Hallow Souls, 5.9+, 2 Pitches

Overview/Approach

Hallow Souls is the sole published route (2021) on an obvious tower, Space Tower, located directly across Kane Creek from Ice Cream Parlor which is a common local Moab crag on the south side of the Colorado River.  It is a true chimney route utilizing the space between the main buttress and Space Tower to ascend.  The cool thing is that the buttress side of the chimney offers up some beautiful crack climbing at the grade.  When you have to leave the cracks for the outside edge, the route harbors two bolts that make it a secure climb, otherwise it would be rated PG13.  It has a short approach pitch that is best to not combine so the belayer can enjoy the confines at the base of the chimney.  It takes little to no time to climb the approach pitch and reestablish the belay.   The summit has a register, despite how short a climb it is.  The rap chains get you right back down to where your shoes and packs are with double ropes. I would not hesitate to rap the tower with a single 70m but would not recommend that for most.  There is a solid 5.10 three pitch route on Ice Cream Parlor, Space Ghost, that makes a good pairing with this tower.

Ice Cream Parlor is a popular cragging destination located on the southeast side of Kane Creek.  Kane Creek feeds the Colorado River.  You reach it by driving west of downtown Moab along the south side of the river.  Locate Kane Creek Drive heading west out of Moab.  It soon turns to a dirt and popular 4x4 road.  Over 7 miles from town, the road turns south along the creek bottom.  There is a decent parking trailhead with a climbing safety kiosk (2021) that marks the start of a climber’s trail that leads to the base of Ice Cream Parlor.  From this parking spot, simply walk southwest along the road and pick a spot to cross Kane Creek and ascend up the other side aiming for the right hand side of the east face of Space Tower.

Route Description

1st Pitch- 40’-5th/ At the base of the obvious chimney on the east side of the tower, climb up a chock filled gully into the base of the chimney and belay at a fixed rap. 

2nd Pitch- 75’-5.9+/ The local guidebook calls this pitch 5.9+ but at most it would be 5.9 at most climbing destinations.  It is a good pitch of typical tower climbing, stemming between two walls to the summit of the tower.  Start up the north wall crack placing gear at will.  Leave the crack and trend to the outside of the chimney (east side) and stem and chimney up to a bolt on the north wall.  Commit to the south wall and climb through another bolt.  Climb up a short crack to the rap chains on the sub summit.   You can tag the summit from there.  There is also a summit register (2021).

Climbing Sequence

Descent

Double 50m rope rap to the ground.

Essential Gear

Single to #2.  Double #.3 to #.75.  Shoulder length slings.  Double 50m rope rap. Route is east facing.