Nodes in Mescalito, South Face

This is the side of Mescalito facing southwards, into the south-fork of the Pine Creek Canyon.

Routes given from right-to-left as encountered entering the canyon.

The big chimney to the right of the first pitch of Cat in the Hat.

As you come around the south-east buttress, and start climbing up the rubble, this is the first big chimney encountered.

One of the most popular multi-pitch routes at Red Rocks due, at least in part, to large comfortable belay ledges the whole way. Can be rappelled on one 70m rope with a bit of 4th class down-climbing, or with two ropes.

Starts below an obvious left-slanting crack.

1. 150' 5.5 - Climb the left slanting crack, skip the optional belay at 90', up a wider crack to a ledge, then continue up the crack to another ledge. Bolted anchors are a few yards out to the right.

2. 50' 5.5. Hike right along the ledge, boulder up to the next ledge, and up gentle slabs to a steeper wall. Re-belay from here, then up steepish black wall to a small overhang, the up a left-facing corner to a ledge with trees. End on a belay off a small group of trees.

3. 120' 5.6. Start up 4th class terrain about 15' to a small ledge, climb a thin crack in the varnished face left of a small corner to a small roof, traverse left under the roof to another crack that continues upwards, and up this to a ledge with a large block on it. Belay off slings around the large block.

4. 50' 5.3. Traverse right and a bit down to a ledge with a crack above it and anchors.

5. 110' 5.6. Climb the crack, past a bolt to run-out 5.5 terrain to the anchors. Most people end here at the anchor and rappel.

Most people climb Cat in the Hat to the top of the 5th pitch, and then rappel. But the route can be continued past this point with about 500ft of 4th class, and then a final 5.7 chimney to an anchor, then a bit of scrambling to the summit.

1. 150' 5.5 - skip the optional belay at 90', those anchors allow for rappelling on a single 70m rope. End on a big ledge with bolted anchors.

2. 50' 5.5. End on a belay off a small group of trees.

3. 120' 5.6. End on a belay off a big boulder slung around the top.

4. 50' 5.3. Traverse right and a bit down to a ledge.

5. 110' 5.6. Most people end here at the anchor.

6. 500' 4th class. Climb up the buttress, scramble across the notch to the main peak and up to a tree at the base of a big chimney splitting the final band of red rock.

7. 120' 5.7. Climb the chimney to an anchor. Then scramble the last bit to the summit.

This is, also, one of the possible descent routes from any other climb that summits Mescalito -- rappel the

Climb the bolted arete that goes up from the block belay at the top of pitch 3 of "Cat in the Hat".

Climbs face and cracks left of Cat in the Hat, finishing at the end of the 5th pitch of Cat in the Hat.

Up corners to a thin crack on a steep headwall several hundred feet up.