Journeys: SEND IT - July 30th - Salt Lake City, UT

Today was a maintenance day and it was a productive one. I changed the oil in the truck, got the wheels aligned, and even found the tool I needed to raise and lower the spare tire on my truck at a junk yard. We enjoyed some outdoor shopping at, yes, the Black Diamond store front, which was not exactly what I thought it would be, but it was still fun to be there.

Ah, we can finally go home now.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We piddled around town a bit more then decided to go up Mill Creek Canyon for a hike, which ended up being an awesome way to watch the sun go down. Finally a sushi dinner capped the busy rest day.

SLC from our perch in Mill Creek Canyon.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

West Slabs of Mount Olympus, our goal for tomorrow.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 29th - Mammoth, CA/Salt Lake City, UT

We had not heard from Matt and my inclination was to take off for Salt Lake City, skipping having to spend a night somewhere in Nevada. Instead, we drove down to Mammoth and picked up guide book so that we could check out some Mammoth local sport climbs. We found the Warming Well, a short crag with an extremely short and convenient approach. Just the wall we needed before setting off for Salt Lake City. The Warming Wall rock was much different from Tuolumne. It was like the lava rock used in landscaping. The holds were good and the climbing was fun as we scampered up Hot Flash, Faulty Brake, and Ghetto Blaster. Just as it was getting a little too warm and sunny we took off for Salt Lake City. We left Mammoth at 11:30 a.m. and it was supposed to take nine and half hours to reach our destination. Fortunately, we were able to make it in eight and a half, speeding through barren southern Nevada. Just as the sun went down we rolled into Sugar House where we were warmly welcomed by Vegan Matt and his girlfriend Wendy. After a whole lot of pizza downtown we were off to sleep in a man made structure for the first time since July 11th.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 28th - Yosemite National Park, CA

We got a great start this morning and Beth Ann and I were the first climbers to the base of Lembert Dome. We were looking for a two pitch moderate called the Northwest Books. The climb was easy to find and we were soon on it, but I was worried about an intersection a short way up where the leader can either go straight up through a 5.9 lie back or right up easy 5.6. Matt had told me two days before the I would have no trouble finding the 5.6 traverse and I was hoping he was right. After squeezing through a chimney that I thought was a 5.6 ledge I was soon scraping through the hardest moves I had encountered in Tuolumne. If this was 5.6, it was the hardest 5.6 I had ever climbed. It had to be the 5.9 lie back. I had to have gone the wrong way. I did go the wrong way. I was over exerted, shaking. I kept looking for the bomber 5.6 jug handle. It never came. In danger of a ledge fall, I plugged in a cam to protect me when I peeled off. I was sure that I was going to peel off. I was near the top of the 5.9 section. So close I could reach way up and touch it with my left hand, but I was pumped. Then my right hand did the strangest thing. It seized in a closed position. Dull shocks coursed through my right arm like someone was holding a cattle prod to it. Everything was going south fast. I was pumped, scared, off route, and getting ready to puke. I stepped right and found a ledge that I could stand on with both feet to take the pressure off of my arms. I called down to Beth Ann, who was well out of sight, that I needed to rest for a while. I needed my right hand to open so that I could continue climbing. 15 minutes later it finally opened and I could use it again, but the weird shocking sensations continued. I found a thin seam and some nubs for my feet and in two moves made it to the top. Still breathing hard and ready to puke, I had skipped the last move or two of the 5.9 section, but I really did not care. I just wanted to sit down on the ledge and belay Beth Ann up as quickly as possible. I did. Beth Ann hated the 5.9 section. I consulted the book and found the route of the final pitch. It was short and easy. Mostly scrambling. At the top we took a very long break and decided what we would do next. Either call it an early day or find another climb. We found another climb called West Country on the Stately Pleasure Dome. We descended Lembert Dome by walking off the slabby, but mellow face then drove to Tenaya Lake and the Stately Pleasure Dome. Westy Country looked to be a great climb. Three pitches tall with two pitches of high quality lie back smearing finger crack separated by a pitch of sparsely bolted 5.5 dishes looked much better than the Northwest Books. It was a great climb. We scrambled up to the base and roped up. After a short, but hairy friction traverse, we were cruising the first finger crack.

