Datil Online Guide Last updated: 8/5/99 - The newest stuff is at Mother Goose Wall, Frog Prince Wall, and Giant's molars. The area now has 94 routes! Yet another in my series of online guidebooks. I can't claim to be a tower local, but I've done about 80% of the 94 routes there, so I'm going to let people make of it what they will. Hey! The info is FREE, so don't be whining! As usual, I don't have any pictures yet, but I will soon, I promise! Most routes are pretty easily located, you can count bolts or read the description to find them without too much trouble. Hopefully, I'll make at least one more trip to the Tower before it gets snowed in, and climb 15 or 20 more of the routes I haven't been on, in order to spruce this up a bit. The Enchanted Tower is the main feature of this area. An improbably shaped, 100- foot semi-detached tower looms above the camping area and provides the area's best routes. Expect steep, non-technical endurance routes on giant pockets. There's some loose rock, and a few of the bolts are getting suspect, but overall, you're pretty safe. The rock can be somewhat sharp, tape isn't a bad idea. Bring up to 15 draws for the longest routes. You can leave the rack at home, bub! Placing gear in the pockets might, in an ideal situation, result in an R/X rated route. Big bolts are the norm. To reach the crag(s): Drive from Socorro, NM, to Datil, NM. Highway 60. It's a little confusing to get to the highway from Socorro, but you'll find it eventually. Don't stop at Datil! You have to keep driving for about 6 or 7 minutes (~5.2 miles), until you see a dirt road on the right, and a forest service sign. Turn off here, and drive until you see a ranch house (about a mile), where you need to turn left and cross a cattle guard. Now all you have to do is drive for about 10 minutes, until you see the obvious tower on the right. Trust me, you can't possibly miss it. Park and climb, baby! The Land Beyond is accessed via the same dirt road - but you have to drive about 4 miles past the tower, and look for an obvious boulder on the hillside to the left. For better directions, please consult a site at the U of Wyoming. Ethics: There's still some potential for new routes here, but nobody ever bothers to bolt them. It's too far away from everyone. But pretty much anything goes, as far as ethics. Timmy Fairfield's "Child of the Light" utilized a lot of glue to reinforce holds. Routes were all bolted on rappel. There should be no need to manufacture anything here, not that that need is an excuse anywhere else. History: Developed in the late 80s by Bertrand Gramont, lots of other people. Camping: Free. Pick up your trash. Weather: Cold in winter, hot in summer, nice any other time. Many bolt counts are wrong! They're from (bad) memory! Return to the LA climbing Update Recommended routes are shown in orange. Areas are from far left (west) to far right (east.) __________ The Land Beyond __________ West Face: 1. Beagle 5.11a 5 bolts, anchor for #2 The far left side, up the hill. A good route with crimps in shallow pockets. Could use an independent anchor. Shares 1st bolt with Smeagle. 2. Smeagle 5.11b 4 bolts, 2-bolt anchor Another quality, though short line. Pockets are a little harder to find than on Beagle, but not by much. 3. Gandolf 5.11d/12? 5 bolts, anchor for #2 Right of Smeagle. Kind of shares start with Servant. Haven't done this one. 4. Servant of the Secret Fire 5.12a 8 bolts, anchor for #5 Super high quality! Probably the best route at the Land Beyond, and good to work for a 1st 5.12 redpoint, because it's softly rated (very!), has lots of bolts, and there are numerous sequence options, no matter what your climbing style. 5. Something Lethal 5.12b/c 7 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Haven't done it. The longest route on the wall. 6. Incredible Journey 5.12b/c 6 bolts, anchor for #7 High quality. A devious, thin crux between the second and third bolts makes this a difficult onsight. Needs an anchor. 7. Mr. Baggins 5.11d? 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Haven't done it. Looks like there's a bird's nest in a key pocket near the second bolt, making me wonder how popular it is... 8. Lucky Number 5.11d/12a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the arete on the right side of the grid wall. Nice until the crux at the top, which is scary due to a badly located bolt. East Face: 1. Hoggle 5.10a 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the pocketed face just around the corner from American Psycho. Excellent. 2. American Psycho 5.12c 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Thin, overhung climbing to a crux deadpoint, then easier to the top. 3. ? 5.11d 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The route to the right of American Psycho. Sequential and excellent. 4. Alice Does Wonderland 5.12a? 4 bolts, anchor for #5 The route with a very steep start. I have not done it. 5. Lord of the Rings 5.11d? 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Another one with a very overhung start. Haven't done it. Missing hanger on 1st bolt. 6. Where the Thrush Knocks 5.11c 5 bolts, anchor for #7 Very steep start leads to an endurance finish. 7. Soft Start 5.10c 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Nice, sustained pocket route. Missing anchor as of 6/98. 8. Smog 5.10c 6 bolts, anchor for #9 Another nice moderate. 9. Frodo 5.11a 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor On the right side of the east face, sustained and somewhat technical. 10. Black Arrow 5.10d/11a 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Clip the first 2 bolts of Frodo, then rightwards and up. __________ Renaissance Wall __________ The wall on the left side of the road, about half a mile west of the Enchanted Tower. Two completed routes, and some projects, all very hard. Rock is fairly poor quality. 