Oh how swell the Swell.

Mexican Mountain Road, Looking out over the Swell

  I know of no better way to officially shake off the snow drifts of winter than to head to the desert.  In previous years that has always involved a Moab tower, or two, and some fine Indian Creek Crack Climbing.  This year, thanks to Court, we scraped the skin off our knuckles and elbows in the little known Splitter Crack Paradise known as the Buckhorn Wash of the San Rafael Swell.

The quick approach

Fellow desert rats, Pete, Court, and Dan came along to pay homage to the warm sandstone.  We tossed our 3 double racks of BD Camolots into the Elantra in SLC at 10 am and arrived at the Dyllan wall before 1 pm.  No hoards of gente lined up at the cracks and great camping abounded.  No other climbers anywhere.  25 minute approach up to the wall and Dan lifted off on a great corner climb, Blowin’ In the Wind 5.10b.  We all TRrd it as we slowly remembered how to jam and smear again.  Court of course sans tape on the hands. I liberally taped over all of my gym gobies.  We all admired the super thin splitter, Idiot in the Wind, but decided we’ll save it for Spence. Next court fired the first pitch of Isis which is sandbagged at 5.9.  We had all heard the the Swell would feel almost a full grade harder than the creek and we all agreed.  As the sun lowered I lead the huge 5.10 Bob Can’t climb.  By far the most varied and full body work-out of any Trad lead I have done.  Super thin hands off the deck with crimps for feet, to a ledge.  Then wide had with flaring crack at the feet were I slipped off once. Then perfect goldilocks #2 hands for 20 feet to a awkward wide hands for quite a ways.  It finishes with Thin .4 fingers in a body flare that ate me alive.  So so fun.  I placed 19 cams and it took two ropes to get down. What a great climb.  Everybody TRrd as the sun went down then we scampered back to camp.  Then I cooked my New York Steak on the end of a stick over our cozy fire.  Dan kept the conversation going tell pretty late as we discussed modernism, post-modernism, and the apparent lack of a place in the world (yet wonderful serenity)  for single jobless dirtbaggers….( like Court)

The adjacent route with sweet thin finger crack

Pete Marilyn Monroe'n it on Blowin' In the Wind

Luckily it was a little overcast in the morning so we could sleep in longer then we drove down and hi the Private pizza wall.  Climbed 4 more routes there.  The super fun Private Pizza 5.10 and Cheek full of Redman 5.10. Court led the scary moving pillar start to Teeter Tooter 5.10X. Though, it appeared much tamer than in the past, due to Court shoving a rock under the 4 Ton pillar to keep it from toppling.  After the thin fingers you stand on the tower and do thin hands that gets steeper and steeper. On Top Rope I realized that liebacking was 10 times easier and did 3 laps on it.  A couple of other parties showed up later in the day and an elderly couple watched us in awe from there shady lawn chairs in front of their 5^th Wheeler.  Other than that pretty much to ourselves.  On the way out we stopped at one more route that Court eyed on the way in. Another great corner with a fun pod in the middle that fit a #5 perfect.   Left at 3pm and got back to SLC just before 5 pm so Pete could “see about a girl” or go to the Temple or some “lame” excuse.   

The X rated pillar rockin route

Court teetered above the Teeter Totter