Trip Report
A Month in the Desert - Moab, Cochise, Indian Creek, Red Rocks
Friday November 26, 2010 7:57pm
This is my first TR on Supertaco, so go easy! My wife, Kristin, and I recently returned from a month long road trip to the Desert Southwest. With winter closing in and the snow starting to fly, I thought we’d share some rock stoke.

Leg 1 – Moab

We left Portland on a dreary Monday morning headed east on I84. Still unsure of our agenda, we decided at the last minute to bypass the City of Rocks and make a beeline for Moab in the hopes of getting in a little bit of climbing before foul weather moved in. We rolled in on Tuesday afternoon and got in three pretty good days before the rain started.

Wall Street

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Climbing on Potash Road
Climbing on Potash Road
Credit: Winter
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Sandstone and the Colorado River
Sandstone and the Colorado River
Credit: Winter
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Ancient Art, Stolen Chimney, III, 5.10d

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Ancient Art in Morning Light
Ancient Art in Morning Light
Credit: Winter
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The Last Belay on Stolen Chimney
The Last Belay on Stolen Chimney
Credit: Winter
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The final pitch of Ancient Art
The final pitch of Ancient Art
Credit: Winter
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Kristin in the window
Kristin in the window
Credit: Winter
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Supertaco rates the climb 5.8 A0, but as others have noted, the second bolt above the ledge on the first pitch has been chopped. As a result, the route requires mandatory 5.10-ish stemming moves with the possibility of a ledge fall. Although fairly straightforward, the chopped bolt requires a rapid realignment of your mental frame of mind in the middle of the first pitch of the morning. Fun stuff, but it would be pretty darn heads up if you were a 5.9 leader expecting friendly A0 climbing.

Long Canyon

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Electronic Battleship, 5.10
Electronic Battleship, 5.10
Credit: Winter
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Long Canyon
Long Canyon
Credit: Winter
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We were impressed with Long Canyon even though we only spent an afternoon in the area. Looks like there is lots more quality climbing to be explored.

I popped a rib on the first pitch of the first day, and by the end of Leg 1 I was suffering excruciating pain. Ouch. After a good storm drenched Moab, we decided to move on and drove south to visit friends in Sedona.

Leg 2 - Sedona

We enjoyed a very cool drive through Monument Valley, with a detour to see the fabled Totem Pole, before eventually finding our way to Sedona.

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Monument Valley
Monument Valley
Credit: Winter
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The Curio
The Curio
Credit: Winter
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I needed a few days of rest so my tender ribs could recover, but we got in a great hike around Cathedral Rock and past the Mace. We also got some up close and intimate shots of this friendly Desert Tarantula during the hike.

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Cathedral Rock
Cathedral Rock
Credit: Winter
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The Mace
The Mace
Credit: Winter
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Desert Tarantula
Desert Tarantula
Credit: Winter
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Leg 2 ended with a student massage at a local school. Skeptical at first, I was pleasantly surprised, and over the next couple of days the pain subsided quickly. After a couple of days, we said our goodbyes and moved on to Cochise.

Leg 3 – Cochise Stronghold

We started in the East Stronghold at Zappa Dome, looking for some easy moderates sport routes to stretch out the tight muscles in my back. The highlight was climbing Nightcrawler on Owl Rock at the end of the second day - excellent runout face climbing up a leaning tower of desert granite. Good times.

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Racking up for Nightcrawler
Racking up for Nightcrawler
Credit: Winter
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Nightcrawler on the Owl, 5.9
Nightcrawler on the Owl, 5.9
Credit: Winter
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After a couple of days, we moved over to the East Stronghold and decided to check out the Sheepshead area.

Ewephoria, II/III, 5.9

We found this route to be pretty enjoyable, with well-protected moderate face climbing up the SW face of the formation. The highlight was definitely the final bolted pitch of The Climb that Wouldn’t Die, a sweet pitch that traversed over one set of roofs, under another, and then out onto an aręte overlooking the entire valley. Very cool climbing.

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Variation to the final pitch of Euphoria, 5.9
Variation to the final pitch of Euphoria, 5.9
Credit: Winter
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The Namesake Ewe
The Namesake Ewe
Credit: Winter
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Mystery of the Desert, II/III, 5.9R

The next day we went up and got on Mystery of the Desert. This route sports very cool varied climbing up the south face of the formation just to the west of the Sheepshead – known as the Muttonhead or also, I think, one of the Sisters. The first pitch starts with runout 5.9 face climbing - a good wake-up - into a 150’ of two stellar 5.9 corners capped by a juggy 5.9 roof. After a short 5.7 chimney, the 3rd pitch starts with some moderate slab climbing into a very cool 5.9 lcrack and then a 20-30 ft. traverse on delicate feet.

