Joshua Tree: Indian Cove Campground

Joshua Tree: Indian Cove Campground

Located along CA-62, approximately halfway between the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms is a turnoff for Indian Cove Campground. While this campground is technically inside of Joshua Tree, there is no ranger station or day use fee. There are 101 regular size camp sites which cost $15/per night or $25/40 for the Group sites of which there are 13. Unlike other campgrounds in Joshua Tree, sites here may be reserved from October 1st through May 31st by calling 1-877-444-6777 up to six months in advance of the date you want to reserve. Reservations can also be made online at www.recreation.gov.

Indian Cove Campground is home to some of the best easy to moderate cragging in all of Joshua Tree National Park. There are 34 routes rated 5.5 and below, 24 5.6's, 36 5.7's, 46 5.8's, 28 5.9's, and 31 5.10a's all in a relatively small cluster surrounding the campground.

Finding routes here is usually as easy as locating the site number that marks approach up to the climb. Approaches here are typically denoted in feet or times that are generally less than 10 minutes.

Area Favorites:

The Short Wall: One of the most popular crags in Indian Cove Campground. Approach by driving into Indian Cove Campround, make a left at Billboard Buttress which is the road leading to Rattlesnake Canyon, and the Short Wall will be on your left where the two roads merge. There is day use parking available immediately in front of the wall (pictured below.)

The Short Wall offers approximately 30 routes ranging from 5.3-5.11c. Almost all can be top-roped off of gear anchors. The walk off for routes on the right side of the wall is a Class 2 slab straight down off the backside that will feel comfortable even for the average hiker.

Be aware though that anchors are built using cracks beneath boulders that rest atop of the Short Wall and are generally quite a ways back from the cliff's edge. Very long slings, cordelette, or a second thin line are necessary if you plan on top roping from the ground. It is likely easier to belay from above, although this will still require long runners to avoid damaging to your rope.

Favorites in this Area:

Toe Jam Express (5.3): The prominent hand and first crack located on the Right Side of the Short Wall and pictured above. This route takes mid to large size cams. This is a great beginner's trad lead and also an excellent introduction to jamming.

Donna T's Route (5.5): The furthest to the right route on the crag, Donna T's route offers a short section of thin hands crack climbing up to a wider section that is easily protected. The climb finishes with a squeeze between two boulders at the top. High fun value for such a short and easy climb. Like Toe Jam Express, Donna T's Route is an excellent candidate for a first trad lead.

Don't forget that the face climbs between the cracks can also be done off of top rope and are really fun. As this area is very popular, either come early in the morning or just before sundown for a fun, crowdless climbing experience!

N00b Rock: Located just past the Short Wall in the back of campsite 14, is N00b  Rock. This rock features three climbs (from left to right): C*nt Crack (5.4), Hamms Down (5.7), and N00ber Goober (5.7). 

C*nt Crack is a fun and short 5.4 trad crack that ascends out of a pod on the left side of the formation. The other two climbs are face climbs that are pretty steep for the grade. All three climbs share a two bolt rap anchor at the top center of the formation. It is easiest to first climb C*nt Crack and then TR the two face climbs. Please remember to ask permission to climb on this formation if anyone is staying in campsite 14 (as is customary everywhere in Joshua Tree.)

Yosemite National Park: Highway Star

Yosemite National Park: Highway Star (5.10a)

Highway Star (5.10a + harder variations) is a great 60 foot top rope climb located just past the junction of Hwy 120/140 in Yosemite Valley. A mixture of short thin crack liebacking, following by a hand traverse, and then perfect 5.10 hands, this is one fantastic top rope route!

Approach: When entering the Valley via Hwy 120, you will reach the Valley floor at the intersection of Hwy 120/140. Turn left into the Valley and park at the first pullout on the right hand side next to the Merced River (approximately 1 mile.) Cross the road (away from the Merced River) and follow a faint trail to the left and uphill for approximately 5 minutes to the base of the crag. It is noticeable and distinguishable through the trees as a very clean granite face.

