Iron Messiah, III, 5.10c

3rd Pitch - 5.10c/

Although mentioned as the crux lead in the Falcon Guide, several, including myself disagree. Most concur that it is pitch 8. The 3rd pitch is one of the shorter pitches, but not one to combine. Maneuver right, around the belay tree at the top of pitch 2 to the base of the wall. Wander up an unprotected section of the wall directly below the dihedral (1st chimney) into a sandy groove. You can protect the grove in about three spots, but due to the marginal aspect of the protection, lends to the pitches rating. The 5.10c section is short and kind of reachy. I thought the rating should be a little less severe. Another crux, albeit much more fun, is the start move it takes to access the first chimney. Once in the left facing dihedral, continue up easy ground to a hanging belay on the wall to the left. Iron Messiah, III, 5.10c, Spearhead, Zion National Park, June, 2007