Enchanted Mesa - Silent Destiny  5.9 PG13

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Type:  Trad, 2 pitches, 200 feet, Grade II Consensus:  5.9 [details] FA:  Mike Baker Submitted By:  Bill Duncan on Jun 4, 2011 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (1) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

The top portion of Enchanted Mesa. The La Sal mou...

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Description 

P1: Climb a few face moves to the crack in the right-facing dihedral. A couple of moves up dual cracks (5.8) leads to the dihedral proper, and some nice hand jams (5.9), followed by some liebacking or jamming to a nice rest. Next climb steep offwidth with the help of huecos on the left. The final few moves are jams or liebacking to the top of the pitch (5.8+). Two good bolts for the belay/rap station. A pleasant 100'.

Scramble up to the large ledge.

P2: Climb the obvious and smooth gully. 5.2 PG-13, 100'.

There is a summit register, but the ballpoint pen has all but turned to dust in the 15 years since the FA. Bring a pencil if you think about it and care about such things.

Descent: Downclimb or rappel the gully to the top of pitch 1. A single 200' rope gets you down from there.

Location 

South of Moab, there are 2 or 3 approaches, but the simplest that doesn't involve backtracking or fixing lines for 400' is this one:
Turn off of 191 on to the Needles Overlook road. After a number of miles, you come to an intersection, and the Needles Overlook road goes left, and the Anticline Overlook road goes straight (or rightish). Take the Anticline road a very short distance, then turn right on Hatch Point Road (co rd 106), a graded 2WD road. Reset your odometer at this turn on to Hatch Point rd. Drive 2.5 miles and turn left. There is a fork immediately ahead, turn right and cross a cattle guard. Reset your odometer at the cattle guard. A sign with a white arrow says Rd 36. Pass a gas well at 1 mile.
Disclaimer: there is obvious oil and gas drilling activity in this area. Plenty of survey stakes are currently visible (6/2011) so the following roads and/or landmarks may change.
A short hill is descended at mile 1.6 high clearance is handy. At mile 3.4 you will see a faint 2-track road going right. There is a sign that says "Canyon Riders Trail 36". Turn here and you will encounter some high-clearance-only terrain very shortly. At mile 3.8, veer right again on rd 36A (see picture below). You reach the rim at mile 4.7.

Hike NNE for about 1,000 ft/307 m to an overlook of Enchanted Mesa. The approach/descent to the base is to your right, about 2/3 of the way to the end of the peninsula. There may be a couple of cairns marking the descent point.
The route is on the NW end of the formation (the left end as viewed from above).

Protection 

A little bit of everything, but bring extra #1/#2 Camalots, and a #5 and a #6 Camalot to protect the OW.

Photos of Enchanted Mesa - Silent Destiny Slideshow

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Looking up the first pitch.	Enchanted Mesa from the rim	The approach.
The last stretch of road to the rim.