TR: 18 hrs on Geronimo - one, 18 hrs on Geronimo - two,... (long)
Paulina
route
in the Juniper Canyon, Red Rocks, Nevada. Tent to tent. But still.
"This route should become very popular - it is of good quality." says
the
Swain guidebook unashamedly, and one must agree, about the quality part
anyway. But I digress.
March 21 started so well. An early (4am) start at the 13 Mile
Campground, to
beat the crowds. Susan and I are sharing the rental car with Dave and
Rachel
who are going to get on Crimson Chrysalis and so really need the early
start.
In case they take a long time on that longer route, Susan takes the car
keys
and we agree on a panic time of 10pm.
We are more modest in our ability and ambition and so we're looking
for something fun in the same area... oh look at page 259! Geronimo -
the
guidebook gives it a star and I remember somebody recommending that too.
So at something past 5am (cause we had to eat breakfast first) we leave
the
car outside the gates at Oak Creek and march in for hours, get lost,
bushwhack, stop to look at the guidebook and park topo, get lost some
more,
find strange trails with no names but a sign looking something like
that:
/---- ----\
\---- ----/
(two white arrows on black, pointing in exactly opposite directions).
All
that's missing really is the Cheshire Cat's smile and a label reading
"That way". But undeterred, although delayed, we arrive at the base of
"the obvious dogleg crack" when the desert sun is already high and
bright
and the watch digits doggedly display something past 8am. We've yet to
stuff the camelbacks, take a leak, have a drink (or was it the other way
round?) of water and rack up. Something's already pretty wrong, at least
according to the "Climb On!" book that I had speed-read before flying
out
to Vegas.
As time passes, my sense of time on that day fades, but working back
from
when we were finally back in camp, I think we must have started climbing
after 8:30, and only so early because Susan spotted another party coming
up
to the base. So we only take 2.5 hours on the first pitch. That's pretty
slow
even by my low standards. And I'm not sure that includes the time during
which we sat there eating our lunch and letting Storm and Arie (the
nice-guy
leader and the "ladies were so impressed by me" follower :-) whose TR
you've
already seen) pass us. 1 hour on the second pitch is a little bit better
and
we catch up to the guys again, but they're quickly off and Susan leads
the
most exposed and least protected 5.3 I've ever been on. But that was too
short,
so she leads the next one too, and I'm left with the last push.
The climbing throughout was stellar and we were very much enjoying the
day
and not even worrying about being so slow because, well, you know, it's
early
in the afternoon, sorta, and, like, we have plenty of daylight left,
right?
On the last pitch, I go a little left to place a piece and as I rock
back on my right foot onto the final face, my right hand reaches for a
beautiful-looking flake the size of my head. The flake feels solid as a
side
pull and then comes off in my hand without warning. Time freezes for a
split-
second as I contemplate the situation in a very articulate way: huh, I
think.
The flake is not in my hand anymore. It's falling down. I'm not falling
down.
That's odd. Huh, but not bad. Oh shit! "Rock, rock, rock!!!!" I shout.
Thankfully I must have been pretty solid on that right foot because I
didn't
come off even when Susan took in some slack watching the rock fall, and
expecting me to follow suit. But it all works out, minus the "Welcome to
sandstone country! Thou shalt tap on thy holds before committing thy
weight
to them" voices in my head.
So when we're on top of Geronimo sometime approaching 3:30pm, we take
some time
to relax and ward off the evil spirits in my head. Seven hours for
a five-pitch free climb! We might be beating our own slowpoke record, we
joke
unaware still of what's to come <somber ominous music on>. We read Storm
and
Arie's note in the summit register and wonder why they'd leave bail
hexes
if they got to the top ;-), then think - ooh, maybe they tried climbing
higher
(the summit of Geronimo isn't really a summit), but a little excursion
reveals
this isn't so. Finally we get our act together and rap down to the first
chockstone.
As far as I can remember the first rap went pretty smoothly. The second
one
ate our rope when we tried pulling it, about 15 ft or so from the second
chockstone. It's a good thing I'm doing this route with Susan whose face
lights
up when she sees a rope stuck in a flaring chimney/corner that ends in a
tightening crack, as she unassumingly says "Oh, chimneys are my thing".
And so the first rope is freed, and valuable time is lost. The third rap
is
worse, though, because the rope gets stuck in a cave behind a big
formation
and essentially free-soloing (no pro, bad landing on a ledge above me,
the
belayer) a face climb is not Susan's "thing". She still does it,
because, you
know, it just so happens that I was rapping first and was already at the
next
anchor, right? OK, ok, I admit, even though I half-heartedly offered to
go
get the rope, I was pretty happy to let her do that instead. While the
second rope is being valorously freed then, more valuable time is lost
and
the sun is setting down. I can't see my surroundings so well anymore,
and my
mind must not be functioning too well, because I keep banging my hand on
the
rock while belaying, each time I pay out or take in rope. Bang! Ouch!
There's a rock there. Must remember. Bang! Ouch!... On the fourth
rappel,
Susan leaves a directional biner to make sure we don't get the ropes
stuck
again. It seems to work. The ropes get stuck on chickenheads on the face
instead, but we are able to shake them off. That and the fifth rap are
done
by headlamp.
