Journeys: SEND IT - July 17th - City of Rocks, ID

Today was an awesome day. Fearing the weekend crowd we got up and left early for Castle Rock State Park just a few miles from City of Rocks. Our destination was the Hostess Gully on Castle Rock where we could find numerous moderate multi pitch sport routes.

Hostess Gully at Castle Rock State Park.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Hostess Gully did not disappoint. We started on the three pitch Zinger, which got us high off of the ground providing a great view of the valley as well as endless patina plates. We swapped routes with a couple that were also climbing in the Gully; they started Zinger and we went up two pitch Fruit Pie, which had even bigger juggier patina plates. Back on the ground the sun was now on us, but we decided to stick it out since the climbing was so much fun. We hiked further up the Gully to It Takes Two with another minefield of patina all the way up. As we climbed the other couple cleared off of Between Heaven And Earth to the left and I led it while Beth Ann belayed completely spent after It Takes Two.

Beth Ann on It Takes Two.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

The sun had been beating down us for the last three hours and we were both exhausted and dried up. The day had flown by as we knocked down the pitches. It was our most complete day yet. We rolled into camp in bonk status needing food fast. Tomorrow we aim for Jackson's Thumb, four sweet pitches of sport climbing.

Cache Peak from Castle Rock.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 16th - City of Rocks, ID

After two days of getting used to City of Rocks, Beth Ann and I decided we needed a day off and drove north to Burley, ID to stock up on supplies. We shopped at WalMart and ate not one, but two fast food meals while blogging and firing off text messages. Around one or two in the afternoon we headed back to City of Rocks where we unsuccessfully tried to boulder up on the high ball beside our campsite.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 15th - City of Rocks, ID

Whatever nerves I had about leading 5.8 trad in the city, I decided would be annihilated today. We rolled out of camp just a bit late, but arrived back at the Breadloaves to tackle Carol's Crack, which had been somewhat crowded the day before. There was another group climbing around on Decadent Wall, but Carol's was open and I did not hesitate to throw myself at the climb. 10 feet up the wide blocky start I thought, what the hell did I just get myself into. The upper half of the route was a beautiful finger crack, but the bottom half was an awkward mess to me. I placed probably bad protection and climbed on pulling up over the blocks to gain the ramp to the finger crack. From there it was a solid piece of fun crack. Although I struggled to relax and enjoy the climb, it protected well and it felt great to climb through to the top.

Beth Ann glad to be finished with Carol's Crack.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

This time at the rappel anchors we had no problems borrowing a single rope rappel to get back to the dirt and figure out what to do next. I wanted to do Intruding Dike, but it was taken. We packed up and headed down into the City to see about Bath Rock. Still in the sun we moved on from Bath Rock to Elephant Rock. Elephant Rock was still in the sun, but was free of climbers so we decided to go for it. Check that, there was a couple rappelling from Rye Crisp that needed a second rope which we gladly lent. They returned the favor by letting me borrow a few extra big Camalots for the send. The cams came in very helpful in leading the gaping left facing flake. I think I got greedy and sewed the bottom half up too soon and had to work to place a number 3 higher when a number 4 would have been really handy.

Chuck making moves at the top of Rye Crisp.
Photograph by ???

Beth Ann seconded and overcame a bit of exhaustion to finish the solid 5.8. At the top we ran into Jeremy and Jenny finishing Wheat Thin and we all rappelled down together on mine and Beth Ann's two ropes. The bottom was a bit more crowded than we had left it, but fortunately Wheat Thin was open and we were able to hop right on after a short break. The bottom two thirds were solid fun, a really great climb. Near the top though, the thin crack fades and a large detached right facing block makes a wide flaring crack. I slid a number four in at the bottom and continued to climb looking for protection, but could not find anything worthwhile. So, it ended with a big 30 foot runout with solid holds, but my heart was definitely in my throat. Beth Ann followed and we were soon throwing down our rappel ropes. We needed cash to pay for camping fees, so called it a day and ran down to Almo where we picked up some cash, got some ice cream, and made some quick phone calls before heading back up the mountain. The moon will be full tonight, but I doubt we will be awake to drink in the view.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 14th - City of Rocks, ID

