Drinking Kool-Aid

Drinking Kool-Aid takes an improbable line up the wall left of Full Contact Origami. The route starts in a dihedral with black streaks under a giant roof complex, and weaves up the slabs above to and overhanging streaked headwall. The line is steep and committing with retreat only possible from atop pitch 3 or above pitch 5 (See topo)

The route faces North and can be quite chilly as it gets near permanent shade. Best times to climb are in the early fall/late spring when the temps are higher (80+ in Sedona) and days longer.

Pitch 1 | 5.11 | Scramble up to a large ledge.  Bust an unprotected move up the corner then press to a ledge. Keep pressing up, while not blasting the ledge, to a traverse right on a ledge past two bolts then up past three bolts on sweet jugs to a small left facing corner with more jugs and a traverse left past a bolt to the belay. Pay close attention to you rope line, two quad-length and many normal runners needed!

Pitch 2 | 5.11 | Teeter up some spooky flakes above to a thin boulder problem in the small corner. Enter a chimney, clip a bolt and layback out the leaning wide crack. Pull into the 2nd chimney, squirm to a bolt and crank more laybacking up the flake to a sloping ledge belay.

Pro Beta : It’s possible to lower all the cams except 1x to #1 on the tag line and then drop tagline (See note in descent section for retrieval).

Pitch 3 | 5.11+ / 5.12- | Chim up, clip a bolt and swing into the spike. Crank a traverse left to the exposed arête,  step around and move up a ramp to a bolt. Crimp micro edges up left to easy crack and a belay on the right.  Note : It’s possible escape to rap station 30’ left near the top of this pitch.

Pitch 4 | "5.11E" | Move up the crack, then tip left and crimp terrible holds left and down until possible to move up past more bolts out a small roof into a easy crack with a belay on the right.

Pitch 5 | 5.11- | Climb up the ramp past bolts into the steeper corner with hidden gear to some cool fossil holds. More bolts and a long easy runout ramp take you to a nice belay nook.

The last 2 pitches are all bolted, you can leave the cams at the top of p5.

Pitch 6 | 5.12 | Move left and enter the blackness. Tech through a boulder problem , crimp though a rising traverse and fight pump thought steep jugs to a hanging belay on the right. Oh Yeah!

Pitch 7 | 5.11 | Step left and climb pumpy jugs up the headwall to a sweet belay on a ledge at the top of the wall. Rejoice!

Descent

Make 2 raps pitches 7 and 6 with a single 70m rope. On P6 you will want to clip into a few bolts to help keep you into the wall on this overhanging rap. Then continue straight down through 2 off route stations on ledges. Rap once more into the center of 3 dihedrals to an anchor at the top of a tall overhang, from here one double 70m rope rap takes you to the ground. Note : It is also possible to walk west on the summit and rap Full Contact Origami with a single 70m instead, however this this makes retreat off the route impossible without leaving your rope fixed.

Pro-Beta : Leave your tagline on the ground, when you get to the last rap fix your rope and have one person rap single strand to the ground,  then tie on the tag line and have the 2nd person do a double rope rap down.

Hike up Mormon canyon 45 min or so until you get to the earth angel approach trail. Continue up the main wash 5 min to a small side drainage on the right. Go up this until you encounter some ancient fixed rope in a chimney. Climb this and continue up to slickrock slabs. This leads to the saddle of Misguided Angel. Hike right  (~200') to the base of the huge water-streaked right facing corner. Total approach time 1-2 HR.

2x1C3-#1 Extra .5 1x2,3 6 Draws 6 Runners 2 Double runners (p1 only) 70m rope 70m tag line