The BLM office in Monticello has asked the Friends of Indian Creek to remind climbers that there is a 14-day limit on camping on BLM Land. The F.O.I.C. understands that there is a bit of a history of staying in the Creek for far longer, but heavy climber-traffic in the area has made the BLM take notice of this tradition. Be aware that overstaying the 14-day limit makes climbers look as if we feel the rules don't apply to us and thus has an effect on long-term access. Moving your campsite throughout the season, or perhaps finding a site outside the main Indian Creek area, will not only help smooth relations with the BLM, but will also keep you from possibly getting hit with a fine.
The Schoolmaster is what we named the tower at the very northwest end of The Wall. The summit of this tower is roughly the size of an ironing board. The start is found between the tower and the wall. Getting up on either side of the tower requires a little fourth class on loose ground. P1 5.9 hands, finger, and then a chimney. Decent gear, but don't fall. It ends on a large ledge with good anchors. P2 goes up the obvious arete. Its best approached as a "French Free" climb with 5.10 moves between good bolts. A sling to stand in at a couple of the bolts will be useful, but a solid 5.10 Indian Creek climber should be fine without full-on aiders. Two boulder problems make this a very difficult endeavor to free. Also, keep in mind there are loose, giant blocks you have to contend with as it is the desert! The stand-up at the summit is a dizzying move. Despite the 5.10, A0 rating, this is not a giveaway.
Location
The obvious tower as you come up the trail to The Wall. Two raps on a 70 meter rope will reach the ground. A 60 may reach, but it will be close. Its labelled #1 in the picture.
Protection
A few hand and finger pieces for the start, then maybe a #5 in the back of the chimney. You need about a dozen quickdraws for the last pitch.
Hey Sam, I climbed this tower a few days ago and had a blast! I loved the way you bolted the top part as it kept the excitement super high, instead of a simple bolt ladder. That summit has to be one of the cooler desert tower summits I've ever stood up on. I had to wait about 5 minutes for a break in the wind to be able to do so without getting blown off. I felt like I was riding a surfboard on the summit!!!
I think that you could do the upper pitch with slings, but I took one aider and it was perfect and my partner had one aider also. For some reason it took a few minutes to figure out which crack to climb in the back. Maybe in the description you could say that there are two cracks back there, an offwidth and then a crack to the right that arches left and allows access to the upper part of the offwidth. My climbing buddy loved the 1st pitch as he had to climb a little out of his comfort zone. He used cams from .5" to 3.5" for the bottom crack and then 4" to 6" for the upper chimney/offwidth. We used a 70-meter and a 60-meter would be a little short for the last single rope rappel. What a great tower to get the FA on, certainly a feather in anyone's cap.
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