The nearly 9.5 hr drive to the ranch consisted of little sleep (for me) and a lot of rain. Hours of downpours made me question the quality and quantity of climbing we would get for our trip which lasted Thurs - Sunday. After we had set up camp Thursday, the crew headed to the rock to scout out routes and the level of wetness. Surprisingly, the rock was drying well. With high hopes for dry weather, we settled in at camp.
The Camping
Imagine an EZ-Up tent filled with ten people sitting on coolers and lawn chairs, two tables, a couple propane stoves, a bouldering pad, and bins of food. That setup, alone, made for a enjoyable weekend, especially after sundown when the temps dropped. For the first dinner, I volunteered to make one of my favorite meals - mama's beef stroganoff recipe. Even on Coleman stoves with limited ingredients, the meal was satisfying! We had no problems with food - gorging on mexican burritos, thai peanut rice, sandwiches, cookies, mini candy bars, and other snacks. I slept well most nights too. After camping sp many nights this summer, I have gotten used to the feel and have grown to love the comfort my Kelty down bag affords. I even brought a foam pad in addition to my inflatable pad to enhance the comfort. Oh yeah!
A quick aside: on one midnight journey to relieve myself, I was greeted by an incredible clear sky. The innumerable stars shown like pin holes in a card board box. Every time I witness the beauty of a clear, starry sky, I am amazed. Only the cold on my pantless legs bids me inside away from the grandeur. That is one of the most obvious ways in which I see God's work.
The Climbing
All together, I climbed sixteen pitches. I led eleven of those, all but two cleanly. Four of those leads were on aretes, my favorite type of climb. I top-roped two hand/fist jams at 5.9+, tore up my hands and realized I need a lot of practice. I also pushed myself on two 5.11s. One ended on a steep headwall. I made it through the entire climb (pretty straightforward and 5.8/5.9 before reaching the headwall. Then, I just kept climbing, not succumbing to the thought that it was too hard. The second climb was a made up of a very strenuous thin crack section on the bottom and a very balancy, thin section up top. I struggled big time down low but excelled up top. Those were both confidence building. I led my first 5.10 climb, as well. I should have, and probably could have later, led it clean but had to hang at one section when I couldn't manage the right sequence. I found my way, however, and finished strong.
I was VERY impressed with the Ranch. The quality of the rock and routes was very good AND super convenient. I will definitely go back sometime! I send a big thanks out to all the participants and my fellow coordinators in making this a great trip!!
Below is a list of the climbs I did: S=sport, T=trad, TR=toprope, L=lead
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch The Man in Black 5.7 S L The Bulb 5.8 S L Groovy 5.8 S L Brand New 5.8 S L Hickadelic Jazzgrass 5.8 S L Molt 5.8+ S L Gracie's Eight 5.8+ S L Strongman 5.9+ S L Leonid 5.9+ S L Orange Crush* 5.9+ S L Private Property* 5.10a S L Deft Jam 5.9+ T TR WMA 5.9+ T TR Sons of the Soil 5.10a S TR Milquetoast 5.11a S TR The Mud, The Blood, & The Beer 5.11b T TR
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