Follow the
Kilpacker Approach to the turn-off
for this route, at 12,600' -
1.
2 may be one of the most helpful photos in this description because it shows most of the route up the south slopes, seen from just below the El Diente turn-off location. In short, you must zig zag up the slopes to reach some cliffs, traverse left and then climb (Class 3) to reach terrain just under the "Organ Pipes" along the El Diente-Mt. Wilson connecting ridge. Locate the turn and follow loose trail segments up past rock outcroppings (
3) before turning left above 13,000' to reach a large rock on the right -
4. Pass the left side of the rock to reach a gray talus field near 13,200' -
5. Turn left and continue towards the cliffs above -
6. Before reaching the cliffs (they have large, black water marks on them), turn left and continue west on the talus -
7.
As you traverse below the cliffs, aim for the bottom of a rib of red rock up to the west, near 13,500' -
8 and
9. Taken from the basin below,
10 is another view of the area. Next, you'll need to ascend through some confusing terrain to reach the base of the "Organ Pipes" -
11. After the red rock rib, immediately ascend some gray talus for a bit and then traverse left below more red rock outcroppings to reach a gully containing gray rock. This is a confusing area and it's very helpful to find the gray gully because it climbs directly to the "Organ Pipes" -
11 and
12. Once you locate the gully (13,700',
13), climb good rock to reach the "Organ Pipes" and the point where you join the
North Slopes route out of Navajo Basin.
Turn left (
14) and scramble across mostly-solid rock as you pass directly under the "Organ Pipes." If you take the easiest way across, you will likely encounter a set of parallel rocks that almost form a chimney -
15. Climb through this area and continue toward the base of a small gully that leads back to the ridge -
16. Enter the gully and climb toward the ridge crest -
17. The gully contains some loose rock and dirt, but it's not too steep -
18. Reach the top of the gully at a small notch on the ridge.
Cross to the north side of the ridge and turn left to see the next section of the route -
19. Climb onto some rocks and soon the route becomes more obvious. Your next task is to traverse along the side of the ridge to reach the small notch seen in -
20. Drop a bit, scramble over to easier terrain and climb into the notch (
21 and
22) where you can finally see the end of the route -
23. Drop a few feet into a dirt gully and scramble up to the summit -
24.
(WINTER) HOLD ON! If you don't have much high-elevation, winter climbing experience, be careful in your planning and take a partner. All 14er routes are more difficult and more dangerous in winter.
