New bed, who dis? After lots of debating and speculating, we finally opted to take the EV camping in Joshua Tree. At first we thought we’d be stretching the range, although it would be doable, but then once we realized we can sleep in the back… it was on. It was time to see how it would work. We got up early and headed out. A quick charge at the outlet mall in Owl, and soon enough we were in the park.
We’d been meaning to do White Lightning again for a while now, and Hemmingway appeared empty so we started over there. Maybe the heat was keeping people away. It was warm, but totally manageable at this point in the day. The route went fairly well. The large block at the start had me nervous enough to take a test fall to see if I would clear it. Just barely. The climbing through the initial wide section was certainly easy enough, but that block had me on alert. I finally settled on a #4 with no extension as high as possible and climbed through. All good, but that block is totally aiming to clip your ankles if you fall there.
The rest of the climb was totally fun, and Emma cruised the lower wide section. She hadn’t climbed it in six years, and had improved so much in the meantime, so not even a tiny struggle. We hurried to rappel down since the top was cooking in the sun. Once back at the base we were really feeling it, the day was getting hot.
We swooped into Hidden Valley for a picnic lunch, and then headed to the chillout cave. A perfect cool spot to relax and wait out the heat of the day. A few hours later, with the help of some cloud cover, we were ready to head back out.
Since it was nearby, and we were repeating classics anyway, we decided to go get Sail Away. The first time we climbed it we just weren’t that impressed. This time was completely the opposite. We both absolutely loved it. This thing is amazing. Great movement, good pro, awesome summit. I even got a tiny spook in the last 20 feet! So cool to get that sort of thrill on such a cruiser route. My notes even say “should repeat often”.
Back to Black Rock with a “David Bowie” pizza from Pie for the People. Delicious bacon, pineapple, caramelized onions, jalapeño, and plum sauce. Site 25 completely delivered. It was private and scenic, and backing up towards the edge of the site put us at the perfect angle for the bed. Sleeping in the car was an incredible upgrade from the tent, and was so much easier. Achievement unlocked!
The next morning we scrambled up to Dairy Queen Left. Which was an easier approach than the right side of the wall, that’s for sure.We hadn’t been up here before, and had the whole wall to ourselves. The day was getting warm, but cloud cover kept the heat in check.
Our first climb was Leap Year Flake. It was pretty easy, with one really thin step across about halfway up. Maybe another thin jam somewhere else? Nice climb. The large upper flake was cool, but didn’t really warrant a full lieback, more like underclings with slab feet. Chill but interesting features.
Next up we tried out the nearby Norm. Another fun one that was thin and varied. I went right below the first pin (or bolt?) because it felt contrived and dicey to charge straight up. I also used the sidepull on the right for the duration, which probably lowered the grade to 5.9 if I had to guess. The edge of the formation had a nice sharp edge to pull on, and avoiding the move felt really contrived. I really cool feature that takes you up into a neat zone with trees and chutes. Might be fun to explore around up there someday and see if it’s possible to top out on the formation.
And with that we called it, ready to drive back home. Our return trip taught us a lot about local charging infrastructure and how to better do Joshua Tree with an EV. Definitely avoiding the outlet mall in Owl during business hours from now on!
White Lightning
5.7 – 120′
with Emma
Place #4 as high as possible, no extension, bump through initial moves.
From there a handful of cams will get you to the top. At least one #2 in anchor.
Sail Away
5.8 – 60′
with Emma
Doubles to #1, stoppers.
Leap Year Flake
5.7 – 90′
with Emma
Probably want some small/thin gear.
Large flake is cool. Cross ledge to climbers right for rings.
Norm
5.10a (5.9 as climbed) – 70′
with Emma
Feels about 5.9 when using the sidepull.