Beth Ann following the first pitch of West Country.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Our rhythm was good and it did not take us long to get to the top. It was a really great climb deserving of the four stars it got in the guide book. Hot and tired after the walk off descent we drove a short distance to the Tenaya Lake beach and plunged into the freezing mountain water. A great way to cap the day. We headed back down to Lee Vining where we ate and sent out post cards, then back to the Mobil where there was live music, food, and sleep. Tomorrow we may link up with Matt or we may just leave for Salt Lake City.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 27th - Yosemite National Park, CA

After two days of classic climbing in Tuolumne, we decided to drive down into Yosemite Valley and act like classic tourists. A chronologic film strip of our day follows.

Going up Tioga Pass.

Tioga Lake.

Cathedral Peak.

Tuolumne Meadows.

Tenaya Lake.

Half Dome from Olmsted Point.

Upper Yosemite Fall.

Lower Yosemite Fall.

Can you see Beth Ann standing in the spray of Lower Yosemite Fall?

Half Dome from the end of the Valley.

El Capitan.

Washburn Point.

Overhanging Rock, Yosemite Fall, and the Valley from Glacier Point.

East into the Valley from Tunnel View.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 26th - Yosemite National Park, CA

What better way to follow up a classic day yesterday with another classic day today! Our goal was the Regular Route on the Fairview Dome not much further down the road from trailhead to Cathedral Peak. The Supertopo guidebook states that the climb is extremely popular and that you either need to arrive extremely early in the day to avoid the crowds or to simply wait in line. We waited in line. At the base of the climb, which was still skirted with snow pack, we came up behind a party of two on the first pitch and a party of three waiting to get on. We flaked the rope and waited. Before too long the party of three ahead of us were on their way up the first pitch. The two followers simul-climbed and were soon far enough off the ground for Matt to start his lead. The first pitch is the crux pitch. It is rated at 5.9, which accounts for a 10 foot section about halfway up the pitch. To top it off the crux section was wet with a wide path of barely running water.

Matt leading the first pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We all survived the slippery crack moves and were pleasantly seated on the first belay ledge waiting. The group of two above the party of three above us was moving slowly through the second pitch. The party of three ahead of us moved up 30 feet to a large ledge to give us more room at the belay. And we all waited...and waited...and waited. Finally after a weird series of questionable on/off belay commands the follower of the group of to set off from the bottom of the second pitch. Then the party of three ahead of us moved on and we were moving again. That was the last hang up of the climb. Above the second pitch the climbing eases and things move quickly. The second pitch was a blast. After the interim ledge 30 feet above the belay the pitch goes to a sustained 5.7 lie back hand crack. It was extremely enjoyable and was the highlight of the climb. At the top of the second pitch, the groups ahead of us were moving quickly and the traffic jam was over.

Beth Ann somewhere on the route.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We enjoyed easy climbing for three more pitches before switching to a completely simul-climb system to the top with Matt on lead, Beth Ann tied in at the mid-point of the rope, and me at the dull end. We scrambled up the top few hundred feet and were soon standing on top of Fairview Dome providing a vista into all party of Tuolumne Meadows. Gorgeous.

Cathedral Peak and Eichorn Pinnacle (right of frame) from Fairview Dome.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Trying way too hard.
Photograph by Matt.

Satisfied.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We walked off the slabby 3rd class side of the dome and after a short hike were back at the truck. We made a special stop at the Tioga Pass Resort cafe for sandwiches and pie before heading back down to our camp at the Mobil. There we saw Matt off on his quest to climb Red Dihedral on the Incredible Hulk over the next two days. Tomorrow we will become tourists and finally drive into Yosemite Valley to take all the epic pictures that we can.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 25th - Yosemite National Park, CA

Note: The Grand Teton leg of the trip has been cancelled due to lingering snow at elevation on the Grand. We will use the days set aside for the Grand in Yosemite, staying in Yosemite until July 29th then will finish with all other stops as planned.

