-The approach to Morrell’s Wall, your author in awe. Photo By Kellon Spencer.
The Journey to Morrell’s Wall
The desert is a seemingly inhospitable place, yet within that atmosphere of emptiness there lies a strange comfort. Several weeks ago I had been pushing my climbing at our nearest sport crag, approximately an hour from the heart of Downtown Phoenix, at a roadside crag called The Pond. The climbing primarily comprises volcanic tuff pockets ranging from dead vertical to full overhang. Overhang climbing has never been my forte’ and recently has been the focus of my becoming a more well-rounded climber. Progress in that style had been steady, but getting better performance also entails keeping up on maintenance of opposing muscle groups. My shoulders had never given me much trouble until overhang climbing happened, and not to say that I didn’t benefit from that style of climbing. A new style of climbing usually exposes weaknesses and imbalance in the body on both spectrums of pulling/pushing muscle groups. To sum up the learning process, I realized my rear shoulder muscles were lacking; causing range-of-motion stresses after hard shoulder moves. Coincidently enough, my friend Kellon had experienced shoulder pains for quite some time and was about to undergo surgery to correct the issue. We decided to head out with an emphasis on climbing hard while still sparing our shoulders; granite in the Phoenix area excels in this particular field of shoulder preservation due to its steep slab with sharp edges, and this movement is about precise edging, core strength, and leg flexibility for high steps. Morrell’s Wall is located in the Mcdowells preserve; land that was previously in threat of development until the City of Scottsdale asked their constituents to put money aside to purchase the land. Unfortunately, due to some of the protection being sparse and Phoenix granite not emphasizing large movements, it’s gone relatively untouched by current generations. The routes are of traditional nature when bolted, and ratings only pertain to “The Mcdowell range” instead of being consistent with modern grade standards, so some of the “moderates” can provide a fight for even experienced 5.10 leaders.
I’ve done a couple of the classic routes at the wall including: Beat Feet, Space Cadet, Leave it Too Beaver Direct, and recently The variation of Sinbad (as seen right). Each have their own flavor of granite delicacy, usually involving slow precise foot edging mixed in with crack climbing athletics, and tying it all together with some boldness on “easier” sections of the routes. All these attributes including an interesting juxtaposition to the nearby city (approximately 40 minutes from phoenix) make it a valuable asset for local Phoenician climbers and out of town visitors. Northern and Southern Arizona contain the world class climbing destinations which surely shouldn’t be missed , but if you have some time while passing through the valley there are hidden gems to be seen if you’re okay with the off beaten path.
For myself, The Mcdowell region, and nearby Pinnacle Peak, is where I learned to ‘trad’ climb. It was well within my limits initially, and today I find routes that regularly push me mentally. I hope the local scene will find reinvested interest in our granite for personal improvement and retaining our local cultural climbing heritage. Cheers!
-Hugo
Kellon and I finishing on the original Sinbad finish – Photo by Kellon Spencer.
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