Trip Report
For Desert Rats only, a TR
Monday April 21, 2014 10:16pm
|
|
Aka Stairway to heaven and Jimmy's Chimney in Dessert rock III but for some reason (edit: it appears Stewart Green, friend of jimmy Dunn uses this name in His, guidebook; he prolly knows!) it's under the name I used in the title on Mountain Project. And, after climbing it, that name seems to me be the best fit.
It was 4/20 and desert rock III says it's 420'. And we ( Grug, myself & Laurent-surname unknown) are desert climbers who like the Wyde. Seemed like a good fit to us!
A bonus of this route is that it stays in the shade until mid afternoon, which worked with our crack of ten start.
The first lead was moderate with a five ten crux, but the rock did nothing to inspire confidence.
Craig led brilliantly, I was shaken if not stirred, Laurent was.. French.
Laurent got the next lead and I got to clean that one as well. All fun ( if not exactly following the book's description) until I came around a corner to a wild looking face climb, blind reach around a corner. The pitch ended with some knobby blobettes. Laurent said he could reach the top from some blobs. When I got there though the guide said, five ten, it looked like A0 to me as I stepped on the drilled pin and mantled the choss above.
Grug said, "5.11"
The next lead was mine, the second shortest, 50', and easiest 5.7, lead....Every move was a motile slide fest. A circuitess pitch, I placed a good cam, mantled a four foot wide pasted on flake, that I was sure would take me to the bottom. I was able to place two green cams in a good-ish crack above it. Then traverse left, on fairy dust, wipe the climb off my feet, place two more indifferent cams and follow a series of reasonable handcracks ( I wasn't trusting anything by then) onto a ledge festooned with creaky, feebly interlocked, irregularly shaped rocks.
"Off belay" at least we were still in the shade!
As I belayed G & L up I eyeballed the reason we were here, pitch four, the "five star five ten, Wyde pitch."
It looked promising, and the cleanest pitch on the route!
Go Grug!
Grug disappeared into the chimney shortly after that, where the Real fun started! Tight in the back, bombaying outward in to a smooth, sandy flair. It was an essay on staying on the sweet spot where upward, not downward, progress was possible. Again, Grug's talent for reading rocks served him well!
Then it was Laurent's turn.
As Laurent made his way up I trundled some death blocks as the ledge went in the sun, ugh!
Climbing into the shade of the crack was a joy, romping up the chimney, a pleasure. Mantling on to a death block at the end of the pitch, reminded me of where we were!
Laurent got the last lead. Short, five ten weirdness, to what was rattley fingers for us, a good fit for Grug.
Go Laurent!
A green Camalot, stuck waiting for a rap retrieval....
Top out on 420
Twenty minutes with a nut tool on rappell and the green came clean!
Jaybro
|
|
About the Author Jaybro is a social climber from Wolf City, Wyoming |
Comments
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:21pm PT
|
good to see you guys out there!
|
|
kaholatingtong
Trad climber
The fake McCoy from nevernever land.
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:33pm PT
|
good times.
|
|
Chazbro
Social climber
Gillette, Wyoming
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:39pm PT
|
Sounds like a fun way to spend Easter! Great pics, too, Jaybro.
|
|
Magic Ed
Trad climber
Nuevo Leon, Mexico
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:40pm PT
|
That is one motley looking crew.
|
|
Leggs
Sport climber
Made in California, living in The Old Pueblo
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:45pm PT
|
Awesome TR, Jaybro!
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:49pm PT
|
A trip report!! GOOD stuff! That desert rat rock looks pretty nice.
|
|
bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 10:56pm PT
|
Laser-cut OW!!!
Well executed, boys.
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:01pm PT
|
You guys should seek help.
Just like meth addicts, cutters, and cave divers, you don't have to do this to yourselves. Modern psychiatric medicine can make you happy. You can learn to be happy clipping bolts and watching TV.
|
|
Studly
Trad climber
WA
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:18pm PT
|
Rowdy boys!
|
|
The Larry
climber
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:21pm PT
|
Nice one Jay!
|
|
Friend
climber
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:36pm PT
|
Hahaha Ghost, nice.
Jaybro I knew I recognized you From somewhere. Ran into you between ice cream parlor crack and rp city. Cool TR and good vibes!
cheers
andrew
|
|
paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:36pm PT
|
sweeeeet !
