Start drive to RRG. 27 hours of monotonous driving to look forward to! Arizona, New Mexico and Texas today.
Thursday 20 October 2011
Drive. Arkansas, Tennesee. The FLAT sweeping farmland ensures you forget the desert vistas of Arizona and New Mexico. I consider taking photos, but really, there's not much exciting material!
Friday 21 October 2011
Kentucky. Set up camp in the Miguel’s carpark. Seeing as we have two vans and we won't need to drive anywhere when Chris is here with his truck, we set up a tarp between the vans to cover the cooking area and the van doors.
Saturday 22 October 2011
Gallery crag. Onsight “De Vinci’s Left Ear” (5.10b), flash “Happy Trails” (5.10d), flash “A Brief History of Climb” (5.10c), flash “Johnny Be Good” (5.11a). Good start to the trip. Nothing like some mindless clip-ups to cure the Yosemite hangover! The bolting here in general is conducive to stress-free enjoyment of movement over rock, without having to worry about being weighed down with pounds of gear and looking at scary run-outs.
Sunday 23 October 2011
Crossroads crag. Onsight “Love Potion Number 9” (5.9), then toprope “Hippy Speed Ball” 5.12a with a hang at the crux. Finger is still not at all good, so I’m being very careful not to stress it. Staying off hard routes, and only top roping moderate routes to make sure I don’t do something stupid to my finger. Luckily the rock here lends itself to comfortable climbing, especially at the lower grades.
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| Iron banding in the sandstone makes for some interesting holds |
Monday 24 October 2011
Funk Rock City crag. Flash “Funkadelic” (5.10b), flash “Manic Impression” (5.10a), flash “Eye of the Needle” (5.11b). The Red is known for its ladder-like steep jug hauls, but there are plenty of intriguing routes that require more contemplation and use of deft footwork. "Eye of the Needle" is an arete climb with a foot-long hole through the thinnest part of the route.
Tuesday 25 October 2011
5.12 wall and Military wall. Onsight “Sunshine” (5.9+), onsight “Moonbeam” (5.9), flash “In the Light” (5.10c), onsight “Stay Left” (5.10a), toprope flash “Fuzzy Undercling” (5.11b). Some of these routes are fine to lead even though I can't climb properly with this injured finger, because the angle and the steepness often allows for relaxed pulling and careful management of the finger. Most times I'm able to remove the suspect doigt from the hold and just use the other 4, and other times I can use the left hand to do most of the hard pulling and the right can be saved for balance.
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| Many options for ascention |
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| The iron provides solid holds among the sandstone |
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Chocolate Factory crag. Onsight “Oopma” (5.10a), flash “Loompa” (5.10b), onsight “Glass Elevator” (5.10d), dog “Wobbler” (5.11d), toprope flash “One Side Makes You Taller” (5.11a). Routes such as "Wobbler" are the type of route that I should avoid if I want to protect my finger from more injury. These such routes are crimpy face climbs similar to those found at Red Rocks, and require hard crimping on small holds.
Thursday 27 October 2011
Solarium and Arsenal crags. Onsight “Sacrilege” (5.10d), flash “Bathtub Mary” (5.11a), onsight “Air Ride Equipped” (5.11a). The latter route is the type that I can climb without fear of further injury. The climb is very steep, but the holds are all huge and round enough to allow me to keep the injured finger protected.
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| Chris on a typically crimpy face route |
Friday 28 October 2011
Inner Sanctum Crag. Onsight “Netizen Hacktivist” (5.9+), onsight “Bad Company” (5.10a), onsight “Naughty Neighbour” (5.10d). We could go to a new crag every single day the whole time we are here, there are so many different places to climb. It is true that much of the rock is very similar so the routes in each area climb very much the same, but each area has its own style.
Saturday 29 October 2011
Drive-By crag and Bob Marley crag. Onsight “Make A Wish“ (5.10b), flash “Breakfast Burrito” (5.10d), flash “Fire and Brimstone” (5.10d), flash “Beta-Vul Pipeline” (5.12a). "Beta-Vul" is the kind of route one thinks of when mentioning the Red; short, very very steep, and with big holds. The crux involves some small but sharp pockets, but seeing someone else climb it informed me of the moves and allowed me to go through the crux quickly and protect the injured finger. Even still, 5.12a seems to be the grade here where you have to pull hard enough on small enough holds to risk the finger, so I'd better be careful around this grade.
Sunday 30 October 2011
Chocolate Factory crag. Onsight “Sugar Rush” (5.10a). Check out Motherlode crag - awesome! Curved amphitheater of uniform steepness and impressive blankness. Nothing under 5.12.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Left Flank crag. Onsight “Mr Bungle” (5.8+), onsight “Fast Food Christians” (5.10a), onsight “Face Up to That Crack” (5.8-), onsight “To Defy the Laws of Tradition” (5.10a), flash “Aquaduck Pocket” (5.11a), dog “Wild, Yet Tasty” (5.12a). This .12a was very flashable, but I was worried about my injured finger on the sharp 2 finger pockets. Great route though. The pockets are small but sharp, and widely spaced. Many harder routes here are similar in style to this route, and are just the style I enjoy. Too bad! Maybe next time I can get on some of these routes.
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Phantasia crag. Onsight “Creature Feature” (5.9), onsight “Overlord” (5.10b), onsight “Lord of the Flies” (5.8), onsight “Pogue Ethics” (5.9+), onsight “Creep Show” (5.10d), onsight “Count Floyd Show” (5.11b). Nothing to do every day but climb great routes and eat Miguel's pizza!