The Climb: Ascend up the right or left side of the leaning flake up to the thin finger crack on the left. Layback the crack, mantel up into the traverse, head left and ascend the off-hands/fist crack to the top.

Set-up: To top rope this route, head up on the left hand side of the crag. Easy Class 3 to the top and use the trees to set up an anchor. Use long slings to both back up the main tree at the top using other subsidiary trees, and also to get your anchor out over the lip.

Note: There is a left variation that goes at 5.10b as well as a few boulder move problems at the base. If working the 5.10b crack variation to the left, first lower off and set a directional above the Texas shaped flake to avoid swinging into the large triangular flake at the base to climber's right.

Joshua Tree Route Beta

Hemingway Buttress

Feltoneon Physics (5.8)


This 100 foot tall trad line lies just off Park Boulevard approx 2 miles from Hidden Valley Campground. Park at the large pullout for Hemingway Buttress and hike towards the center of the wall. This climb starts approximately 40 feet to the right of the classic hand/fist crack, White Lightning (5.7). Featuring a wide crack/OW start in a right facing corner (that can be somewhat avoided by moving out onto the face of the buttress), the climb then ascends through excellent hand and finger cracks to a traverse below the summit, and a mantel up between two boulders. For a 100 foot line, this climb felt very adventurous given the heterogeneous nature of its features, its airy traverse (Note: leaders remember to protect your seconds by placing gear at the start and finish of the traverse!), and its mantel finish. Rappel off White Lightning with two ropes, or with a single cord approx 25 feet left of the climb (but note you will end up 7-10 feet off the ground and will need to downclimb easy face holds to complete the descent. I highly recommend this route!

Echo Rocks Area

Eff Eight (5.8)

This 40' Trad line feels like quite the sandbag and is definitely a difficult lead given its unsual placement opportunities. The climb ascends a 40 foot hand crack that curves left off the desert floor. Located in the Echo Rocks Area, this climb receives near perfect sunlight during the day, has a two bolt summit anchor, and features a nice and easy walk-off. If planning to TR this climb, bring long slings to reach from the bolts out over the lip of the climb. While challenging and a bit of a physical struggle rather than an opportunity to practice smooth crack climbing skills, its position, its easy approach, and the bolts making for an ideal top rope for those unused to trad anchors, this climb warrants inclusion in the Bay Area Climbers' To Do List. Park in the Echo Cove Parking lot and hike towards the large Echo Rock. When you near the West End of Echo Rock, turn right and head out into the open expanse on a well worn trail. Eff Eight will be the prominent left slanting crack on a large boulder directly in front of you. To descend, use the easy walk off on climber's left.

Double Dip (5.6)


Double Dip seen on left side with the flake. Stitcher Quits is the prominent black streak on the right. This is Echo Rock, West Face, as seen from the parking lot approach.

Located on Echo Rock's North Face, this 110' sport climb ascends the right side of flake before cruising up the lower angled dome to a nice flat bench finish high off the desert floor. The climb is runout and the flake at its start can be protected with a single cam (#3 or #4) near its top. Ascend the outside of the flake (lieback) for the most straightforward experience. From there one move puts you to the second bolt (don't blow this clip (or fail to put in a cam behind the flake) or you will deck!) After the second bolt, the climbing is easy face climbing and offers quite a few positive holds to say its a slab. Its pure fun, although runout with only 5 bolts in 100' plus. A great alternative to the most popular (but usually crowded) Stitcher Quits (5.7) that ascends the prominent black dike to the right of Double Dip. There is a two bolt anchor. Descend the slabs to climber's left. Pretty classic climb for the grade and I highly recommend it!

Hidden Valley Campground

Hands Off (5.8)

Located inside Hidden Valley Campground, Hands Off (5.8), is a somewhat difficult 5.8that combines stemming, jamming, and some thrashing, to ascend this varied and fun route. Brings #4s for the anchor and smaller gear for the climb itself. To descend, walk off to climber's left down the backside on a somewhat steep slab. Curve back towards hidden Valley and downclimb to the base of the route. The downclimb is not too bad as far as Joshua Tree is concerned. This is a John Long FA and a very popular climb.

