Brett Earns His Halo

The Enchanted Tower, hidden in a remote shallow canyon in southern New Mexico, is another one of the state's special and unique climbing areas. Driving through the old western village of Datil on U.S. 60, you would never guess that a few miles north of the highway are cliff bands of volcanic tuff. The Enchanted Tower itself is the area's most prominent feature, a 110-foot-high, semi-detached tower jutting out of the middle of a long cliff. All the routes here tend to be on vertical to overhanging rock. Handholds include sharp pockets, incut edges, and big jugs. Most of the routes are strenuous and pumpy. Eat your Wheaties before climbing or you're not gonna make it! "The Child of Light" (5.13d), established by New Mexican climber Timmy Fairfield, was the hardest route in New Mexico for a long time before it was down-graded from 5.14a to its present grade. Here Brett Green pulls the pockets through the steep continuous crux of the route in the last light of an October day.