On March 1st, Dennis & I drove down to Shelf Road for a day of fun in the sun. The forecast was for a beautiful day, so we were eager to get outside. It ended up being a half day, as my elbows started hurting around 3pm. Climbing was fantastic (a little chossy), but the routes were fun.
I ended up climbing the following routes at the Dawn Wall: Chompin’ at the Cholla (5.9)**, Six More Bottles of Basco (5.10b)** (2x), and Don’t Be Messin’ with Ma Moves (5.10c/d)** Picture is of me at cleaning the anchors.
We got there around 10 am and by then, the crag was packed. There were ropes on virtually every moderate climb. In some areas, people were already waiting in line, reserving their spot in the que with their ropes.
Dennis & I walked the length of Cactus Cliffs, but to my dismay there were no blank walls. Ropes hung like vines in the jungle, and loud echos of “Sweet!”, “Do EEEt”, “Should I set it up as a TR?” bounced off the rock.
We sat down in the shade of a couple pine trees, for a break, and I looked up at a group of 4 climbers. They had 2 ropes hanging, and there was only 1 person climbing. It seems the other two were beginners…so I asked if we could climb next. The group was (at first) adament that they’d be there all day, so we should go elsewhere. When I told them about the crowded state of the walls, and said we’d be happy waiting, they yielded. It was nice to finally have something to climb.
The group of four: Tracy, Tony, Gene, Jenny
Place of Origin: Colorado Springs
Mood While Climbing: Super friendly, I hope to climb with Tracy again soon-she muscled her way up Don’t Be Messin’ with gusto!