Secrets of Fatima, 5.10c, 2 Pitches

Overview/Approach

Secrets of Fatima contains one of the longer sustained 5.10 leads on Prophecy Wall near Veyo, UT, just north of St. George. I am constantly surprised at how many climbers I run into, even midweek on Prophecy, who consider this wall a destination! We have much better climbing than this in the area. On this particular visit we ran into three to four parties camped out at Prophecy, one couple from as far away as Canada, another from the New England area. As it is great to have Prophecy Wall as yet another of some 40 local crags, I must state that the rock quality is not the best we have to offer. I have done most of the routes on Prophesy Wall and without question, the better rock is at the west end where Sticky Revelations and Harbingers are located. Secrets of Fatima is not the cleanest route you can find on the middle wall of Prophecy either.

My recommendation is to combine Misfit Prophets, Lunatic Cry, Secrets of Fatima and Grumpy Old Men for a full day of climbing in the mid 5.10 range. All four routes can be located together in the middle of the wall. Lunatic Cry is the only route requiring trad gear, the other three are fully bolted.

Todd’s notes indicate that both pitches of Secrets of Fatima are 5.10c and that the second pitch is the crux of the climb. However, a couple who climbed the route before us and had rapped back down Misfit Prophets told us they thought the first pitch was the crux. After climbing the route we concurred. However, the second lead is a long and sustained one just the same.

Drive north of St. George on Bluff Street which is State Highway 18. Stay in the right lane as you exit town. Continue north past Snow Canyon on the left to mile marker 18. Turn left onto a gravel road and drive past the Sand Cove Water Reservoir on your right. Prophecy Wall is obvious to your left. You can turn down one of two roads on your left and drive to a large above ground reservoir pipe. There is a decent trail that leads to the right side. If possible, try and find existing trails that venture to the middle and left routes versus making your own.

Route Description

210’+/-, 2 Pitches, 5.10c

1st Pitch- 70’- 5.10c/ Just to the right of the “Jabba the Hut” feature, Secrets of Fatima starts in through a slightly overhanging yellow section of face climbing. The crux is through the first couple bolts on sandy slopers. Follow eight total bolts to a fixed belay in a corner.

2nd Pitch- 140’- 5.10c/ Todd mentions “relentless” and “devious” on this pitch. We saw neither adjective as applicable. Instead, it turned out to be a pleasant and long 5.10 face climb on solid varnished edges (for this section of the wall at least). Follow 16 bolts to the top of the wall.

Descent

Step climbers left and rap Misfit of Prophets, unless someone is on it, then just walk off the east side or rap off any of the many rap chains east with one 60m rope.

Essential Gear

At least 16 draws if you want to clip them all on that 2nd pitch. 60m Rope. Will rap back to your gear. This is a north facing wall, will see afternoon sun in the spring. Dress accordingly.

External Links

Other useful sites beside the BLM site include the weather forecast.

• DowClimbing.Com
  Prophesy Wall
  
  
  

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