Type: Trad, 350 ft (106 m), 4 pitches, Grade II
FA: Gary Hicks
Page Views: 3,088 total · 17/month
Shared By: Bill Lawry on Jun 6, 2010 · Updates
Admins: Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown

You & This Route


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Description Suggest change

Pitch 1 (~60 feet, 5.6) Gear anchor
Climb the corner trough straight up to the belay ledge located on the left side of the pitch 2 face.

Pitch 2 (~50 feet, 5.7) Tree anchor
This is a fairly short pitch. Step out onto the face and continue up past a bolt, piton and bolt for protection. After the second bolt, climb up to the horizontal ledge and traverse right to the first tree and belay. There's a little down climb involved to get to the tree.

Pitch 2 variation(~60 feet, 5.8 PG13) Bolted anchor
At the ~horizontal ledge system, continue straight up a smallish crack system, getting pro where you can; surmount a large ledge with one old bolt on the ledge and two newer bolts several feet higher and belay

Pitch 3 (~80 feet, 5.6/5.7) Gear anchor
From the belay tree, traverse up and right until you're about in the middle of the blocky ramp that heads up. From here, start climbing up while zigging and zagging to keep the climbing easy. Don't pass up gear on this pitch. You're aiming for a belay alcove with a roof above it. There's a bolt roughly 20 feet below and right of the alcove on good rock. The belay ledge is in the corner at base of steep face with a roof above you. Because there isn't great protection, it's best to navigate this pitch by following the rampy vegetative ledges to keep the climbing easy. 

Pitch 4 (~80 feet, 5.7) Tree anchor
From the belay, you have two initial options to get to the right hand end of the roof: a) climb up left into the corner to get gear in high for protection (extend your sling), then down climb until able to ascend more to the right; or b) trend up and right without protection on the easiest part of the steep face. The easiest rock approaches the roof on its’ right and you can reach left to get protection in the roof crack ( ~2 inch cam may work).

At the roof, move up and left into the dihedral/corner system and follow it to the dirty & vegetated ledge at the top. You'll pass a piton (9/2024) in the corner. Make use of other protection as well - found places for a couple large nuts.  Higher in the corner, stem around / step near a dead tree (9/2024) until can easily put feet onto slightly sloping dirt.  Did not find a need - and did not want to rely on the tree itself. Once on the dirt ledge, ponder whether there is any adequate pro to keep rope off loose rock when heading right and up to the large belay tree. Note:  From the piton in the corner, trending right and up in a bid to get more directly to the belay tree goes through questionable rock, steep dirt, and loose rubble - nightmare producing terrain or worse.

Mike Hill's guide has a pretty good topo of this route including the below P2 variation.

Approach To The Ramp Suggest change

The Ramp route is down in Echo Canyon on the right (west) side of the canyon. 

You do not return to the bottom of the route after climbing so it's best to leave your packs hidden behind the rocky outcrop that is on the left side of the Echo Canyon trail as you start down from the "Y".

GPS COORDINATES FOR BASE OF THE CLIMB:
35.20254, -106.44716

RECOMMENDED APPROACH
Follow the climber's trail down into Echo Canyon from the "Y" until you reach the first rock formation on your left. This is the Techweeny Buttress and the obvious corner/crack is a route named Crackula. Just before arriving to the Techweeny Buttress, start looking on your right for a faint climber's trail that cuts straight across through the trees. This section of the trail is a short 40 foot bushwhack to the right side of the canyon. Once you arrive to the right side of the canyon, follow a steep & loose climber's trail down the canyon along the rock for about 10 minutes. You'll looking for a slabby 3rd class traverse that will take you to the start of the climb.

ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
Continue down on the Echo Canyon trail past the Techweeny Buttress & Crackula almost to Bush Shark Spire route (skier's left side of canyon); about 30 yards before the start of Bush Shark Spire, the climber's trail reaches a low point before gaining elevation; at this low point look for a faint trail cutting across the vegetated gully to talus; at the talus head up through more vegetation (some further pruning here would be nice), and then 3rd class climbing to the base of the climb.

Protection Suggest change

Standard rack to 3". Many medium to large nuts work for the P4 belay as well as higher in the P4 dihedral.

How to Exit Suggest change

From the tree belay at the top of pitch 4, continue up the dirt ramp for about 30 feet or so until you're at the next level of rock face. Don't scramble up and left here. At the rock face, start traversing to the north (right). You'll down climb just a bit into the gully, before starting to traversing the gully to the north. This gully is exceptionally loose and challenging. Use the utmost caution making your way, as a tumble has the potential of high consequences. As you traverse the gully, you'll see a clean face to your left with 3 bolted routes. From left to right, these routes are Sick Bird, (10+), 606 (10b) and 505 (9+).

From the bolted routes, you have two options for the exit. You can continue up the loose gully to the top of the Point and make your way back to the "Y". 

Or you can climb out via a route named Runnel Runner. To find Runnel Runner, look on the RIGHT (east) side of the gully across from the bolted routes for a small tree with a ramp that heads slightly up & right. Build a belay anchor on the tree at the start of the ramp and start climbing the ramp from there. As you move up the ramp, look for the first bolt of Runnel Runner on the face on your left.

PHOTO OF THE RUNNEL RUNNER EXIT ROUTE

Photos

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