The Desert Is Best in October

I just got back from an excellent trip to Moab with my most excellent friends.  Turns out October is a most-excellent time to be in Moab, the nights are cool (or cold) and the days are warm, the crowds aren't terrible and the rock feels great.  I've been to Moab enough times it's almost routine, but there were a few new things this time through.  For one, I laid out a plan ahead of time.  When Brent and I go we usually have a few options and spend a lot of time trying to decide where to go.  Not this time!  I laid out two places we'd all go and the climbs that I would like to do.  It might be the best way to go on vacation, but it was also kind of stressful, so I'm on the fence.  The second new thing was actually a person - Emma's husband Ryan came along and proved to be an awesome addition to the whole trip. 

I've been struggling to think of a theme to link all of these pictures together.  We did some aid climbing in Arches, as well as some free trad climbing.  We also did some odd crack climbing at the Ice Cream Parlor.  I think the thing that links it all together is finding new ways to keep climbing difficult, which always reminds me of this quote

 “We do not deceive ourselves that we are engaging in an activity that is anything but debilitating, dangerous, euphoric, kinesthetic, expensive, frivolously essential, economically useless and totally without redeeming social significance. One should not probe for deeper meanings.”  Allen Stock (1967)

With that in mind, I'll start with the story of my only successful lead climb of the trip - The Pickle (5.7 C1).  It took me about 35 minutes to climb the 90-foot tower.  Put all together, it looked like this from the east -

And it looks like this from the north

What these pictures don't really show is just how tedious aide climbing can be.  To aid climb, a climber uses equipment in addition to their arms and legs to get to the top of a climb.  In this case, I used a serious of pitons and bolts drilled into the wall, carabiners, and slings tied together like a rope ladder to get to the top of The Pickle.  Modern climbing emphasizes "free" climbing things, getting to the top of routes as fast as possible with minimal impact to the rock.  So why would anyone aide climb?

Because there's nothing to hold onto.  

No hand holds

No foot holds

Nothings but a very smooth, unforgiving rock face

However, because that little tower is there, it must be climbed.  For me in particular, it was one of the few routes in all of Moab that I could climb (so long as there are bolts).  I took Brent's GoPro up the climb, which was programmed to take a picture every 30 seconds, thereby providing all of these pictures of The Pickle from the aid climbers point of view.  Observe -

Smooth rock face, save for that bolt, which I have adorned with a carabiner and will shortly run the rope through.  

Then you clip aid ladders (or slings, in this case) through your bolt or carabiner

Then you wiggle your foot into the "ladders", being careful not to snag it on the velcro from your shoes

And then you stand up, without any visible foot or hand holds.  It's kind of amazing it can be done.   

And then you start the whole thing again.  Occasionally making desperate moves like the one captured here.  

Often time resting is in order, which provides a good opportunity to look down at the belayer you're so fond of and at just how far you've come.  

Inevitably, tower climbs slab out - they go from vertical to less-than-vertical, at which point you are expected to free climb again.  

The wide angle lens of the GoPro has distorted the way the rock looks a bit, but make no mistake, the slab is the worst part of the climb.  It is scary and run out and awful.

But then you get to the top, take a breather, and bring your friends up.  

Karina was the next to make it up.  We got to have a nice chat about big life topics there atop The Pickle.  

Then Brent came up and called me a Teletubby.  

 I know, that was a long story but there's more.  Here's what it look like from the ground.

Aiding up The Pickle in the sun, the glorious sun.  

And there was a celebration dance at the top.  

Karina tackling The Pickle

Emma joined us just as we rappelled down.  It felt like it had been forever since we'd climbed together.  It was great to hang out again.  

With the sun like it was, and Emma like she is, she looked like an angel.  

Ryan proved to be good at adept at aid climbing, we were all seriously impressed.  

Down on the ground, Brent was stealing Karina's sunshine.  It was hilarious.  

But occasionally they were able to get along, soaking up their own sun.  

Brent looks especially good in the desert.  

The moon was so bright the weekend we were there.  The first night we camped below Tombstone Butte, which provided at excellent opportunity to take night pictures.

What a beautiful night under a beautiful butte. 

Watching the moon rise above the LaSal mountains while we were in Arches was also really spectacular.  I was hobbling down from the crag in my climbing shoes when the sun, moon, and mountains looked best, but this was nice too.  

All of these clear, moonlit nights did make for some cold mornings.  Our second morning we stopped by the Birthing Rock on our way to the crag.  This might be the clearest, most easily discernible petroglyph I've ever seen.

Perhaps it was the cold, but it took a few hours to really get started climbing.  But once the climbing started, it was pretty great.  Brent decided to tackle Die Another Day, a 5.9 crack climb with a killer run out at the top.

Epic climbing.  How could he not climb well with that stack of rocks to start on and those socks belaying him?  

The start of this climb kind of made me want to puke, as did the end.  Brent ascended it calmly though.  

There were base jumpers leaping off the cliffs just south of us!  It was alarming at first (it really does sound like a rock fall when their parachutes open), but then it was just great to watch.  

Someone took the time to etch these route names with map.  

And Karina created this pictograph.  

And of course we had to take a group photo at the end.  It's tradition

With vows of friendship renewed, Emma, Karina, and Ryan headed back to Provo and Brent and I spent another night in Moab preparing for my half marathon the next morning.  I sure stressed a lot about making a plan that could be fun for everyone, but in the end hanging out in the sun with my friends was really enough to make me happy.  Climbing was a great bonus.  These people pictured here are some of the best in the world.