Today went as planned. We left Mammoth and ate breakfast at the Mobil on "the 120" 11 miles east of the Yosemite park entrance. We rearranged our gear so that Matt could ride in with us. Starting up "the 120" was magnificent. Jagged mountain peaks abounded. We climbed and climbed up from Mono Lake covering some 3,000 feet in elevation gain in 11 miles. A waterfall gushed far below us in the canyon who's creation I could barely fathom. It was wild and raw, but truly beautiful. Topping out at Tioga Pass was just as awesome. Lakes, meadows, and pines extending seemingly endlessly around us. It was a magnificent outdoor playground that seemed otherworldly. I could not get enough of it. We parked at the Cathedral Lakes trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows and started the approach.

Cathedral Peak.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Shortly up the John Muir Trail we veered left on a climber's approach trail that handle-barred Budd Creek to the base of Cathedral Peak. The approach was long and steep in places, especially as we neared to base of the climb.

Budd Lake.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Clever marmot.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

When we arrived we were greeted by three or four other parties of various size. Matt did not waste any time getting to climbing and soon we were two pitches up and climbing fast and efficiently even with three people in our group. Matt would lead and Beth Ann and I would simu-climb with Beth Ann tied into the rope twenty feet ahead of me.

Matt leading anywhere.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Beth Ann on the final pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

The granite rock was excellent for climbing. Although brittle in some places, two quartz knobs broke off into my hands, it was varied and featured and made for really fun climbing. Topping out was great. We could see for miles in all directions. We could even see into Yosemite Valley and see Half Dome. It was inspiring, but it was windy and cold.

Slightly underdressed we picked our way down the fourth class descent and found a sheltered spot where we could warm up. The only thing better than climbing Cathedral Peak is climbing Cathedral Peak and Eichorn's Pinnacle in the same outing. So we went for it. We continued scrambling away from Cathedral Peak for about 150 yards to reach a 5.4, but exposed and airy traverse and climb to the top of the pinnacle. Matt even did us the favor of rappelling down first and snapping some photos of Beth Ann and I at the top. We were silhouetted so all we could think to do was hold our arms up in the air.

Arms raised on Eichorn Pinnacle.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We rappelled down and were soon on our way back down the trail to the truck. Going down the trail my body was telling me we had a good day. I felt somewhat tired, but good, like I had accomplished something. And I was starving. We made it back to the Mobil on "the 120" and whipped up the usual camp dinner of pasta and ravioli. Tomorrow we head for the Fairview Dome Regular Route also in Tuolumne Meadows.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 24th - Wells, NV/Mammoth, CA

