-alternatively titled-
Jacob and Ryan See America and, Somewhat Surprisingly, Do Not Murder Each Other
The Rundown
Consisting of Myself, Ryan Hoover, and the ’92 4Runner
- Four Days at the Ouray Ice Park, Colorado
- Three Days in Red Rock, Nevada
- Two Days in Joshua Tree, California, w/ Gimpilator
- One Day at Smith Rock, Oregon
-One rest day, four travel days
- 3400 miles driven (with gas prices ranging from under $3 to over $5)
- 97 pitches climbed (43 led; on rock Ryan’s highest being 5.10b, mine being 5.8, on ice our highest being WI3)
- total losses amounting to one altimeter, one glove, one pair of glasses, two nuts (net loss of one), two rolls of climbing tape, one axel boot, and one oversize tire.
Ryan's trusty 4Runner
Preface
For Christmas and New Year Ryan and myself did a road trip. It was long, parts of it were more than a little crazy, and many good lessons were learned, among them
1. Washingtonians complaining about bushwhacking are full of shit, the worst brush in the lower 48 is located in Oak Creek Canyon, Nevada.
2. Never go on a road trip with one other person in a car you cannot drive (manual transmission).
3. Verizon has only one dead spot in the western third of the United States and there, yes – there, is where your car will just about break down.
4. The Yosemite decimal system does not actually make any sense; our hardest pitch? My vote goes to Pope’s Crack, 5.9, Ryan’s goes to the second pitch of Black Orpheus, 5.8+.
5. The best laid plans of mice and men will probably be abandoned because everyone is tired of being cold.
6. There are two types of crags, one that you visit on your way to somewhere else and one that you make a beeline for from halfway across the continent; Ouray and Joshua Tree are the former, Red Rock and Smith Rock are the latter.
Part 1 - Ouray
Route names in the Ouray Ice Park are approximate, being that they are taken from a guidebook that is almost ten years old and distinguishing one route from another in the ice park is very difficult.
New Funtier Area
A Bit Thin
Looks Climbable
Ryan on The Cook (WI3)
Myself on The Cook
The Prow (WI3)
Sun on the Ice Park
The Schoolroom
Just another day at The Schoolroom
The look of it
Not quite touching down yet
Pick O’ The Vic
Ryan on The Verminator (WI4)
Leading Ice
Myself leading Miller Time (WI2/3)
Soloing Jimmy Cracked Corner (WI2-)
Ryan mid-lead on Cow Days (WI2)
Lower Bridge
The upper half of three WI4/5 pitches we top-roped
Part 2 - Red Rock
Route ratings should not be taken all that seriously, in general – Joshua Tree is sandbagged, Smith Rock is soft, and Red Rock is bizarrely inconsistent.
Jubilant Song (5.8)
Windy Peak
Hiking into the South Face
The Route
Myself leading the second pitch (5.7)
Approaching the end of pitch 3
Myself leading the fourth pitch (5.6), which continued straight into the fifth pitch (5.8)
Ryan at the summit
Black Orpheus (5.10a)
Oak Creek Canyon
The Route
Not the best belay stance ever
Ryan clipping a bolt on the last pitch
Chocolate Rocks
The Chocolate Rocks
Minute Maid (5.6)
Park 3 - Joshua Tree
Ryan leading Overhang Bypass (5.7)
Gimpilator following Overhang Bypass
Lost Horse Wall
Ryan near the high point of Lost Horse Wall
Gimpilator top-roping Fun Stuff
Pope’s Crack
Ryan and Gimpilator near the top of Pope’s Crack
Ryan leading Where Two Deserts Meet
Gimpilator eyeing his first trad lead
Tape hands
Part 4 - Smith Rock
Zebra to Zion (5.10b)
Approaching Morning Glory Wall
First pitch of Zebra to Zion
The Route
And Just For the Hell of It
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