Author Topic: Desert Rats: Joshua Tree in the Winter With Bill (Read 81003 times)

Brad Young · « **Reply #60 on:** February 09, 2018, 10:17:54 PM »

Quote from: clink on February 09, 2018, 08:31:44 PM

...I would like his commentary on the grades preceding 5.9 too.

And it's a long Joshua Tree tradition that the first and last eight feet of a climb don't count toward a rating.

I got shut down on two 5.10a routes this last trip. Geoff was kind enough to suggest that holds had broken off one of them on which I simply could not figure out the moves (it could be true that holds broke off too). Meanwhile I walked a 10b and cruised another 10a.

Late on the trip I led a 5.7 that was solid 5.8 (actually it was loose, but I mean that the first eight feet were definitely 5.8 ). That same "5.7" start was also the start to a "5.9+" face climb and was the hardest part of the route!

It's getting worse and worse there. But it's actually all perfectly fine if one just accepts that there isn't enough documentation of the routes (guidebook authors don't have time to do 10,000 routes and, to my knowledge, few people report/comment to those authors; and yes, each time I go down there I submit notes to Randy Vogel about every route that I did). And so, yeah, the ratings are all over the map.

Love it

mynameismud · « **Reply #61 on:** February 12, 2018, 06:50:51 PM »

it is all 5.7 till you die

clink · « **Reply #62 on:** February 12, 2018, 08:13:25 PM »

When you learned to count it was 1,2,3,7,11.

mynameismud · « **Reply #63 on:** February 12, 2018, 08:44:11 PM »

somethin like that

Brad Young · « **Reply #64 on:** April 21, 2019, 08:53:11 AM »

Just spent a week in Josh with my older daughter Katie (she asked me to find a week to spend climbing with her!):

We did lots of climbing, some short stuff, some close to the road, and one route way out in the North Wonderland that took 2 1/2 hours to approach (the last 1/3 of a mile of this approach, to Grey Giant, was a mix of class three, four and even some class five; Katie thought it was nothing unusual).

We stayed in Ryan Campground. One long tradition when staying there is to walk over 150 yards and climb the Southwest Corner of Headstone Rock. It's often done at the end of the day, a warm down of sorts. Given it's location, the rock and climbing quality, it's a real Joshua Tree classic. I did it 20 years ago and so it never occurs to me to do it again (I'd rather have a beer in camp and watch others top out).

But when Katie asked if we could do it? Well, of course, I'd be very happy to do it again. We did a bunch of other climbing and hiking that day (including a four mile hike out to the now-closed Lost Horse Mine) and then climbed Headstone in the last of the day's sun:

mungeclimber · « **Reply #65 on:** April 21, 2019, 11:07:06 AM »

Perfect

mynameismud · « **Reply #66 on:** April 22, 2019, 08:49:05 AM »

awesomeness

CruxLuv · « **Reply #67 on:** April 22, 2019, 11:19:49 AM »

~sweetness~

I don't know who's luckier, (although I know your response) dad or daughter.

Brad Young · « **Reply #68 on:** April 22, 2019, 11:23:07 AM »

^^^

Pretty obvious answer to me

I just re-looked at the photos I posted. Looking at the last one, my automatic response was: "God, look at those legs!"

NOAL · « **Reply #69 on:** April 22, 2019, 11:31:21 AM »

Nice photos. Looks like stellar weather.

Brad Young · « **Reply #70 on:** April 22, 2019, 11:51:05 AM »

Quote from: NOAL on April 22, 2019, 11:31:21 AM

Nice photos. Looks like stellar weather.

Yes, great weather. Especially after what's been a long winter

Brad Young · « **Reply #71 on:** March 17, 2021, 04:52:04 PM »

Ah, Joshua Tree. Where a 5.7 face to crack route has a solid 5.9 inch and a quarter crack crux.

Love the place.

mynameismud · « **Reply #72 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:03:32 PM »

it is 5.7 your just old and soft

Brad Young · « **Reply #73 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:10:53 PM »

Quote from: mynameismud on March 18, 2021, 08:03:32 PM

it is 5.7 your just old and soft

No, but both things are true (it's 5.9 and I am old and soft).

mynameismud · « **Reply #74 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:50:32 PM »

Brad Young · « **Reply #75 on:** March 14, 2024, 08:33:57 AM »

Snow flurries this morning in Red Rocks campground. I’ve never seen that before!

We all got in two fantastic climbing days. Today will NOT be a third.

Marco · « **Reply #76 on:** March 14, 2024, 12:28:33 PM »

Well...?? How was the first two days?

Brad Young · « **Reply #77 on:** March 14, 2024, 08:26:12 PM »

Quote from: Marco on March 14, 2024, 12:28:33 PM

Well...?? How was the first two days?

David got in (among a bunch of climbing), one five pitch route which was new to him. This may not sound like a big deal, but since he’s been climbing at Red Rocks since the early 1980s and has done hundreds of routes there, he was quite pleased.

Caleb had his mind blown by his first Red Rocks climbs, was tickled to onsight a 5.10c roof and is now probably ruined for Joshua Tree (not everyone can see the incredible beauty and fantastic quality of J Tree climbing once they’ve experienced the candy store of Red Rocks routes).

Joel got in a ton of pitches and got a lot of winter time cobwebs wiped away.

I got in a five pitch, 5.7 ultra-classic that I had never done before (new to all of us except Dave). I also finally got to meet and climb with the legendary but elusive Jeremy, who demonstrated that yes, he really can run it out with not-common insouciance.

clink · « **Reply #78 on:** March 15, 2024, 09:30:02 AM »

Quote

the legendary but elusive Jeremy, who demonstrated that yes, he really can run it out with not-common insouciance.

Yep, he certainly collided with some type of large evolutionary block.

JC w KC redux · « **Reply #79 on:** March 15, 2024, 01:20:23 PM »

I thought you met Jeremy the day we (he) finished Pay Dirt by running it out.

I know you were there - unless we're talking about a different Jeremy.

News:

Author Topic: Desert Rats: Joshua Tree in the Winter With Bill (Read 81003 times)