When we're finally back at our packs, it's about 8:30pm. That's seven
hours
to climb 5 pitches and five hours to do 5 raps. Maybe we can co-author a
book called "Climb Off!" or something. But at that point, I'm just
pretty
grateful for having had my light fleece in the camelback, and enough
food and
water to avoid hallucinations or total loss of control. But we really
must
get going because poor Dave and Rachel are waiting for us at the car!
Following the trail back is easier than on the way in, and we're back at
the
car at 9:50pm . Dave and Rachel aren't there - instead we see a note
scribbled on a piece of cardboard: "Susan & Paulina - We are at the
campsite.
If you don't return by 10:00 we call the rangers - so please drive
directly
back to camp! - R & D". So it's a race to the campground and a close
call but
we make it before the phonecall. Rachel greets us with a drink from the
thermos, and we feel as tired (and cared for) as some glorious
mountaineers
just back from a hard summit in a storm or something. Time to sleep.
Big lesson learned: it's not enough to have read a book on climbing
fast, you
actually have to climb fast for it to work!
Big lesson learned #2: Geronimo has a heinous rap. Swain's "be careful
not to
get your ropes stuck on rappel" just doesn't do it justice.
Paulina
PS I kind of tend to post stuff on how things went wrong. It isn't
_always_
that bad. In fact, a couple days later, Dave Andersen and I climbed Cat
in
The Hat and it all went smoothly and it was a great day. We even saw a
burro!
Frank Stock
> On the last pitch, I go a little left to place a piece and as I rock
> back on my right foot onto the final face, my right hand reaches for a
> beautiful-looking flake the size of my head. The flake feels solid as a
> side
> pull and then comes off in my hand without warning. Time freezes for a
> split-
> second as I contemplate the situation in a very articulate way: huh, I
> think.
> The flake is not in my hand anymore. It's falling down. I'm not falling
> down.
> That's odd. Huh, but not bad. Oh shit! "Rock, rock, rock!!!!" I shout.
> Thankfully I must have been pretty solid on that right foot because I
> didn't
> come off even when Susan took in some slack watching the rock fall, and
> expecting me to follow suit. But it all works out, minus the "Welcome to
> sandstone country! Thou shalt tap on thy holds before committing thy
> weight
> to them" voices in my head.
I believe when we climbed it about three years ago, we wrote something
in the register to the effect of this will be a great climb after a
few hundred people break off all the loose stuff. Appearantly it
still has a ways to go. By far the loosest choss I have been on at
Red Rocks.
Posting when stuff goes wrong is normal. Sounds like you kept it all
together and got down ok which is pretty much winning the battle.
Everyone gets ropes stuck here-you are in fine company I am sure.
Cheers,
Frank
Julie
> It's a good thing I'm doing this route with Susan whose face
> lights up when she sees a rope stuck in a flaring chimney/corner
> that ends in a tightening crack, as she unassumingly says "Oh,
> chimneys are my thing".
Nice story! Thanks.
I got to climb with Susan, Custer & John my last morning out there -
fortunately no epics, as we were all timing airport runs. I sprinted
out of Calico Basin at 11:00 exactly, to (shower, eat, key/car return,
etc) make a 1:30 flight.
JSH
My short spring (it was 90 here this week already - WHAT spring?) Vegas
TR: Flight Path area is a nice condensed destination (afternoon shade);
Dark Shadows will get your ropes wet no matter what; Out of Control is
hardhardhard (with Geoff). Lotta Balls' second pitch is Very PG (with
Amanda), and a 60m is a must (oh, and don't meander out onto the face);
Frictiony Face Panty Waist kicked my ass yet worse; the Pier has some
funfunfun stuff and it's close & shady (Amanda, Gary, Tonia). The
Hoover Dam is just another crowded tourist site. Calico Basin is a good
morning-of-your-flight-out area (single pitches, easy car sprint, no
loop road). Limestone is wierdwierdwierd, and Gary puts up excellent
routes (Fike it 'till ya Fake it!).
Most importantly, somewhere between the flames and waste of this
newsgroup, I've met some AWESOME people.
Paulina
Nice little TR, Julie! I should learn to keep things short and simple too
:-).
It's awesome that you got to climb with awesome people. RR was a pretty
amazing place to be during spring break times - seemed like everybody was
there! Not to mention that it's gorgeous and I'm definitely coming back.
Frank wrote: <snip>
Thanks for the encouraging words. From all the accounts of Geronimo I heard,
ropes got stuck, with one exception. A couple days after we climbed it, back
in camp this guy was going on about Geronimo and how beautiful it was.
"Don't believe all those stories of stuck ropes!" he tells me. I laugh.
Wanna hear mine? "Oh, he says. Well, did you use _the biner_?" I laugh
harder. Yes we did. We even left that biner there. :-)
Paulina "unlucky in raps, lucky in love?"
Julie
> "Don't believe all those stories of stuck ropes!" he tells me. I
> laugh. Wanna hear mine? "Oh, he says. Well, did you use _the biner_?"
