We pulled into the campground at Zion late in the evening and set up camp in positively balmy weather. After we fell asleep, the wind started blowing and the temp dropped severely. I woke up every hour or so and put on more clothing but eventually I ran out of things to wear and spent the final bit of the night freezing. Henrik was faring no better and we decided to head into town in search of warmth.
Fortified by hot coffee, Henrik was ready to hike. We started with the classic hike of Zion: Angel's Landing. We made excellent time and Henrik was quite impressed with the drop off on either side of the trail. Although he wasn't sure he wanted to be there we eventually hit the top and took in the views all around.
I wanted to go somewhere new so we headed to the other side of the park to a hike known as the "Subway". At the trailhead a sign informed us we needed a permit to be there (just $10) but rather than driving all the way back to the visitor center we engaged in a pirate hike. There was nobody anywhere around - we had the whole west side of Zion to ourselves. The hike wasn't on a formal trail but the path was quite good and we followed a stream up a pretty canyon. About three miles up the canyon narrowed and we encountered a number of very pretty small waterfalls. Then the canyon became really narrow but the bottom had been hollowed out into a tube shaped tunnel under the narrower canyon above. It was quite wide - 20 to 30 feet - and there were deep pools (potholes) in the stream. I didn't have wading shoes so we stopped at the first major pool but it was late anyway and we had to get back. This is one of the best places I've seen in Zion - we'll have to come back.
Now smarter, we camped in a Motel 6 instead of outdoors. The next day we did the long drive to Escalante and headed to Coyote Gulch. We hiked down to Jacob Hamblin arch; Henrik was a little worried about the steep bit but we found the steps and made it without too much trauma. Instead of hiking downstream into the really dramatic part of the canyon, I wanted to hike up into the area I hadn't been to before. I had my tevas ready so we started up through the big chamber next to the arch. There was one basic flaw in my plan: the water was ice cold and the banks of the stream were lined with ice. Every stream crossing left my feet numb and just as they would warm up we would hit another crossing. Henrik's hiking boots were much more suitable footware. Anyway, as we strolled up the canyon walls started to shrink and we eventually reached the junction between Coyote and Hurricane Wash. We turned left to Hurricane (fortunately dry enough for me to remove my Tevas) and went up a much narrower canyon.
I decided to pull an Ansel Adams and take a picture of the ice along the stream. Unfortunately as I leaned over the water the lens in my glasses popped out and floated down among the ice shards. This led to a long and frigid search in which I found that small pieces of ice look exactly like my lens. As we were about to give up, Henrik triumphantly pulled my lens from the water. Whew!
Soon the canyon walls nearly disappeared and we hit a cattleguard. It looked to be a long boring hike up to the Hurricane Wash trailhead so we climbed out of the streambed and took a guess at where the car was parked. Through either true routefinding genius or incredible dumb luck we made a nearly straight line back to the car.
On the drive back we took a quick run to Peek-a-boo and Spooky, two small slot canyons near the road. Henrik was suitably impressed but the sun was so low photography was difficult.
That night we stayed in Tropic at Doug's Motel. Next to Doug's General Store, Doug's Gas Station, and Doug's giftshop. Perhaps everyone in Tropic is named Doug. Or not. We were almost the only guests in the motel. The room was well equipped with 6 copies of the Book of Morman, some in languages we couldn't identify. No Swedish though. Henrik amused himself with this literary classic while I was in the shower and was more than ready to fall asleep when I finished.
Our final tourist day was spent in Bryce. Not much to say except that conditions were perfect for photography and we took far too many pictures as we hiked through the Queens Garden and Peekaboo loop. The last bit of hiking was a bit hairy with lots of ice on the trail but we survived and made it into Vegas that evening with time to spare.
The meeting (WG2.8) was fun but lacked adventure except for the excursion. On Tuesday evening I announced that anyone who was totally crazy could spend the next day hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back. I had 3 takers: Paul, Corky, and Fritz (Henrik stayed in his room working on slides - wimp!!). Although I had announced that the drive would be just 3 hours or so I noticed a sign that said "Grand Canyon: 220 miles" after a full hour of driving. So my estimate was a little off. We arrived at the rim around 10 and spent another hour figuring out the shuttle bus system. Finally we were ready to roll and stormed down the trail in short order, nearly jogging most of the way. The mule crap and "You Will Die If You Hike All The Way Down And Back In A Day" signs kept us amused. Plus there was some cool scenery. After about 2.5 hours we were at the bottom.
