North America, United States, Utah, Gothic Nightmare

Publication Year: 1971.

Gothic Nightmare. The Gothic Nightmare was the last of the three Mystery Towers to be climbed. It lies 34 miles east of the Fisher Towers and 20 miles east of Moab. Don Briggs, George Hurley, and I had teamed up in 1969 for first ascents of the Doric Column and the Citadel. The rotten rock techniques we learned on those ascents enabled Don and me to reach the summit of the Gothic Nightmare on April 20. On reconnaissance probes Hurley, Jon Hough and I had nailed the first pitches up a rotten crack on the north side. This reconnaissance indicated that the 300-foot crack could be climbed to the summit ridge. The major problem was traversing west along and around the many stone gargoyles that were perched along the knife-edged ridge. Briggs and I spent half a day completing the rotten crack to the summit ridge, and a day and a half weaving our way to the top of the summit block. We named our winding route along the summit arête “The Traverse of the Goblins.” It is mainly on the south side of the tower, and is the most spectacular traverse I’ve seen in the desert. NCCS IV, F7, A3.

William Forrest