Mescalito - South Face

This is a surprisingly good route up the left side of the south face of the Mescalito Tower. Despite being on a south-facing wall, this route is not a great choice for very cold weather, as it gets a lot of shade from Juniper Peak in the winter.

p1. Easy cracks lead up to a belay in an alcove. p2. Move left to cracks that lead back right above the big overhang. p3. An easy chimney leads up and right. Exit left to a ledge with a bush. p4. Climb up and left, over two ribs, to a right-leaning ramp. p5. At the top of the ramp, balance up and go a long way left. Climb a varnished offwidth to a belay near a tree. p6. Easy rock leads up and left to a large ledge. p7. A few friction moves lead to a steep, right-facing corner. p8. Climb the easier face to a belay beneath a long, right-leaning ramp. p9. Follow the ramp to the top.

Walk upstream from the Cat in the Hat area for a few hundred yards, passing beneath a weirdly eroded wall with an ominous, dirty chimney. Continue to the area where the canyon branches and start below a cave-like overhang.

Standard rack