Of course anyone can get down - it's getting back up that's the problem. It wasn't too bad though. We were making good time and I decided to ease up a bit near the end so I was last to reach the rim. The last little bit was rather exciting with all the ice on the trail but at least it wasn't quite dark. We did the whole hike in 6.5 hours - not bad for 17 miles and 4800 feet - but it took a real toll on my knees. Plus we still had a 4 hour drive.
Eventually the meeting was over and it was time to climb. On Friday afternoon, the first of the climbing crew arrived. Paul and Henrik bailed out of climbing to cruise the casinos so when Anthony arrived it was just the two of us on the rocks.
We headed for Black Velvet where I wanted to settle my grudge with Wholesome Fullback (5.10). I was feeling pretty good and led the 1st pitch to the ledge on the left at the start of the handcrack. It was cold. Anthony doesn't like the cold. He gamely started the next pitch and was soon across the traverse looking at the second crux. He sunk an alien and called "watch me". I watched him take a dive. And another one. And another one. Although he was making progress his hands were getting colder and colder. There was no fun to be had - just cold, cold sandstone - so we opted to bail. Anthony managed the downclimb quite heroically and we were soon back in Vegas.
That evening I was the airport shuttle-bunny as Leon, Mike, and Andrei all popped in a various times. We had to leave the luxury of the Alexis Park and had moved to a sleazy casino where everything operated on nickels and quarters. But it wasn't too bad and it made a decent place to bivvy.
It was Saturday and Paul insisted on doing something mellow. We decided to siege Olive Oil (5.7). We divided into two teams of three: I was with Anthony and Paul while Leon, Mike, and Andrei took up the rear. We arrived just before another group of three who were a bit disappointed to be behind 6 of us but that's life! We caught another party at the first belay and waited for them to clear the second pitch. I encouraged the leader to stretch the pitch and when his second had climbed only about 5 feet up he reached a good ledge (on a 60m rope). This was a major win - last time I had done an awful hanging belay - so going all the way to the ledge was the right thing to do. Anthony was able to lead the pitch fast and we were soon out of the way for Mike to come up behind us. Unfortunately the previous party had left a pack at the belay ledge so they waited for me to arrive with it before starting the next pitch.
Again we combined two pitches (no simulclimbing needed this time) and we were soon at a big ledge at the base of the final chimney-crack. The other party didn't mind having me lead just behind the other leader so we didn't really waste any time. This pitch is pretty easy but it wanders a bit so you have to keep your eyes open.
We were way ahead of everyone so we relaxed a bit and enjoyed the big ledge. Anthony took the lead and had no problems with the second 5.7 crux in the chimney. He ran out of rope on easy ground so we simulclimbed about 50' to get him to the summit. Soon we were all up enjoying the view and sunshine. Paul hadn't climbed in about a year but was racing up just as fast as the rest of us.
We arrived back down at the base well ahead of everyone else and lounged around watching the climbers above. We had brought a friend from the meeting along, Koen Classen, and he had hiked up to the Brownstone wall with a couple he met on the trail. He soon joined us on our observation boulder while we waited for Mike, Leon, and Andrei to arrive. Soon everyone was back on the ground and we got back to the car with plenty of time left - no tickets for us!
Paul and Koen left the next morning; the rest of the gang was interested in going somewhere new so we headed to JTree for a daytrip. Our goal was to let Andrei and Anthony get some lead time and learn some Crack Climbing Zen. The drive was quick - less than 2.5 hours to Nomad - and we were soon among the joshua trees and boulders.
I had never climbed at Trashcan Rock so when we observed that almost nobody was parked there we pulled in. Unfortunately this was because they had moved the parking lot behind the formation; turns out there was a bit of a crowd but some routes were open.