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:38pm PT
|
Sweet.....go wide or go home!
|
|
SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:41pm PT
|
Really nice....looks like a really wild group of men. Wild Wyde Boys
Miss you....climb on
Susan
|
|
Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2014 - 11:58pm PT
|
Thanks Jaybro of the American wide pantheon . . . that Grug guy is pretty good too.
|
|
Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 12:01am PT
|
too effing awesome!
Thanks.
|
|
phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 12:37am PT
|
And fun was had by all. But it was not good clean fun.
Thanks for the panoramic view from the top!
|
|
jonnyrig
climber
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 01:21am PT
|
Very nice!
|
|
drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 01:34am PT
|
Well that chimney sure is an attractive feature, ain't it?
Nice work dudes.
Hey what's the story with the big corner to the left?
|
|
Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 06:20am PT
|
Love the summit shot!
Thank you!!!!!
|
|
yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 06:42am PT
|
Burly!
|
|
mike m
Trad climber
black hills
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 09:19am PT
|
Nice work Jay and friends. Prolly could find a lot moe like that I would imagine. I think just to the right there is one 422 feet tall.
|
|
MisterE
Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:09am PT
|
Great TR - thanks for the report!
|
|
philo
climber
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:21am PT
|
.Every move was a motile slide fest. A circuitess pitch,
I placed a good cam, mantled a four foot wide pasted on flake, that I was sure would take me to the bottom. I was able to place two green cams in a good-ish crack above it. Then traverse left, on fairy dust, wipe the climb off my feet, place two more indifferent cams and follow a series of reasonable handcracks onto a ledge festooned with creaky, feebly interlocked, irregularly shaped rocks ..
"Off belay" at least we were still in the shade!
A most excellent adventure and enjoyable read. TFPU!
|
|
Grippa
Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:47am PT
|
YES!!! A desert TR from Moab that isn't from castle valley. The corner route, and playin hooky are on my list from where ya'll were. There are some other gems in kane creek that don't get much love either. A bunch of Paul Ross routes that need to go free!
|
|
coolrockclimberguy69
climber
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:52am PT
|
So that was you guys up there the other day. Don't see many folks make it past the first pitch. One of the prouder desert lines, nice work gentlemen.
|
|
Tork
climber
Yosemite
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:55am PT
|
Looks like clean wide fun!
|
|
eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 12:52pm PT
|
The third member was Laurent Meillon (he's French). If I had to do this route again, I might take a lawn mower to the chest beforehand to fit in a bit better (it'll be back again in a month).
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
Author's Reply
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 01:00pm PT
|
I actually knew he had a last name, but I thought it was funnier to riff on the Alf comment in the route description!
Thanks Grug! Thanks Laurent! Thx all!
Too funny, Andrew, I do remember!
|
|
mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 01:41pm PT
|
HeyHep!
Big green monsters...
|
|
eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:11pm PT
|
What's so interesting about the crux chimney pitch is that, after the first 40 feet, it's essentially a chimney sport climb. After the last picture you see of me leading the pitch, there is nothing to be had for protection save for 5 drilled angles starting about 100 feet up. So, let's see, that's 5 runners and 2 more for the belay so, 7 runners will do it. No need to bring the "just-in-case" rack that I did.
Leading up to the first drilled angle I would rate 5.9 R. It's full-on chimney climbing. If it was on granite, it would not be R. On this Navajo Sandstone, there is a thin film of fine silt that covers everything and it's a little unnerving to trust smearing with your feet on the opposite wall, especially as the wall flares leading up to the first pin.
After that, it's squeeze-chimney-technique-time. Mostly, you're doing heel-toes with your feet and shallow chicken wings or palm-down with your arms and hands. The harder bits are where it flares so much that you can't get heel-toe jams. Pretty amazing that Dunn drilled those angles on the lead and without hanging. The climbing is no harder than 5.10+, but it's pretty scary and unrelenting, even now.
By the way, that grimace I have in that belay picture is because I'm downwind of my shoe.
Edit: I know it's me in that belay picture and all, but, I gotta say, nice composition and texture on that one, Jaybro.
|
|
HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:07pm PT
|
Excellent.
5.9R for 100'??
But I thought Euros can't do wyde!
|
|
eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:18pm PT
|
They can't (sorry, Laurent). On the other hand, they probably haven't learned my secret of putting walnuts in my oatmeal on a day when I need extra energy (I hope not too many of them are reading this).
|
|
thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:20pm PT
|
nice work fellows and great write-up jay! I dig yer prosies.
|
|
scuffy b
climber
heading slowly NNW
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:34pm PT
|
"wipe the climb off my feet"
Yahoooo!
|
|
AP
Trad climber
Calgary
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:53pm PT
|
Did you celebrate with some 4:20 on top?
