Joshua Tree – Trip Report Day 3

Start of Fote Hog (5.6) is at the tree on the left. Martha happy to have conquered the bulge on Fote Hog Clare at the belay on Fote Hog

On Sunday, I woke up fresh and ready to send. Fote Hog was ours for the taking! We got to the crag, and unfortunately there was a party of 3 parked at the base. They hadn’t even started putting the route up yet. It was pretty obvious they were all beginners-so I figured we’d be waiting for awhile. It was a little chilly, so waiting didn’t bug me.

Martha Topping Out on Fote Hog Top of Fote Hog, looking down on the Thin Wall Clare & Martha: Victory on Fote Hog

I had a fantastic time climbing on Sunday, it seemed I was finally warmed up and ready to attack the rock. Too bad we didn’t have another day there!

One other thing to note was the party of three before me. The leader placed pro, the second cleaned. Then they untied the second from the rope and threw it back down to the ground. The third, followed on TR, but since there was no directional (as you can see in the first picture), it was pretty nervewracking for the beginner dude to follow. He was clearly not ready for this level of climbing, and Martha & I were helping him through the traverse-shouting beta.

It seemed that it was his first time out-and he never asked his buddy the leader any questions about the way the climb would go. The second was a girl, who knew for sure she didn’t want to be following without any directionals…but it was strange the dynamics of this group. Like neither the leader nor the second cared about the 3rd.

For instance, when I came to the belay (one pitch up), the third was just sitting there! They had not left any gear to anchor him into the wall, there was nothing securing him! I asked the guy some probing questions and he had not thought of any of them?!?

I counseled the young man about his choice of friends, and in the very least he should educate himself in some basic safety. What would happen if they threw the rope down and it got stuck and neither party could reach it…None of them had prussiks, I looked! I will count *my* lucky stars that nothing happened that morning, because truly, it’s amazing it all went okay.

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