Page Type:
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Route |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.9 (YDS) |
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Number of Pitches:
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5 |
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Overview
Red Garden Wall boasts an amazing concentration of great multi-pitch climbs, many of which you can mix and match in fun variations. Here's a super fun five pitch link-up that combines the awesome Green Spur with the best of Rewritten.Getting There
From the parking lot walk into the canyon and cross the bridge you come to in about a minute. Head left on the trail along the river as it winds up into the gulley below Red Garden Wall. You'll come to some steps and then a ladder. Pass the Yellow Spur on Tower One (recognizable by all the chalk marks on a ledge about 20 feet above the trail). Stay close to the wall and look for an overhanging arete not far from the West Chimney on Lumpe Tower. The Green Spur starts in the corner between the chimney and the edge of the arete. The total approach time should take 30 to 45 minutes.Route Description
Pitch 1: Rossiter's guidebook gives the Green Spur as a two pitch climb but with a 60 meter rope you'll be able to link up the pitches and just make the bolted belay.Climb the corner, which starts out as easy mid 5th class and then gradually gets stiffer until you're in firm 5.9 territory. Head straight up toward the roof. About 20 feet below the roof things get spicey. Shallow finger locks and wide, insecure stemming are the name of the game. Protection is generally good. The crux is a few stout moves to get just under the roof, where some weird underclings will get you a good stance to stick an urgently needed zero Friend into a crack and shake out. Pull the roof and climb easier ground to the bolted belay.
Beware: This is an old school, sandbag 5.9, which is to say you'd probably better be able to lead 5.10.
Either rap off or continue up to link up with Rewritten (5.8).
Pitch 2: Go up on easy climbing for half a rope until you reach a ledge.
Pitch 3: A fun and very airey 5.6 hands traverse to the left leads to a beautiful 5.7 crack. Ascend the crack. Heading out onto the arete takes you into some 5.8 moves before you reach a ledge.
Pitch 4: Climb the arete, 5.5 but super exposed. Belay from near the top of the detached pinnacle.
Pitch 5: A short pitch takes you to the summit.
Descend by picking up the faint trail below the summit blocks and heading left and uphill. There's a notch that cliffs out but the second notch leads down to the trail that will bring you back to the base of the climb.