I got to Moab Sunday night to find that Jeremy, my partner, wasn't expecting me until Wednesday, so he was resting on Monday. Damn. So I bivvied in Jeremy's latest conquest's driveway in Moab, and then we drove to the creek.
I decided to rest on Monday - just try to get my wits about me, shrug off the "go go go" of driving for 14 hours and get my shit organized for the next few weeks. We're staying at the superbowl. I doubted Jeremy when he said that they have a nice site, but it's pretty sweet. All the way in the back, with a large berm separating us from everyone else in front, and a bunch of tamarisk in the back. Lots of places for a girl to pee (this is important in a campsite).
Tuesday we went to Fin, and it was brutally hot. Did my first climb of the trip: "No beggin'", a mellow 5.9, and then toproped Nagasaki, which was kinda hard, and then that 5.11 thing that is mostly purple and green cams that Shannon brutalized her hands on last year. I was psyched that I didn't fuck it up and fall this year (which would have bummed me out, cause I TR-flashed last year). Then I decided to sac-up and lead Double Trouble, a 120 foot .11- that starts with liebacking yellow alien size. I get pretty gripped on liebacking, especially if it's fingers, and ESPECIALLY if it's right off the deck. So I pulled through and made my way through most of the climb just fine until I got to the top, and lo and behold, it's not a hand crack anymore...it's fingers...or some weird squeeze...or some combination of the two. About 15 minutes of meltdown later, I had a toprope on it so that we could all climb it, and I could climb it again and realize how silly I am for being scared. Which I did...somewhat easily...Oh well. Guess it will take some time to get my lead head back.
Wednesday we went to 4x4 wall, warmed up on some .10 fingers lieback thing that was pretty short, and then went over to look at the Wall's namesake: 4x4. A looooong flare/corner with a short section of 2s, a loooong section of 3s, and a horizontal roof with a tight 4 crack in the corner. I "let" Jeremy lead, and decided to toprope, not knowing what to expect. It actually reminded me a lot of the pitches on Astroman before the Harding Slot, cause you can kneebar most of it. The hands were certainly wide, and I spent most of the time cupping, and then moved on to bomber fists!!!! I got to fist jam! Even more exciting, I did the undercut/overcut fist jamming thing through the roof! I fell out trying to get over the lip, but then lowered and figured out how to do it. I'd like to go back and lead it...that size isn't the easiest for me, and it's a rad climb.
Following 4x4, I belayed Jeremy while he got worked on Hydraulic Pump: a Steve Hong route that starts at .5, changes corners and moves into .75 liebacking (though I do a finger stack with my right hand and a tight jam with my left and shuffle up). The top is, as this dude Trout says "kind of fucked up" because you go through the hard-ass .75 section back into .5 splitter, which pinches down to .4, and then there's another changing corner, after which you have to get into this pod with flaring hand jams/fingers in the back...then you get to clip the anchors. Full value 12+ for any hand size - there ain't no rests in any of the 80 feet. It's rad. I'd like to go back and try it again on TR and see if it would be fun to try and send. One way of training for it would be to run up hills every single day for 2 wks. Yeah...that might do it.
Today was a boring rest day. It's becoming overcast, so hopefully the temperatures will cool off. We were talking about going to Second Meat Wall - I'd like to finish up T Bones Tonight (I fell in the roof at the very end on the flash attempt), and maybe do Cube Steaks and Sesh One Cooking. Or maybe go to Way Rambo/Optimator, to chase the shade? Not sure. We're in a big disorganized group so I hope that the group dynamics don't fuck with my climbing time.
I'd like to get to the point where I'm running it out a bit more and taking falls again. I'm not there yet, but Jeremy says that he's not putting up any more topropes. But I think that a few tears might change his mind...if it comes to that...which it shouldn't.
Brad and Katie from SLC are coming in to the Creek Friday evening, so I'll climb with them on Saturday and Sunday, wherever they'd like to go. I've never met Katie, but B-Rad is cool, so I'm sure that his wife is awesome. So 3 days on. And then Drew is coming on Monday (hopefully he doesn't want to climb on Monday!).
I'm thinking about buying another set of cams, .3 to #3 size...I totally can't afford it...but I like to have tons of gear! At the moment I have doubles, and then trips and quads of some finger sizes.
Any more route suggestions?
3 comments:
unbelievable, slice and dice, way rambo, fuel inject hard body, lightning bolt crack...
We had a sweet day at Pistol Whipped. Rump Roast II would be a good OS (.75 camalots). Sig Saur looked killer (Yellow alien crux splitter). Spagetti Western is fairly fun. (wide hands though).
The Cat wall is always classic but could be too HOT. Deseret Moon is amazing. Puma is fun and fingery with a thin top crux. Kool Cat is tricky laybacking to a thin crux at the end.
We were mainly following the sun not the shade though.
Disco Machine Gun and Digital Readout are pretty sweet are not to be missed at BOTB.
Hope your mitts have healed and you're out sending today!
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