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Peak Mountain 3

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FA BKy, JMw 1989
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Description

Where the approach trail meets Leviathan is a long, right-facing corner that marks the start of the North Face route. Walk up left along the base of the rock passing a long left-facing corner. Just after you skirt a boulder blocking the base you will come to a small clearing. A small, tilted flat rock at the right end is a good place to start the route. If you can spot 2 dark, half-circles side by side about halfway up the first pitch,(see Beta picture,) you may be able to see the 1st bolt just up and right.

  1. Connect small cracks and ledges to get to the thin face with 2 bolts above the two half-circles. Start up short, right-facing corner, step out left and head up to small ledge and make a belay on gear. (5.9 155') 2. Diagonal left on easy ramps until you can easily traverse right on a small ledge. A bolt protects the move from the ledge into the beautiful, left diagonalling slots. Just past a small bulge is a nice little ledge that is intersected by a diagonalling crack that shoots all the way to the ground. Belay here on gear. (5.8+ 160') 3. Steepening climbing diagonals left toward a small overhang. Follow the best pro a little left of center to pull the roof on big jugs. Up and left to a small ledge with a big green block. (5.8+ 130') 4. Diagonal right past flakes and ledges to an improbable looking, left-facing, left-leaning corner. A hollow flake is just to its left. Layback and jam the corner with great pro, then step left to a 3 bolt anchor. (5.9 140') 5. A tricky step left off the belay leads to runout but easy climbing, bearing left. The last pitch cuts over the headwall just left of a wide black water streak. Make a gear belay to set the last pitch up, at about 155' to 165'. There's a nice slanting ledge between the streak and the exit moves for a belay. (5.8 165') 6. Cut through headwall at steep jugs and short cracks, left of the wide, black water streak. The wall kicks back afterward so climb to rope's end and belay. (5.9 200')

Easy scrambling to the summit.

Descent: From the summit head back north then around east to find a long gully that drops down to a tall, dead pine tree (old rap anchor). About 30' below that is a 3-bolt rap anchor. This will drop you into the gully between Leviathan and Wilderness Dome. The rap is roughly 33M (with rope stretch.) Attempting to use half of a 60M rope would be dangerous due to the steepness of the face at the base – half of a 70M would just make it.

Location

Drive to Catalina State Park on Oracle Road (Hwy. 77) just north of Tucson in Oro Valley. After paying the entrance fee of $7.00 as of Jan. 2013, (self-pay if you've started as early as you should!), park at the parking lot for the Ruins Trail. Immediately after crossing the huge CDO wash, just before the trail heads uphill, there is a well used horse trail forking right. Take this trail as it climbs up onto a ridge that parallels the Ruins Trail ridge. It eventually heads right into Alamo Canyon. Right before it drops into the canyon there is a brand new trail that has been cut and groomed, by the FS I think, that stays on the left side of Alamo for quite a long ways now. It eventually drops into the canyon. Follow the canyon to the obvious side drainage that shoots straight up to Leviathan.

Protection

Stoppers, doubles to #2 camalots (or equivalent) and a #3, extendable draws. Double ropes or a 70M.


Routes in Leviathan Dome


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