Beginner's Three (5.3)


Located on the backside of Intersection Rock, this low angle hand crack ascends a prominent buttress for 50'. Protection opportunities are available throughout, making this a good beginner's trad lead. It does however finish on a low angle slab that appears to have a crack in it when viewed from the ground, only to turn out to be a shallow streak that offers no protection. The angle is quite low here, but this should be known before leaving the ground to avoid the surprise a beginner would feel to suddenly be confronted with a lack of pro. The climb finishes on the shoulder of Intersection Rock below Overhang Bypass. Build an anchor in the horizontal crack that is positioned approx 10 feet from the lip of the climb. Downclimb off to climber's left (not too bad.)

Double Cross (5.8)

An absolute Joshua Tree classic. This 5.7+-5.8 route offers some of the best hand jamming I've ever seen. It is unfortunately the site of quite a few accidents probably owing to its 25' of essentially unprotected (but easy) face climbing before the start of the crack and due to its fame as a classic Joshua Tree solo. After the face moves, its 70' of beautiful and rythmic crack climbing. Rap anchors are to climber's right. Takes a standard rack with cams up to 3" with doubles (or triples) of #1s and #2s.

Quail Springs

Trashcan Rock, located just off Park Boulevard approximately 3 miles from the Park's Western entrance, this rock sees a lot of traffic from both guide groups and tourists given that it features a large parking area, picnic tables, and 5 second approaches. While not a remote wilderness setting, it does offer a lot of climbing in a short period of time given the availability of easy-to-moderate trad routes and moderate sport climbs.


1. The Trough (5.0) - A great, but short (20') beginner's trad line
2. Karpwitz (5.6) - A nice fun, trad line with varied movements
3. B-3 (5.3) - Trad, anchor in horizontal crack above.
4. Profundity (5.10c) - Sport. Thoughtful, fun moves on an inobvious line.
5. B-2 (5.3) - Trad. The least enjoyable of the 5.3 and below trad lines on the face.
6. Tiptoe (5.7+) - Sport. A great line that moves up a feldspar dike. First bolt is way off the ground though and should be (dare I say it!) stick clipped if possible.
7. B-1 (5.1) - Trad. Fun face moves on patina flakes compliment a few nice hand jams.

Lost Horse Area

Atlantis Wall

To reach the Atlantis Wall, turn off Park Boulevard onto the dirt road through the Lost Horse Area. Park at the last dirt pullout before the 'Service Only Road' sign. Hike in on a well worn trail along rock walls until you can turn left up and into a Canyon. There on your left will be the very popular and fun Atlantis Wall.

On the Atlantis Wall are a number of great beginner trad climbs that can also be toproped by walking up the easy gully on the backside (Class 2?). Trad anchors and long slings are necessary to rig ropes, but a number of large boulders atop the formation offer strong and easy to use anchor points.

In the photo above, left-to-right, are:

Solar Technology (5.6), Men with Cow's Heads (5.5), Wet Pigeon (5.8), and Taurus
(5.7). We found everyone of these climbs to be fantastic. They make for great beginner's leads given the shorter nature of the wall (50') and due to the plentiful protection opportunities throughout each climb.

Indian Creek Volunteer Day

From Jim Donini's post on SuperTopo.com, this one is a bit further afield for most of our readers, but as if you needed a reason to head to Indian Creek please see below.

"The weekend of October 13th/14th will be the time, Creek Pasture the place for the 4th Annual Indian Creek Volunteer Day.
BLM co-ordinator Bob Lever (a great friend to climbers) has lined up some tasty projects mostly in the Creek Pasture/ Superbowl campground areas.

Come help protect and restore these areas and further build the climber/ land manager relationship in Indian Creek!
On Saturday we work and on Sunday we play.
What you get:
Reserved camping Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at Creek Pasture.
Free World famous Bison or Veggie Burger barbeque on Saturday night.
Wonderful tales (some even true) around a crackling oak fire.
Meet new clmbing friends.
Free T-shirts from the BLM
Crack climbing clinics on Sunday and a chance to climb with your new friends.
and most of all the great feeling from a job well done. At past events participants have always been amazed at what they have accomplished.