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1st pitch of Mystery
1st pitch of Mystery
Credit: Winter
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2nd belay on Mystery
2nd belay on Mystery
Credit: Winter
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5.9 crack on the 3rd pitch of Mystery
5.9 crack on the 3rd pitch of Mystery
Credit: Winter
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Looking back on the 3rd belay on Mystery
Looking back on the 3rd belay on Mystery
Credit: Winter
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After climbing 4 out of 5 days, the ribs felt great, and we decided to head back to Utah for our first ever sampling of the fabled crack lines at Indian Creek. We absolutely loved the chill scene and quality rock of Cochise. Some more photos …

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Desert Gord
Desert Gord
Credit: Winter
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A couple of shadows
A couple of shadows
Credit: Winter
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Praying Mantis
Praying Mantis
Credit: Winter
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Acorn Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Credit: Winter
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The Windmill
The Windmill
Credit: Winter
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Leg 4 – Indian Creek

What can I say about the Creek that hasn’t already been said by so many other people? We had an amazing week in this magical setting. We climbed 5 out of 6 six days, and by the end were completely worn out.

The highlight was on Day 3, getting the on-sight of Excuse Station, 5.11, an incredible 120’ thin hands face crack.

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Excuse Station, 5.11
Excuse Station, 5.11
Credit: Winter
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More Excuse Station
More Excuse Station
Credit: Winter
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Our first day at Supercrack Butrress was also a memorable one, as I managed the on-sights of Supercrack, Incredible Hand Crack and 3 AM Crack on the same day, and just missed sending Anasazi.

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Supercrack, 5.10
Supercrack, 5.10
Credit: Winter
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Nick Dolecek on 3AM Crack, 5.10
Nick Dolecek on 3AM Crack, 5.10
Credit: Winter
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Some other highlights …

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Black Uhuru, 5.10+
Black Uhuru, 5.10+
Credit: Winter
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Generic Crack, 5.10-
Generic Crack, 5.10-
Credit: Winter
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Mr. Peanut, 5.11-
Mr. Peanut, 5.11-
Credit: Winter
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Dr. Carl, 5.10
Dr. Carl, 5.10
Credit: Winter
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By the end, we were utterly spent. Again, bad weather was moving in, so we moved out in search of warmer temps and dry rock – the freedom of a road trip.

Leg 5 – Red Rocks, Epinepherine, IV, 5.9

Knowing this would be the last climbing of the trip, we decided to finish strong with an ascent of Epinepherine in Black Velvet Canyon. We had climbed several other routes in the area but hadn’t yet ventured into the deep dark chimneys of this classic route.

After spending two weeks in Cochise and the Creek, the though of camping in the BLM dump turned our stomach, so we splurged and checked into a 4-star casino/resort at $37/night – the Alliante!

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The pool at the Alliante
The pool at the Alliante
Credit: Winter
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With about 11 hours of daylight, we knew we were going to be racing the darkness to the tope of the route. We left the casino at about 4:45 am and started climbing at around 7. The temps were cool, but wind was calm. We were just barely on the verge of being too cold, but we moved steadily throughout the day.

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2nd Chimney Pitch on Epi
2nd Chimney Pitch on Epi
Credit: Winter
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Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to take many pics from the route, but it paid off in the end. We topped out at the big pine tree at about 4:15 pm, leaving us 45 minutes to find the descent gully off the ridge before darkness fell. We followed the cairns along the ridge top until we got to the correct gully, and just as we started down towards Frogland the darkness caught up with us. At that point, we slowed way down, as we basically went cairn to cairn all the way to the desert floor. We finally made it back to the car at about 7 pm, exhausted and very happy to have finally climbed this excellent moderate classic.

Leg 6 – Big Sur

We finished up the trip with a quick visit to Big Sur to celebrate the birthday of the long-time college friend. Our first night there, we were treated to the most amazing sunset of the trip, a fantastic setting in which to reflect upon an amazing month of climbing and freedom.

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Big Sur sunset
Big Sur sunset
Credit: Winter
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Credit: Winter
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There's other words and photos up on our blog. chriswinter.blogspot.com.

  Trip Report Views: 8,781
Winter
About the Author
Winter is a climber from Portland.

Comments
pc

climber
  Nov 26, 2010 - 08:02pm PT
Excellent! Not a bad way to spend a month, Wow!
Captain...or Skully

climber
Boise, ID
  Nov 26, 2010 - 08:04pm PT
Bitchin' trip, looks like.
TFPU! Gettin' out there is what it's all about.
alpinerockfiend

Trad climber
the Magic City
  Nov 26, 2010 - 08:05pm PT
Great TR man. Enjoyed the photos.
sheepdog

Trad climber
just over the hill
  Nov 26, 2010 - 08:06pm PT
Most excellent TR! Thanks for the posting!
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
  Nov 26, 2010 - 08:07pm PT
Great! Thanks. I hope to get out to Cochise one of these days soon.

