Mountain Project Logo
To save paper & ink, use the [Hide] controls next to photos and comments so you only print what you need.

Echo Eater

5.9, Trad, Alpine, 255 ft (77 m), 2 pitches,  Avg: 3 from 2 votes
FA: Gary, Cliff Restaino
California > Tahquitz & Suic… > Others > Echo Canyon > Echo Canyon - S… > Wall of Echos > Light Bender Tower

Description

Far up in Echo Canyon, voices and bird calls began to fade away, swallowed by the rows of gullies and large pines. It's a beautiful and solitude environment for those willing to make the hike. Expect an Alpine setting with occasional bushes and lichen but excellent climbing. 

P-1 120'  5.7   Scramble up about 50' to the base of the shallow dihedral. The pitch starts out with some bushes and trees then into the parallel cracks. Belay on a large ledge with a single 1/2" bolt anchor. This keeps you out of rockfall zone.

P-2 135'  5.9   Begin with parallel hand cracks. These soon turn into fist jams thru the wide section then finish with hand jams. Now a slab with a thin crack moves to the left into large blocks with horizontal cracks. Another thin diagonal crack takes you right into a corner and up to a large pine for the belay. Sustained pitch with good pro.

Descent: Go west 30' and drop down about 20' in a gully to a pine tree. Probably best to be roped up. Rap 35M to another ledge with a pine tree on the west edge. Rap 35M to a walk off into the main gully. No webbing on the trees, just rap the rope around the trunk, pulls easy.

Location

Uphill from Light Bender about 2 gullies

Protection

double rack .2 thru 4", wires.  70M rope for this route. 2 35M raps

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Cliff on the first pitch. Photo by Hanson Smith
[Hide Photo] Cliff on the first pitch. Photo by Hanson Smith