Please RSVP Jim Donini at (jimdonini43@gmail.com) with your bison/veggie preferance"

Oakdale Climbers' Festival 10/26-10/28

From Steve Grossman's Announcement on SuperTopo, the below event is something our readers won't want to miss...!!!

"Oakdale Climbers Festival 2012- Invitation and Schedule of Events

The City of Oakdale and I are pleased to invite you to participate in the inaugural Oakdale Climbers Festival taking place at the Oakdale Community Center Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28, 2012.

“Running Towards Commitment- The Salathé Experience” will be the theme for the first two days.

The event will kick off on Friday evening at 7:30pm with a discussion of the personal and climbing history of John Salathé lead by Steve Grossman.

Jerry Gallwas will tell the story of his Salathé piton collection and its connection to the first ascent of the Lost arrow via the Chimney and discuss his own early ascent.

Guest of Honor Al Steck will then comment on his own experiences with John on the north face of Sentinel Rock in July 1950. The Steck-Salathé route set the standard with respect to difficulty and style and was by far the most difficult rock climb of its era and yardstick for the next generation

Ken Yager will discuss John's later years including the transfer of his hardware through the Thune family to the Yosemite Climbing Association. Salathé hardware will be on display for the duration of the event.

Doug Robinson will then speak to the Salathé legacy of boldness and style to conclude the evening.

On Saturday at noon, Tom Frost and Royal Robbins will discuss the influence of Salathé on their approach to climbing El Capitan's southwest face named in John's honor, the Salathé Wall. Tom and Royal will recount their experiences on the first ascent with Chuck Pratt and a subsequent attempt to repeat the climb in a single push with TM Herbert. Fifty years ago Tom and Royal were the first party of two to climb El Cap in a very lightly-equipped second ascent of the Salathé Wall.

At 2 pm Al Steck and Dick Long will describe their third ascent with Steve Roper and show a film that they made en route.

At 4 pm Peter Haan will discuss his experience soloing the Salathé Wall as his first time up El Capitan in 1971.

At 6 pm Paul Piana will describe his experiences free climbing the Salathé Wall for the first time with Todd Skinner in 1988.

At 8 pm Hans Florine will discuss speed climbing the Salathé Wall and the evolution of style to finish out the evening.

On Sunday a symposium entitled “Forging Ahead- American Climbing Hardware in the 1940's, 50's and 60's” will be held from noon to 6 pm.

Come and enjoy hardware displays from all manufacturers active during this thirty year period. Participants will be available to answer questions about producing early hardware and hopefully be willing to speak briefly about their experiences making or selling gear fifty years ago.

Speakers start with Al Steck recalling the early days of the Ski Hut in Berkeley.

Jerry Gallwas reflecting on John Salathé as a craftsman and his own work with pitons.

Dick Long and his partner discussing the history of Longware.

Tom Frost and Dennis Hennek discussing the early days of Chouinard Equipment.

Don Lauria reflecting on West Ridge Sports and the history of Bill Feuerer and his Dolt Equipment.

Authors and artists will be selling and signing books and photographs such as Tom Frost, Royal Robbins, Joe Fitschen and Glen Denny with more to be listed soon.

Registration is free prior to the deadline at:

http://climb.oakdalecity.com/

In order to keep this event free we need financial support in the form of:

1) Donations from boosters in any amount.

2) Limited Artist and Author Exhibition Space for $150.

3) Vendor Exhibition Space for $300.

4) Sponsorship including logo presence on event poster and other promotional material for $500.

5) Festival Guide advertising space starting at $100.

At this point we really need some financial assistance to help properly do this event. Please contact me if you would like to help with a direct donation or need more details about participating in any way.

We are going to print on the event poster very soon so please contact me if you would like to be a sponsor so that we can get your logo in time to include it."

Yosemite Facelift 2012

The time has arrived again for this year's Yosemite Facelift.

Sponsored by the Yosemite Climbing Association and run by Ken Yeager, the Facelift is an annual volunteer event where climbers and others who love the Valley get together and spend the week removing trash and other debris from Yosemite.

