Utah Campin’ and Climbin’
More desert rain, camping, and some climbing at Indian Creek and Maverick Buttress up Long Canyon, outside of Moab.
More desert rain, camping, and some climbing at Indian Creek and Maverick Buttress up Long Canyon, outside of Moab.
Friday.
Attempted climbing fizzled.
Zion Canyon bike ride.
Hiked Angel’s landing in 2-hours. (5-7ishpm)
Left Yosemite on a Wednesday, and this was most of Thursday.
Got a bit lucky with a permit being available the same day I went into the backcountry office.
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This post is feeling a bit like bragging, as is just about everything on here really. Not sure what to do about that. Maybe that is just the internet for you.
I am traveling by myself. I have a lot of freedom to do things right now.
One day things will be different.
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By Davy’s last day we were getting a bit slab-crazy and decided to do a 6-pitch route up Glacier Point Apron. The Supertopo description for this route makes it sound a bit easier than I found it to be.
We made it to the top without any major complications though.
My brother Davy came up to Yosemite during my last couple of weeks there, and discovered that he is pretty into climbing. We went just about every day he was here. Usually pushing the daylight. These aren’t totally in chronological order.
The pictures that are on the wide and smooth chunk of granite (called Glacier Point Apron) were from some of his last days here.
Davy has had a pretty old-school introduction to the world of climbing. We climbed outside for his first time ever years ago in Gallatin Canyon, MT. I don’t think he’s ever climbed indoors and most of the climbing we did this trip involved cracks.
Crack climbing was all they used to do back in the day, but the advent of sport climbing and climbing gyms has made face climbing more the norm now. I would venture by the time he left that Davy had gained more crack-climbing experience than the majority of climbers.
This was the first time I’ve experienced snow in the valley since moving to El Portal last May. I am leaving soon and I’d been hoping to see some winter before then, so this was a nice bit of closure.
The route is 1200′ tall and summits due to its starting location and El Cap’s tapering shape on its east side.
This all happened yesterday. A warm and sunny Saturday in Yosemite Valley. We didn’t see any other climbers.