The Flat Tire Chronicle

I am standing in a cold mountain stream below Angel Lake in Wells, NV. The water rushes over my Keens washing out the dirt and stink from the day before. The water feels very refreshing. Before last night I had never heard of Angel Lake or the Ruby Mountains. It was all a stroke of terrible luck that brought us here. While chowing down on pizza at Rock City yesterday afternoon, we decided we would leave City of Rocks a day early to help break up the 12 to 13 hour drive to Yosemite. It was 3:30 p.m. when we pulled into camp site number four below the Twin Sisters to pack our things and leave. I parked the truck, opened my door, and my attention was immediately taken by a loud hissing noise coming from underneath the truck. I knew immediately that it was a flat tire. I hurried around the truck to identify which tire was hissing. It was the right rear tire. It was hissing loudly, but I had time to move the truck back down to the main dirt road, which was more level than the camp site. I did not waste any time getting out the equipment needed to change the flat. This was no problem I thought, just a minor delay. I had gone out before the road trip started and purchased all of the equipment I would need to change a flat. Or so I thought. I had a pop bottle hydraulic jack, a lug wrench, and a spare that was underneath the truck. As the tire continued to hiss its way flat I positioned the jack and broke the tension on the lug nuts. Then I went to the back of the truck to see about getting the spare tire out. Wait a second, exactly how does the spare tire come out. Oh yeah, you have to lower it to the ground by a mechanism underneath the truck. Hmm, what tool do I need exactly? So, I looked in the owner's manual. The manual showed two long narrow rods connected to a third rod with a hook at the end of it. You were supposed to put all three rods together then insert through a series of holes to reach the lowering mechanism. I knew I did not have anything long enough to reach from the back of the truck to the lowering mechanism, but I figured that I could find something long enough to reach if I crawled underneath the truck. Wrong again. I tried and failed. At this point I took Beth Ann's advice of asking for help from people in a neighboring campsite. I met Josh, a stocky construction foreman from Idaho that was more than happy to help beat on the spare tire in an attempt to get it lowered from underneath the truck. We continued working to no avail. Eventually, Josh and I decided we should drive down to the main camping area and search for another Tacoma and ask its owner if they had the toolkit we needed to lower the tire. At the second Tacoma we came to we met Dave from Salt Lake City who was happy to lend us the exact tools we needed. Our hopes were up as we returned to my haphazard truck. The spare tire lowered rather quickly and we soon had the flat jacked up, but the wheel would not come off. We tapped gently, pulled, tugged, pushed, tried. But the wheel would not come off. Laying on his side under the truck, Josh hammered at the wheel with a rock protecting the wheel with a folded up cloth. The wheel final popped off. With the spare on I thanked Josh and his family, gave them our left over firewood, and returned the toolkit to Dave from Salt Lake City. We were finally on our way. I had the next three and a half hours of driving down deserted two lane roads between City of Rocks, Idaho and Wells, Nevada to worry about whether or not the spare tire would survive thousands of miles of driving. I was not confident that it would. I thought it would be a terrible idea to push our luck driving on the spare tire for the rest of the road trip. I knew I needed a new pair of tires for the rear of the truck, but it was late on a Saturday and we were not near any big town. Then a few things fell into place to help us catch a lucky break. When we crossed into Nevada we went back one more time zone and suddenly it was an hour earlier. At the time it did not seem to matter, but when we pulled into Wells, NV at 8:00 p.m. it would make all the difference. We exited at Wells intending to fill up on gas a figure out where we would sleep for the night. As we pulled into a Shell gas station I noticed that a tire shop called All American Tire was situated on the same lot as the gas station. We parked and I went straight in to ask the attendant about the tire shop. The attendant's name was Juan. Juan said the tire shop would be open tomorrow, Sunday, at 6:00 a.m. I did not believe it. I had assumed that no stores would be open on a Sunday in a small town. After I filled Juan in on my situation and my concerns he did me a huge favor. He said that the head mechanic lived just a few minutes away and would call him to see if he could come down and work on the Tacoma right then. Even though I told him we could wait until the morning he called the mechanic, who I will call Larry for reference, anyway, minutes later Larry had arrived. The gash in the tire was too big to plug, so we were definitely looking at buying a new tire or a pair. Or four. After sitting down and thinking about it and talking to Larry and Juan, I decided to buy four new tires. The current tires had some life left in them, so it was a little early, but it was time to go. It only took 45 minutes and all four new tires were mounted, balanced, and back on the truck. The silver lining? Larry knew of a campground at the base of the Ruby Mountains by Angel Lake. It was eight miles from the tire shop. It was late, probably 10:30 p.m. and we were tired so we drove immediately to the campground. It was a long, winding, and steep climb to Angel Lake and it was dark so I could only imagine what the scenery was like. The next morning as I stood in the stream and looked at the Ruby Mountains I was kind of glad we got the flat tire.

The Ruby Mountains.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

After the Ruby Mountains and Wells, the drive through Nevada did become somewhat boring. We sped our way across endless desert and scrub with not much civilization in sight. We turned south on I-95 west of Winnemucca and drove through even less humanity to get to Hawthorne, Nevada. From Hawthorne we were close to Yosemite, about an hour. Similar to our experience in approaching City of Rocks, I kept wondering, how is an hour of driving going to take us from barren desert to a pristine alpine environment? The change is immediate. We were driving up a long hill just at the Nevada/California border and as we crested the hill and crossed the state line we were presented with a magnificent view of the eastern Sierra Nevada and Mono Lake.

