On Saturday, Stan, Jen, Max, and I went in search of The Citadel. It seemed this area had a variety of climbs, with a mixture of styles. We decided to give it a shot.
We found the parking lot okay, and off we went down the trail.
After around 10-15 minutes of walking, Jen & Max made a bee-line for a crag, charging uphill toward a pile of rocks. In the book, it says, “at 0.5 miles Mechanical Transmission Crag is visible on the North”, which appeared to be where they were headed.
I figured it was not the Citadel because the Citadel was supposed to be about a mile from the car pull-out. I just knew we hadn’t walked a mile. So, Stan & I headed uphill to bring them back to the trail, and then we all walked for another 30 minutes down the trail.
At this point, we think we spotted the crag to our north. Did we?
At 0.9 miles, the book mentions the Plum Line Crag, which requires some bushwhacking to get to. In the book, Plumb Line and Citadel look side-by-side, so it was very confusing.
Should we stay a little longer on the trail, go north & bushwhack, or turn around (maybe we missed it?).
We opted to do the bushwhacking.
In about 20 minutes, we made it to a crag, but then were completely and utterly turned around. Was this the right area?
I dropped my pack by a large boulder and decided to scout things out. I ran through the brush looking for a way to the cliff base. Boulders the size of trucks were strewn all around, and I scrambled quickly, losing my breath, looking for any sign of chalk or climbers.
Finally, Max caught up with me. This worried me a little because I didn’t know where everybody else was…were we all just scrambling about, or had Stan & Jen decided to wait where I said? Finally, I gave up, and I went back to the packs. Max continued to search for a way of reaching the cliff base, while I went on the hunt for my backpack. Where was it? All the rocks looked the same. Oh NO!!!
Finally, I found my bag & Jen & Stan. We were all hot, sticky, and covered in spider webs. Stan decided he would head around the formation’s West side, to see if he could find a clue. We had no idea if Max was having any luck…
At this point in time, I noticed that we ALL were carrying ropes. Why did we all have ropes? 4 people and 4 ropes, how ridiculous. Max also was carrying a camera case with a camera the size of Texas. He must be young to be hauling around all that stuff and still have a ton of energy!
Jen & I were starting to both feel cranky from all the bushwhacking and the feeling of failure creeping up (I mean, we got up around 5:30am, and now we were closing in on 10am with still no climbing!). I also got in a funk, because I was tired from all our hiking. I bet we did nearly 5 miles! My backpack weighed 35 pounds, which for me is a ton…And, Stan’s ankle was still healing, so it was not a good situation for him either.
However bad I felt, I felt even worse for Jen. She arranged to have this two day break from home life, only to climb one route Friday and then spend all day bushwhacking Saturday? Oh No, that would not happen. I mean, heck, she can bushwhack right outside her back door, she doesn’t have to come to WY to do it!
I took a moment to confess to her, ” *Every* time I’ve been to Vedauwoo, I’ve “done time” bushwhacking. In fact, now I have come to expect it.” I’m sure it didn’t make her feel better at the time, but I thought it was worth relaying.
I believe it will take a lifetime to learn the best way to each crag there! I attribute it to the Vedauwoo Leprechauns, they *do* exist and they’re tricky little devils!
So around 10am, we all decided it wasn’t worth the anguish. We bailed on finding the Citadel, and went back to the Nautilus.
What a crazy way to start the day. Geez!
At the Nautilus, Max cruised up Tat Exit (5.10a), and Jen followed.
We soon lost sight of them.
They then did a bunch of climbing higher up on the Nautilus, and Jen reports they had a blast.
Meanwhile, Stan & I searched for a fun climb. We finally settled on Middle Parallel Space (5.9). What a great climb! Stan put it up, and I was happy to clean it.
Boy, was I worn out from the hiking and the previous day’s epic on Mainstreet. After climbing that, I was pretty well done for the day. I was happy to have had the chance to get on a classic.
Stan & I explored the north side of the Nautilus, and hiked around a bit more. At the end of the day, we caught up with Max & Jen, just as Max was leading Friday the 13th (5.10a). Max did a great job, and looked like he really enjoyed the climb. Jen cleaned the climb, and then it was time to head home.
On the drive home, Jen & I chatted up a storm, poor Stan!
We stopped for custard on the way back, which seemed to brighten all our moods! Any day that ends in frozen custard is a good day!
Tags: Nautilus, Rock Climbing, The Citadel, Vedauwoo, Wide Crack Heaven