13. Middle Rabbit Ear
Another massive, rounded peak lying just south of the N Rabbit Ear. Its individuality is established by the Church Key, a gigantic overhanging buttress formed of a series of roofs. The unique shape of the Middle Rabbit Ear, often hidden by the North, or confounded with the Rabbit Ears Towers in front of it, or compressed by foreshortening, is best seen from the vantage point of the Rabbit Ears Plateau in the vicinity of Orp. From there you may admire, or plot routes up, its formidable W Face, unconquered as of the date of this writing. One of the great sights of the Organs is the vast vertiginous expanse of the N Face of the Middle, turned a bloody red by the descending autumn sun, as seen from the S Face of the North on the rappel down. These two great faces, so proximate, loom over the tiny strip of gully between them, looking smooth as a carpet, which mounts to the clean, definite line of the North - Middle Saddle.
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Last things first: The descent route is a rappel off the south side. From the summit, down climb to the large tree. A large amount of rope and slings are around the tree. A two-rope rappel is done off the tree to reach a large ledge. If you only have one rope, two bolts are located halfway down. Use these bolts for your second rappel. Walk down this ledge toward the west. Two bolts are located at the top of the next steep section. Do a single rope rappel to a tree on the ledge. Single rope rappel off this tree to the ground for the last rappel.
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13a. Normal (South Corner) |
Class: low 5 |
First ascent: 6 April 1946; H. Schmid, H. Richtner, A. Zeiler.
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This route begins at the saddle between the MRE and SRE at the S. Corner of the peak. Go up a steepening gully, then make a delicate step across a steep slab, protected by a bolt above. A steep dihedral above is climbed by jamming in the crack or face climbing to the right. This puts you on a wide ledge full of trees. Walk east on it, climb down where it ends, and traverse 50'-100'. Then, fairly easy rock leads up and to the left to the great juniper. Harder variations take off upward sooner. The hardest is to climb directly at the large scrub oak where the first descent rappel ends, and then go up moderate slabs interrupted by vertical steps to the big juniper. (My records say this variation was first done by Ron Hahn and B. Martin - Old Giants.) Scramble third class to the summit. The rappel route off retraces this last route exactly.
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13b. South Face Cutoff |
Class: 5.4 and easy aid |
First ascent: Dick Ingraham and Paul Wohlt
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Descend the SRE-MRE gully on the east side quite far until an obvious way leads into the great bowl of this little-visited face. This is about at the level of the first pitch on the East Ridge, not higher. Wind through heavy brush well to the right, then up easy broken rock, then back left over a fairly steep pitch (5.4) to the center of the face. At this point about 3 possible ways open up. A steep chimney system to the left has not been explored to date. Directly in the middle, a steep, water-smoothed dihedral leads up all the way to the summit (see next route). To the right, a dihedral starting vertical, then sloping off, leads over to the upper part of the East Ridge. Go up this, using a sling or two in the good crack. Then scamper up fourth class rock on the E. Ridge to the summit.
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13c. South Face Central |
Class: 5.6 |
First ascent: Bill Hackett and Dick Ingraham
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Go as in the previous route about 2 roped pitches to the middle of this great concave bowl of a face (hot in the summer!). Go straight up the smooth dihedral in the middle for about 120` where a possible belay spot opens up. The next pitch continues straight up the dihedral which is now more broken up but quite steep in spots. Then easier climbing leads up to the summit.
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13d. East Ridge |
Class: 5.5 |
First ascent: Dick Ingraham, Paul Wohlt, Frank de Saussure
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A popular intermediate route. Go down the NRE-MRE gully on the east side for about 300'-400' loss of altitude to where you can traverse right on easy rock onto the NE Face. Traverse this all the way to the Ridge itself. The first pitch squeezes up a crack and narrow chimney about 60'. Go on up the ridge on easy rock for a pitch. Then it turns into a steep slab split by some parallel cracks with rotten rock aplenty. Mount this, the crux pitch, by starting in the left-hand crack and then stepping across to the right one about 60' up. Above this is a steep little chimney maneuver. Then run out the rope on this easy fifth and fourth class ridge for four pitches, at least, to the summit.
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13e. North Face Gullies |
Class: 5.6 (?) |
6 - 7 hours |
First ascent: Paul Wohlt, Ron Thomas, George Goedecke, Frank deSaussure
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This route starts by paralleling the East Ridge to its right and below. It mounts veering constantly to the right toward the N. Face. At the top a hard crack is found. This may be the hard crack on Gubbins (see next route) but only Paul (the Goat) Wohlt probably remembers for sure.
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13f. Gubbins |
Class: 5.6 |
First ascent: Dick Ingraham and Lou Corl
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A fine route, really, up steep rock on the true N. Face of the MRE, bypassing the Church Key Buttress as closely as possible on the left. However, it is rotten in spots. Drop down the MRE-NRE gully on the East side a little way and take to an obvious third class ramp leading up onto the N. Face more or less below the looming Church Key Buttress. Once there, you see a viable narrow ledge snaking along behind sometimes rotten flakes above and disappearing around the skyline to the right. But to get on it, go way to the right and traverse back across a steep small holds slab and to the top of a rotten pillar. Then proceed ahead (east) on this narrow ledge, getting to an airy spot at the corner where (thank Gerch!) a fine little traverse leads to a good belay spot 10' above. Next pitch goes up a steep gully directly above and steps across a barish wall to a belay below a roof. Then go around to the left and up steep, rotten rock, quite steep, but with good holds. You next see a steep crack turning into a smoothish dihedral above a bush about half way up. Above the bush it's best to jam with left foot in the crack and keep the right foot on the scant holds on the slab. Eventually a left handhold above helps to get you out of this predicament. Then continue on up on easier rock heading for the top of the Church Key. Finish the climb with a pretty steep slab directly above this.