> I laugh harder. Yes we did. We even left that biner there. :-)
>
> Paulina "unlucky in raps, lucky in love?"
Sounds like that biner gave you some good karma.
JSH
Brutus of Wyde
> PS I kind of tend to post stuff on how things went wrong. It isn't
> _always_ that bad.
I tend to post TRs on how things went wrong, too. Just about every
climb, in fact...
Great story, thanks! This climb just went up a few notches on my
"Things to do" list!
Brutus, once took five days to climb five pitches.
MarkW
> Who can beat that? An 18 (eighteen) hour day climbing a 5-pitch 5.7
> route
Thanks for the TR, you've rekindled fond memories of stuck ropes and flaring
chimney rappels.
Good job on keeping it together,
MarkW
Bill Wright
> route
> in the Juniper Canyon, Red Rocks, Nevada. Tent to tent. But still.
Actually, that's a badge of honor, to some extent. How many people
have been on the move for 18 hours straight? That's great that you
kept such good cheer and kept going for so long. That would rank as
one of my longest days ever.
> for something fun in the same area... oh look at page 259! Geronimo -
I did this route on my last trip to Red Rocks and found it quite steep
and exciting. The loose rock is a concern, but didn't seem to bother
us that much. Yes, testing the holds is wise. I thought the moves at
the end of the second to the last pich were pretty hard (5.8+?) and
the last pitch is very runout. A fun climb.
> When we're finally back at our packs, it's about 8:30pm. That's seven
> hours
> to climb 5 pitches and five hours to do 5 raps. Maybe we can co-author a
>
> book called "Climb Off!" or something. But at that point, I'm just
I'm flattered that you read "Climb On!" Please send any suggestions or
corrections along. I'm sure a companion volume called "Climb Off!"
would be a great addition. Either a spoof, details on what NOT to do,
or a guide to taking things easy and really milking the joy out of
even the shortest routes.
> Big lesson learned: it's not enough to have read a book on climbing
> fast, you actually have to climb fast for it to work!
Yes, well you don't have to climb all that fast. You just need to
avoid some of the gotcha's. Certainly finding this route was a bit of
challenge (for us also) and the descent is very challenging. We also
had rope trouble, but were very careful about this while descending.
> Big lesson learned #2: Geronimo has a heinous rap. Swain's "be careful
> not to
> get your ropes stuck on rappel" just doesn't do it justice.
Agreed!
> PS I kind of tend to post stuff on how things went wrong. It isn't
> _always_ that bad.
Great TR. Well written and fun to read. Thanks for posting it.
Bill
Paulina
> Paulina <gava...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<3CBFA58E...@yahoo.com>...
> > Who can beat that? An 18 (eighteen) hour day climbing a 5-pitch 5.7
> > route
> > in the Juniper Canyon, Red Rocks, Nevada. Tent to tent. But still.
>
> Actually, that's a badge of honor, to some extent. How many people
> have been on the move for 18 hours straight?
It really wasn't like that probably. Much time was wasted eating, drinking, re-racking
etc. etc. Plus, the first hour was eating breakfast in the car and driving, so that
doesn't count. You know I'm not sure I want that "badge of honor"...
> > When we're finally back at our packs, it's about 8:30pm. That's seven
> > hours
> > to climb 5 pitches and five hours to do 5 raps. Maybe we can co-author a
> >
> > book called "Climb Off!" or something. But at that point, I'm just
>
> I'm flattered that you read "Climb On!" Please send any suggestions or
> corrections along. I'm sure a companion volume called "Climb Off!"
> would be a great addition. Either a spoof, details on what NOT to do,
> or a guide to taking things easy and really milking the joy out of
> even the shortest routes.
"Climb On!" was recommended to me by several people and I really enjoyed it. It's
definitely full of good advice but I need a lot of practice to add it to my inventory
of tricks (pretty empty so far).
As for "Climb Off!" ooh, I can see it an instant bestseller! :-) With chapters on how
to get lost on the approach, or "come down by daylight or enjoy your sandwich on a
beautiful ledge: what gives?", and "climbing heavy, slow, and low" ... or something.
Anyway, thanks much.
Paulina
Gnarling
> Posting when stuff goes wrong is normal. Sounds like you kept it all
> together and got down ok which is pretty much winning the battle.
> Everyone gets ropes stuck here-you are in fine company I am sure.
>
> Cheers,
> Frank
I too enjoyed your story Paulina. Next year you'll be doing Crimson
in good time! It is all a matter of time and practice. You had fun
and that is all that counts.
Best wishes,
Inez
Alex Chiang
> That's pretty slow even by my low standards. And I'm not sure
> that includes the time during which we sat there eating our
> lunch and letting Storm and Arie (the nice-guy leader and the
> "ladies were so impressed by me" follower :-) whose TR you've
> already seen) pass us.
Nice TR, Paulina. I forwarded it on to Storm and Arie (who says
he was just joking about that, btw :)
/Alex
Paulina
Hey, so was I! Thanks, Alex.
Paulina
Jason Lucero
Jason
--
These are my opinions, not necessarily the voice's in my head.