Thursday 3 November 2011
Bourbon Trail. Only went to Four Roses and Wild Turkey out of the 6 distilleries on the Trail. Very similar experience to going on a winery tour. I have to say, straight bourbon is not my drink of choice! Luckily there are those on the tour with me who aren't opposed to extra rations.
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| Massive yeast tub - nasty smells! |
Saturday 5 November 2011
Back to Inner Sanctum crag. Onsight “Karmic Retribution” (5.10d). Indy Wall crag. Onsight “Annie the Annihilator” (5.10c), onsight “Makin’ Bacon” (5.10d).
Sunday 6 November 2011
Bob Marley crag. Onsight “Toker” (5.11a), flash “Crosley” (5.11c), flash “Dogleg” (5.12a) awesome and super-reachy, and hard for the grade if you are short. Any shorter than me and it would be quite difficult. I was at maximum reach, and dynoing would be awkward on some moves. One mandatory move a few clips up requires a dyno from twin underclings. Very awkward, but rewarding when the rail is snatched on the fly.
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| "Dogleg". Wide blank sections between good rails |
Drive By crag. Onsight “Yada Yada Yada” (5.11b). Dog up “Head & Shoulders” (5.11d) - climbs like a trad route, with powerful lay-backing defining the upper third of the route. Found it difficult to get a rest, so I got too pumped to move past the last bolt. Even after resting and scoping out the moves to the anchors I found it very difficult to complete the moves and clip the chains. Maybe I should have tried harder to find a knee bar rest before or at the crux.
Onsighted the crag classic “Check Your Grip” (5.12a), as well as “Spirit Fingers” (5.11c).
Wednesday 9 November 2011
The Zoo crag. Onsight “One Brick Shy” (5.10c), onsight “Geezers Go Sport” (5.11b), flash “Monkey in the Middle” (5.11a), onsight “Hippocrite” (5.12a) - very cool short bouldery route with big moves and pretty good holds (similar to “Dogleg”).
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| "Hippocrite"; and to the right is "Scar Tissue" |
Flashed “Cannonball” (5.11b) to finish up for the day at this cool but strangely deserted crag.
Thursday 10 November 2011
Ice skating, plus movie - “The Big Year”. We have been resting every few days and just doing shopping and laundry, or sitting around camp, so to go and do an activity like the Bourbon Trail and the ice skating was good for a change. Although I have to say the movie wasn't a really easy one to get into or enjoy.
Friday 11 November 2011
Playground crag. Onsight “Jungle Gym” (5.10b), onsight “Monkey Bars” (5.10a), flash “Steal the Bacon” (5.11a), flash “Red Rover” (5.11b), flash “Capture the Flag” (5.11b).
Volunteer Wall. Flash “Donor” (5.11b), flash “Johnny on Roofies” (5.11a), onsight “Same Way” (5.11b), flash “Tong Shing” (5.10d), flash “Normalised Bramapoithecus” (5.10d).
Saturday 12 November 2011
Bob Marley crag. Mike sent his 3 day project “Kaleidoscope” (5.13c) after a total of 6 tries - a long time for him to send the grade. This route was FAed by Monique Forrester some years ago, and takes a striking line up a long overhanging arete.
I onsighted a very cool face/slab route called “Mas Choss” (5.11c), and a steep jug haul called “Horn” (5.11d). "Mas Choss" had a tricky move at the start, and a couple of dicey sections higher up, but overall it was a fun interesting line with a couple of healthy runouts over the last 2 bolts.
Sunday 13 November 2011
Volunteer Wall. Flash “First Time” (5.8+), onsight “Helping Hands” (5.10d) - best 5.10 ever! - onsight “Nice to Know You” (5.10b), onsight “Family Tradition” (5.10b), onsight “Darwin Loves You” (5.9+). "Helping Hands" had very balancey climbing that I haven't been doing a lot of since coming to the Red, mainly because I've been avoiding it to protect the finger.
Bronaugh Wall. Dog “Little Teapot” (5.12a) - short and stout!, flash “Jingus” (5.11b), onsight “Two Women Alone” (5.11a), onsight “Like a Turtle” (5.11b). There are only three 5.12a routes and one 5.11d route this whole month in the Red that I haven't onsighted or flashed, mainly because I haven't tried anything that looked or was reported to be fingery and difficult for the grade. But of those 4 routes, "Little Teapot" was by far the easiest and the one I should not have fallen off. The route was so short I should have been able to read it better from the ground, but I chose to try the hard moves direct to the chains rather than follow the chalk out right. Turns out the moves right were very easy, and the crux was actually below me when I fell. I suppose pride got the better of me and I thought I could pull through the harder moves in the very cool looking direct line, but the finger crack was too hard for me to stay in. I fell and did the moves via the easy but circular jug route.
Shady Grove. Onsight “Girls Gone Wild…WHOO!” (5.10d). Last route of the trip to Kentucky, and I feel it! This 10d felt like an 11, even though the holds were jugs and the route wasn't that steep. I guess all the climbing has caught up to me and its time for a rest. 3 days driving back across the country should give me that rest.
Monday 14 November 2011
Drive back to Arizona. Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri.
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Drive back to Arizona. Oklahoma, Texas.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Drive back to Arizona. New Mexico, Arizona.
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