Labyrinth, 5.10, 5 Pitches

Overview/Approach

The Labyrinth carries such lore that the local modern guide (2022) gave it three full pages of write up.  The local guide is written from a sport climbing perspective (why this 5 star trad experience only got a 1 star in the guide) for most of the Stronghold, and therefore at times comes across as confusing.  The modern guide rates the route 5.10R but the crux pitch as 5.9X?  Geir (in his older guide), someone who has actually climbed the route, rates the route more accurately at 5.10 and the crux pitch at 5.10.  This route is all about the tall squeeze chimney crux pitch.  The rest of it is more of a canyoneering type adventure.  Geir’s gear call included a single from #.5 to #6 and doubles from #3 to #6 with an extra #3 and wires.  I had to ask myself how could the pitch be runout if one can place all of that gear?  In my opinion, you don’t need the extra #3 and yes, you can place all of that gear on the second pitch.  There is a runout section after the mank bolt (not needed) but for the most part, when you want to place a piece, you can.  This main chimney pitch is physical and sustained at the grade.  You go from an easy chimney start to fairly immediate squeeze on water worn rock which makes you work for it.  The higher you get, the more edges you get for rests.  A left sided chicken wing (facing east) also gives you a rest from time to time.  I don’t do knee pads and it showed when I was done.  You are doing knees to feet for an extended period.  Perhaps the longest squeeze pitch I have climbed.  Headlamps are a must.  The remaining pitches are mellow and involve little technical climbing.  The rappel descent I describe is fast and simple despite the modern local guide’s warning that the descent is as complex as the climb itself.  It is actually quite straight forward down the south face with one double rope final rap back to where you started in the chimney.

The approach for the Labyrinth involves some route finding.  Hike up the trail to Rockfellow Dome as you would for the popular routes on End Pinnacle.  Continue to traverse the west face of End Pinnacle past Chay Desa Tsay (the west entrance/exit of Inner Passage) to reach Rockfellow’s south face. The trail ends after End Pinnacle.  Stay close to the walls, there is no easy walk around.  Rather scramble through trees and boulders staying as close to the main walls as you can.  You will encounter several 5^th class moves and tons of trees.  Once you round the southwest corner of Rockfellow, maneuver through the trees and turn up hill on the left to the south face looking for a small slot entrance to the Labyrinth (see “entrance” photo).  There are three massive boulder chockstones, the tallest of which is at 200’ off the ground (your final rap), that mark the first chimney system which starts the Labyrinth. 

Route Description

1st-2nd Pitches- 400’ (+/-)-5.10-/ Walk into the narrow slot with a sandy floor.  It opens up to a block on the right.  Make a 5^th class move (Geir has it as 5.8 but it is not) to squeeze behind the block.  Continue underneath boulder sized chockstones and scramble up their backside. Turn south and climb up a ramp on its left side (photo) and surmount yet another chockstone boulder from its backside.  Rope up to climb a short section of slab with a hand sized placement for protection.  Geir calls it 5.10- and it is for about a single move. Scramble out of the Labyrinth to a large saucer shaped boulder leaning against the outer wall (notice your final double rope rap out on the wall to the southwest). Scramble down a dead tree (2022) to the west to the next slot over.  Walk in this narrow slot with headlamps until it is too thin to continue. 

3rd Pitch- 165’-5.10/ Geir’s guide rates this route 5.10 in his guide and the modern guide book has it at 5.9X for some reason.  Geir’s guide is much older, but in this case more accurate.  His recommendation for this pitch was single to #6, doubles from #3 to #6 and triple #3’s.  This gear call was spot on and I placed all of the large gear he called for with the exception of the extra #3.  Therefore, the X rating in the modern guide (2022) is not exactly accurate.  If you are leading any squeeze chimney and fall, you are likely to cause some sort of injury to yourself, but not “X”, maybe PG13.  I consider this squeeze chimney to be a more challenging and sustained lead than the off-width pitch of the much more popular Abracadaver and that pitch is listed at 5.10 in the modern guide.  Not sure how the author of that guide came up with the 5.9X rating.  I have climbed a ton of off-width and squeeze chimneys across North America and concur with Geir’s rating.  Start with relatively easy chimney technique facing east.  The singular bolt at approximately 30’ up is not worthy of clipping (won’t hold a fall).  However, there is good medium and wide gear prior to crossing it anyway.  From the bolt for the next 30’ is run out.  You can meander back and forth to find the best width for your size, but eventually everyone regardless of size will be on their knees.  The rock is either water polished or flaky with not much in between.  At times you will be afforded an edge to rest a foot on.  A left arm bar is often available as well.  But the lead is physical and sustained regardless.  You get additional wide gear in the corner to the left as you proceed.  Near the end you get a great full chimney rest in a scoop below a concaved corner.  From there you can stem and/or chimney and place small to medium pro in the corner.  Near the top, traverse out north to atop a chockstone and a fixed rap (good bolts as of 2022).  Watch the loose rock on this transition. 

4th Pitch- 100’-5.10-/ Move the belay north across boulders and chockstones and chimney up to the next obvious spot.  Again, the modern guide is outdated compared to Geir’s much older notes.  There are two bolts, not one “old hanger” as the modern guidebook suggests (2022).  Both of these bolts are in decent shape (2022).  The rock is not “waterworn” either, it is actually the best rock of the day, typical solid Cochise granite slab.  Traverse across the two bolts at the grade on slab, 20’.  Then scramble to the north, up the left side (vs right side as in Geir’s notes) and stop in a sandy floor bottom to the west at the base of a traversing chimney. 

5th Pitch- 160’-5.9/ Traverse west via easy chimney technique with no gear to a cool chamber area.  To the southwest is a wide crack.  Climb it protecting with a #5 and #6 to the top and belay with a #4 in the floor of the middle summit with small trees on it.  Pitch can have severe rope drag.  Not a bad idea to solo into the Chamber and belay there. There are multiple summits.  You are now on what they call the north summit which has several fins creating voids.  Climb down and cross over to the north for the true north summit.  Then scramble back to the treed summit.  Jump over to the next summit south.  To reach the first rappel anchor down the south side of Rockfellow, the first person can rap from the #4/tree anchor and the 2^nd person can rap by wrapping a rope around the small tree.  Then climb up easily to the rap anchor on the furthest south summit.

Climbing Sequence

Descent

From the southernmost fin on the north summit, make a single 60m rope rap skiers left to fixed rap hangers that you can see on the top edge of the buttress to the southeast.  You sort of rap down into a sandy bottom and scramble up to the fixed rap.  Make two more single rope raps down the buttress following a bolted route.  From these last rap hangers on the buttress, make a single rope rap down onto the saucer shaped flat boulder you crossed during the first pitch scramble.  When climbing, you should have seen these rap chains.  Not sure a single 60m rope makes that rap as we had a 70m with us, watch your ends.  The last rap does require a double 60m rope rap down to the very bottom of the route, past many chockstones, and just meters from your packs.

Essential Gear

Double 60m ropes. Single from #.75 to #6.  Double from #3 through #6.  Full set of wires or a selection of off-set cams.  The main chimney pitch is what all of this gear is utilized for, so it is not quite as runout or “X” as some local beta suggests.  I am old school and refuse to wear knee pads or hand jammies for that matter, but I never wore a plastic sleeve when artificially inseminating cows either (I like to feel the rock).  This is the worst my knees suffered on a squeeze chimney and I have climbed plenty of them.  Might have been the patched up jeans I wore causing chafing, but it also might have been the waterworn rock causing my knees to grip harder, who knows.