Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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38.64895°N / 109.47158°W |
Route Type:
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Aid Climbing |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.8 (YDS) |
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Difficulty:
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III 5.8 C2 |
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Number of Pitches:
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4 |
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Grade:
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III |
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Overview
Approach PitchThis is the easier of two published lines on the tower (the other being Dolofright at 5.11d R). The line was put up by Layton, Joy, and Kordell Kor in 1969. This is a hammerless affair and has been such for years - DON'T NAIL! The aid is mostly straightforward though interesting without being scary (sound appealing yet?). Enjoy.
Getting There
P1 & P2
See main page for approach information. The 5.7 approach pitch is described below.
Route Description
P1
P4
P2
P4Pitch 0: 5.7, 30 feet. Climb a vertical groove starting directly below the notch separating Lighthouse Tower from the cliff on its right (when viewed from River Road). Rock is a little chunky but the going is fairly easy. Belay from bolted anchor.
Walk left ~100 feet from the notch following a faint climbers trail till you’re at the base of Dolomite Spire.
Pitch 1: 5.7, 40 feet. On the backside of the towers, climb up and into a chimney just left of Dolomite Spire via a short handcrack. Walk along bottom of chimney and move up to a fixed anchor in the notch between the towers.
Pitch 2: C2, 50 feet. Aid up discontinuous cracks (some fixed pins) and make your way up and right (ignore the bolts above and on left). Do a sharp rightward traverse to a bolt. Step right into a short right-facing dihedral and move up to a belay stance.
Pitch 3: C1+, 70 feet. Move up the right-facing dihedral on a mix of mostly fixed gear. A hook move was used here. Bolt ladder through a bulge finishes the pitch on a sloping ledge. Note that pitches 2 & 3 can easily be combined.
Pitch 4: 5.8 C1+, 50 feet. Move right along ledge (toward Big Bend Butte) clipping a DA. Move up to a good bolt and mantle up and right onto a stance. Move gingerly around loose-sounding blocks. Traverse left and move up past one or two bolts. Either bust out some free moves or hook up and onto a sloping ledge. Finish up a short bolt ladder along a right-trending ramp to summit.
Descent:
Rap with double ropes to rap station visible below on Big Bend Butte.
Rap with double ropes to ground.
Note that a 60 meter line MIGHT suffice for single rope raps.
Alternatively, double 70 meter lines will bring one down comfortably in one rappel (double 60 meter lines will leave you about 15 feet short of ground and looking at some 5.6? downclimb).
Essential Gear
Double cams from black Alien to #2 Camalot. Single #3 Camalot. Set of nuts esp. mid- to large-sized RP’s (#4-6). Pink & red tricams, possibly doubles (or hybrid Aliens if available). A BD Talon hook and a BD Cliffhanger hook.