Chris C and I headed up in the late morning to get out of the hot city and climb things with a rope. I've been working on Crystal Lake Wall for a while now, climbing this and that, and removing the big dangerous loose rocks. It's a real neat place, as you ca get up high, climb some multipitch routes, go on adventures, and throw bigass rocks down that go KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Some pics from today with words and stuff:
Oh boy, what a fun approach! I've done it enough now that I kinda forget about it. That's a nice little mental trick.
Topo numero uno. Today we 'put up' Swayze Express and Backyard Boogie.
And the second one.
This pic shows how runout some spots can be. My last piece of protection is a cam way down there. I neglected to bring a larger cam as I didn't think I'd need it, having climbed this route before. I went straight up the crack from the ground this time, and didn't find any good placements except for the #4 Camalot down in my pack on the ground. Just don't fall or anything. Easy ground here (5.6ish).
A bit further up.
Cheggout that leg. Swayze Express. The crux (hard part) is right off the ground in the first 15ft or so, which is 5.8 or so, a tad more involved than your average 5.8. Grades only tell part of the story when climbing 'new' routes in the San Gabes. There's a lot more there, more adventure, a little more risk.
The climbing gets easier, but protection is harder to find.
Chris pops up on the ledge!
Up the vertical face 'Backyard Boogie', 5.9ish. Really enjoyed this one. Small pro, tiny little cams! Good cracks, though.
Time to go home and reconnect with the interweb world with all the beeping and clicking on things and stress.
Cheers folks. Go out and enjoy the land before it burns to a crisp. Then, enjoy it afterwards.
