Lost Voices

Despite the intimidating R to X rating on this route, the line was quite good with varied climbing and a fair bit of shade. This is certainly an adventure route with a flavor similar to the moderate routes on the east face of the Mescalito or the routes on the left side of the lower Solar Slab Wall.

The R/X is a product of a couple of pitches where there are significant run-outs between horizontal cracks. The climbing isn’t particularly hard on these pitches, but the route is sandy and many of the holds are chips that could easily break when you’re fifteen or twenty feet above a piece placed in a shallow sandy crack. If the route gets climbed and cleaned a bit by a series of ascents, it could get knocked down to a straight R rating.

Though there are pitches that likely haven’t been climbed on this line, at least some of it has been as it occasionally follows very closely to a descent route with bolted anchors and tat. At least one of the anchors had a random bolt above it that didn’t seem to lead anywhere. It’s not clear if the bolter was bold and went for it, or if they used the bolt to traverse away from our line. As there’s nothing on mountainproject about this, it seems possible that this was an unfinished project from who-knows-when.

Approach:

Walk to Dark Shadows and then continue past it. You’ll see a large log leaning against the wall. Continue past that into an alcove with two crack systems. This is the base of the route.

Pitch One: Climb up to a right leaning crack, work up a parallel crack system to a ledge on the right and build an anchor. (5.8, 90-feet)

Pitch Two: Climb up into a chimney. Traverse left to easier climbing and finish at a two-bolt rappel anchor. (5.8 Rish, 120-feet)

Pitch Three: Continue straight up passing a bolt, then using horizontal cracks for gear until you reach a semi-hanging stance. (5.7, 100-feet)

Pitch Four: Continue straight up on friable rock placing gear where you can. Climb through a bulge (crux) to easier terrain and a rocky ledge in an alcove. (5.8-, 150-feet R/X) As noted in the intro, if this cleans up, it will be an R pitch.

Scramble up a short gully to the base of a short right leaning crack system.

Pitch Five: Climb the crack up and to the right to another ledge. (5.7, 40-feet)

Pitch Six: From the ledge, go to the right into a corner (some mild exposure to get there), where you can see a cave underneath. Set up for Pitch Six there. Climb up through the roof. It looks like it’s done, but there are a few more moves up a short headwall to a ledge. Build an anchor there. (100-feet, 5.8)

 Descent:

The goal is to get to the notch west (right) of the Mescalito Summit. There is a little bit more terrain to climb to get out. Scramble up and into a gully. Continue up the gully until you’re forced out. Drop down to the right crossing a rock crevasse with a jump. Then continue up near the notch. From there, follow cairns down to the standard rappel stations that will bring you back to the ground not too far from the start of the route.

This line can be found in the north fork of Pine Creek, significantly to the right of Dark Shadows.