Todo o Nada

Legend has it that a bandit named El Tejano used to rob stage coaches in the Tucson Mountains and stashed his gold in a cave among the cliffs on Cat Mountain. The mountain that he reportedly frequented for his robberies may have even been named for him, as he wore a mask that had the unintentional(?) appearance of a cat, leading to his second nickname, "The Wildcat". Several are rumored to have found his treasure, only to meet his ghost and be told "Todo o Nada" - all or nothing - as in, you must take all of the treasure or none of it, or else you will be cursed. 

We didn't find any gold, but we found treasure in a rather unique outing in the Tucson Mountains. Starting from the toe of Cat Mountain and going to the summit, "All or Nothing" rings true for this desert alpine adventure route. Two main sections of climbing (each several hundred feet long) are broken by a gigantic ledge with a maze of chimneys and potential places to hide one's treasure. 

The rock quality varies from terrible to actually not that bad, and navigating between the two realms is the crux of the route. This accounts for the R-rating, although if you are used to the rock in the Tucsons then you may find this to be an overstatement. It will surely clean up with subsequent ascents. One redeeming aspect countering the poor rock quality is that most of the belays are on ledges and can be sheltered from any detritus falling from above, if the belayer pays attention to where they are standing. Still, the leader must exercise extreme caution! 

Having climbed other trad routes in the Tucson Mountains is a good prerequisite before venturing up this route. With the exception of a two bolt anchor to avoid a hanging belay in rotten rock, and one piton from an ascent long forgotten, you will find no fixed hardware on this route. 

Pitch Breakdown: 

1: Climb slab to a left angling horizontal crack leading to a left-facing chimney. 100', 5.7
2: Climb straight up splitter cracks off the belay. Take the right one, although the left does not look bad, as you will be traversing to the right after this short section. Horizontal pockets offer magical protection. Traverse right around a corner to a dihedral, and continue straight up easier cracks. As the angle becomes lower toward the top of the pitch, the rock quality deteriorates to the worst on the route, and then gets better for the rest of the climb. Gear belay on the back of a giant ledge. 100', 5.7
3: Climb straight up off the belay, then angle toward the left side of the ridge, up slabs and cracks to a belay in a wide crack with a chockstone. 100', 5.4
4: Climb easy terrain to the top off the first main section of cliff. 200', 4th/low-5th class

Unrope and find your way to the upper headwall for about 500 ft. We opted for a smooth-looking gully in the middle of the ridge with a short chimney in the back. Once at the headwall, traverse to the right side to access the main weakness. A knee-level roof identifies the start of the pitch. We found a pair of bolt cutters here (presumably lost from the top of the cliff for maintenance on the Pima County repeater). We left them here to identify the start of the upper pitches. 

5: Find high feet and climb a shallow chimney and cracks, passing an ancient piton. When things get steep, traverse left to a two bolt anchor and semi-hanging belay. 100', 5.7
6: Continue straight up off the belay, through off-width and chimney to a point where it is possible to step right to slightly easier terrain (or continue straight up if you like wide cracks). Belay off tree and/or cactus. 100', 5.7

Hike 200' or so to the final stretch of rock. We opted for the chimney-like feature on the far right, although a plethora of options exist including splitter cracks.

7: Climb a 20 foot section of blocky and chimney-like terrain, then continue up easier ground to a belay just beneath the summit. Scramble to the top of the cliff, enjoy the views, and begin the long walk down. 100', 5.7

Descent: hike South down the main ridge, which becomes a faint trail near the true summit of Cat Mountain. Follow this trail to its terminus at the Explorer trail, and take this West back toward Sarasota trailhead. 3 miles. 

Start at Sarasota trailhead, but do not take Sarasota trail. Follow the wide path to the right, leading straight toward Cat Mountain. Cross the gate into Tucson Mountain park, and pass one trail leading to the right before encountering a second trail leading to the right, with several gigantic boulders a few hundred feet up this trail. Once at these boulders, continue across vegetated terrain for 0.1-0.2 miles to the toe of the buttress and the base of the climb.

Cams equivalent to BD 0.3-4, with doubles between 0.5-2. Nuts and tricams useful.