Indian Creek

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Best day of crack climbing so far!  Learning the business now.  Onsight ascent of 'Puma' 511+ (was originally 5.12-), a gorgeous splitter finger crack on a gently sloping-to-vertical varnished wall with a few face holds for the feet every now and again.

It was desperate and I got pumped silly and ready to pitch off a body length and a bit above the last bit of protection right near the top.  The last bit of gear was the smallest Alien cam they make - Emil said "you got balls to go for it above such a baby little cam!" but i wasn't thinking of the lack of good pro - there were many good pieces between me and the ground, and I could see the finish!  Good fingerlocks narrowed into tips and I had to layback and throw my crimping fingers onto the nearly face FOOTHOLDS to avoid falling.  It was touch and go, but I pulled into the clipping stance for the chains and let out an exhausted sigh of relief.  I even clipped the second anchor with only a toe hook holding me in!  Awesome line and a fantastically satisfying effort!

We did a few other routes with good jambs and poor jambs, notably a thin hands splitter 5.10 that I nearly fell on but managed to grunt through, a cruisy 5.9+ with a weird offwidth section that had a bomber hand jamb in the back seemingly out of reach, and a lovely flake which Emil lead that had great fist and hand jambs for ages.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Rest day.  Ha!  On the way into Moab we went to a local bouldering spot Emil knows of, and now my tips are just as shredded as back in Red Rocks where we were cranking on crimps for days!  Some good but sandbagged lines there to fall off, and a couple just easy enough for me to top out on.  Emil sent a couple of V4s that looked and felt harder than most boulders I've tried!  Then we filled all out water (for the next few days out at Indian Creek) up at a natural spring just out of town, then into Moab for lunch, internet and laundry.

 One very cold night!

 Tape gloves - good for a few days

Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona, Jerome, Indian Creek

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Took the Desert View road on my way to Flagstaff so I could check out more of the Grand Canyon on the way  Every scenic pullover had a very basic tin shack with Native American art for sale.  The drive to Flagstaff from the Grand Canyon is very pretty, with the changes from desert to pine forests and back to desert, and rock towers interspersed with vast tracts of seemingly barren landscape.  There are herds of livestock here and there, and old loading yards and fencing.  There are loads of junk piles (old machinery and cars mostly, plus many old caravans) along the way.

I arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona in the evening, so after a quick tour of town i went to Collins Irish Pub for dinner and drinks.  The barman Jeff was an informative character and interesting to talk to, as were Keirsten and Lindsay - two young and very politically motivated local girls - and a retired electrician.  We talked politics and immigration into the night and compared similarities and differences between Australia and the USA.

I spent the night in the Walmart carpark, where there were lots of trailers and motorhomes.  It's good to know that I can always resort to good old Walmart if I'm short of a place to stay on the road!

Thursday 17 March 2011

St Patricks Day.  Drove to Sedona (hippy place - lots of Crystals, tarot cards, readings, and - thankfully - proper espresso coffee!) and Jerome (cool mountain town with interesting copper and prostitution history!).

 Jerome sights and history

The night was spent drinking (a lot) at various pubs in Flagstaff.  I met a few cool local and out-of-town Americans, but no-one to write home about in detail.  Sleep in good old Walmart carpark again!

Friday 18 March 2011

Drive to Moab (Utah) and pick up some supplies for Indian Creek.  Check out the town, and McDonalds for internet.  Camp at Indian Creek, in the Bridger Jack campground in the Beef Basin.

Saturday 19 March 2011

Emil and Mel arrived at Indian Creek late afternoon; I had spent the whole day eating and reading in the van!  It was a shitty day weather-wise, blowing a gale all day and sending the dust through the campground.  Real desert conditions!

Sunday 20 March 2011

Supercrack Buttress.  The business of crack climbing school begins!  Over to you Master Emil.  Show us how!  No Scotty, you're lead FIRST.  That's it.  No tutorial, no beta to copy.  Just take the sharp end and climb buddy.  If someone gives you the rope you fucken just climb mate!  Ok off we go - 'Incredible Hand Crack' (5.10).  What else would you start on?  Incredible for sure, but wide hands for skinny-wristed me.  Especially the bulge!  Roof climbing almost, with a wall at your right side to lean against as you thrutch (the only word for what I was doing, really!) up up and ever up.  Didn't fall, so job well done!  Onsight 5.10 but barely.  And the grade conversion to Ewbanks?  Grade 18 WTF!?  So hard!  Sandbaggers!  Got my firswt desert gobie (no tape gloves) on the back of the hand - a nice big raw skinless spot from the sandstone friction.  Hairy hand or no hairy hand, tomorrow I tape!

 'Incredible Hand Crack' - note the varnish worn off the wall from climber's butts!

