Water Stains

This description was re-written Aug 2018, including a new beta photo.

Water Stains zig-zags its way up the middle of the west face of The Pulpit. Mike Hill's description in "Hikers & Climbers Guide to the Sandia Mountains" (1993) is okay.

P1:  4th, 15m. See beta photo. Climb easy terrain up and left to the good ledge with the obvious ~1 foot diameter tree and belay.

Alternate belay: Instead of at the tree, consider setting the belay a little further up P2’s initial ramp though still a little back from where P2 goes vertical. The stance is not great and the bushes are annoying. But this can reduce P2 rope drag as well as reduce horizontal rope slack at the crux-y part sof P2.

P2:  5.7+, 40m from tree. Ascend left up the ramp and then straight up a large alcove.  Higher, bypass the first roof on its right and then another roof on its left.  Continue up to a fixed pin.  Then down and traverse left to a vertical-ish weakness which climbs straight up to a large ledge with bolts.

P2 Alternative: The pitch can be broken in two by trending right before the roofs to a scant ledge for a belay. This way avoids the roof parts of P2 and shortens the amount of rope out at crux sections. But it also introduces some bad fall potential when trending right and up to the scant belay ledge.

P3: 5.6, 35m.  This pitch takes effort to avoid rope drag.  Or, if leading at your limit, consider first moving the belay to the anchors at the end of the traverse.  Given the small gear, simul-climbing may be about as good as free soloing ...

Traverse right about 30 feet on an easy ledge.  Clip one of the anchor bolts at your feet with a long sling and locker and continue up a subtle right-trending ramp past a piton.  Some small pro.  Climb straight up past a small tree and higher until you can traverse right to a large ledge below an irregular hueco.  Above the hueco, there is a very short 1 to 3 inch crack ~10 feet up and left.  Climb past the hueco and up the very short crack to the right end of a ledge with larger tree near its' left end.  Belay at the tree.

A more direct line to the belay ledge (i.e., left of the irregular hueco) is 5.9ish with no nearby pro.

P4: Low 5th, 35m.  Climb about 6 feet up the gully and escape right on an up-angling grass-y incipient crack for 15 or so feet. Then continue up, generally staying a bit right of the gully. There are sections of dirt and loose rock. Be careful to not send rocks down the chute that aims them at your belayer.  Belay on the summit.

See the main page for The Pulpit to find the subtle saddle west and downhill of the west face. Hike up to the flat spot under the big pine about 20 to 30 feet towards The Pulpit.  From here, traverse left a little and continue bushwhacking up and into a large alcove or cleft that is about 50 feet below and climber’s right of the P1 pine. Some rope up in the alcove to scramble up - with a step or two left - to get to the pine.

Standard rack plus a few pieces for roughly 3/8 inch cracks.  P2 can consume many slings, maybe 13 to 15, including a couple double-length.