Kachina, 5.10a-5.10b

Overview/Approach

A good solid 5.9+ day out is to hike to Frontier and Kachina Walls and complete five routes, Kachina, 5.10a**, Steppin Out, 5.10a*, The Right Stuff, 5.10b**, Glad Handler, 5.9** and Gnatty Dread, 5.9***.  There is not a bolt to be found on any of these routes and all offer sustained and interesting climbing at the grade.  Frontier is listed in the local Miramontes guide where Kachina is not.  However its routes are published on MP.com. 

The Kachina "triplets" offer outstanding leads in a pristine environment.  We never saw another human in any of our hikes back there in 2024, from parking to climbing and back.  We easily made it to Kachina’s wall in less than an hour from the parking area but are both fit.  We made Frontier Wall in about 40 minutes.  Kachina is made of two independent walls.  The name sake for the wall and Steppin Out share the tall left wall which is quite obvious from the main wash in the valley.  The Right Stuff is an obvious splitter in dark rock on a much shorter wall to the right.  The walls are separated by a boulder filled gully and both walls face west. 

Kachina is the better of the two 5.10a’s and both are softly graded by Jtree standards.  Kachina takes plenty of gear with the initial half involving varnished cracks and fun climbing.  You must traverse hard left on a horizontal at a little beyond half way.  After the traverse you will find the best rock of the route, a nicely varnished shallow corner that leads to the summit.  Steppin Out is a bit more chossy, but still offers fun movement below grade over well protected steep ground to the opposite side of the summit.  We left a slung boulder in 2024 for a full single 70m rap.  The Right Stuff is by itself on a much shorter face to the south of the main wall.  It actually has a bolted rap, although the hardware is ancient.  This splitter looks wider from a distance than it actually is.  It is a relatively short route with mostly tight hands at the crux.  The only double gear needed for the competent leader at the grade is a pair of #.75’s.  It is as good as a splitter gets at Jtree, but is on the short side.

Park at the dead-end trail and head as you would for Queen Mountain.  Follow the old road on foot until even with a collection of dark volcanic boulders piled high on the left.  Aim through the easy to travel desert for the saddle to the northwest.  In short order you will pick up a climber’s trail heading up the right side of the wash to the saddle.  Once on top of the saddle, the views and grounds are spectacular, reminiscent of Wonderland South or North without humans.  Continue in this much higher wash hiking firm level ground until right before the wash takes a hard right.  Look for a cairned (2024) trail on your left that meanders up to yet another col.  Atop the col, hike another firm level wash as it continues north.  You pass Frontier Spire (in full view) and Frontier Wall (dark north facing rock) on your right.  Continue for another 15 minutes until you can spot the two Kachina Walls to the east.  They both face west.  Hike a small wash to the base of the routes.

Route Descriptions Listed Left to Right

Kachina- 135’-5.10a**/ Although established in 1988 all three of these routes felt more 5.9 than 5.10-.  That said, all three are excellent trad leads.  The only bolts found on any of them is the fixed rap on Right Stuff.  Start up the obvious varnished crack system at the south end of the west face of the left wall.  Enjoy good hands and fingers until it peters out and then move left to the next crack.  Follow it until it almost terminates and watch out left for a varnished horizonal crack to traverse 20’ out left.  Climb the obvious varnished seam above on good rock to the summit.  This is a well protected fun moderate.  Single from #.0 to #3 and doubles from #.5 to #2.  This is a long route, so a few wires and/or off-set cams would be handy as well.  Use plenty of extension as the route traverses left quite a bit.  We slung a boulder in 2024 and that makes a single 70m rope-stretcher to the ground.   Route gets full afternoon sun.  Dow

Steppin Out- 115’-5.10a*/ This route and rock climb better than it looks.  Start on the right side of the SW arete of the wall.  Follow intermittent cracks up the right side of the arete.  You step up into the higher cracks as you continue with decent pro despite how the rock looks.  Plenty of fun exposure, definitely feels more like a 5.8-9 than 5.10a by Jtree standards.  Single to #2.  Utilize plenty of extension.  Same slung rap boulder (2024) on the summit as for Kachina.  Route gets full afternoon sun.  Dow

The Right Stuff- 55’-5.10b**/ If only this splitter was taller.  Across the wash from the other two routes is a spitter in a darker colored wall.  Scramble up the gully to reach the base of a short wall in front of the splitter's wall.  Climb the short corner well below grade on this first wall to reach a ledge below the splitter.   Layback and stem up the initial splitter placing small gear at first but then #.75-#2 as you jam the nice vertical crack to a ledge with an ancient (2024) fixed bolt rap.  We left new cord in 2024.  Single from #0 to #2.  An extra #.75.  60m rope.  Route gets afternoon sun.  Dow