As soon as we stepped out of the car it hit us. It was cold. Breezy too. Joshua Tree is one of the coldest places I’ve climbed. Didn’t I just spend a day kicking steps in snow? Wasn’t this cold. We were so excited for this weekend climbing trip, but this was going to take some fortitude to get through.
We settled on Double Cross since it was in the sun. And as the day wore on, we managed. Staying in the sun helped, and the breeze settled down a bit. Still, we saw a guide nearby wearing down pants.
It was an extremely crowded, busy day, and the old woman was a scene. The aforementioned guide was one out of three, and they had a classroom worth of clients milling about. We were only number three in line for Double Cross, but as we arrived there was a top rope party in progress. But the day was slowly warming up, so we didn’t mind hanging out and waiting. We chatted with one of the top ropers. It was his first time outside, and his first crack climb. Emma gave him tons of pointers, and once up, he positively crushed it. We were cheering him on and reveling in his success when the classic idiom(adage) rang out like a fart in church: “Oh, hey, when you get to the anchor…”
There it lay, just glistening and shimmering, like a fresh turd in the middle of the staging area. It went back a forth a few times but Emma finally jumped in. And after some more shouting up and down, we arrived at a great compromise. The capable climber would wait at the adjacent top rope anchor so he could communicate easily (and quietly) to the newer climber. This would also allow for a visual double-check on the anchor cleaning process. It was a reasonable solution, and no one felt put out with the result. But sheesh. After Emma took charge, the crowd absolutely surged with relief and stories, but like, maybe one of dude’s friends could have stepped in? Did Emma really have to be the one?
Next up was our new friends Carlie and Viva. Carlie was leading it for the first time. She clearly had this in the bag, but I lent an extra #3 to the cause. While she ticked the route, Emma hopped on Sexy Grandma next door, thanks to the top rope shared by the guides.
Finally it was our turn. It was fairly easy and uneventful. Emma reported feeling like she was locked in the crack and having a bit of flow state with her technique. Afterwards I top roped Dandelion, and then settled in to wait for the group to finish with Grandma so I could lead it. When my time came I forgot to take cams, which turned out ok. I could have used a small one before the first bolt, and a big one for the 5.6 runout up top. Probably optional. The climbing was fun and gymnastic though, so that was fun.
I rapped down, we said goodbye to all our new friends and headed back to Black Rock for the night.
The next day we were looking for sunny routes, and realized it might be time to try our first 5.9 crack. Pope’s Crack fit the bill. We walked up to a party of three on the route and settled in to wait and watch. Their leader was sketching out and bit and then lowered off, which definitely upped my anxiety. But watching a more experienced member of their party finish the lead with ease was very reassuring.
Which was a good indicator for this route, it was pretty cruiser. The initial wide section was wide stemming with decent stances. Gear was plentiful and varied, you could almost pick a piece at random and find a placement within reach. Secure rests appeared after every hard move. I set the #4 with a double runner before the traverse. I ended up back cleaning the upper crack since rope drag was not insignificant. We set up a top rope and Emma totally cruised it. She went slow, and took one rest, but had no hesitation and no trouble at any point.
Ultimately we thought that the route felt true to grade, but we both wanted to call it easy. After Emma lowered I boinged my way back up, cleaned the anchor and rappelled British Airways, to climbers right.
As we hiked out the party behind us attempted the direct finish roof variation. We saw the leader take one fall at the crux, and then nail it her second try. We cheered from the approach trail and headed back to the car. Another fun weekend in J-Tree.
Double Cross
5.7 – 95′
with Emma
“Stay married to the crack”.
Sexy Grandma
5.7 – 80′
with Emma
Tricky corner, then heel-hook arete.
Pope’s Crack
5.9 – 70′
with Emma
Went really smooth.
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