Welcome to the New Mexico section of Mountain Project!
The contributions that are made to this site are greatly appreciated; this site is made up of an awesome community of users that make the site what it is.
Although there is very little information regarding “rules” for submitting climbing areas and routes to this site, the New Mexico Administers all agree that the following guidelines may be helpful to truly make this site go “Beyond the Guidebook”.
1) Don’t be a jerk (this one states the obvious). 2) Route and area submissions should truly be helpful to those out climbing. Before posting, you should have some first hand experience actually climbing the route. This always results in a much more useful description. 3) Please, please, please… Don’t copy route descriptions directly out of guidebooks, online publications, etc. This is plagiarism! Remember, BEYOND the guidebook! 4) Please use the spell check and make an effort to use correct grammar.
Again, the Mountainproject community truly appreciates the efforts taken to make good route descriptions. If you feel that a route or area description is not up to standard, a brief email to one of the area admins for suggestions on improvement will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to make the New Mexico section of Mountain Project quality! We look forward to seeing you out there!
BETA PHOTO: The large gap is Big Windy canyon. Gertch is the b...
Description
Named after a miner who met his demise here, Gertch isn't really a peak, but it offers a huge face with many possibilities. The normal route up Gertch is considered an Organ Mtns classic, and is well worth the effort you will expend to just get to this remote cliff.
Getting There
Identify Gertch by first locating the Rabbit Ear's Massif and the low horns (refer to Ingraham's guide http://web.nmsu.edu/~amato/ingrahamguide/]]. The large gap between these two peaks is called Big Windy canyon. Gertch is the face on the south side of Big Windy Canyon, a tall un-broken face that leads all the way up to the summit ridge. There isn't really a trail, although you may find a few cairns scattered in logical locations. Mostly you will be traveling over Cat's Claw and Prickly pear vegetation, so long/sturdy pants are a must.
Approach from the Topp Hutt rd. At the Topp Hut, strike out South towards a small hill. Pass this hill on its eastern flank and head towards a slightly larger hill, crossing a few gulches on the way. From the base of this hill, a ridge leads all the way up to the base of Gertch.
Descent can be made by scrambling off the North side of the ridge (4th class) and into Big Windy canyon, where some terrible bushwhacking will get you back to the base of the mountain. Alternatively, you can head back towards the Low horns and scramble down a gully to the South. Two rappels at the bottom of this gully will land you back at the base of Gertch, but not without its fair share of bushwhacking.
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