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13g. Church Key |
Class: 5.7(?)and aid |
First ascent: J. Mack Adams and Paul Wohlt
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This spectacular route goes up the NW Face in the gigantic open book below and to the right of the Church Key. From the NRE-MRE saddle third class to the top of a mossy-rocked shoulder. Rope up and climb either the vertical chimney straight ahead or the steep rock to its left. Soon, free climbing peters out. Place a pendulum pin as high as possible and pendulum right into the crack below an over hanging step around and behind which you force your way. Then up a great ramp to the Second Overhang, where the Church Key itself abuts on the vertical N. Face. Go far back into this great chimney and climb out through some holes above. Then friction climb the extensive ramp which forms the west side of the Church Key to level ground. A short easy chimney leads to the summit. A variation (Harry Earle and Bernard Topp) is to traverse across the sheer N. Face at the level of the shoulder on the West Face Route, then rappel into the great open book above the First Overhang and below the Second Overhang. Finish as above (the W. Face was reached by an easy traverse from the large mossy shoulder).
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13h. West Face |
Class: 5.6 |
First ascent: Dick Ingraham, Paul Wohlt, and George Goedecke
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One of the true classics of the Organs. Climb up the bottom of the W. Face for 100' or so unroped to a good belay spot. The route goes up the northern half of the face. Climb up 60' or 70', traverse right on a steep slab, go up a little open book, step far left into a dish foothold and muscle up steep rock with finger holds. Another 30' up belay from the top of a pillar. Next go directly up a steep slab behind you with small footholds. Then head left and finally back to the right on easy rock to a great concave place about 1/3 to the way up the face. Now climb up fairly easy rock on the left (rather than going to the cracks at the rear of the hollow) to a stance just below a slight overhang above which is a long, smooth slab. Step up over this using good fingerholds and run the rope out. This puts you on the shoulder, where the W. Face runs into the perfect vertical slab of the N. Face. The sight from here toward Sierra Blanca, past the vast suspended bulk of the Church Key, is one of the great sights of the Organs. Take to vertical rock at this corner and bear up and right, around an airy hand traverse to a belay about 120' up. Then bear up for two more pitches, staying left in general to keep it easy, to the top. Everyone likes this climb, but no two people agree on the crux pitch! The route described has been varied in too many minor ways to mention in detail.
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13i. Great Expectations (West Face) |
Class: 5.6 |
First ascent: Dick Ingraham, Paul Wohlt, and George Goedecke.
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This fine route, the only alternative to the great W. Face (Route 13h.) on the whole W. Face, started out to be a separate line up the W. Face staying well to the right of Route 13h. However, after five beautiful pitches, it was unable to force the passage upward. Hence the name "Great Expectations." As of now, this route can be considered a major variation of Route 13h, in which 3 beautiful pitches are substituted for the first two pitches of Route 13h.
Start on the W. Face at a point where an obvious traverse left over a, bushy ledge begins. (From the point you normally get onto the W. Face to third class up to the first belay spot on Route 13h, go up along the W. Face some 200'-300'). First Pitch: Traverse left on this bushy ledge, dropping down where it becomes difficult, then up to a prominent little perch. Second Pitch: This is the crux. A steep smooth face above. Go straight up a shallow crack directly above the belay for about 20' to the overhang. Then ooze right on minimal footholds with practically no handholds some 15' to a reasonable stance. Here you can put your first protection in (#4 stopper). An alternate way to do this pitch is to hand traverse right some 20' from the belay spot, then go up to a point just below an overhanging nose which forces you off, then ooze leftward under and around the nose for about 10' by good delicate balance technique (first led by Doug Roberts).
From the good stance, take heart--what lies above is easier. Go up and slightly to the right on holds which get progressively better some 25'. Get in protection and traverse left about 30' on easy rock to the belay stance. Third Pitch: get as high as possible and mantle onto a good stance to the left. Go up about 30 bare feet on small holds, bearing left. Then a few easy moves lands you on the "great concave place" of the Route 13h description. Finish the climb as in Route 13h.
On the first ascent attempt of Great Expectations, we went one pitch farther, bearing right and then to a pretty downsloping traverse. You end up in a comfortable large region on the SW Face. However, above here the angle becomes severe and the protection seems a real problem.
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13j. Three's the Charm |
Class: Hard 5 and A2 |
First ascent:
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From the saddle between the South and Middle Rabbit Ears head 50 yards downhill to the west. A nondescript crack starts here. Up above, the crack becomes more distinct and runs straight up through a few overhangs. Pitch l: Climb up this crack to where it overhangs. A couple of pins of aid gets you to a sloping ledge. Belay from this ledge. Pitch 2: continue to follow the same crack system to a rather large overhanging section. The overhang is surmounted with some strenuous aid. The first few pins are in rotten rock which tends to make one nervous. Continue mixed aid and free until under a large overhanging block. Again surmount this overhang with some strenuous aid. Belay from a nice little ledge about 15-20 feet above the block. (Hint! It may be necessary to belay at the block because of all the rope friction.) Pitch 3: Finish the climb up the same crack system. This pitch is all free up a nice medium class 5 crack.
This material is from "A Climbing Guide to the Organ Mountains", Copyright by R.L.Ingraham, Privately published, 1960's.