Dune - The Organ - Arches National Park

The Organ

The Organ is a formation formed of Entrada sandstone lying within Arches National Park. The introduction to Rock Climbing in Utah summarised it as follows:

Arches National Park ranks as one of the canyon country's scariest and least user-friendly climbing areas. The Entrada sandstone that forms the the park's cliffs tends to be sandy, rounded, hard-to-protect, and unforgiving. Fred Knapp (a desert climbing authority), in Classic Desert Climbs, calls Entrada sandstone

"a step down in quality from moist brown sugar. Occasionally a nice varnish makes for good rock, but more often than not the real advantage is being able to drill bolt holes with a toothbrush and plastic hammer."

To further complicate matters, due to Dean Potters assent of Delicate Arch, seen by many as a fragile national icon, restrictions have been placed upon climbers placing any form of hammer based protection other than to replace decayed or dangerous gear which existed prior to 2007. Entradas best quality was therefore negated.

The Organ comprises of two Buttes a southern and northern, with just three established routes onto the top of the southern summit. Death by Hands 5.10 C2, Thelama and Louise 5.11+ (FA Stevie Haston) and Dune 5.10 A3. Both Death by Hands and Dune both include a considerable amount of aid climbing at that grade. Having gazed up at the middle corner pitches of Dune from the parking we hoped to climb it predominately free.

Day One

A relaxed start saw us in the parking below The Organ, the epic 5 minute walk to the base of the route passed off without incident. We played paper, scissors, stone for the first pitch and Herb won. I belayed as he headed upwards pulling hard moves straight off the deck. He overcame a vicious offwidth guarded by a loose block by pulling on a cam before heading left to belay.

I followed up, my good intentions of freeing the offwidth floundered on the wide overhung reality, and an aid move was also used before I reached the traverse. Here it became apparent that Herb had protected this with some appalling cam placements in sandy breaks and I was looking a a lovely fall should I came off. Luckily I spied that the rope had carved a good rope grove I could use as a foothold.

Dave leading the second pitch

Ah what foolish optimism, the groove was reduced to dust at the merest hint of pressure from my foot, as I scrabbled to safety. Crucial handholds only detaching themselves after, not whilst in use.

Above the belay (fortunately adequate) a sand filled groove led to a slab. Flared cams provided some comfort whilst sandy ledges exploded around me. Excavation with a nut key provided a poor TCU placement that loured me on. Crimping disintegrating edges I udged upwards until I was in the groove and in balance once more. A cluster of micro camming devises settled my nerves, the last couple had been too large so I repeatable poked them at the crack until they fitted, such was the quality of the sandstone.

Herb blowing dust out of a newly drilled bolt hole

With these cams places I dusted the loose sand off the sloping holds with gloves luckily found in my pocket, and rocked upwards onto slopers. I rapidly made a couple of moves onto a ledge. Here I stood with both legs shaking, not I hasten to add due to strenuousness but rather fear. After dusting off some further footholds with the gloves I committed and padded up to a ledge. Upon nudging the ledge the entire edifice detached itself from the cliff and hurtled down towards Herb. Fortunately by the time it arrived it had disintegrated into a harmless shower of sand.

Dave seconding pitch 3

Pitch three was hard, Herb dispatched it relatively quickly and I took one fall at the base before trying again and fighting my way to the belay. I took one look at the pitch above and suggested adjourning for the day having blown all my emotional energy on the pitches below. We headed down.

Day Two

Dave on the overhanging chimney at the start of pitch 4

We jugged back up to our high point and I got embroiled with the climbing above. The overhanging chimney was climbed mostly free and the crack above free until the last hard move onto the sloping ledge system. Here with arms screaming and footholds disintegrating I ambitiously attempted to crimp some edges (which are no longer there) before aiding up on RPs. A solitary peg in a hole provided comfort for the final 10 meters of chimney to the top. Here I belayed.

Herb chilling out at the fourth belay

Herb followed, his lack of nut tool mattering little with the sandstone disintegrating as he pulled on the equalised RPs. Getting gear stuck in the entrada sandstone would be next to impossible. He then traversed over to the base of the final pitch in search of the promised bolt belay whilst Matt (aid climbing specialist of the team) jumared up to provide assistance on the A3 pitch.

Dave climbing the fourth pitch

The bolt belay consisted of two shallow holes, proof of the speed of erosion taking place. Herb started hand drilling for replacement anchors, the holes taking worryingly little time to drill in the fragile rock. Before much time had elapsed we were all hung from the belay examining the pitch above.

The view up the last pitch

The upper section was split by a one inch splitter in perfect varnished rock, clearly free climbable and protectable by those with the ability. Below this however lay six meters or so of unvarnished crumbling sandstone. A series of blown out peg scars in a non-existent seam shed doubt on the first assentionist claims that pegs had only been used as he lacked TCUs. We attempted to make everything we had fit, stacked wires, all of the three complete sets of cams size 00 to 6, TCUs, Tricams, the lot, but nothing would take bodyweight let alone a short fall. Eventually we retreated dejectedly to lick our wounds and consider our options.

A "blown out" peg scar

Day Three

Day three saw us optimistically heading up with additional gear and a greater willingness to push boundaries but the weather refused to co-operate. With rain forecast for a week we retreated in a rainstorm stripping our ropes from the route.

Matt and Dave at the final belay

Post Script

I feel upon reflection that replacing blown out pegs would be appropriate in this situation as it would both return the route to its original character and allow potential free climbing of the final pitch, which, had the base of it been protected, I would have attempted. Factor two falls onto anything in that sandstone did not inspire confidence however.