Super Natural

Super Natural is a great line offering a fine desert climbing experience with a little bit of adventure and plenty of good, clean cracks. Many options seem to exist on climbing this line and it seems like it could be done in 4 to 6 pitches, depending on your ability to run together some long pitches.

Pitch 1 (5.8 or 5.10): The intended start is in the wide corner that starts up and left from the large detached block, or mini tower. The topo describes it as going at 5.8. We did not climb this option so can offer no more help. It looks easy enough but not as attractive as the option we took.

Another pitch 1 option is to climb what is intended as the 1st pitch of Spirit World. It climbs the obvious crack in the shallow corner with a wide section before a small roof. Going at 5.10, it is harder than the original 5.8 start but it's a great pitch of climbing, offering just enough to make it go at 5.10. An extended section of #4 Camalot sized cracks warms you up for a little choss navigation before a wide section and an exciting move through the roof that is well protected. After pulling on to the ledge, you could set a belay or continue up on easier terrain. First a hand crack in a corner and then easy chimney climbing under some chock stones to a ledge with 2 bolts. This provides for ~190' pitch.

Move the belay to the large corner system on the left via 2nd/3rd class easy scrambling. Here we were unclear of exactly where to go. It appears on the topo that you could perhaps go up to a chockstone and belay. We went into the chimney and belayed at the base of the corner system on a small pedestal of rock and this proved to be a fine way to do it, although it makes the 2nd pitch longer.

Pitch 2 (5.10, 175'): An awesome, long pitch of climbing up the corner with a variety of sizes and plenty of face features to keep the difficulty down except for a section up high where you'll actually have to dig your mitts into the wide hands and fist calcite crack straight above. Don't traverse left into the corner with chockstones. That's really chossy. Belay at the Voodoo Ledge with small gear (.2-.4 Camalot size).

Pitch 3 (5.8ish, 100'): Two options seem to exist. One is to go left from the belay and do what appears to be an exposed and probably unprotected step across to a wide crack. We opted for the straight up version which involved stemming and jamming directly above the anchor. Climb the corner system until you can move left across the calcite covered face. We moved left at the top of the corner. Belay on the rubble strewn ledge with #.3-.4 Camalots and/or #2-3 Camalots. [edit: your best bet is to climb straight up and traverse left about halfway up the dihedral, if you traverse at the top it's harder for both leader and follower]

Pitch 4 (5.9+, ~175'): Go up the "mud rock" looking roof where good stemming and jamming is found and decent enough of rock quality (it is the desert after all!). Above the initial roof, a couple options seem to exist. I stayed left on some solid finger jams with good rock followed by some awesome face holds. Above, work your way into the wide chimney and grovel your way to the top. Belay takes #1 and #2 Camalots with ease.

Go about 100' west to find the Voodoo Child top anchor and rappel that route. You can double rope rappel the first rap to Voodoo Ledge. If you're worried about the first pull you can rap twice to Voodoo Ledge on a single 60: rappelling first from the top of the mesa to the first anchor you find. Then, rappel from there to the Voodoo Ledge. Once on Voodoo Ledge do a full 200' rappel to the ledge at the top of the first pitch. Then, 175' to the ground.

Other than the top anchor, which has cord on it, the rest are Metolius rap hangers and hence, are devoid of tat.

When you first turn off 128, there's a good road straight ahead with a big square shaped parking lot. This is for the equestrian trails. The climbing approach takes the immediate left after leaving 128 and there is a sign there indication climber access (although with no arrow). There is some initial roughness getting into the wash but it's mostly smooth with just a few tricky sections. Go 1.5 miles from 128 and look for the large (20+ foot boulder 100 yards off the road) and you'll most likely also spot the well worn trail down low on the hillside, below the large boudler. Find a wide spot in the wash and park well to the side. Take the trail to the base of the wall and traverse right, under Crooked Arrow Spire and after rounding the corner on to the northwest side look for a tall flake with a couple of bolts on it and a large detached block at the base of the wall.

Topo recommends 2-3 each of #.4-#3 and 2 #4s and 1 #5. I would alos take 2 #.3s, for anchors primarily, and doubles up to #.75 and triples from #1 to #3. If you want to play it more conservative you could take a cam smaller than .3 and you could take a 6 where it might be nice on the 1st pitch but otherwise it seems like dead weight. You need 2 ropes or 1 rope and a tag line for the descent.