Bishop

I have now been in Bishop for five days, boulder problems have been worked, some sent, others still require effort. Some other stuff has been explored also.



The Buttermilks

The Buttermilk Stem

Buttermilks

Buttermilks

The Ice Caves at the Sad Boulders

Owen Gorge

Old hydro plant in Owens Gorge

Old hydro plant in Owens Gorge

Old hydro plant in Owens Gorge

Buttermilks bivy spot

Death Valley

I overindulged at the bar at the Red Rocks Rendezvous as I was not climbing the following day.

Death Valley

I combined the poor decision making skills of a hangover with the drive to bishop and decided to drive via death valley. To further compound my mistake I took negligible amounts of food.

The Van in Death Valley

Early on in the drive I got lost and ended up in end-of-the-road-vill. The paved road ended at a cluster of saloons and brothels. Mangy dogs circled and a few bikers stared from their beers. This set the tone.

U-turning out of there I eventually I headed down from 927m above sea level to the stuperfying heat of a salt flat at 86m below sea level. Upon getting down there I realised that I felt terrible and was hungry and had no food. I headed across the huge wastes and then drove up and out without any traumas aside from having to have the heating on full to ensure the van did not overheat.

I pushed on to the next small town where I went shopping for food, I was intending to stop shortly after to cook. The road suddenly turned into a freeway and I was so hungry and indecisive that I was unable to stop.

Another similar deathly valley and dried lake bed

Eventually I managed to leave the road and park up. I then had to search for my lighter for about 20 min before finding it and realising the next issue. I had purchased tinned food and I have no tin opener. After great effort the tin was opened with a nut key and the pasta cooked and eaten.

Looking back from the pass

Eventually I got to Bishop and everything since then has felt much better.

Red Rocks

Red Rocks

I am currently climbing at Red Rocks and have done some nice stuff, both sport and trad. It is packed out however and I have had the misfortune to leave the camping at 6 am, walk uphill through tangled vegetation and boulders for two and a half hours only to find seven people on our intended route.

Part of the long walk in

I have also been totaly shot down by a route given 5.11, the up-to-date guide gave it 5.11dR which provided some comfort.

Working a 5.13a

Dune - The Organ - Arches National Park

The Organ

The Organ is a formation formed of Entrada sandstone lying within Arches National Park. The introduction to Rock Climbing in Utah summarised it as follows:

Arches National Park ranks as one of the canyon country's scariest and least user-friendly climbing areas. The Entrada sandstone that forms the the park's cliffs tends to be sandy, rounded, hard-to-protect, and unforgiving. Fred Knapp (a desert climbing authority), in Classic Desert Climbs, calls Entrada sandstone

"a step down in quality from moist brown sugar. Occasionally a nice varnish makes for good rock, but more often than not the real advantage is being able to drill bolt holes with a toothbrush and plastic hammer."

To further complicate matters, due to Dean Potters assent of Delicate Arch, seen by many as a fragile national icon, restrictions have been placed upon climbers placing any form of hammer based protection other than to replace decayed or dangerous gear which existed prior to 2007. Entradas best quality was therefore negated.

The Organ comprises of two Buttes a southern and northern, with just three established routes onto the top of the southern summit. Death by Hands 5.10 C2, Thelama and Louise 5.11+ (FA Stevie Haston) and Dune 5.10 A3. Both Death by Hands and Dune both include a considerable amount of aid climbing at that grade. Having gazed up at the middle corner pitches of Dune from the parking we hoped to climb it predominately free.

Day One

A relaxed start saw us in the parking below The Organ, the epic 5 minute walk to the base of the route passed off without incident. We played paper, scissors, stone for the first pitch and Herb won. I belayed as he headed upwards pulling hard moves straight off the deck. He overcame a vicious offwidth guarded by a loose block by pulling on a cam before heading left to belay.

I followed up, my good intentions of freeing the offwidth floundered on the wide overhung reality, and an aid move was also used before I reached the traverse. Here it became apparent that Herb had protected this with some appalling cam placements in sandy breaks and I was looking a a lovely fall should I came off. Luckily I spied that the rope had carved a good rope grove I could use as a foothold.

Dave leading the second pitch

Ah what foolish optimism, the groove was reduced to dust at the merest hint of pressure from my foot, as I scrabbled to safety. Crucial handholds only detaching themselves after, not whilst in use.

Above the belay (fortunately adequate) a sand filled groove led to a slab. Flared cams provided some comfort whilst sandy ledges exploded around me. Excavation with a nut key provided a poor TCU placement that loured me on. Crimping disintegrating edges I udged upwards until I was in the groove and in balance once more. A cluster of micro camming devises settled my nerves, the last couple had been too large so I repeatable poked them at the crack until they fitted, such was the quality of the sandstone.

Herb blowing dust out of a newly drilled bolt hole

With these cams places I dusted the loose sand off the sloping holds with gloves luckily found in my pocket, and rocked upwards onto slopers. I rapidly made a couple of moves onto a ledge. Here I stood with both legs shaking, not I hasten to add due to strenuousness but rather fear. After dusting off some further footholds with the gloves I committed and padded up to a ledge. Upon nudging the ledge the entire edifice detached itself from the cliff and hurtled down towards Herb. Fortunately by the time it arrived it had disintegrated into a harmless shower of sand.

Dave seconding pitch 3

Pitch three was hard, Herb dispatched it relatively quickly and I took one fall at the base before trying again and fighting my way to the belay. I took one look at the pitch above and suggested adjourning for the day having blown all my emotional energy on the pitches below. We headed down.