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 04:59pm PT
|
Walnuts in your oatmeal...what's next? Chia Seed? If walnuts in the oatmeal was the secret to clmbing the wide, You'ed all be singing my praises in the wide instead of how "regular" I am.
Again, looks like a kick ass outing guys!
|
|
eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 05:13pm PT
|
Come to think of it, that cigarette you saw Laurent smoking WAS his breakfast. So, let's go over this. I had walnuts and oatmeal for breakfast and rather handily, albeit with significant effort, led the pitch. Laurent had a cigarette for breakfast and struggled mightily on the follow. Make your own conclusions. Frankly, deciding between the deleterious effects of the cigarette and the beneficial effects of the walnuts is still eluding me. Still, I'd like to think that my little secret makes a difference.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, "Didn't you just 'spill the beans' to the French and possibly, to Europeans in general? What if they catch up to us overnight?"
Well settle down. It turns out, Laurent doesn't believe anything I say, or anything just about any other American says, particularly someone in authority. I've learned to use this to my advantage.
|
|
drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 05:10pm PT
|
He ain't Stout
edit:
yet
|
|
F10
Trad climber
Bishop
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 07:43pm PT
|
Glad to see you guys out doing it !!
Great photos, thanks for posting.
Actually headed in that direction tomorrow checking out the sights, I'll have to give it a scope.
|
|
john bald
climber
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 08:36pm PT
|
Love those climbs that swallow you up. Nice TR, Jaybro!
|
|
nature
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 08:40pm PT
|
nice work Jay. Looking forward to seeing you and your bro next week!
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
|
|
Author's Reply
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:26pm PT
|
Looking forward to it!
For the record I had yogurt with cereal and a semi lethal dose of aero pressed Peet's for breakfast
|
|
Jingy
climber
Random Nobody
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:33pm PT
|
is it safe to say you all were at your highest of the day at 4:20?
Kick ass, guys.
Thank you for the photos. Looks great
|
|
RyanD
climber
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2014 - 10:57pm PT
|
Yeah 420' climb on 4/20 day, who brought the P.R.?
Fess up.
Great TR.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2014 - 02:35am PT
|
full value
TFPU
|
|
Daphne
Trad climber
Northern California
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2014 - 12:10pm PT
|
Great TR as usual. So good to see you having your version of fun. :)
|
|
mhay
climber
Bishop, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2014 - 12:40pm PT
|
And what could be better than old guys doing burly fat cracks in sandstone?
|
|
em kn0t
Trad climber
isle of wyde
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2014 - 11:02pm PT
|
P4 looks so beautiful (and the view from the top doesn't suck, either)
4 thumbs up for a great TR with lots of gritty details
;-)
|
|
crunch
Social climber
CO
|
|
|
Apr 24, 2014 - 12:34am PT
|
Looks like a very fun climb! Woohoo!
|
|
Reeotch
climber
4 Corners Area
|
|
|
Apr 24, 2014 - 06:08am PT
|
Desert Rats Unite!
|
|
|
|
|
Recent Trip Reports
- The Kohala Ditch Trail: 36ish hrs on foot... to and from the headwaters. [5 of 5]
May 31, 2019; 11:57pm
- A Winter Traverse of the California section of the PCT Part 8
May 31, 2019; 11:18pm
- Supertopo,A trip report for posterity
May 31, 2019; 11:00pm
- Balch Fest 2013. Two Days in and Around and On The Flake. The Official Trip Report
May 31, 2019; 10:57pm
- TR: My visit to the Canoe
May 31, 2019; 10:24pm
- Death, Alpine Climbing, The Shield on El Cap
May 31, 2019; 4:07pm
- Andy Nisbet (1953-2019)
May 31, 2019; 2:11pm
- Drama on Baboquivari Peak
May 31, 2019; 1:19pm
- Joffre + The Aemmer Couloir: ski descents come unexpected catharsis [part 2]
May 31, 2019; 7:45am
- Lost To The Sea, by Disaster Master
May 30, 2019; 5:36am
- My Up And Down Life, Disaster Master
May 29, 2019; 11:44pm
- Halibut Hats and Climbers-What Gives?
May 29, 2019; 7:24pm
- G Rubberfat Overhang-First Ascent 1961
May 29, 2019; 12:28pm
- Coonyard Pinnacle 50 Years Later
May 29, 2019; 12:24pm
- Great Pumpkin with Mr Kamps and McClinsky- 1971
May 29, 2019; 12:02pm
- View more trip reports >
|