Knowing that the Breadloaves would get morning shade, we returned to them in order to climb some of the "easier" trad routes on Decadent Wall. We started at Pluton Playground a 5.5 with a big flaring crack. It was relatively easy, but hard to protect some of the more flaring parts. After we were both at the top we moved to a crowded set of rappel anchors in the middle of the wall. When the group at the anchors could neither say yes or no to rappelling their fixed rappel rope we waited for another couple to finish climbing and rappelled on their 70m rope. The book says that the rappel is 100 feet, which would usually be fine for a 60m rope, but the other couple let us know that a 60m definitely will not touch the ground. Once on the ground we looked up a clean line called Adolescent Homo Sapien. It was a beautiful climb that protected very well. It even had a somewhat exciting move before a low angle finish. As Beth Ann was following the sun finally started to creep over the west side of the wall and we were soon burning up. This time we rappelled on two of our own ropes as I had snagged one from the truck in between climbs. Of course one of the ropes tied itself an overhand knot on the way down and had to be pulled back up, flaked, and thrown again. As the sun beat down we decided to move back to the Bloody Fingers Corridor where we had started the day before and climb Hough's Crack next to Intruding Dike. Hough's had some awkward moves to it, but ended up being a satisfactory lead.

Beth Ann jamming into Hough's Crack.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

As Beth Ann followed dark clouds blew in from the southwest and we decided to head back to camp early to get ready for a storm.

Camp.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Fortunately the storm passed to the south of our campsite and blue skies followed it. We cooked up a hearty pasta dinner and met our new neighbor at campsite 3. I do not recall his name if it was ever given, but he was an older dude that had plenty of beta to pass down to the first timers. He let us know of a couple good routes here and there, but strongly suggested Steinfell's Dome and Jackson's Thumb, crags with multi pitch moderate sport routes. Very tasty treats that would be snacked on after a few more days of trad climbing. At 10:30 no name turned in and we were left with a nearly full moon so bright it cast our shadows and illuminated the Twin Sisters towering behind us.

The Twin Sisters.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 13th - City of Rocks, ID

We woke to a chilly morning in Vedauwoo and although the thought of climbing in Vedauwoo was enticing we hastily departed. Now that it was daylight we were able to take in the wonderful southeast Wyoming landscape.

Vedauwoo the next day, again.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Endless open range with herds or grazing cattle stretched in every direction as we dropped down into Laramie. Two hours into the drive we stopped in Rawlins to wash and vacuum the truck and stretch our legs. Unfortunately the cleanliness would be fleeting. We endured two hail storms between Rawlins and Green River and after a few hours finally crossed the border into Utah. Our drive through Utah was short, but Ogden Canyon was gorgeous. Steep twisting walls covered in green and rock sparked an adventurous spirit. In northern Utah the adventurous mountains mellowed to green velvety humps with expansive valleys. At Snowville we finally turned off of the interstate after two and a half days and were on the straightest two lane I have every seen. We drove this for 50 or 60 miles and came to Malta, ID where we stopped for our final fuel up. We were in the last phase of the cross country drive. 30 miles from City of Rocks we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Or could we. This entire time I had been expecting to be able to see City of Rocks from tens of miles away. As we passed through 30 miles of crop land I kept begging to see a glimpse of the rock towers, but there was nothing. Finally, not until we had reached the Almo city limit were we able to catch a glimpse of Castle Rock. Even then we could not see City of Rocks until we had turned out of Almo and up over a final hill. It was simply amazing. A rock climbing paradise stretching for miles. Frankly we did not care to find a campsite. It was 5:00 p.m. and we had plenty of time to get in at least one route. We drove straight to the northern end to the Breadloaves, parked the car and hurriedly racked the gear. In the Bloody Fingers Corridor we found ourselves at the bottom of a moderate trad route named Breezeway. It provided just the escape we needed from the truck and standing at the top we drank in the beautiful view topped with a nearly full moon.

Beth Ann topping out on Breezeway.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Beth Ann...flexing?
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

It was awesome and we could not wait to climb the heck out of it for the next 10 days. The camping situation was worse than the view. Reserving a site online seems to be the only way to do business around this place. We were able to find a site that was not reserved until the 15th so we took it for the night. Exhausted we cooked pasta for dinner, slammed a protein shake, and crawled into the tent. The nearly full moon kept us company as we slumbered content that the long drive was over and the real journey was just beginning.

The moon hangs over City of Rocks.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 12th - Vedauwoo, WY