Mono Lake.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

It was awesome. Tall peaks still blanketed with the late season snow rose from the valley floor. Green alpine forests thrived in the lower sectors of mountain. It was as awesome as we had hoped it would be. We rolled into the Mono Lake visitors center and established communication with Beth Ann's friend and our Yosemite tour guide, Matt. After eating some dinner we met up with Matt on "the 120" and made a climbing plan for the next week. After deciding that we would climb Cathedral Peak on Monday and Fairview Dome on Tuesday we made a journey to a secluded campsite somewhere outside Mammoth, California.

Our Yosemite tour guide.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

In this particular primitive camping area, campers have access to a nearby natural hot spring. We dipped into the steaming pool under a gorgeous starry sky complete with shooting stars every few minutes. Refreshed we slid into our sleeping bags and slept happy to finally be at least near Yosemite.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 23rd - City of Rocks, ID

Today was our last day of climbing in City of Rocks and for this day we reserved Sinocranium a route that goes five pitches to the top of Steinfell's Dome.

Steinfell's Dome.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We left the parking lot at 8:30 a.m. and were roped up and climbing by 9:30. The first three pitches were enjoyable low angle friction pitches. Beth Ann led the first and then we leap frogged the second and third and I came up again for lead on the fourth pitch, the crux pitch. It was a short pitch, but a demandingly different style of climbing than the previous three pitches. At the top Beth Ann leap frogged me and lead the final pitch to the top.

Beth Ann leading the first pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Beth Ann following the second pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Beth Ann leading the third pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Beth Ann following the fourth pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Summit of Steinfell's Dome.
Photograph by BA.

It was a grand view from the top of Steinfell's Dome and a great way to look down on the City of Rocks and reflect on all of the climbs we had done over the previous nine days. It has been an awesome experience here in Idaho and while we are excited to move onto Yosemite and our other destinations, we cannot wait to visit City of Rocks again. Either this afternoon or tomorrow morning we will leave for Yosemite National Park.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 22nd - City of Rocks, ID

Tired from a full day prior, we slept in until 8:00 a.m. and pulled out of camp at 9:00 a.m. We did not have much on the list for today, I primarily wanted to shoot video of the two of us climbing for the home brew documentary. I thought it would be cool to shoot a 5.10 classic, so picked out Tribal Boundaries on the west side of Flaming Rock. We set up all of the cameras and gear and I decided to climb the route once then turn on the cameras and climb it again. Big mistake. I climbed the route, got hurt fingers through the crimping section and decided to not climb it again. Once was enough and I never turned the cameras on. We moved around to the east side of Flaming Rock to climb Rain Dance another two pitch low angle classic. We climbed in the sun enjoy the warmth, because it was a chilly morning. We had a terrible descent as the rope got jammed three times on the way down, the final time it girth hitched itself around a patina plate. Back on the ground we decided that the first pitch would be Beth Ann's first sport lead. She had climbed it once already and I felt like it was time for her to experience lead climbing. She went up it just fine and we got some great video of it all. We decided we would pack up and move up to the Breadloaves to climb our final classic for the day, Intruding Dike, in the Bloody Fingers Corridor. We got video there too. It was so windy though the two tripod mounted cameras are shaking the entire climb. It was a fun climb, definitely the classic everyone makes it out to be. Especially the step over midair before the final 20 feet of climbing.

Beth Ann nearing the top of Intruding Dike.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Once we were done we went down into town to try some Rock City pizza, which was very good. Then it was an early bed time back at camp. Tomorrow we attempt our final classic. Five pitch Sinocranium on Steinfell's Dome.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 21st - City of Rocks, ID

We had an epic day lined up for the day following our day off. We intended to climb Too Much Fun, Mystery Bolter, Lost Arrow Spire, Cruel Shoes, and Rain Dance. At the end of the day the schedule was tweaked to Too Much Fun, New York Is Not In The City, Lost Arrow Spire, and Cruel Shoes. We set off from the Flaming Rock trailhead early and were soon on Too Much Fun on the Bumblie Wall. This was a tall moderate and well bolted route. Very well bolted. I ran out of draws and had to skip the last bolt before the anchors. It was a fun route and good warm up for a long day. After finishing Too Much Fun and realizing that Mystery Bolter was in the sun we decided to move a little way up the Bumblie Wall to New York Is Not In The City a fun climb with good holds and two variations. About halfway up the wall if you move right it is 5.9 and if you stay straight on the bolts it is 5.10a.

