Window Rock and a tough week on lead
- Areas
- Wichita Mountains
- Partners
- Finn
Routes
| Route | Grade | Style | Pitches | Sent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuberculosis | 5.8 | trad | 2 | – |
| High Anxiety | 5.7 | trad | – | |
| Slap Roof | 5.6 | ✗ | ||
| Side Saddle | 5.6 | ✗ | ||
| Mr. Clean | 5.8 | tr | – |
Finn and I at the top of window rock in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge Narrows! Finn led Tuburculosis 5.8
Finn’s report
• Hiked to Window Rock at the end of the Narrows and got on Tuberculosis, a multipitch trad route we thought was a chill G-rated climb. It wasn’t.
• First pitch starts insecure: smears and small, flaky hands. Higher up you hit a crack with good pro until a roof.
• From the roof there’s a ~15 ft unprotected traverse left on questionable flakes. A fall would mean a big swing into space past another roof. Not great.
• Built a ledge anchor with one cam and a solid tree. Cole fought an over-cammed piece but got it out. He sent the traverse clean and joined me.
• Second pitch explains the route name. Supposed to follow a dihedral crack to the window, but the rock feels more like dried mud than stone—creaky, hollow, and sketchy.
• After ~20 ft I hit a section with zero real pro options except a muddy hole (with bats). Noped out, downclimbed, and took an easier, unprotectable but more solid line left, skipping the bat cave.
• Above that it’s straightforward: up to a huge flake, awkward offwidth moves, then a top anchor (cam + two nuts).
• The guide mentioned a scramble descent, but the exposure felt spicy. We bailed off a cedar tree, then used the Afterburner chains to get down.
• Guidebook calls it 5.8 with no risk rating. Mountain Project says 5.8 R. I’d call it 5.7 PG-13. Easy moves, but bad rock, runouts, and weird fall potential. Fun experience, especially for newer trad climbers—but hard to recommend because of the rock quality.
Also I forgot my helmet… didn’t intentionally climb without it
Photo: Finn
Photo: Finn
Photo: Finn
Photo: Finn
Photo: Finn
Photo: Finn
Yeah the moves were easy, it was the protection/exposure that was harder
Finn was fine with the exposure on the scramble but I told him his wife wouldn’t approve 😭
The rest of the week
Finn led high anxiety 5.7 early that week, completely awesome lead. I tried to basically sport lead high anxiety after his placements but it was too tough. Also both of us tried to lead slap roof 5.6 and bailed. I also tried to lead side saddle 5.6 and bailed. It was a tough time on lead that trip 😂 for me, I was too in my head.
Finally, we both top rope solo’d mr. clean 5.8, that was interesting, I am a rope solo convert, doesn’t require two people and as long as you rappell down the rope you fixed you can add edge protection pretty easily. Provided a better belay than Finn some times.