1. Project 5.14b? bolts To the right of Child of the Light. Ed Strang project, now open. 2. Child of the Light 5.13c/d? bolts, 2 bolt anchor Downrated by Dale Goddard. Onsighted by Garth Miller. A burly route on thin pockets. I've never tried it. 3. ? 5.13a? bolts, 2 bolt anchor A Paul May and Ed Strang route. Left of Child of the Light. Looks pretty cool. __________ Mother Goose Wall __________ This is the wall that is located about 200 yards left (west) of the Pogue's Cave. It has a few short routes, and one excellent boulder problem. Should be much more popular now that it features 8 moderate routes, of fairly high quality. 1. ? V1 boulder problem The boulder problem up the face of the small boulder on the left side of the wall. Excellent! 2. ? 5.7 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Possibly the most idiotic route in existence. All 4 bolts can be clipped from the same handhold, if you're tall. Wow! 3. ? 5.9 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Good route up the vertical face, 20 feet right of #2. 4. ? 5.9 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Very nice route. 10 feet right of #3. 5. ? 5.8 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up a water streak. Excellent! 6. ? 5.10d 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor A steep start to small pockets on a vertical face. Superb! 7. ? 5.11a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor 5 feet right of #6. Excellent. 8. ? 5.11b 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The route just left of #9, on the far right side of the wall. A bolt has been added low, making the route much more fun. 9. ? 5.10c 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The farthest right route. A boulder problem start to easier climbing above. __________ Pogue's Cave __________ The highest concentration of routes at the tower. 5.11 leaders will have a ball here, as almost every route is 5.10 or 5.11, and all are high quality. The area is reached by hiking west from the tower on one of any number of trails, past the Sleeping Beauty, Captain Hook, and Midnight Pumpkin walls, until the trail bends uphill into a large crag with a conspicous cave. Routes 1-4 are on the far left end of the wall, which faces west.
Pogue's Cave Area
1. ? 5.11b 7 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The farthest left, up the hill. An excellent route on big jugs. 2. White Streak 5.11b 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor A nice route up a left-trending trough, of a sort. Used to be rated 11d. 3. Hookah 5.11d 7 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the steep, undercut face on long moves, then pull the lip and up 40 feet of 5.8 climbing to the top. 4. Never Never Land 5.11b? 8 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the prow right of #3. Haven't climbed this one. 5. ? 5.10a 7 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the loose face into a huge scoop-like feature. Crux is at the bottom. Fun, but a little loose. 6. ? 5.11c 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up a left-facing prow. New route. Weirdly bolted. 7. ? 5.10d 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Excellent, sustained route. 15 feet left and downhill of #8. 8. Black Streak 5.10a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Just left of the actual cave. 10. Pogue's Arete 5.11b 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Retro-bolted by Sal Maestas (and it needed it!). This route was originally rated 12b or something ridiculous like that, but it's way easy if you can hold onto the jugs. Climbs out the left side of the cave. 11. Party Pogues 5.12a? 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor? This comes out the back of the cave, and then goes ... ? I've never seen anyone on it. It's unclear where the route goes, and it looks dirty and unpleasant. 12. Ooey Gooey 5.10d 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor A nice route just right of the cave. Pumpy! 13. Merlin's Mantra 5.10c 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Climbs through 2 large scoops on the way to the anchor. 14. Blessed and Blissed 5.12a 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The righthand steep face route. Crux is at the bottom. __________ Midnight Pumpkin Wall __________ Uphill and slightly left (west) of the Ugly Duckling boulder is a short wall with 3 routes. 1. Midnight Pumpkin 5.11d? 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor I have never done this route. 2. Cinderella's Nightmare 5.11c? 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Never done it. 3. Glass Slipper 5.11d? 3 bolts, anchor for #2 Another I have never been on. __________ Captain Hook Wall __________ Directly uphill from the Ugly Duckling boulder, a wall that features a prominent, dark cave. 1. Peter Pan Flies Again 5.11a 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The leftmost route, joins Captain Hook at 4th bolt and shares anchors. 2. Captain Hook 5.11b 5 bolts, anchor for #1 Up the route just inside the cave. 3. ? 5.12a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Short, steep route to the right of the cave. Fun, bouldery. __________ Ugly Duckling __________ This is the large boulder that is visible from the road, 200 yards past the main camping area below the Tower. 1. ? 5.9 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Route on the right side of the boulder. 2. ? 5.9 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the middle face. 3. ? 5.9 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The rightmost route. __________ Sleeping Beauty Wall __________ The west-facing, steep wall to the left of the Tower. This wall has some of the area's finest moderate routes. 1. ? 5.11b 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The lefthand route, in the cave around the corner from the main wall. Shares start with Sea Hag, then breaks left. 2. Sea Hag 5.11a 7 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Shares start with #1. Difficult if you are short. 3. Poison Apple 5.10c 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Climb the leftmost face on the Sleeping Beauty wall. Starts up the large, loose slab. 4. Glass Coffin 5.10d 4 bolts, anchor for #5 Left of Sleeping Beauty. Also starts up the slab. 5. Sleeping Beauty 5.11b/c 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the steepest, longest part of the wall on small pockets. Superb. 6. Tarred and Feathered 5.10a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the steep black streak. 7. Cheshire Cat 5.10a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Right of Tarred and Feathered, the rightmost route on the wall. __________ The Enchanted Tower __________ Needs no introduction. If you can't find it...you have real troubles. A better guide (which only covers the Tower itself) is available at Alf's Datil Site
