Hellbent on the Wasatch: Another Weekend in the Ditch

The weather in Salt Lake has been exceptionally fickle this year, call it global warming/Jetstream abnormalities/or just bad luck. This winter every storm started out pushing 2 ft. and by the time it arrived we saw maybe a few inches of white stuff, this spring however, has been quite the opposite, no matter where we looked (Indian Creek, Zion, Wasatch) every forecast would start out as 20% chance of showers and by weeks end turned into positively monsoon-like conditions.

Flash forward to this weekend, where for whatever reason my head was set on climbing. With the idiosyncrasies of sandstone climbing and rain Moab/Indian Creek seemed like a likely choice of areas to celebrate this Memorial Day, however, by Thursday the forecast was calling for unseasoably wet conditions…so we scrambled. Joshua Tree, City of Rocks, skiing the reliable Wasatch, and Yosemite were all thrown on the table…and as luck would have it, two consecutive (albeit we had to move sites) days worth of camping were found in Yosemite, over one of the busiest days of the park season nonetheless. The forecast was calling for rain beforehand but tapering off by our arrival…how could we go wrong.

Mark and I packed up our gear and bid our goodbyes for a quick hitting weekend of granite debauchery.

The views coming in, after camping outside the park Friday night, were breathtaking as usual…also deceptively irritating as we cursed ourselves for not bringing ski stuff.

Disclaimer: All the photos of Mark are sadly buttshots, as it was just him and I climbing, Chesy couldn’t make it as she was studying hard for her board exams.

We figured we’d hit the ground running or falling (whichever metaphor you prefer) and started on Short Circuit (5.11d) a short overhanging tight hands to finger lock crack which was my lead…almost got it…something to be desired I guess.

Mark on TR

The route

Skinny Indeed

Mark then took the sharp end as we headed over to Outer Limits (5.10b) on the Cookie Cliff.

I followed and then we headed down to Catchy (5.10d) and of course 3 feet into the crux it started to rain...so I was "forced" to aid...maybe I was just tired of getting spit off by the tight finger locks.

Outer Limits

Mark about to embark on an IC like splitter

Mark following Catchy in the rain

Almost to the section of locks

With all the rain the waterfalls were in full force...

Luckily Midnight was mostly dry

The next day we headed over to Super Slide (1 mungy pitch + 4 pitches of great hand and finger cracks 5.9 sorry no pictures). Followed by a quick trip to Reeds.