Beth Ann sending New York Is Not In The City.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We climbed it both ways then packed up for the long-ish hike to the Lost Arrow Spire. I have talked to more than a few people about the Classic Route on the Lost Arrow Spire since we have been in Idaho and everyone has oozed that it is a hands down classic.

The Lost Arrow Spire.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

So, I was expecting fun easy climbing on a unique spire providing great views. It was much more nerve wracking than expected. The start was a scramble up a big easy flake then straight up through a finger crack for about 10 feet. At the top of the finger crack climb straight up a low angle face to a right leading ramp flanked on the upper left with a spotty crack. Traversing up the ramp was exposed and nerve wracking. I could not find much acceptable passive pro placement and did not have cams small enough to fit in some of the crack's weaknesses. So I trudged on placing when I could, but needing more mental protection than I could place. Finally I made it to an easy corner where I built a gear belay behind a large block. Then Beth Ann followed. At the gear belay her consensus was the same, this climb was unnerving. We re-racked the gear, flaked the rope, and pushed on. From the corner traverse left back onto the low angle face of the spire. Initially I climbed too high and missed a left leading crack with good gear placement. I stepped back down and started up the crack in the face placing cams. Finally the crack dwindled away and I placed a final cam then ran it out up the low angle rock to the top. The top of the spire finally offered some relief. It was big and flat. You could walk around, stand up, sit down, whatever, and not feel completely exposed anymore. Beth Ann topped out and we both sighed in relief.

Top of Lost Arrow Spire.
Photograph by BA.

Then we scoped out the rappel. A 150 foot drop down the overhanging side of the spire that started with nothing, but air. We lingered at the top longer than we should have getting our nerves in order. Then we went swinging out on the rappel and were finally safely on the ground and back in good spirits.

Beth Ann rappelling Lost Arrow Spire.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Our slow ascent and descent set us back far enough that I realized we would not have time to climb Rain Dance on the way out after Cruel Shoes. We still had a long hike to Cruel Shoes on Stripe Rock further out in the valley so we got going. Cruel Shoes was a great climb. Three pitches of low angle friction that you could walk right up.

Cruel Shoes first pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Cruel Shoes second pitch.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

The route provided the relaxation needed to offset the Lost Arrow Spire nerves. We were back on the ground at 8:30 p.m. and hiked fast to get back to the truck before dark. There was definitely no way we were climbing Rain Dance on the way out. We rolled into camp well after 9:30 p.m., ate a late dinner and fell asleep exhausted, but content.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 20th - City of Rocks, ID

Harry Potter The Deathly Hallows Part II was pretty good.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 19th - City of Rocks, ID

Fortunately Beth Ann's elbow was feeling better this morning so we were able to cast off on another awesome day of rock climbing in City of Rocks. We had lined up some classics in the upper city like, Swiss Cheese, Scream Cheese, Skyline, Window Rock, and Delay of Game. We started late, but stayed in the shade of the west wall of Anteater to climb Swiss Cheese and Scream Cheese. Swiss Cheese had two bolts and minimal gear on the upper half. The holds and moves to the first bolt were solid, but the runout was a little unnerving and a tense way to start the day. Beth Ann followed with no problem. Then we moved over to Scream Cheese, which starts on good holds then turns into a featureless slab climb to the finish. The bottom half did have good holds and the top half was extremely slabby, but not as difficult as the book makes it out to be (reducing climbers to crawling and whimpers). Once we were finished with Scream Cheese we walked a short distance to the Morning Glory Spire for the mega classic route, Skyline. The start was easy enough getting up a blocky pile of boulders. Climbing up just a bit further brings you to an undercling traverse to gain a right leaning crack. The undercling as so many people have said, was much more solid than it looked, but it was still very exciting to have your tail hanging out in the breeze as you traversed. From there it was a very fun and easy climb to the top, following the crack until it disappears then stepping left to a patina face, placing gear in horizontal seams. The view from the top of the Spire was fantastic.

