Engagement  5.10+

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Type:  Trad, 6 pitches, 500 feet Consensus:  5.10+ [details] FA:  D.Mabe, P.Rullman, and C.Tatum, Spring 2011, FFA: D.Mabe, A.Dembik 5/28/11 New Route:  Yes Season:  faces NE. spring and fall best. P.M. summer shade Submitted By:  Darren Mabe on Jul 20, 2011 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (9) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

Serial Pillar, West Fork Wall, Oak Creek Canyon, N...

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Description and Approach 

This adventure engages in chimney and crack systems of all sizes on a series of pillars in 6 short pitches. See topo.

It is located on a formation called the Serial Pillar, tucked back only a short ways in the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. (Park at "Call of the Canyon" (the West Fork trailhead), just a few miles south of the last switchback after descending 89a from Flagstaff. This parking area is on the west side of the road and is a fee area (currently $9 park/ $2 walk-in). We parked at a pullout 1/4 mile north and walked in before the entrance station was staffed (9 AM). Hike along the main tourist trail, crossing a bridge over Oak Creek, following the trail as it turns west up into the canyon. (borrowed from Josh's description as in route, "Into the Wild"

After the 3rd creek crossing on the Call of the Canyon trail, head west on a faint trail through the ferns. Find the weakness in the slickrock of the SECOND spur from the gulley (small cairn), ascend the slickrock band, which leads to another faint trail that contours, crosses the draw, and switchbacks up the hill. It eventually contours the loose hillside level with the route and to its base. See approach map.

Route 

Fixed handline or Indiana Jones bullwhip will help get you up the crumbly house-of-cards to the base of the route. All belays from bolts except for Pitch 4.

P1: 5.9, 100' Classic chimney behind huge left facing flake. Assorted size cracks in the back. Make an exciting traverse right past a bolt to a semi-hanging bolted belay.

P2: 5.10+, 110' Cruxy moves off the belay to excellent hands in right facing corner. The crack widens as you traverse out the roof. Layback past two bolts followed by brief OW and continuous V-slot big hand crack to a nice bolted belay perch. Strenuous and awesome pitch!

P3: 5.9+, 110' "Pitch of Despair". Follow right facing flake after an awkward OW/stem/LB start to a delicate ledge traverse left across some dirt and roots of the crow's tree. Double handcracks in chimney lead you to clunge through a tree/moss-clod(!?) protected by bolt and into a squeeze chimney. Finish on fragile face/arete climbing to a huge ledge and bolted anchor. Have picnic.

P4: 5.10+, 80' Reachy start followed by face traverse right past a bolt to a small tree. Steep, thin, and excellent jagged finger crack splitter widens to thin-hands V-slot and hand crack through a bulge. Gear Belay (#3 Camalot and tree) on good ledge. Incredible and physical pitch!

P5: 5.9-, 60' Brief crux thin hand crack/lieback in right facing corner and jagged flake followed by a wide slot and a few sandy ledges up to the "Treehouse" (opt. belay). Make an exciting step over to a dead tree and venture behind the pillar for another 30' or so to bolted belay (not intended as a rap anchor).

P6: 5.9+/10-, 80' "Window Pitch". Exposed, fun, and generously protected wide chimney. Grade is dependent on climber size ;). Exit by a steep broken crack out the roof where the pillar pinches against the wall. Finish on loose and dirty terrain to the top of the pillar! Creative pro. Bolted anchors set back on the main wall.

Descent: 

Rappel.
You really need 2 ropes OR a 70m rope (a 60m won't make the first rap). All raps are bolted.

R1: rap down the face of the pillar to a ledge with small tree. 115'
R2: rap down the vegetated gully to picnic ledge. careful pulling the rope. 80'
R3. rap the face left of P3, and stay left of the crow's tree. Swing back right in to the P2 belay perch. Autoblock the rope. If you pull the ropes gently, they shouldn't get caught in the tree. 100'
R4: rap P2, over the roof to P1 anchors, 100'. -OR- 150' to GROUND.
R5: short rap down the face right of P1 to ground, 50'.

Gear: 

bring healthy sized rack from thin to big...(though you don't need all of it for every pitch)
The following should be more than enough:

offset aliens/MCs are helpful, micro-cams, BD doubles #0.4-#1, triples #2-#3, one #3.5, and one #4(C4). A #5(C4) is nice to have too.

a handful of slings and draws

70m rope or two ropes.

helmets

Photos of Engagement Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: topo for "Engagement", 5.10+, Serial Pillar, West ...	BETA PHOTO: approach sketch to new route: "Engagement", on the...	top of the route. 5/28/11. FFA she said "yes".
Angela finishing P1 on the FFA.	BETA PHOTO: the excellent second pitch	FFA "Engagement". Pitch 6
Chris on the first pitch flake, March 2011	me on the pitch two roof May 2011	Phil finishing the second pitch V-slot March 2011
my wife kickin' back on picnic ledge at the end of...	BETA PHOTO: the Serial Pillar, featuring pitch 4 splitter crac...	BETA PHOTO: close up view of the short and sweet 5th pitch.
the window pitch. May 2011