1. Bambi 5.11b 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor On the face just left of the tower, a steep route. Not the best anchor, but an ok climb. 2. Humpty Dumpty 5.12a 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The route right of #1, steep, with bolts that are pretty far apart, for the tower at least. 3. Technowitch 5.12a 8 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Shares start with Tinkerbell's Nightmare and Once Upon a Time. Up and left onto a very steep endurance problem. 4. Tinkerbell's Nightmare 5.12a 10 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Steep and pumpy, but a straighter line than #3. Great route. 5. Once Upon a Time 5.11b 8 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Breaks rightwards and finishes up a featured bulge. The easiest route on the tower. 6. Rumplestiltskin 5.11d? 10 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Long, steep directissima. Haven't done it yet. 7. Jabberwocky 5.12b? 10 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Right of Rumplestiltskin. Goes up and leftwards. Has a midway anchor, maybe for back cleaning? 8. Rubber Mission 5.12d? 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor ? 9. Mad Hatter 5.12d/13a? 12 bolts, 2 bolt anchor ? 10. Zee Wicked Witch 5.12c? 10 bolts, 2 bolt anchor ? 11. Ripped Van Winkle 5.12d? 14 bolts, 2 bolt anchor ? 12. Goliath 5.13a? 14 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The incredibly steep direct line up the prow. Very long, very pumpy looking. I've yet to try it. 13. Medusa 5.12b? 10 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Shares start with Golden Stairs, then branches left at half height. Seldom climbed. I have never done it. 14. Golden Stairs 5.11b/c 10 bolts, 2 bolt anchor A great route up the southeast face of the tower. A little loose at the bottom. 15. Shipwrecked 5.12c 8 bolts, 2 bolt anchor On the east face of the tower. A classic. __________ Rapunzel's Wall __________ Just to the right of the tower proper. A short, slabby wall with a few moderate routes. Popular. 1. The Blind Prince 5.9 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The route that comes out of the small cave at the base of the rock, on the far left side. 2. The Thorn Bush 5.9+ 3 bolts, anchor for #1 A similar route, just to the right. 3. Fee Fi Fo Fum 5.8 R 1 bolt, 2-bolt anchor Someone stole one of the hangers off of this, and I don't know why. Up an indentation in the middle of the wall. 4. Rapunzel's Revenge 5.7 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the face behind the large tree. 5. ? 5.7 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Basically the same as #4, but 10 feet right. __________ Frog Prince Wall __________ Hike 200 yards east from the tower to find this very steep wall. 1. Blind Man's Bluff 5.11b 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Up the hill from the steep part of the wall. Loose in places, and an anchor that is difficult to clip. 2. ? 5.11d 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The long, vertical face just uphill from Frog Prince. High quality, with some technical moves (a rarity at the tower) at the bottom. 3. Gollum 5.11d 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor The route just left of Frog Prince. A campus boulder problem leads to jugs. Badly bolted. 4. Frog Prince 5.12b 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Ultra-classic if you like steep, steep power climbing. Not my cup of tea, but many think it's great. 5. Through the Looking Glass 5.12c? 5 bolts, anchor for #4 The center route on the wall. Uses same anchors as Frog Prince. Never tried it. 6. Red Queen 5.13c? 6 bolts, anchor for #8 Link start of Through the Looking Glass with top of White Queen. Never tried it. 7. White Knight 5.12c/d? 6 bolts, anchor for #5 Link start of White Queen with finish of Through the Looking Glass. Never done it. 8. White Queen 5.13a/b? 6 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Very steep lefthand route. Never done it. Crux is supposed to be pulling the lip. Routes 9 and 10 are in a gully around the right side of the Frog Prince Wall, and are fairly new. 9. ? 5.10c 7 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Good route on jugs up an overhanging wall. Long and fun! 10. ? 5.10a 8 bolts, 2 bolt anchor A future classic, but still a little loose. Climbs a vertical to slightly overhanging face. __________ The Giant's Molars ___________ East of the Frog Prince Wall, on the other side of the small side-canyon. 1. ? 5.10c 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor. The farthest right route, on the front face of the right molar. Runout and loose, but decent. 2. ? 5.10d 5 bolts, 2 bolt anchor 20 feet of lame choss gets you to 20 feet of steep pockets. 3. ? 5.10 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Traverses up and left inside the gully between molars. Cold shut hangers. Shitty. 4. ? 5.9+ 3 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Would be ok if it wasn't so loose... Straight up a steep wall on dirty jugs. 5. ? 5.6 4 bolts, 2 bolt anchor Nice easy route on the left side of the gully. Worth the hike if you've got beginners with you.