Today was going to be much less ambitious than yesterday. Just chasing the shade and setting up some top ropes. First up was Sexy Grandma. This seemed perfect for Sammie and Jake, especially the move through the rooflet. Big gymnastic pulls with good hands, with an almost mandatory heel-hook. This has them written all over it!
I guess we forgot about the flaring corner? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t on Emma’s mind, because during her two runs on the route she cruised it effortlessly. Despite all her attempts to download beta to the rest of us, we couldn’t replicate her ease. I just find it insecure and tenuous, and resort to a big reach at the last minute, but Sammie and Jake… yeah, they struggled. At one point Sammie appeared to have lost it. “I hate this!!!” she exclaimed. This was followed by an immediate apology, like it was uncouth, or rude or might be ruining the vibe of our climbing session. We reassured her that her opinion was completely valid. I hope my laughter wasn’t off-putting, but I really felt like, wow, you’re a real climber now! We’ve all hated our way up sections. Sometimes, somedays, even questioning why you’re still at it. Hating a section and regretting your choices to go outside and climb a rock are just part of being a climber.
Overall, they did great. They managed the roof without a significant struggle. And quite surprisingly they cruised the upper slabby section. It’s really slick up there, and they both practically walked up it. Finally Emma took her second run, and then proceeded to clean an anchor for the first time. She came very close to throwing the rope before threading the rings, but caught herself in time. I’m sure that having to be ‘rescued’ would have been mortifying.
The day was getting hotter, so we headed to The Eye for a cooldown adventure. While it would be a repeat for everyone, it was in the shade and seemed like an easy choice to end the day. But as we unloaded packs and began racking up someone popped their head into the eye and started fiddling with gear. We managed to get their attention and then clarified that they were setting up a top rope. Despite that we picked the route by default, this irked us enough to inspire a rant about ethics and style as we headed back to the cars.
There’s certainly a spectrum of opinions on the appropriateness of top roping such a route, but I felt that the actual error this party made was to not leave someone at the base to broadcast their intentions to approaching climbers. Had we arrived a few minutes earlier, I would have been halfway up the route with three followers in tow. Maybe that would have been the real faux pas? Who knows. Last time on The Eye a party climbed through between Emma and I (after asking, of course). Sometimes it’s just a circus. Hopefully Sammie and Jake gleaned some usable insight from my crusty ramblings. If nothing else, it illustrated and informed how sometimes climbers get to griping about each other.
The hike to Playhouse was barely tolerable, but at least there was shade at the base. Somebody put me up on Dress Rehearsal and I set up a top rope. Just a good fun route to finish on. Everybody got it, we saw a chuckwalla, and then Emma cleaned her second anchor. All in all it was a nice weekend that was fun opportunity to share the real-deal with our gym friends.
Sexy Grandma
5.9 – 70′
Flaring corner to reach around, rooflet to slab.
.3 down low, maybe a #2 up top
Dress Rehearsal
5.7 – 100′
Just a bunch of fun moves.
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