Did the 5.9 "Twin Cracks" and found it ok, really only because I didn't have to jamb the feet so much.  Then an unknown approx. 5.10 that spat me out and had me hit my head on the wall because I was concentrating on not hitting a sharp fin below.  Ouch!  We got a bleeder!  And where is your helmet Scotty?  Um in the van... oops!  Next time I'll wear it!  But next climb, when I did wear it (next day), I fell backwards and my feet got stuck in the crack!  There was some slack in the rope and I pivoted back 180 degrees around my jammed feet and slammed into the wall arse-first!  Double ouch!  Feels like I got kneed in the buttock on the footy feild like back in school.  I need an arse helmet.  Emil suggested I should carry a pillow back there.

Next on the list was, of course, "Supercrack" aka "Super crack of the Desert" aka "Luxury Liner".  Hands to wide hands splitter for over 100 feet.  It was too wide for me halfway up, and I bailed off it for Emil to finish.  Of course he styled it, and we were done for the day.

Monday 21 March 2011

Emil suggested I apply toilet paper the the hairy backs of my hands, then tape over it.  This way they would be easy to remove.  Smart man.  So with fresh tape gloves I attacked the cracks with renewed vigor!  Sadly the technique was still not quite up to scratch and I flailed about again.  Aside from the arse injury, I avoided any other significant mishaps.  Learning the Black Diamond Camalot sizes that correspond to good sizes of crack for my hand size to jamb well.  'Green meanies' are rattly fingers and ringlocks, and maybe thin thin hands for Mel; the red #1 cams are thin hands for me; gold #2 - if not tipped out - are slammer hands for me, and the blue #3 size is cupping (horrible for me!).  I'm learning to judge the size from the ground and prepare for the size before climbing.  I don't want a repeat of Red Rocks where I took the wrong size gear!

The End of Red Rocks and on to the Gand Canyon

This is the kind of reading material on offer at the Red Rocks canyon visitor's centre:

 

A couple of interesting signs around Vegas:

 

Nothing to see here.  Just sharpening my knife as i drive along the street!

Some climbing shots:

Hoover dam:

Grand Canyon:

The Red Rocks Rampage Continues!

Monday 7 March 2011

Rest day, so onto the Las Vegas Strip to check out the variety of crazies this city is known for!  Legal street drinking, costumed street performers (is getting your photo taken with passers-by while dressed up as a movie character a 'performance'?), guys and girls handing out cards for nude girl shows and prostitutes; its all part of the makeup of this weird Sin City.  We walked much of the length of the Strip, quite the ways and very draining for a rest day activity.  Most of it wasn't really our cup of tea, so not many photos were taken.

I've been eating quite well since Mel and Emil joined me at the campground.  We've eaten out a few times, but mostly we make a daily pilgrimage to either Whole Foods or Albertsons to buy makings and return to the campsite and cook a pretty healthy dinner.  Bed by 9 most nights!

Tuesday 8 March 2011

A good day's climbing!  Onsight a 5.11c; tick off 'The Glitch' 5.12c; send 'Fear and Loathing' 5.12a first try of the day, after a handful of goes earlier in the trip; and send 'Promises in the Dark' 5.12b second shot.

My base level of climbing 'fitness' is improving, hence the higher grade onsighting and doing harder routes in quick time, but besides having one or two goes on some harder routes I haven't really tested the upper limits of my current climbing state yet.  Had the skin on my fingers held out, I would have had a real crack at some 5.12c, 12d and 13a sport routes; as it is I need a few days off to grow some skin back!

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Did the 5.9+ start to "Physical Graffiti" with Mel.  Onsight "The Fox" 5.10d (20) fingers to offwidth crack corner.  Wow what a pitch!  Finger crack to blank dihedral with a thin hands crack that I had trouble jambing - I laybacked it until a good stance where I could place a cam, then more laybacking until another stance and better hand jambs.  After a rest on good feet and a forearm jamb, I half jambed half thrutched up the widening crack until I got to an ok rest and was able to place my last big cam.  I got up the off-fist, foot jamb, layback, arm bar (anything really just to get up!) to a point where I could rest ok, but i had no more big gear so had to run it out until the angle eased.  I was getting quite high above the last cam and Mel and Emil were getting a little nervous, and when I got to the point where the top slab started, I realised that the crack didn't thin back down as I thought it would.  I had to keep running it out and thrutch up the crack with a thigh jamb and chicken wings until the top.  By that stage Emil was ready to jump off the belay ledge in an effort to take in slack, but he knew that I was near ground fall runout anyway.  Plus cams have been known to track out of such soft rock, so if that last cam blew I was finished.  Luckily I made it up ok, and Emil seconded the pitch and we walked off.  That experience, and Emil's sound advice, taught me to read the route better from the ground and not to do a route at all unless I was sure beforehand that I could adequately protect it.  Then we went to try some sport climbing at Cannibal Crag, where we dogged up a 12c and a 12b that were both very hard.  Emil split a tip the other day, and mine are in a nasty state, so we gave up on those routes.  To finish the day I tried to onsight a 5.11a "Risk Bothers Roof" to try and improve my roof jambing, but I couldn't get through the cupped hands section of the roof so had to bail.

