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|  | ••••• | Totem Pole |
 | Second | 5.10c | Sport | R | 2 Pitches | 120 ft | | | Perma-nut indicated in prior logs is gone. Loose block at key hold on final pitch. It could hit belayer if it comes off. | | | Another fine trip to Lower Devil's Canyon, and a notable Arizona destination climb.
Late post of a climb we did in LDC last April. Randy, Angel, and myself went for the Totem Pole, a 120 foot spire located in the Totem-Proto area of the Lower Devil's Canyon climbing crags. We had done a recon earlier in the spring and climbed only the first relatively easy pitch at the end of a long day, deciding to come back later to get the whole thing. Today was that day.
Angel led and got us all up the first pitch to the belay station. Randy opted to rap off from there. I followed Angel's lead up to the top. Apparently there had been a nut stuck in a crack commonly used to protect the final run-out moves above the last bolt to the top. It had been there for years and was relied upon by climbers who would clip it on the way up. Such a nut is commonly called a "perma-nut" in climbing lingo. Well, it was gone, but we had a selection of nuts and a few small cams with us just in case and used a nut there. Come prepared.
The summit is flat and about 2 square meters in area, just barely big enough for two people to stand upon. It is a good 120 feet vertical down on all sides. It was a blast to get up there and I would like to go back some time and lead it.
While climbing in and around the Lower Devil's area we had been casting our view due east across the canyon to the famed but less visited climbing area of Lower Devil's East. More on that to come. |
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"Aequanimitas."
- Antoninus Pius |
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