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.