We left Chicago at 8:00 a.m., which was later than expected. It took us a full hour to get out of the city traffic and start making good time on the interstate. Northern Illinois, although flat, provided an entertaining view of farming and the bread basket of America. Endless flat fields of green were much different than the hilly farms of West Virginia. I think the flatness made the driving that much easier too since it took very little effort to keep the truck pointed in the right direction. The only direction was straight ahead. No turns, no hills, and not much stopping. Chicago to Vedauwoo was over 1,000 miles and was slated to take over 16 hours of driving. I was hopeful in the beginning, but as we drove through Iowa it seemed that the hours on the clock were flying by, but we were covering no distance. At one point I thought I had calculated that we had gone only 150 miles in three hours. I could only hope that I had spaced out and done the math wrong. As we rolled into Lincoln, Nebraska I had my first feelings that we might not make it all the way to Vedauwoo. It was already 6:00 p.m. in Lincoln and we had eight and a half hours of driving left to get us to Vedauwoo. That would put us in Vedauwoo at 1:30 a.m., which was really 3:30 a.m. to my body operating on Eastern Standard Time. Standing in Lincoln pumping gas into the truck, the only consolation was that the speed limit in Nebraska was 75 mph. So, we drove. And drove. And drove. The sun went down and my mind started to slip into looney tune mode. At a stop in possible North Platte, Nebraska I made a video journal entry that was totally incoherent. Yet we drove on. In western Nebraska the rain started. Pounding thunderstorms slowed us down as visibility dropped. What visibility? It was already dark. Exactly. Just the ingredients needed to possibly pull the plug and stop short of Wyoming at a rest stop somewhere in Nebraska. Then suddenly, we were there. Buford, Wyoming. Population one, elevation 8,000 feet. 8,000 feet? No wonder I was incoherent, dizzy, and having an out of body experience. Now we were only eight miles from Vedauwoo and I knew it was in the bag. We pulled in as the rain continued. No tent tonight. Not in the middle of a Wyoming thunderstorm. We rearranged the boxes, rolled out our pads and sleeping bags, and fell soundly asleep in the bed of the truck. Was that a bear pushing against the truck trying to get food? No, just a dream...I think.

Vedauwoo the next morning.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 11th - Chicago, IL

If an official title needed to be given, today would be the official start to the western United States climbing trip. Today we would leave WV and start moving west. We changed our route slightly to swing through Chicago to continue our visit with brother Joey and his girlfriend. According to the internet the detour will only add one hour to the drive to City of Rocks. Joey left Charleston, WV at 10:00 a.m. and Beth Ann and I left Spencer, WV at 12:00 p.m. after another stop at Steve G's house. Somehow we caught up with Joey at a Steak And Shake in LaFayette, IN and finished the drive to his apartment in Chicago in a two car convoy. After a refreshing dip in the pool and some delicious Chicago style pizza, the first day of driving was surprisingly quickly complete. Tomorrow we dance with the impossible thought of pushing through to Laramie, WY.

The moon over Chicago.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 10th - Spencer, WV

Today was a light day. Our goals were to drop Kristin off at the airport in Charleston then head to Spencer, meet up with Steve to pick up some climbing gear, then head to the Bolte Ranch for the night. As much as Kristin wanted to quit her job and join on us on the trip she reluctantly decided to board her plane and fly home. Then it was on to Spencer. We rounded out our climbing kit with a few more spring loaded cams from Steve then we were treated to a Yosemite and City of Rocks slide show. Somehow weary from doing mostly nothing for most of the day, we arrived at the Bolte Ranch ready for bed and quickly fell asleep.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 9th, 2011 - New River Gorge, WV

I woke early to check the conditions after a hard rain the day before. It was cloudy and the gorge below the Hawk's Nest lodge was banked in with fog. I was worried that we might be rained out of further climbing at the New. The roads were mostly dry, so we went for it anyway. Joey, Kaimy, Beth Ann, Kristin, and I all drove out to the trailhead to Tattoo Wall and started a wet hike in. Fortunately for us even though the vegetation leading up to and surrounding the crag were all soaked, the rock was dry. We started on Butterfly Flake for our warm up then moved to the classic Geisha Girl. Surprisingly enough, as we were climbing Geisha Girl another group from Earth Treks Timonium showed up. It is a small world after all. We only had time for everyone to get through Geisha Girl before we had to leave for reunion part deux in Charleston. Down in Charleston we enjoyed the company of even more family, some that we barely knew or had rarely seen. Exhausted from climbing, frisbee, horseshoes, and badmitton we crashed at Mom's house. Tomorrow we would travel to Spencer a final pack out and visit at the farm and with Steve.

Pictures to be posted later.

Journeys: SEND IT - July 8th, 2011 - Hawk's Nest, WV

Rain.

It was in the forecast for 1:00 p.m. I decided that we would not make the effort to go climbing at Tattoo Wall in Bubba City, but spend time with the family instead and enjoy attractions like the Mystery Hole and viewing hundreds of old Mason family slides. The new plan would be to climb the following morning (the 9th) then drive to Charleston for reunion part two at Coonskin Park and arrive by 2:00 p.m.

It started raining early than 1:00 p.m. and rained much later into the night than expected, about 8:00 p.m. This had me worried that we would get totally rained out of our opportunity to climb at Tattoo Wall, but we would just have to wait and see what the conditions were like early the next morning.