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1552 Hits
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72.08% Score
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2 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.03720°N / 115.47166°W |
Activities:
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Trad Climbing |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
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Overview/Approach
Mr. Natural of the Desert, 5.10d
Western Spaces Wall is one of the more remote and least visited climbing areas in all of Red Rock. Several factors figure into its anonymity, not the least of which would be what some consider the arduous approach. However, if seeking a full day’s worth of adventure (i.e. not a sport or gym climber from Salt Lake or Boulder), the technical slot canyoneering approach (approximately half a dozen hand lines/raps) adds to the experience of climbing on Western Spaces Wall. What detracts from the climbs here is that they are true north facing (zero sun) and thus have their share of rock eating lichen which equates to frail edges. I broke several chocolate colored foot holds on lead that I would normally put more trust in around Red Rock. Combine the suspect rock with Dave Wonderly’s stiff ratings and run out approach to many of the face pitches, the Western Spaces Wall routes can be quite spicy. Wonderly established all six of the published routes on Western Spaces Wall in 1989 and none of his hard-wear has been retrofitted as of 2015.
Desert Solitude, 5.10c
The first route I jumped on was Desert Solitude. The run out aspect of the second pitch will get your attention but the crack climbing that follows on pitches three and four offer a reward for your effort. Mr. Natural of the Desert gets a claim of “one of the nicest finger cracks in Red Rock” in Handren’s guide. This is a huge overstatement and the finger crack portion of the climb is more of a face climbing experience than a crack one. This single pitch is full on sustained moves and perhaps represents the toughest 5.10d single pitch I have experienced in Red Rock or even Joshua Tree for that matter. Perhaps it is partly due to the frail aspect of the rock, but this pitch is a challenging lead for any 5.10-11 trad leader. The approach for Black Sun and Mr. Natural extends itself to involve yet another hand line as well as an exposed 4th class slab traverse.
Mr. Natural of the Desert, 5.10d
Park at the Black Velvet trail head. Venture into the canyon and past Epinephrine. Continue up canyon (right side) until you come across a narrow canyon on your left with a fixed hand line up a low angled slab. Head into this narrow canyon and up a variety of hand lines and chock stones. The crux of the approach is right before you get to the big arch at the base of Western Spaces Wall. There is a rap line in good shape (2015) and a hand line in horrible shape that lead you up a steep and slick wall on the right. I tied prussics onto the rap line and pushed them up as I ascended the damaged (2015) hand line. You could just prussic up the rap line, but my method was faster. Then I just put everyone else on belay off the fixed station with a climbing rope as they ascended the hand line.
Desert Solitude starts atop yet another hand line that leads up a ramp to a single bolt. You can also spot a bolt just above the small roof above. Mr. Natural is the furthest right of all the routes and requires yet again another hand line ascent and then an exposed 4th class slab traverse. Re-enter the wash and you will find a right facing corner that leads to a finger crack above a roof.