Best Climbs Phoenix, Arizona by Stewart M. Green

Author:Stewart M. Green
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493022243
Publisher: Falcon Guides
Published: 2016-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

11. For Crying Out Loud (5.10d) 2 pitches. Hard and serious. Same start as Lickety Split. Pitch 1: Stand on the pointed flake, step up left into the horizontal crack, clip the bolt, and edge up 15 feet to another bolt. Angle right to a small stance and bolt. Move along the right edge of the slab above a steep wall for 15 feet to the fourth bolt. Traverse up right to a vegetated crack, then follow the angling crack to another bolt. Climb up and right below a large block to a gully and belay. Avoid belaying on the tree-covered ledge because it’s an owl nesting site. 5 bolts. Pitch 2: Climb up left below a roof. Step over the roof on its left edge and face climb up a slab to the summit. 3 bolts.

Descent: Scramble east along the summit ridge to rappel anchors. Make two double-rope rappels down Hanging Gardens from bolted anchors. Rack: RPs, wired nuts, and small to medium cams.

TOM’S THUMB

Tom’s Thumb is an obvious blocky, thumb-shaped tower perched high atop a ridge in the northern McDowell Mountains. The 3,970-foot Thumb, named for local 1960s climber Tom Kreuser, offers a great selection of classic crack and face routes, as well as marvelous views of the surrounding valleys, ranges, and subdivisions.

While many hikers reach the base of Tom’s Thumb now on a new trail, you will probably see few climbers up there. For a great full-day moderate climbing adventure, climb one of the routes on Gardener’s Wall like Renaissance Direct or Hanging Gardens, then scramble down the wall’s back side, hike over to Tom’s Thumb, and climb Treiber’s Deception.

The hike to the Thumb is 4.6 miles round-trip, with 1,420 feet of round-trip elevation gain (1,025 feet net elevation gain), and requires an hour of steady uphill hiking to approach the formation. No water is found at the trailhead or along the way, so pack plenty of liquids to stay hydrated on hot days.

Descent: The standard descent route off the top of Tom’s Thumb is to make a two-rope, 140-foot rappel off bolt anchors on the west side of the summit.

Getting there: Access the formation from the parking lot and Tom’s Thumb Trailhead on the north side of McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Begin at the south end of the east parking lot at the trailhead (GPS: 33.681824 N / -111.807403 W ). Hike south on Tom’s Thumb Trail to a junction with Feldspar Trail at 0.5 mile at the mountain base. Continue hiking up the good trail, reaching the junction with the Gardener’s Wall climber’s access trail at 1.1 miles. Stay left; the trail continues climbing, then levels out at the junction with East End Trail at 1.6 miles (GPS: 33.679157 N / -111.803985 W). Keep right on the main trail and hike past Glass Dome to the junction with Lookout Trail at 2.1 miles. Keep right on Tom’s Thumb Trail and follow the trail through boulders to the base of the East Face at 2.3 miles (GPS: 33.

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