

[Hide Comment] Good job Dashle! Thank you Joe for recommending the hootgoat variation, we did it and it was AWESOME! We couldn't decide which way to go until we reach the anchors and then we traverse right through the dike and up the cave...I recommend gearing at the base of Ewphoria, so when you hike down your stuff is right there, instead of going back to the base of Mystery of the Dessert. Nov 1, 2010

Catherine Conner Phoenix, AZ   5.9

[Hide Comment] This climb was great-a lot of variety-face, crack, roof, offwidth... Excellent-I would say go for it, the cruxes do not last for too long and have good pro (I did Geir's recommendation for P1)-and yet there is something a little spicy for each pitch... It was a really good day, and I would do it again! Jan 10, 2012

Jefe Bret Harte Tucson, AZ

[Hide Comment] This is a fun climb. The Wedge is a hoax, don't sweat it. The layback pitch is stellar- perfect rock and great moves. Worth doing the route for this pitch alone. Oct 28, 2012

Erik Hanschen Lost Almost, NM

[Hide Comment] Did this over the weekend- one bolt of the anchor after the Wedge is loose. Down not out right? Mar 4, 2013

. Tucson, AZ

[Hide Comment] For the record: 6'3 185 pounds Squeezed through like jelly between two slabs of rye bread Dec 2, 2013

1Eric Rhicard Tucson

[Hide Comment] This relates to the condition report posted a bout a loose bolt. Studs almost always wiggle as the hole is a bit bigger than the stud. The Beauty is that the more you pull on the stud the tighter it gets. Feb 12, 2014

Daryl Allan Sierra Vista, AZ

[Hide Comment] I am perplexed as to how all you skinny bastards are fitting through that wedge. I got my fat ass stuck, shredded my shirt, broke my sunglasses and scratched my arms all to hell before finally getting back out and I'm only 170 pounds and just shy of 6 feet tall. Jul 30, 2014

Jacob Jones oklazona

[Hide Comment] I'm with Daryl on this - I had to climb the OW. Got stuck in wedge. Sep 9, 2014

JJ Schlick Flagstaff, AZ

[Hide Comment] The classic "deep breath out, move two inches, inhale and repeat". At one point I believe I was worming through horizontally. Sep 9, 2014

Tim Shea Fort Lauderdale, FL

[Hide Comment] A beautiful day to climb mystery of the desert. This climb is a lot of fun with some interesting challenges. On P1 I used the first 3 bolts of "tour buses welcome" and traversed left back to the corner and that is a good way to do this pitch. I did not run the 2nd pitch with this, but this can be easily done. The little overhang on P2 was fun. Now squaring off with the wedge ! This was pretty straight forward up to the second clip. Now it gets tough. When I finally figured it out it was not that bad. No way I was going to squeeze through that slot. I ran the next 2 pitches together, the "Veg" and the Layback crack. Even though the layback crack was slick and committing, I think the wedge was harder. The rope drag made this a bad idea for combining pitches. The belay here is a beautiful airy hanging belay. A few moves down low and you are at the finish ledge in no time. Anyway, I highly recommend this climb. Mar 15, 2015

Scott Beguin Santa Fe, NM   5.9

[Hide Comment] Don't pass this one up. Do it! The chimney was easier than it looked. I thought the top of the pitch 5 ramp crack was the crux. May 3, 2016

Tomas Houser

[Hide Comment] My Friend and I did this 4/7/18 and unfortunately he realized he left his belay device, a locker, and a double length sling at the top of the route by the final belay tree. If anyone is up there soon and will be in Tucson please call 520-205-1835 for its safe return!! Thanks Apr 7, 2018

chris wu

[Hide Comment] the summit pitch is sweet. walk straight ahead from the finish to find a lichen-covered face with a few bolts, then brief hand crack and scramble to the top of the dome. this involves more challenging face climbing than the rest of the route, including the P1 variation that follows the first 3 bolts of Tour Buses Welcome. rappel station for this pitch is located to the right of the crack. from there, tried to follow the toofast topo to rappel. followed the cairns/path past the hootgoat window, then scrambled over some blocky stuff on the right to find a 2 bolt anchor. using a 70m, my partner and i simul-rapped past the intended rap station (accidentally) and ended up at the bolted anchor at the top of the wedge/ow pitch. another simul-rap took us to the gully, then a few minutes of scrambling took us to the base of the climb. Dec 12, 2018

John Clark Reno, NV   5.9+

[Hide Comment] one of the bolts on the wedge is loose, could wiggle the shaft of the bolt with my fingers. The mystery is why there isn't one bolt to protect the first 30' when there is a birdshot blast of bolts protecting the first 30' of the "harder" routes to either side. Apr 20, 2020

Kyle O

[Hide Comment] Great route with straight-forward approach and descent trails. The only 5.9 section IMO is the 4th pitch layback due to it being slick. However, I was able to fit through the tunnel (the Wedge) so I did not have to negotiate the off-width. I found the first pitch relatively mellow even with clipping the first three bolts of the route to the right for pro. May 9, 2020

Whitney Kiker Seattle, WA

[Hide Comment] Loved this route - high quality rock, fun variety in styles of climbing. I found the squeeze to be pretty heinous. I'm 5'7" 125lbs, didn't take off my harness (obviously should have), and almost got stuck. My partner followed and went up and over, which looked substantially more enjoyable. The Bok book describes the route in 5 pitches - I would at least link 4 & 5 (you could also link 2 & 3, although if there is any concern with the squeeze or off-width it's nice to have the belay at the top of 2). 5.9 a fair grade for the fourth pitch. Highly recommend the summit block pitch! Feb 17, 2021

ryan wood   5.9

[Hide Comment] Nov 1, 2022 · Lead. Hey guys! Long time user, first time commenter. I took a pretty gnar fall at the crux on 10/29, pulled a piece but the second piece held. It was a green Metolius ultralight. If anyone happens to be up there and snags it, great! I wouldn’t use it though! Ha! And since you're not gonna use it, I’d like to have it back. Mostly just to check it out and add it to the smashed helmet and ripped harness that also came from that fall. Also! My belayer reported a lot of debris that came down on her when I fell. Not sure how much material was pulled from the crack but be aware there may be some significant changes to the crack where my piece pulled. Since we backed off I wasn’t able to get a good look. Anyway! Don’t let this post discourage you! It’s a badass climb, falls happen. Happy climbing and wear a helmet Nov 1, 2022

Nick Henscheid Tucson, AZ   5.9

[Hide Comment] @ryan I assume you're referring to the P4 crack? Hope you're OK! Nov 1, 2022

Perry Gowdy Traveling

[Hide Comment] Descent Beta: After the super small P5 at the tree belay (before the optional pitch to the summit), follow a couple of cairns climber’s right to a super cool rock window overlooking the plains below. Continue past this for 10-20 more feet down a gulley with a large aloe. Scramble up and right of the aloe along the ledge and you’ll find a two bolt anchor next to a tree. One rappel to the top of P2 anchor (wedge pitch), and then one more from here to the gulley. Super short scramble back down to the base of the climb, 50-100 feet climbers left and you’ll be back at your pack. 70m absolutely required. Thanks to chris wu for mentioning this originally. Great climb! P4 is so rad. Pitch 2 was highly overblown and is an easy stem up and over with the bolts to protect. Mar 7, 2023

Jo Waterdaughter New York, NY

[Hide Comment] Raptors seen nesting approx 20 feet left of the 2nd pitch, March 2024. Very angry about our presence even just at the base so we decided to back off and climb phony pony instead, which was a wonderful romp! Mar 30, 2024