El Cautivo, 5.10- PG13, 4 Pitches

Overview/Approach

Not sure the original El Cautivo is worth the praise it gets in the local guide, but the leftward variation, by joining the route Streaks, offered up a cool 200’ finish pitch at the grade.  Climbing Matt’s Line and El Cautivo makes for the most popular and recommended moderate climbing on Out of Towners Dome.

The first pitch is what draws the PG rating from the guide no doubt.  Causal climbing at the grade via a few runout bolts through scooped and featured slab.  The second pitch I climbed was a well bolted line trending up and left which offfered some cool edging/slab moves at the grade.   The third pitch was the best pitch I have climbed on the face so far.  Supposedly part of a route named Streaks, this pitch is 5.10- R in the local guide, with the “R” coming near the end on slab.  It can be mitigated by trending up and right early, but the slab climbing straight up is the crux of the pitch.  I consdider that slab section more PG13 than R. The start of this variation offers some well featured and fun 5.9 vertical climbing. The finish pitch (can be combined with the 3rd pitch) is uneventful.  Rap the route.

Out of Towners Dome requires the longest approach in this canyon.  Hike as you would for Wasteland Dome, following the drainage below Entrance Dome, which remains a decent trail before ascending the final slopes to Wasteland.  When it starts to ascend the hill to the right, look to cross the bleached rock drainage coming down from between Wasteland and Out of Towners.  It is not obvious in finding the trail that crosses this drainage.  If you step into the wash and look downstream from where the Wasteland Dome trail starts to ascend steeply, you more than likely will spot a large cairn in the middle of the wash.  In any regard, cross the wash and locate a climber’s trail up the rightward slopes to the base of the obvious broad southern wall of Out of Towners Dome.  The trail ends at the wall just to the left of the popular routes, Matt’s Line and El Cautivo.  This suit up area is well shaded by trees.

Route Description

1^st Pitch- 125’-5.8PG/ The PG is for the initial runout.  We placed zero gear on any of this route despite the guidebook’s recommendation.  In total, it seemed like a well bolted sport route to me but like others no doubt, we essentially did our own variation.  Climb through three bolts, stemming one short section to a ledge with fixed rap hangers. 

2^nd Pitch- 170’- 5.9+/ Apparently, in reading the topo after the fact, there is a bolted variation not shown in the local guide’s topo.  I climbed fast 5.9 slab and edges up and left, fully bolted, to the base of the well featured, but slightly overhung varnished left leaning corner.  No line exactly matches up with this pitch in the local guide but I ended it at the base of Streaks 2^nd pitch. One thoughtful reachy move at the grade near the end.

3^rd/4^th Pitches- 200’- 5.10- PG13 (variation)/ I combined these last two pitches and clearly climbed the next line left of El Cautivo which is Streaks.  I would not trade Streaks’ 2^nd pitch for anything El Cautivo could have offered to the right: “open hanging corner with darker rock and capped by a steep wall”.  This was by far the best pitch of climbing I have done, at the grade, on Out of Towners Dome to date. Climb up the left leaning hanging corner traversing left on the heavily varnished face.  The bolts straighten out up steep slab.  The runout and crux of the pitch is the last gritty slab portion before reaching a set of rap hangers and the top of pitch three as I climbed the route.  You can move right earlier to avoid this run out finish slab, but I thought it had to represent the runout grade given to Streaks so I took it and thought it exciting 5.10 climbing but still relatively safe.   You can continue past the fixed rap hangers, pulling up and over the sloping ledge and to the top of the formation just left of El Cautivo’s 5.7 finish.  This finish might be more 5.8. The local guides description of Streaks does not correspond with its topo of same.  In reality, there is a bolted line on the upper wall in between El Cautivo and Matt’s Line that I finished on that would be in line to finish in combination with what is described as the 2^nd pitch of Streaks.  This 200’ finish made for a fantastic pitch at the grade.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

Rap from El Cautivo’s top anchor which is just east of where you toped out (set of rap hangers).  1st rap is 65’  skiers right to a set of brown-red rap anchors. Then a full 70m rope rap to a ledge with rap hangers.  Either scramble skiers left 35’ down the sloping, but well featured, ledge to another set of rap hangers or take a short rap.  If you rap directly from the first set, you will have to downclimb an easy flake/corner for approximately 20’ to the next ledge/rap anchors.  From the skiers left set of anchors, take another 70m rope rap down to a ledge with another set of rap hangers.  Take one more rap to the approach ledge below.

Essential Gear

13 draws.  70m rope.  Wall gets full southern exposure to the sun. Zero gear placed by us despite the guide calling for a rack.