Beth Ann following Skyline.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

As we rappelled down from Skyline, I checked out the bolted route next to it, Fall Line, a 5.10b. It looked do-able so we went for it. The bottom half had some interesting moves to gain a slabby ramp then a ledge. Then a few holds up comes a thin horizontal ledge with a reach to the next hold. After the high step/heel hook move you get into steeper small patina holds to the anchors. It was an enjoyable climb.

Beth Ann attempting Fall Line.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Sufficiently pumped from Fall Line, we hike up the trail a ways to window rock where we climbed up the Descent Route to snap a few pictures of the window formation on top of the rock. The sun was getting low in the sky and we decided we would pack out for the day, but climb Delay of Game on the way out. I am not sure if it was that we were tired from a full day of climbing, but Delay of Game was the hardest route we did all day and it had the hardest slab move I have done since we have been in the City. And it was 150 feet off of the ground to boot!

Beth Ann in the window on Window Rock.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 18th - City of Rocks, ID

We got up early so that we would be in the shade for Theater of Shadows on Jackson's Thumb. We set off at the trailhead at 8:30 a.m., but soon found out that we were on the wrong trail. We were on the edge of a shallow gully leading up to the Thumb and Steinfell's Dome and decided to bushwack our way to the base of the Thumb.

Jackson's Thumb (left) and Steinfell's Dome (right).
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

We were already on a "mini epic" as we have heard so many times during our trip. As we were hiking the gully I glanced to the east to see a group of climbers that had pulled into the parking lot after us now ahead of us and also on the correct trail leading to Steinfell's Dome and Jackson's Thumb. Expectations of an uncrowded climb were quickly deteriorating. We continued hiking the gully, which got steeper and steeper as we neared the base of the Thumb. The Tacoma in the parking lot below grew tinier and tinier. We picked our way over a few boulders and finally we were under a few trees shading the base of the climb. And we were in fact now behind a party of three climbers also climbing Theater of Shadows. So we waited until they were a pitch up and then we started. The climbing was fun and easy. It was low angle with plenty of good foot holds. Hands were only need for balance as we worked up the first pitch.

Beth Ann on Theater of Shadows, Jackson's Thumb.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

The second pitch was more of the same, but the view down into the valley was much better now that we were well above the trees. On the third pitch the wind picked up and started howling making communication difficult. The fourth pitch was steeper, but more featured than the lower pitches.

Beth Ann belaying on Theater of Shadows, Jackson's Thumb.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

The whole climb was a lot of fun and the satisfaction of sitting on top of the thumb looking down on City of Rocks was awesome. We did one giant double rope rappel off the east side of the Thumb then hiked down the correct trail back to the Tacoma. The hike down was much faster. We decided we would take a long lunch at the visitor's center and hang out in the shade since our climb had taken two hours longer than expected due to poor route finding on my part and climbing behind another party. We relaxed until the sun had shifted far enough into the western sky to climb on the east face of Elephant Rock. We drove back up to the city and unloaded for an attempt at Columbian Crack and Just Say No. Columbian Crack looked like an awesome finger/hand crack from the bottom and it was after a short chimney. Then it turned into a body swallowing monster. I was able to advance a number 3 Camalot for 30 or 40 feet then the crack was too wide, so I left the cam and what do you know, there was a bolt protecting the widest part of the crack. When Beth Ann followed she mentioned that her elbow was bothering her. We decided we would try Just Say No and see how she felt. Just Say No was a fun problem down low then turns into a 40 foot run out on low angle featured rock above the last bolt. This made it an exciting lead and a fun climb. Beth Ann felt up to it and seconded the route capping another epic day in the City.