Time to move on
Autumn is over. Let us welcome the cold, wet and gray.
Here at the Mondo for the last time this trip, it's time to leave Moab.
Yesterday, took a lovely slow ramble along the old south river bed of the Colorado River to the west of town. It was cool to have no destination and just wander instead of trying to book it fast toward a goal (a la Mission Peak). Afterwards, I drove over to Wall St. and met Ian, RJ, Brandon and the friendly young family of Evan, Maureen and their precious child Kenobi. We hit it off right away and they very generously let me jump on their ropes.
First up was Moki Crack (5.9), which has a tricky roof that foiled me into hangdogging before I figured it out. Then I got a shot at Nervous in Suburbia (5.10a), a brilliant face climb-- no problems. It reminded me of the precarious lead on the first pitch of A Little Nukey on Power Dome.
My first time in Moab a few years ago, I lead 30 Seconds over Potash (5.9) with no worries. This time, for some reason, it made me a little nervous, so I was quite happy to toprope it. The last time, I remember making lots of funky moves to take advantage of the various face holds, especially on the second half. This time, with my mad hand jam 5ki11z, it was dead easy.
Finally, Ian lead the rest of us on Eat the Rich (5.10c), a small fingers-small hands crack in a small right facing dihedral. Getting tired and with bad finger technique, my style here was not nearly as trick. I made it up to the crux okay, but the odd handhold placement along with my sloppy feet forced me to hang.
The day over, I broke out the beers and butt rock for my new friends and we packed up and headed into town for dinner at a terrific Mexican restaurant The Hacienda. The plan for today was for Ian and Evan to go climb Castleton while Maureen and I (and Kenobi) cragged some more on Potash. I was excited about getting some more climbing in, but frankly, I was feeling the need for a rest day.
Fortunately, Mother Nature intervened and I awoke this morning to thunder and rain. Met up with the crew here at the Mondo and said our goodbyes and now I'm finishing this entry up before I hit the road. The rain and some annoying late night commotion at the hostel last night convinced me that I'm done with Moab. I don't know what the road conditions are like up in the Rockies, but I'm going to head east and see what happens-- right after I finish my breakfast and take a dump.
Here at the Mondo for the last time this trip, it's time to leave Moab.
Yesterday, took a lovely slow ramble along the old south river bed of the Colorado River to the west of town. It was cool to have no destination and just wander instead of trying to book it fast toward a goal (a la Mission Peak). Afterwards, I drove over to Wall St. and met Ian, RJ, Brandon and the friendly young family of Evan, Maureen and their precious child Kenobi. We hit it off right away and they very generously let me jump on their ropes.
First up was Moki Crack (5.9), which has a tricky roof that foiled me into hangdogging before I figured it out. Then I got a shot at Nervous in Suburbia (5.10a), a brilliant face climb-- no problems. It reminded me of the precarious lead on the first pitch of A Little Nukey on Power Dome.
My first time in Moab a few years ago, I lead 30 Seconds over Potash (5.9) with no worries. This time, for some reason, it made me a little nervous, so I was quite happy to toprope it. The last time, I remember making lots of funky moves to take advantage of the various face holds, especially on the second half. This time, with my mad hand jam 5ki11z, it was dead easy.
Finally, Ian lead the rest of us on Eat the Rich (5.10c), a small fingers-small hands crack in a small right facing dihedral. Getting tired and with bad finger technique, my style here was not nearly as trick. I made it up to the crux okay, but the odd handhold placement along with my sloppy feet forced me to hang.
The day over, I broke out the beers and butt rock for my new friends and we packed up and headed into town for dinner at a terrific Mexican restaurant The Hacienda. The plan for today was for Ian and Evan to go climb Castleton while Maureen and I (and Kenobi) cragged some more on Potash. I was excited about getting some more climbing in, but frankly, I was feeling the need for a rest day.
Fortunately, Mother Nature intervened and I awoke this morning to thunder and rain. Met up with the crew here at the Mondo and said our goodbyes and now I'm finishing this entry up before I hit the road. The rain and some annoying late night commotion at the hostel last night convinced me that I'm done with Moab. I don't know what the road conditions are like up in the Rockies, but I'm going to head east and see what happens-- right after I finish my breakfast and take a dump.
posted by Scottley at 9:54 AM
1 Comments:
Alas, I wish that I spoke rock. Thanks to TJ, I do know what pumped out means. Any of that going on? Sounds like your trip is full of interesting nooks and crannies. We miss you over here. Let us know if you make it to any corn mazes on your way across the plains. I've always wondered about those...
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