Thursday 10 March 2011

Rest day checking out the Red Rock Canyon visitors' centre, and went in to town to watch movie 'Adjustment Bureau'.

Friday 11 March 2011

Onsight an 11a and 11c, and ticked a 12a second shot.  Need some days off in a row to let the tips grow some skin back.  tried a 12b but the crux was too hard to flash.  Onsighted a nice long 11b with a pumpy start followed by 5.9 climbing for 30 metres, then had a coupld fo shots on a cool little 12c with a hard boulder start then pumpy steep climbing on round holds to a hard move under the chains.

Saturday 12 March 2011

Onsight 11a and 11b, and flash another 11b, so even with the fingers in this state I'm base level climbing well.  Tried to flash a 5.11d with tape on the tips, but the lack of feeling and lack of confindence in the fingers stopped me doing it.  Shame; it was really flashable and a great route.  A few days off climbing before meeting Mel and Emil at Indian Creek (Utah) later this week.



Sunday 13 March 2011

Rest day, internet, shopping, planning route from Vegas to Indian Creek via the Grand Canyon.

Mel & Emil come to Red Rocks

Wednesday 2 January 2011

Team onsight ascent of the 4 pitch classic 5.10c "Nightcrawler" with Nick the Alaskan!  Wonderful route!  Nick climbed the first 2 pitches in one long pitch, then I followed (after a short simul-climb) to the halfway anchor and lead the next 2 pitches, also strung together in one long pitch.  I had the cream of the leading, with the 2 pitches I did both 5.10c and the crux low on the last pitch.  Fantastic laybacking all the way up with only a few reprieves. 

Nick rapped down a ropelength (70m) over "Time's Up", a 5.11d route with bad bolts and bad anchors, so he could toprope the upper half of the route.  Hard climbing.   I lead the first 2 (easier) pitches of it from the ground, and didn't clip a single bolt (they were all mank).  Luckily the gear was ok and the climbing not so hard.  We replaced the tat on both the first and second pitch anchors to safely descend.

On the way home we did a little funky single pitch trad route called "Juggernaut", a 5.10d stemming and jamming corner.  I toproped it clean after Nick led it.  Very cool finger jams.

Thursday 3 march 2011

Rest day.

Friday 4 March 2011

Mel and Emil arrived and we went climbing in the Black Corridor and the Gallery at the 2nd Pullout of Calico Hills - great sport area!  Did a few 5.10s quite easily, so I'm happy that my base level of climbing fitness is coming up.  I think the trad stuff I've been doing is really helping.  Next stop was the Gallery - I had been there a couple of times before, so I had a plan of routes to try this time.  I tried "The Gift" 5.12d with Emil and managed to do all the moves first time.  A good one to try to redpoint.  Also worked out the crux of "The Glitch" 5.12c with Emil's help, so I think that one should also go down without too many more tries.  I think the grades of those are around 25/26, so it will be great if I can do them quickly.  Power is returning slowly.

We are sharing a camping spot in the campground, and its great to be with friends rather than being on my own and trying to meet people.  It will be hard when they leave to go back to being alone, so I need to try harder to meet people now before they leave so I can transition more easily.

We're planning to meet back up at Indian Creek later in the month, and I think it will be invaluable to have Emil's guidance there on the hard cracks.  If I can learn to climb well there, Yosemite will be that much easier.

Saturday 5 March 2011

More sport climbing in the 2nd Pullout of Calico Hills.  Did everything but onsight "Running Man", a sensational 5.11c or d.  Fell at first bolt on a long move to crimps, then pulled the move off the rope (the same as doing it from the ground, as the few moves below are a staircase) and onsighted to the top.  Great route!  Then almost onsighted "Stratocaster" 5.11d, but the top was quite hard after so much climbing.  Tried "Choad Warrior" to the first chains (5.12a) but found it very hard.  yes there is a Choad Warrior here!  Also ticked off the 11a that I toproped barefoot a few days ago - "One Eyed Jacks", and onsighted "Footloose" 5.11b next to it.  That was hard!

Sunday 6 march 2011

A day sport climbing at Sandstone Quarry (also is Calico Hills).  Some easy warmups is the Front Corridor, then an onsight of "Sonic Youth" 5.11d.  To the Trophy area and dog up a great route called "The Trophy" 5.12b/c (26??).  Couple of burns on it, but couldn't redpoint yet.  Should go.  Flash the 12a start of "Keep Your Powder Dry" at the end of the day.

