Sentinel Spire Explained

Sentinel Spire is a 5,500-foot-elevation (1,676-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States.^[3] This 200-foot freestanding tower is situated in Wedding Canyon, one-half mile east of the monument's visitor center, and west of the community of Grand Junction.^[5] It is also immediately south of Window Rock, and north of another climbing destination, Pipe Organ, both of which can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. The first ascent of the summit was made May 3, 1960, by Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, and John Auld via the route, Fast Draw.^{[6] [7]} This was the day before the climbers also made the first ascent of nearby Kissing Couple. The first solo ascent was made by Ron Olevsky in March 1976, and the first free ascent was made by Andy Petefish and John Christenson in 1978.^[8] Some climbers refer to Sentinel Spire as Watusi Spear.^[9]

Geology

This tower is composed primarily of cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone, which consists of wind-borne, cross-bedded quartzose sandstones deposited as ancient sand dunes approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. The slope around the base of Sentinel Spire is Chinle Formation.^[10] The floor of the canyon is Precambrian basement rock consisting of gneiss, schist, and granites. Precipitation runoff from this geographical feature drains to the Colorado River, approximately 1.5 miles to the northeast.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sentinel Spire is located in a semi-arid climate zone.^[11] Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold with some snow. Temperatures reach 100°F on 5.3 days, 90°F on 57 days, and remain at or below freezing on 13 days annually. The months April through October offer the most favorable weather to visit.

Climbing

Established rock climbing routes at Sentinel Spire:

• Fast Draw^[12] – – 2 pitches – First ascent 1960
• Medicine Man^[13] – class 5.12c – 4 pitches
• Vision Quest^[14] – class 5.11+ – 2 pitches

See also

• List of rock formations in the United States

External links

• Weather forecast: National Weather Service
• Sentinel Spire rock climbing: Mountainproject.com
• Sentinel Spire photo: Flickr

Notes and References

1. 65981. Sentinel Spire, Colorado. 2021-03-25.
2. Web site: Sentinel Spire - 5,410' CO. listsofjohn.com. 2021-03-25.
3. 174541. Sentinel Spire. 2021-03-25.
4. https://www.nps.gov/colm/learn/nature/geologic-formations.htm Geologic Formations, National Park Service
5. Stewart M. Green, 2019, Rock Climbing Colorado A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes, Falcon Guides,, page 442.
6. https://www.deserttowersbook.com/first-ascent-timeline First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com
7. Jeff Achey, 2002, Climb! The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado, The Mountaineers Books, page 124.
8. Cameron Burns, Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, 1999, Mountaineers Books,, page 29.
9. https://www.deserttowersbook.com/first-ascent-timeline First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com
10. Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument, Geological Survey Bulletin 1508, pages 28-30.
11. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 1027-5606.
12. Stewart M. Green, 2019, Rock Climbing Colorado A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes, Falcon Guides,, page 444.
13. Stewart M. Green, 2019, Rock Climbing Colorado A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes, Falcon Guides,, page 444.
14. https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744909/sentinel-spire Sentinel Spire Rock Climbing, Mountain Project