Rewritten

In climbing it seems like we rarely deal in absolute superlatives. Just as 5.9+ is a wide, blurry, and subjective spectrum; climbs are not easily sorted without modifiers or groupings. The best 5.8 in J-Tree, the best splitter-crack, the Fifty Classics, maybe a top ten list, but never “The Best”. In my book, Rewritten is the best route I’ve climbed.

If you’d asked me before, I might hesitantly reference Corrugation Corner. The arête, the exposure, the improbability of it all. The creeping sense that you do not belong here, that this is a forbidden zone (where owls will poop in your chalk bag). But despite all that, maybe Whodunit is better; certainly the movement is. But wait, what about aesthetics? For me we’re immediately in Zion or Arches. J-Tree is probably my favorite spot, so maybe BoC?

But after climbing Rewritten, it is definitively the best. Corrugation’s rounded arête has nothing on Rebuffat’s. And while a stiffer grade might bring more engaging hard climbing, the mild spice level along with cruiser moderate terrain builds into a perfect flavor. And as for aesthetics… just look at those rocks.

We started hiking at 6:30 to beat the heat, with the haze from the Lake Shore Fire still lingering in the canyon creating an atmospheric glow. As we climbed the Redgarden Wall trail, slippery maroon boulders gave way to orange and tan blocks with a bit more grip. The canyon was alive with climbers, with teams on almost every wall in sight. Steep switchbacks gave way to stairs, both stone and wood, and eventually we were scrambling and climbing up boulders and a welded steel ladder. We passed wild grape, blueberries, and raspberries on the way. After a few breaks to catch our breath, we found the climb, and racked up.

The first pitch has two choices. 5.8 with good pro (Great Zot), or a supposedly dicey 5.6 meander to the left. We chose the original start because I came here for the full experience, and getting honest on the first pitch seemed like the right thing to do. Fiddly gear? Check! Slightly runout? Check! Thoughtful climbing, with loose flakes and holds? Check! The traverse near the top was probably the psychological crux. I found a decent-ish #4 stopper above a barely-ok cam. The move was easy enough though, and then a solid crack led to the ledge. Easy climbing, but the gear made it just a bit spicy. Welcome to Eldo!

Emma followed, all smiles, although she traversed a little higher, probably adding a grade or so, and arrived at the belay enthusiastic and inspired. This was also the point where the reality set in for her, that this place is… slightly dodgy? I might have been light on warnings (mostly a casual “don’t forget to check your holds” while stepping off the ground). Should I have been more forthcoming about rock quality? I don’t know.

Our new routine is to force a snack break at every belay. After bonking so hard on The Line, we’re committed to preemptive blood sugar management. So snacks came out and we reflected on the pitch. We both agreed that it felt true to grade, and that”thoughtful” was the best descriptor. Also, it was really fun. After stowing snacks and finishing the changeover, I headed off on our second pitch.

This pitch began with some easy (but challenging) weirdness up the inside of a large flake, and then face climbing. I could see the red ledge up above, but since I was linking the next pitch and was worried about drag, I scoped an early traverse that would set up a much more direct line. A fairly blank step across to the left with no hands (maybe 5.7) led to a secure corner, with lots of angular blocks to work up. While they weren’t disaster level, it did require cautious pulling, and I only found one placement that felt like it wouldn’t lever something loose.

Despite the area’s reputation for seriousness, I get the sense that you can improvise a fair amount here, but being honest with yourself and being prepared for the consequences are required. It would be very easy to climb yourself into a section with unusable holds and bad pro, so be prepared for runouts and down climbing if you decide to wing it here.

This cutoff rewarded me with no drag at all as I passed the eyebolt and headed up the corner into the gully. Probably should have saved my #3 for the chimney flake, but I made do with a less than ideal #2 and by staying deep and secure in the slot. Emma managed to stem the outside, but that’s the joy of top rope. The day was starting to get warm, but we were still solidly in the shade at the sheltered belay. Another snack, and then off on the famous traverse.

The classic fourth pitch (our third) was everything that was advertised. The traverse was so fun, and the subsequent crack was a dream to climb. The upper part was just starting to come into the sun a bit, but wasn’t warm enough to get greasy. Solid movement, interesting jams and holds, and improbable sections made this a joyful ascent. At the first ledge system I opted right and around the corner, determined to stay on the arête. This took me up a large cluster of flakes. Easy climbing, but runout. Every test-tap with a cam resonated and vibrated throughout the entire assembly, and left me feeling a little precarious. Definitely no gear here. The consequences of improvisation I suppose. Emma opted instead to clean my last piece and then head left to a blank section to finish the pitch proper. (Was that the 5.8 I was looking for?)

By the time she arrived the sun had hit my anchor on the arête, so we relocated to the shady gully with the dead tree. More snacks and water, and I set off on our final pitch. Not sure if I found the 5.8 section or not, but the upper arête was spectacular. An insanely knife-sharp edge that seems too thin to stand on with amazing exposure. Plus the views… This was an epic, all-time climb. I didn’t summit the spire in the interest of getting out of the sun, but I did manage a fun fall-across back to the main wall (cause I’m tall), and finished the route. The last few feet were super interesting conglomerate type rock containing large rounded quartz crystals, and really drove home how variable 5.5 can feel. Emma followed, topped out, and we were done. A bit under five hours, for four pitches, with very leisurely changeovers and snack breaks. We reconvened under a tree for lunch and tidying up, reflecting on this incredible peak experience. It was clear to both of us already that this was a truly special climb.

The descent was another story entirely. Suffice to say, we followed the tracks of a party that got very lost a few days before, and we also got very lost. We suspect that we burnt about two hours wandering up, down, left, right, losing and gaining tons of elevation. It was 92 degrees, and we ran out of water. Fatigue, lightheadedness, and shaky-legs led us to consider calling for assistance. But after scrambling 200′ of loose terrain and fifth class slab (short roped around the waist), we finally connected with the ridge trail. This led us to a notch, that did not seem right, but desperation led us to start sliding down it. This was a pretty sketchy gully, but we managed to barely avoid knocking things loose. We meandered and slid our way down (with a few just disaster sections) until we got cliffed out right above a groomed trail. But Emma gave it a second look and analyzed the fall-lines, and decreed that it would go. Some moderate and delicate down climbing finally put us right at the end of the Redgarden Wall trail. Which means that the cutty, sketchy, hectic gravelly gully slide we just descended out of desperation might be the actual descent? Ok, Coloradans… If the approach trail was like first class flight on British Airways, the descent was like ditching a flaming helicopter into the ocean. Scary, bumpy, awkward, but ultimately survivable.

Despite the hot mess we made of the descent (and its inherently sketchy nature), Rewritten was an incredible epic climb that ranks among the best we’ve done, if not the singular, absolute best. Adventurous, mostly very easy, spectacular rock, great crux pitches and just an overall incredible time.

Down the hill and back to the AirBnB, with just enough time to eat, shower and rest before heading off to the airport to pick up my mom. Not the ideal finish to our day, but unquestionably worth it to have got such an amazing classic.

Rewritten (Rebuffat’s Arete variation):

5.7 – Six pitches – 650′

with Emma

P1, P2+P3, P4, P5+P6

Stoppers x2, doubles .3 – 2, one #3

Veer left early to link 2 & 3 (traffic dependent)

Missed the 5.8 off P4 belay?

Descent: maybe would consider scramble down to rap station? Or just hug ridge tighter?

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