Mel has been quite sick for the few days they have been here, so for her I'm sure hasn't been much fun, but like a trooper she's come out every day and taken photos.

Red Rocks Continues

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Threw a toprope down over a 12b called 'Fear This Sport' because I had no-one to climb with today.  I did meet a few people at this particular crag, but they were all busy doing their rescue practice so I didn't ask for a belay.  The first few moves were beyond me, but the rest of the route was fun.

Thursday 24 February 2011

Climbed with Nick the Alaskan, and Joanne Urioste (Red Rocks FA phenomenon from the old days) and another friend of her's. Led a great route called 'Sandstone Overcaste' (5.8) 535 feet.  best bit was a well-protected slab before a roof, which got my gear leading head back in the game after some time off before the trip!  Did a 450 foot 5.9 called 'Arch Enemy' which introduced my to the fine art of the narrow chimney.  Had dinner at Joanne's house.  It was great to talk to her and her husband about all the fantastic climbing here in Red Rocks.  They have put up a phenomenal amount of quality long routes here!

Friday 25 February 2011

Nick and I planned an epic day - up at dawn, then 2 routes totalling over 2000 feet in one day.  We almost made it, but 2 hard pitches on the last route, chill winds, approaching darkness and snow beat us.  We made it back to the car at about 8.30pm.  the routes were 'Beulah's Book' (5.9) 550 feet, 'Sundog' (5.9+) 730 feet, and 'Eagle Dance' (5.10c A0) 1060 feet.  We simul-climbed a lot of the easy ground in the first pitch of each route to save time, and strung shorter pitches together in single leads also to save time.  The aid part of the final route was an easy bolt ladder, but the crux pitches where the 2 following that.  Nick had to pull on gear to get up it, and I fell on second.  Blew the onsight!  He couldn't get up the last pitch so we bailed in the dark.  the walk back to the car was hampered by getting lost a couple of times.  Sure was good to get home to the van!


Sunday 27 February 2011

Sport climbing with Nick and some other climbers.  Nick ticked his project 'Fear and Loathing' (12a) on the 12th shot of his trip, and I had 3 goes but couldn't link it.  Very steep and pumpy.  Ewbanks 25?  Could be, although I thought the other routes I climbed here were soft compared to the grade conversion table I've been using (on chockstone.org)  Did a few other easier routes, and had a bit of barefoot fun on toperope on 'One Eyed Jacks' (11a).  Also fell off the top of a long route with perma-draws on the Stratocaster wall (not in the guide).  It shares a 12b start with 'Stratocaster Direct', but the rest of the route is 5.9 or 10 save for the hard to clip finish.  It looks like most people pre-clip the 3rd draw then jump off a nearby mound to the jug at that clip, thus avoiding the hard start.  We did this wild jump, which was great fun!  The whole route was easy and fun all the way up after that, but clipping the chains was too much for me.  Bad feet, stretched right out and hanging onto a finger rail, and trying to pull through all the ropedrag to clip above the rail.  Fell twice before clipping.

Monday 28 February 2011

Hiked through snow up to Brownstone Wall after a much-needed sleep-in to do the uber-classic 645 foot, 5 pitch, 5.9 trad route 'Armatron'.  Fantastic rock which ate nuts so easily.  We decided to go back the next day and stay overnight, and hammer out as many routes on the wall as possible.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Another dawn start to get up to the Brownstone Wall.  The walk takes about an hour or so, and much the higher steppes are still snowed under.  We did most of the routes on the North Brownstone Wall on the first day, and after a nice night camping out at the cliff by a fire we went to do uber-classic route 'The Nightcrawler' (5.10c).  Nick linked the first 2 pitches together and I linked the second two to make the route in 2 long pitches instead of the bolted 4 pitches.  The top 2 are the 10c pitches, although I had enough trouble seconding the 3rd pitch - a chimney!  Awkward and perilous, I was secretly glad to start simul-climbing when Nick said he would tie the first two pitches together.  The two pitches I led were sustained laybacks with smears for the feet and a great crack to stick the fingers in.  There weren't many rests, but luckily most of the line was bolted at this section so I was able to power through without pause.  Had I needed to place pro, i think I would have run out of gas before the belay!  I questioned Nick about the bolting ethics, and he said that while the crack could take gear, the rock is very soft and some placements had blown in the past (as could be seen from some fracturing in the crack) so the FAs decided to just bolt it.  A magnificent 50m of climbing!

We played around on a few more routes before heading home for a decent meal and better beds!

I am NOT trusting my life on this rap station!