I started by soloing a 5.2 in my tennies. I was fine on the handcrack but the last step almost had me begging for a rescue. Fortunately I maintained my dignity and composure and sort of rolled over the lip of the top overhang without falling to my death. Mike was keen to lead a bolted friction climb, Tip Toe, so we had Andrei lead my solo route while Mike led the 7. Eventually everyone was able to take a turn on Tip Toe as well as mess around on the surrounding cracks. Those new to JTree friction found it rather exciting and more difficult than it looked.
I was tired of hanging around the tourons so we packed up and headed for new territory. I chose the Atlantis Wall mainly because I had never been there. After wandering aimlessly and cursing the guidebook for its bogus maps we finally found the wall. There were top ropes all over the place but the group who had set them had left for lunch. Mike and Leon headed for some 5.7 or 5.8 while I belayed Anthony on a short 5.7 - Minotaur. Not a bad route but short. The crux was probably the descent though. Andrei had no problem following and was later able to lead it.
A really nice looking 5.9 caught our eyes: Vorpal Sword. Anthony was again the leader and he did a fine job. Mike and Leon also led the pitch on Anthony's gear while Andrei and I were content to follow it.
It was getting late and I wanted to hit one classic route before leaving. We headed to the Hall of Horrors and managed to beat another party to Exorcist (10a) by mere seconds. Mike and Leon did Lazy Day while I encouraged Anthony to go for it on lead.
Usually Anthony has a big advantage over me: he's young, strong, and enthusiastic instead of old, flabby, and apathetic. But I've got one thing he hasn't: crack experience. Well, and an apelike reach. Anyway, this was my chance to look like a climbing stud. Anthony found the handcrack hard, taking a fall low down. He finally liebacked most of it until the bolt. From there, it was easy for him: face climbing! - and he was soon on top. Andrei did quite well on the crack for a novice hand jammer and made it to the bolt but couldn't quite get the hard move above. Finally, it was my turn. Using finger jams I managed to make it look sort of smooth and casual up to the bolt. Even the face move wasn't too bad but on the steep jug pull I was revealed as an out of shape wiener as I huffed and puffed trying desperately to simply swing my feet up onto the big chickenhead I was pulling on. Of course Anthony had made this move look trivial. At least I didn't fall off and Anthony didn't start yelling "Whale On The Beach".
So that was it for JTree. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the granite and the scenery. But it was time for bigger rocks ...
The evening we met Gary Sax. Unfortunately for him I talked him into joining us on some crazy stuff instead of doing a reasonable climb. Also Mike and Leon needed to get to the airport so we were a bit short of time. We headed for Black Velvet and split into two teams again. Mike, Leon, and Gary jumped on the Gobbler (5.10-) while Anthony, Leon, and I grabbed Sour Mash (5.10-). I took the first pitch and it turned out to be a good deal more exciting than the 5.8 rating indicated. A thin crack wasted me so I pulled up short on a good ledge below the crux of the pitch and let Anthony take over. Both Andrei and Anthony found this first section to be pretty burly too.
The next section sported brand new bolts (thanks to the ASCA!!!) and Anthony ran right up the crux. Andrei popped off on his first attempt and learned the true meaning of rope stretch. Undaunted he charged up the delicate face holds again and stuck through it. I found it easier than the previous crack but I was making some seriously long reaches.
The next pitch was only 5.8 but featured some serious exposure. I pulled a small overhang and followed a diagonaling crack to rap station. Again I turned one pitch into two (not my usual style!) and belayed Anthony up to my hanging stance. He led the second half of the pitch and we were again on a good ledge. Andrei followed both pitches at the same time to avoid the hanging belay and was quite impressed by the airiness of the whole thing.
It was getting late but we figured we could handle one more quick pitch - a short 5.7. From there, 3 raps took us back down. 60 meter ropes would have probably saved the last rap - ah well.
Meanwhile the other team had a good day doing the first two pitches of the Gobbler. Mike and Leon each got to lead a pitch and Gary was certainly subject to trial by fire for his first Red Rocks climb. But in the end they had a good time.
After dropping Mike and Leon off at the airport we had a long discussion about the next day. The forecast mentioned high wind the day after next. I used this as an excuse to force poor Gary onto another hard route - Ginger Cracks (5.9). The first crux was the approach. We hiked in from the Oak Creek parking lot but found the trail went the wrong way and ended up doing a lot of cross desert hiking. Then I missed the good trail where it leaves the wash and we did even more bushwhacking to finally hit the route. The approach took longer than expected (almost 1.5 hours) and left us all a bit wasted. Gary decided he had had enough fun for one day and elected to be a "UN Observer" for the day.
