As we made our way back south from Canada, we had some time in the big cities and then headed east, with a dominant thread of rock climbing. There are so many great places to climb in the US, much less the world, and even a decade of traveling and climbing has left many cool and famous spots to visit. We were going to cross off a couple of places i had wanted to visit for a long time, which was nice. These spots offered up a lot of a variety - across the ten days, we climbed in 4 different states, crags and rock types.
Another cool part of this section of the road trip was staying with new friends and our family along the way. The mix of people, from those that have been with us our entire life to people that we met along this road trip, was wonderful. Both ends of the spectrum had us into their house, shared drinks and dinner with us and many a good conversation.
The crags
- Smith Rock, Oregon (basalt)
Wrote a bit about this a few posts ago, Smith Rock is a very impressive landscape. The rock walls tower above the river, and we had two days of climbing on excellent, and challenging routes. For some reason, the 'ethics' of the very famous climbing area has the first bolt extra high. This means that when you are climbing up to that point, you are particularly vulnerable to a nasty fall.
Thankfully, we did not have any issues and split our two days climbing between a crag right by the river that was peaceful and another one high on the opposite end of the park, which afforded big views to the big, volcanic mountains in the area, mt bacheloer and mt hood. Looking out across the landscape made belaying a real treat.
- City of Rocks, Idaho (granite)
Our next stop was The City in idaho, a pretty famous and very remote crag near the idaho/utah border. The City is a dramatic departure from basalt in Smith Rock, with pocketed and featured granite. The remoteness of the location was what i took from the climbing (and trail running), we drove along dusty dirt roads both getting and leaving from the park. City of Rocks is well named, as the individual rock formations combine to create the impression of a city arising from the high desert.
The climbing was a little spotty and weird, with many mixed routes. For those unfamiliar with the term, mixed routes use a blend of bolts drilled into the rock (our preference) and traditional protection (cams and nuts) that the climber inserts into crags and little crevices in the rock. Even if that makes no sense to you, the main point is that it blends two types of climbing in one route. Think combing downhill skiing mixed with cross country skiing on one run. Doesn't make much sense.
- American Fork Canyon, Utah (limestone)
The next stop on the trip was salt lake, which mu wrote about in our last post. Our climbing was in a famous crag, up American Fork in a canyon halfway between Provo and Salt Lake. The climbing is great, limestone with pockets and features. This means big moves and nice grip on the shoes. My favorite day was up the canyon wall, at a spot that looks out across big cliff faces and with a couple peaks in the distance. Felt strong that day, the climbing comfort and skill is slowly coming back to our Euro levels, after many many months of just getting the sport in when we can.
- Red Rocks, Nevada (sandstone)
The last stop on our rock climbing road trip was back here in red rocks recreational area, 15 or miles outside of Las Vegas. This is our 'home' crag in a sense, with my parents living very comfortably a few minutes from the park. Over the last 5-6 years, there is nowhere that we have climbed as frequently. It is so lucky to have my parents here, as the climbing is amazing and the life so cushy.
The actual climbing is great, sandstone with mostly big features and very athletic moves. This week, mu and i are trying to try out a few different crags beyond the old favorites here in red rocks. Branching out because we have a few more days than usual for a visit and a desire to branch out. Should be fun.
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment