Fall Climbing - Indian Creek and Red Rocks

Boulder got a bit cold this fall so we headed down to Indian Creek for some warmth.  We left the Thursday before thanksgiving,  as the temps at home were settling below zero for a couple days in a row.  Leaving after work gets you to the Creek about midnight.

Evening.

Sunny and warm with a morning beer.

It was fairly empty this time of year.  Probably just a lull between the wonderful temps of late October / early November and the rush on Thanksgiving, but it was nice to have most of the walls to ourselves.  Athena's friend Andy showed up again and we climbed with him and his lady friend for a day.

This is either a 5.10++ or a 5.11-- depending on how you read the sign.  It's definitely sandbagged, but I'm not sure that justifies making up a new grade for it. 

Snow on the ground and ice in the streams. Brrrr.

A climber finishing 'Sinestra' at sunset.

 We visited a couple walls that I've never been to before, including The Fin.  This time of year you just try and stay in the sun where the temps are nice.  The shade is a bit chilly.

Latrodectus Hesperus or similar.  The post coitus cannibalism that the genus is known for is actually rare in this species. The males are smaller and brownish, while only the females have the classic widow look.  Although death is rare, bites frequently need medical attention.  This makes them a great species to try and photograph with your cell phone at night while out of cell service and a couple hours away from civilization.

On our last climb a piece got stuck a couple feet off the ground.  I got to practice aiding up a bit in the dark to free it, and we hiked down in the dark.  That night was a bit too cold with more cold weather moving in over the weekend, so we headed out for Red Rocks.  Traveling over the mountains in the Manti-La Sal National Forest blowing snow reduced visibility to a couple of feet shortly after dark.  Luckily we have a bed in the back, so we pulled over and slept until sunrise.

 We got to Red Rocks a bit late due to our unexpected nap in the mountains so we picked a nice easy climb for the afternoon.  To get to it we walked through the Black Corridor which was insanely busy.  Last time we visited it was quite a bit emptier.  This time there were hoards of people, kids with toys spread out over the ground, a tent in the middle, and a climber on seemingly every line.

 A sea of people and their stuff.  Also toys, kids, tents, and a bunch of vegas bros getting swole. 

Past the crowds the approach was a fun scramble over and around the boulders and cliffs of the Calico Rocks area.  We were headed to the Great Red Book rock to do the namesake climb, a nice two pitch 5.7 or so.

I think this is a young California Barrel Cactus ( Ferocactus Cylindraceus ).  They have a wonderful red tint to some of the spines, which form a protective cage around the plant.  Many of the Ferocactus' are Myrmecophyte, or 'Ant Plants.'  This type of plant has special adaptations that allow it to live in mutualistic association (which I've just learned is a sub-category of symbiosis) with colonies of ants.

Thanksgiving week turns the Red Rock loop into a parking lot. 

It always takes me a while to get used to sandstone again.  It always seems so dusty and fragile to me that it's a bit hard to trust.  The Great Red Book climbs a long dihedral with a nice view on top.  It seems to be named with reference to 'Great White Book', a Tuolumne climb named with reference to 'Great White Hope', a nickname for one of the climbers of the first ascent.  This nickname was a reference to the Great White Hope, a boxing-ish term from the early 20th century.  The Great White Hope was supposed to knockout the black man and I suppose prove racial superiority though a boxing match or some such nonsense.  In any case, that's how it got its name.  Also it looks like a book.

Much different than the last 'Great Book' we climbed.

Parkour!

There are a couple signs along the Red Rock loop near the Calico Rocks that sort of explain rock climbing as many of the routes are visible from the roads.  This one shows an especially poorly placed cam.

 The next day we climbed Birdland, a classic 5 or 6 pitch route.  We were hoping that weekdays would leave it a bit empty.  We were wrong.  The 5 pitches we did (most people skip the 6th pitch) involved long periods of waiting with short stretches of climbing in between.  This is sort of how the easier classics are though... just too many people trying to climb at once.

Athena snuggles a strange dog as we wait for the parties ahead of us to start up the wall.

The easier the route the worse it is.  Inexperienced parties take longer, causing traffic jams which further slow down the wall.  This route requires you to rap back down the same way you came up.  This means on a busy day you end up with 4 maybe 6 people on the same belay ledge, which can get crowded and slow especially for inexperienced parties.  We watched one party wait for an hour or so after their rope got stuck for another party to rap down and free it from above.

In this photo... Annika and her partner Jen at the belay with me.  There are four people at the next belay.  One is with the party ahead of us, and three are the party ahead of them trying to get their rope unstuck.  The second climber in the party in front of us is waiting 10 feet below the next belay.  Athena has had enough time to start down-climbing to play with the new tricams she got for her birthday.  In just a bit another party of two will show up at my belay.  Below us a party of four waits to come up, while a party of two waits for the party of three above to rap down and free their stuck rope. About six more people are waiting on the ground to start up.  Just ridiculous.

At the top just as we lose the sun.

 We did a bit of sport climbing the next day.  On our way up to Great Red Book I saw a group on a cool looking route, so we went back to try that.  Turns out it was... just OK.  Thankfully there are a number of cliffs in the area, so we moved around a bit and had a nice long day with great weather.

Our last day climbing we spent on 'Classic Crack of Calico' in the Kraft Crags with Jeff. This area sits right above the Kraft boulders, which is extremely popular.  We visited them last time we were in Red Rocks, when we had them almost all to ourselves.   This time we could look down on the swarms of boulderers moving in slow circles throughout the day, hiding from the sun.

Athena wrestles with a mountain.  Lots of wrens flitting about to keep her company while she struggles.

Hidden in that brown smudge in the background is the Vega strip.

We got a bit lost on the descent.  Jeff tries to judge the cliff in front of him.

What a pointy beard.

Just a nice plant.

We spent a night in Vegas as usual.  It's a bit more depressing this time of year, as there are fewer happily drunk tourists which leaves the homelessness and trash a bit more visible.

Although we were going to spend thanksgiving night in Indian Creek on the drive back, we decided to just drive through and make it home.  It's about 12-13 hours but we were tired and the Creek is busy on Thanksgiving.  We got home about 10pm.  The weather has warmed up nicely while we were away, so it looks like we can relax and climb near home over the weekend.

Thanksgiving dinner for breakfast on Friday, as we were driving Thursday.