I grabbed the first lead, an interesting 5.7 crack, and belayed at a bolted anchor and Andrei and Anthony followed. Andrei was also having doubts about the climb but I talked him into just one more pitch.
The second pitch was the best on the route: continuous 5.8 with an interesting shallow chimney at the crux. Anthony did fine and we arrived at another small ledge with a bolted anchor. We lowered Andrei off using both ropes and continued. The third pitch was a long 5.7 (Swain's pitch lengths are always off - he marked it as 80 feet when it was more like 150) that led to a belay off a foothold and a bolt. The next pitch was supposed to be the crux of the climb: the guidebook talked about "friable rock" and "delicate climbing". Plus there was an ancient bolt. I had cleverly arranged for Anthony to have this lead but my grand plan was foiled: it turned out to be a fine pitch with good pro and no major problem with the rock. The bolted anchors finally disappeared and Anthony set a hanging belay in a small alcove.
Following the pitch I managed to scare both of us by breaking off a foothold. I caught myself but we experienced a genuine adrenaline rush. When I arrived at Anthony's stance I really wanted to give him the next lead but I was really tired of hanging in slings so I grabbed the rack and pressed on. The fifth pitch is another 5.8 but it seemed pretty reasonable. About 100 feet up I saw a good ledge on the left and traversed to the next crack. This led to a "good for your butt ledge deluxe", just what I needed. I was probably supposed to go a bit further but I wasn't going to let a guidebook boss me around.
Anthony followed and led through up a quick and easy pitch that almost ran out the rope. At his belay we saw the final 5.6 chimney pitch above but also noticed a line of shiny bolts on the left wall. This looked pretty good and I told Anthony to check it out. Turned out to be just 5.8 or so and covered with booty biners - an excellent finish to the climb. This pitch ended a little above the normal top of the route on a small pillar; we had to do a short rap on a single bolt to get down to the proper rap station.
While sitting on the hanging belays I had ample time to observe the optimal route from the car to the climb and we managed to follow it on descent. After four long raps and a short scramble we headed down the Crimson Chrysalis trail to the gully, followed the gully to the trail, went south on the trail (toward Oak Creek) until it bent back toward the cliffs, did about 5 minutes of cross desert hiking to the trail we had come in on and then were soon back to the car. On the way up we should have cut left just right of a small hill a bit before the trail crossed the wash. So now I know. Andrei and Gary were patiently waiting at the car and it was even still light out. Not bad.
After I returned I found a trip report on the web that compared Ginger Cracks with Crimson Chrysalis. It argued that the adventure and backcountry nature of Ginger Cracks made it far better than CC, a veritable Disneyland experience featuring crowds, tons of bolts, chalk everywhere, and a rather monotonous style of climbing. I agree 100% - Ginger Cracks is a great route and far more interesting than CC.
Andrei had to fly off next morning so we were down to just three of us. Since Gary missed the Olive Oil adventure and had passed on Ginger Cracks, I offered to take him anywhere he wanted. We opted for Dark Shadows even though the weather was pretty cold. Gary wanted to head back to Tucson that day so we had to stay close to the car.
Everything went smoothly and Gary liked the route a lot. He even led the first pitch without too much whining for an old guy. Anthony led the second and third pitches but we backed down before doing the last one since it was cold and getting late for Gary's drive. The difficulty was just right for Gary and everyone agreed that it was a seriously cool chunk of rock. We even pulled the ropes without getting them soaked in the pond. That afternoon Anthony and I lazed around and hit a movie while Gary had to battle the Phoenix traffic.
It was time for a real rest day. We headed up to Zion to have a look around and maybe climb just a little. We bought rocks at a rock shop for Eric and Jay, strolled through the visitor center, hiked up to the narrows, and counted the number of #2 camalots we would need to get up a fine looking 5.9 handcrack near the parking lot. Since we had only half the number of camalots we thought we would need we elected to save this crack for next time. So far it was a perfect rest day.