BAd
steelmnkey

climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
  Nov 26, 2010 - 09:22pm PT
Nice circuit. Can't believe you didn't do the Mace (or even something else) while you were in Sedona. Excellent climbing there.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Nov 26, 2010 - 10:40pm PT
Awesome TR!
Y'alls gots some climbing in!
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
  Nov 26, 2010 - 10:43pm PT
Way to send!
karodrinker

Trad climber
San Jose, CA
  Nov 26, 2010 - 10:44pm PT
Wow. Jealous I am..
Prod

Trad climber
  Nov 26, 2010 - 11:29pm PT
What a month.

Prod.
Dirka

Trad climber
Hustle City
  Nov 27, 2010 - 12:01am PT
A power Month Sir! And Lady.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Nov 27, 2010 - 01:29am PT
well done, and thx
The Larry

climber
  Nov 27, 2010 - 01:35am PT
Cheers! Fun times for sure.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
  Nov 27, 2010 - 03:13am PT
Thanks for the TR.

We're about to head south for a desert trip, but just five days. Pretty jealous of your month.
Winter

climber
Author's Reply  Nov 27, 2010 - 06:54pm PT
Thanks for the comments. Great way to remember an amazing trip.
ground_up

Trad climber
mt. hood /baja
  Nov 27, 2010 - 07:01pm PT
dang !..nice
Crimpergirl

Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
  Nov 27, 2010 - 07:20pm PT
Looks like lots of fun - and the weather looks awesome! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Kalimon

Social climber
Ridgway, CO
  Nov 27, 2010 - 10:18pm PT
Nice itinerary!

I'm envious.
MoabUtah

Social climber
Moab Utah
  Dec 1, 2010 - 01:51pm PT
The Pictures are fantastic! I am excited to share them on a blog, Moab in Action and link back to this post. I will remove it at once if you disagree.
Nice climbing...
Buju

Big Wall climber
the range of light
  Dec 1, 2010 - 01:54pm PT
that is a lot of beauty!
Winter

climber
Author's Reply  Dec 1, 2010 - 02:50pm PT
MoabUtah, check your messages re your post. Thanks.
k-man

Gym climber
SCruz
  Dec 1, 2010 - 03:12pm PT
Nice TR Winter!! Splurging at the Casino, classic.

You ever going back to Treasure of the Sierra Madre (there's booty up in them there hills!)?
rock grrl

Trad climber
CA
  Dec 1, 2010 - 03:33pm PT
Wow what a month!
Winter

climber
Author's Reply  Dec 1, 2010 - 04:42pm PT
k-man what up. Sierra Madre is calling my name. I have to go back to find my buried treasure ... unless someone else was lucky enough to find it first.
J. Werlin

Social climber
Cedaredge, CO
  Dec 1, 2010 - 05:31pm PT
Most excellent! Thanks for posting.
AKTrad

Mountain climber
AK
  Dec 10, 2010 - 08:39pm PT
Beautiful photos of an awesome trip. Makes me want to head into the desert, even in the winter.
philo

climber
  Dec 14, 2010 - 12:25pm PT
Beautiful! Well done and thanks for sharing.
Now we wait for more.
skywalker

climber
  Dec 14, 2010 - 12:33pm PT
Thanks for posting, enjoyed the photos!

Cheers!

S...
crunch

Social climber
CO
  Dec 14, 2010 - 01:43pm PT
Excellent. Thanks for posting this
Fluoride

Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA/Joshua Tree
  Dec 14, 2010 - 01:58pm PT
Very VERY well done. Great trip and a great read. Thanks to you.
Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
  Dec 14, 2010 - 09:10pm PT
KICK ASS TRIP & REPORT!

Stellar!

Wonderful!

It is starting to snow outside------again.

Damn! Desert sound real good about now.
Josh Higgins

Trad climber
San Diego
  Dec 20, 2010 - 11:57pm PT
Way to get it done! That sounds like a solid month!

Josh
Paco

Trad climber
Montana
  Dec 21, 2010 - 12:01am PT
and that is how every other month of our lives ought to be spent. Spectacular photos.
Crimpergirl

Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
  Jan 10, 2011 - 12:59am PT
Such a good tr it is worth a second and third (and more) read! Thx!
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
  Oct 31, 2011 - 12:00am PT
Cool report.
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
  Oct 31, 2011 - 09:30am PT
Killer roadie, great photos!
Deserves a bump to the top.

Edit -
I'm with steelmnkey, shoulda climbed in Sedona.
The Mace woulda massaged your rib into place!
So many climbs, so little time.
Winter

climber
Author's Reply  Oct 31, 2011 - 12:56pm PT
Yo guys thanks for bumping this to the top. Just got back from a killer two week trip to Potrero Chico and re-reading this TR helped to ease my re-entry.
dirt claud

Social climber
san diego,ca
  Feb 28, 2017 - 09:59am PT
Bump
labrat

Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
  Mar 3, 2017 - 11:09am PT
Great report! Thanks for bumping.....
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