There is a program each evening featuring famous climbers, climbing films, slideshows, etc. This year will also be again sponsored by New Belgium Brewery which in previous years has meant purchasing a commemorative pint glass at the beginning of the week for $20 (or so) and then having free beer for the remainder of the week.

Liter sticks and trash bags are handed out to volunteers and all time spent cleaning up is done on a self-directed ad hoc basis. It is not unusual to climb some shorter routes in the morning, spend mid-day picking up trash and hauling out concrete, brick, steel cable, etc and then spending the evening enjoying one of the programs. It is a fantastic time and we highly recommend you participating if time allows!

The evening program schedule is below.

Tuesday September 25, 2012 at East Auditorium - 7th Annual Reel Rock Film Tour. Doors open at 6:30 pm. and close at 10:30 pm.

Wednesday September 26, 2012 at East Auditorium - Ben Lepesant - "Team Endor going to Hoth. A multinational climbing expedition to Baffin Island", Mike Schaefer presentation, Conrad Anker - "The Bread Line". Doors open at 6:30 pm. and close at 10:30 pm.

Thursday September 27, 2012 at East Auditorium - Greg Stock - "The Geology of Yosemite Climbing", Sean Leary presentation, Mark Wellman - "No Limits". Doors open at 6:30 pm. and close at 10:30 pm.

Friday September 28, 2012 at East Auditorium - Cheyne Lempe - "Viva Patagonia", James Lucas - "The Lifestyle Climber", and Alex Honnold - "Adventures". Doors open at 6:30 pm. and close at 10:30 pm.

Saturday September 29, 2012 On the grass at Yosemite Elementary School - Live music from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Graham Smith-White will open then Little Brother will play.

Sunday September 30, 2012 at East Auditorium - Food, raffle and dancing to music by Little Brother. Doors open at 6:00 pm and event ends at midnight.

 

Hope to see you there!

South Lake Tahoe Area: Luther Spires

Luther Spires



Luther Spires

Located high on a ridge, Luther Spires is host to a series of spires and rock outcrops featuring mostly moderate sport climbing. The approach is a gruelling uphill hike that is best avoided on hot days or during peak sunlight hours. Fortunately, the reward for making the trek is a very sublime setting with literally world class views of the surrounding Christmas Valley. The area is actively seeing development and the bolts are in great condition. There is some loose rock and there are some grainy sections, but all in all, this area is becoming a great destination for moderate sport climbers. There are approximately 16 established routes here with many more likely to come.
Approach: Heading South away from South Lake Tahoe, take Hwy 89 for approximately 10 minutes until you see the sign for the Big Meadow Trailhead. Continue past this sign for approximately 1/2 mile and park in the pullout on the left. Walk down into a clearing and follow the dirt trail down and across a large tree that serves as a natural bridge over a small creek. Head left to continue on the dirt trail and follow switchbacks up to the top where the trail will intersect with the base of the popular slab route, Jane Spy (5.7).

For the easiest climbing, head right from Jane Spy and up a small bit of Class 3 to a small collection of 5.8 to 5.10a climbs. Note: no move on the scramble is harder than Class 3. If you find yourself making a 5.0+ move, then continue searching for the easier approach (especially if weighted down by gear, ropes, etc.) Up here on a small terrace, you will find a short 20' spire with bolted climbs on both the right and left aretes. The left is Cheap Commercial Steak Sauce, Two Fifty (5.10a) and the route on the right is Beer and a Hotdog, Two Bucks (5.8). Our party actually found the left side easier. Both climbs while being short feel sustained given the crimpy nature of both the hand and foot holds. Great views out over the Christmas Valley and a small sense of exposure add to the quality of these two short, well protected lines.



CCSSTF & BH,TB

Dog and Grigri, Two Bucks (5.9) is the climb located to the left side of this small terrace. The crux comes before the first bolt and from there the climbing gets a bit easier, but the quality never wanes. Definitely worth leading if comfortable at the grade.



DG,TB (5.9)