Day Two

Dave on the overhanging chimney at the start of pitch 4

We jugged back up to our high point and I got embroiled with the climbing above. The overhanging chimney was climbed mostly free and the crack above free until the last hard move onto the sloping ledge system. Here with arms screaming and footholds disintegrating I ambitiously attempted to crimp some edges (which are no longer there) before aiding up on RPs. A solitary peg in a hole provided comfort for the final 10 meters of chimney to the top. Here I belayed.

Herb chilling out at the fourth belay

Herb followed, his lack of nut tool mattering little with the sandstone disintegrating as he pulled on the equalised RPs. Getting gear stuck in the entrada sandstone would be next to impossible. He then traversed over to the base of the final pitch in search of the promised bolt belay whilst Matt (aid climbing specialist of the team) jumared up to provide assistance on the A3 pitch.

Dave climbing the fourth pitch

The bolt belay consisted of two shallow holes, proof of the speed of erosion taking place. Herb started hand drilling for replacement anchors, the holes taking worryingly little time to drill in the fragile rock. Before much time had elapsed we were all hung from the belay examining the pitch above.

The view up the last pitch

The upper section was split by a one inch splitter in perfect varnished rock, clearly free climbable and protectable by those with the ability. Below this however lay six meters or so of unvarnished crumbling sandstone. A series of blown out peg scars in a non-existent seam shed doubt on the first assentionist claims that pegs had only been used as he lacked TCUs. We attempted to make everything we had fit, stacked wires, all of the three complete sets of cams size 00 to 6, TCUs, Tricams, the lot, but nothing would take bodyweight let alone a short fall. Eventually we retreated dejectedly to lick our wounds and consider our options.

A "blown out" peg scar

Day Three

Day three saw us optimistically heading up with additional gear and a greater willingness to push boundaries but the weather refused to co-operate. With rain forecast for a week we retreated in a rainstorm stripping our ropes from the route.

Matt and Dave at the final belay

Post Script

I feel upon reflection that replacing blown out pegs would be appropriate in this situation as it would both return the route to its original character and allow potential free climbing of the final pitch, which, had the base of it been protected, I would have attempted. Factor two falls onto anything in that sandstone did not inspire confidence however.

Fetish Arete - Shark's Fin - Monument Basin

Our plan was to climb Washer Woman and Monster Tower but these designs floundered on the sharp reality of a deeply snowed up approach track. Sitting in the truck we threw some backup plans around.

Indian Creek was too far away and too tame and potash road was simply too tame.

In the end we decided on Sharks Fin in Monument Basin. This was the real deal. Lily had found me a torn out page of an American climbing magazine showing an amazing leaning tower in an unknown location. This was it. The guide suggested a route, Fetish Arete 5.10 A2 climbed the south west ridge and we decided to climb it. (with no aid gear)

The approach was going to be interesting, from where we sat in the truck we were unable to drive down to the White Rim Trail so we were going to hike in. This involved about 100 meters of steep scrambling down the Wingate layer from the parking, 500 vertical meters of talus (scree) down to the White Rim plateau (and the White Rim Trail) before abseiling off the white rim and dropping the final 50 meters of talus to the flat base of Monument Basin. We took the plunge and set off staggering under the weight of ropes, cams, more cams and water.

Dropping down the Wingate layer it was all laid out before us; the plateau formed by the thin but hard layer of white sandstone apparent with Monument Basin cut into it.

Our objective was just visible below us. One of a myriad of crumbling towers.

From the rim Junction Butte was visible standing proud beyond the canyon bottom. We abseiled in from here eyeing up a 45 degree overhanging 30 meter crack in the White Rim. A project for someone strong! Moabs Separate Reality.

Sharks Fin looked thin from the base. South West ridge, visible to the foreground was described in the guide as having four pitches, named as "The flat chested potato Fetish Head" 5.10 A1, "Long Leg Fetish" 5.9 A2, "Gold Nose Ring Fetish" 5.10, and the "Blond Pony Tail Fetish" 5.10. No further information was provided.

Herb ran the first two pitches together (we think) and I led the Gold Nose Ring Pitch. Some serious instability was encountered with the base of the tower appearing to be more dangerous than the climbing due to falling rock.

The top was spectacular and we took it in turns to scramble the last few meters to the flat summit. We had basically climbed it free pulling on a tipped out size 4 cam only through a offwidth section. Oh for the size 5 or 6 at that point.

The view was spectacular with the only downside being the walk back. Unnamed towers and formations reared out of the canyon floor on all sides, the enigmatic syringe standing out in particular. One to return for.

After removing all the old rope and tat festooning the abseil block we headed down, two abseils took us to the end of our first pitch and one further abseil took Herb to a spot about 10 ft above the ground. Eventually we were both down and bags were packed, now fuller with the removed tat from the belays, snacks eaten and the return leg begun.

We reached the car at dusk having slogged our way back up the talus, jumared the White Rim (scary on single 8mm rope) and scrambled the last section in the approaching gloom.

As an added bonus the beer in the truck was nice and cold.

Fisher Towers (only a little one)

Rampaged up Ancient Art tower, the soft touch Fisher Tower. The Cutler sandstone was actually very hard with good friction, it was however coated by a think layer of mud.

Ancient Art, we climbed the prominent chimney system to the left of the image before climbing the leftmost point.