Metamorphosis

P1 (Easy 5th): Start up a short, easy corner, which abruptly ends at the base of crumbly ramp. Follow this ramp up and to the right, gaining the south ridge at an extended, grassy ledge featuring an open view of upper La Cueva Canyon. Belay at this spacious ledge, where you should be about even with the top of the nearest tower adjacent to the base of the climb.

Note: I saw an abandoned nut and faded cordelette along a crack of steeper ascent before gaining the belay ledge on the south ridge, suggestive of more direct variations. Since I was soloing, I sampled a few variations and conservatively took the route which offered the most solid climbing and promised the most sustained pro. The way I went kept always to the far right edge of the ramp, which though exposed, was never more difficult than the initial corner.

P2 (5.6): From the right (east) end of the belay ledge, ascend broken ledges aiming for the upper south ridge towering above, trending slightly right before cutting back left for a brief delicate crux that gains a large ledge with a tree too far off to the left (west) to be useful if going this way. From here, you’re in great position to directly ascend a ~60 foot sketchy 4th class gully that finishes with a short chimney, topping out on Space Ledge.

Note: Hill’s guide is inconsistent here, with his topo showing P2 ending below the 4th class gully, while he describes P2 as ending at Space Ledge (as outlined here). If inclined, it would be possible to end P2 at the ledge below the 4th class, and link the 4th class gully with the Space Ledge traverse, as Hill’s topo suggests - though I wouldn’t recommend this, because the necessary unattended rope movement over the sharp lip of Space Ledge could dislodge some of the loose stuff present there, sending it down the gully toward the second. Therefore, saving the traverse for a short P3 (or intermediate belay shift) is advised.

P3 (3rd class): Make a leftward traverse across Space Ledge as far north as possible, ending at an elevated platform with a living ~10 ft. tree, below an obvious corner.

P4 (5.7): Ascend the obvious corner through some intermittent delicate stemming. The first ~20 feet felt like the crux to me, until a chicken head out to the left can be reached, facilitating a mantle onto an adequate foot ledge. From here up to the roof, the climbing is solid with multiple ascent choices: either up the corner direct or trending leftward toward the arête, with some good flakes in between. Then, chimney climb to get established as high as possible in the cavity beneath the roof, before escaping out to the left, with hands in the crack above, and on adequate footholds that are hard to see until committed to the ascending traverse. The exposure and delicacy here, and immediately above where pro is sparse, contribute to mental challenge of this secondary crux. Continue up and trend to the right, testing holds and pro for ample solid rock, through a rewarding finish to a tree on the upper ridge.

Note: Hill describes the final dihedral above Space Ledge as 2 pitches, but I can’t imagine anyone climbing it as more than a single pitch (I used less than 50 m of rope) - and again, Hill’s topo is somewhat ambiguous here showing lines up 2 distinct parallel dihedrals reconnecting above the roof. In the photos below, the lines are highlighted in blue and red. I climbed the far left (blue) line as my P4 described above. As an alternative finish on the left (blue) route, Hill suggests traversing right somewhere below the roof to gain the right (red) dihedral to the top as another viable option (It’s my understanding that the Mucho Jale FA team finished along these lines).

Topo for Metamorphosis, showing route in blue, and possible variation (or partial variation) to P4 in red.

Cautionary Note: I’ve posted the route as 5.7, in deference to Mike Hill’s guide, though I felt sandbagged by this rating on the final pitch, which for me seemed harder than anything I climbed the same week on The Happy Gnome (rated 5.8+ and put up by the same FA party as Metamorphosis during the same year - Meleski & Bridgers in 1974). Now, it’s entirely possible I was off-route - but as a fair warning to future parties, I believe that, when measured against climbs of a similar caliber in the Sandia’s, a rating of 5.8+/5.9- would more accurately reflect the route I followed, as described here.

A series of smaller fins/towers shield the base of the SW face. Gain the highest point of ground between these features and Chaos Crag to begin Metamorphosis.

Singles #0.3 to #2 A few C3’s and other small sizes were helpful at the crux. A #3 would be useful at the roof, but I was fine placing a #2 slightly lower down.