But wait! There was climbing to be done! On the way back we stopped off in St. George and took a peek at Snow Canyon. It was too good to pass up. We saw some climbers on a rock near the road and asked for beta; on their advice, I jumped on Pygmy Alien (5.7+). The whole face was pretty much grid bolted and it was sort of hard to tell one line from another but I was feeling good and had fun leading to a small cave. Since a big sign warned us we would need two ropes to rap down I stopped midway down and set a second rap. This was a big waste of time - 60 meters would have reached to a point where the downclimbing was easy. 60 meter ropes rule!
Anthony was up next. He took a 5.9 to the left of PA and had a good time. He was wierded out by the soft rock and the sensation of sand grinding off under your feet as you step in friction but no problems. While Anthony led, I was amused by the party next to us: a LDS looking family from Montana doing a sort of "family home evening" thing on the rocks. Dad belayed while Mom watched and junior led. They didn't have much gear and were clipping the drilled angles with single biners. I'm not sure they had a clue but what the heck - this was Utah. If they did get into trouble at least it was after we left.
Anyway, it was cold and we had done enough for a rest day.
It was the last day of the trip. The parade of climbers continued: Alex Chiang and his girlfriend Cara. I picked them up at the airport very late Thursday night and we all bivied in the casino.
When Alex and I were talking about the trip, he mentioned he would have a "friend" along. Upon further queries, this turned into "girlfriend". Then into "girlfriend who hasn't climbed a lot". Given that we had a very short amount of time available, I asked Alex if we wouldn't rather just climb with the two of us. But no - he thought she really needed to experience a trip with me. I was flattered.
But now the reality. Why was Alex so keen to subject Cara to my presence? I finally found out what my role was: Bad Example. I could see Alex saying " Look, Cara, compared to him I'm pretty normal". But since this is the truth I suppose I have to accept my place in life. That's Mister Bad Example to you, Alex.
Anyway, we would have to to climb fast. Doing the most popular route in the Red Rocks didn't help. We arrived around 7:15 at the parking lot and found a large group of people wearing ropes and gear. Oh no.
On the drive up, I counseled the group: don't tell anyone where we're going, ask them instead. Don't give them any reason to jump on the trail ahead of you. But my plan failed: as I jumped out of the car the first question from the group there was "Where are you headed?". I suppose I should have lied but I didn't. They confirmed that they (7 or 8 of them) were also bound for Cat in the Hat and that another party was already on the trail headed in that direction. Our only recourse was to hustle. I grabbed my gear and disappeared down the trail with Anthony, leaving poor Alex and Cara in the dust. We opened up a significant lead on the other group and I started to relax. Just past the fork in the trail I asked Anthony to wait for Alex and Cara so they wouldn't get lost. Turns out he must have waved to the wrong team because they never got the message.
When Anthony and I arrived at the base, we met a team that was racked and ready but not climbing. They were a bit cold and were waiting for sun. Even though half our team hadn't arrived, I promised them that we would be out of the way really, really soon and if they waited for us the rock would be a lot sunnier and warmer. They started telling me about the day before where they got behind a slow group and bailed after taking 5 hours for two pitches. I must have looked pretty pitiful though - they agreed to let us climb through.
I led the first pitch without hardly slowing down. Fortunately, Alex and Cara arrived as I was topping out. Everyone tied on and we were soon out of the way with nobody ahead of us.
The rest of the climb was uneventful. I let Anthony and Alex do the leading in "euro" style, sharing protection and climbing close behind each other. I enjoyed pleasant chats with Cara while Alex and Anthony literally ran up the next three pitches. Since we ascended together I was able to get many hero shots of Cara as we climbed.
We were on top just after 10 and it seemed that we had plenty of time (my goal was being back to the pack at 11:30). But the descent was slower than expected: Cara was fine with going up but wasn't nearly as keen about the descending. Plus we were rapping on top of all the parties we had passed. In the end Cara did fine and we didn't have any epics with stuck ropes or anything but we were running quite late.
I set a fast pace for the march back and then broke numerous traffic laws in the drive to the airport. Fortunately Alex agreed to return the car for me but still I was still the last person to check in to the gate for the flight. So that was it: I abandoned Anthony to the company of Alex and Cara and was soon back with the family.