It's a downhill coast on the bicycle from here. After a dayhike of
17 miles and a 7140-foot elevation gain, I'm sweaty and freezing.
Edwards Mesa, above, is visible to the N from Prusik
Peak. The pointy guy to its right is The Mole, part of the Rat
Creek Group of towers. Derek and I once took the shortcut up Hook
Creek to Edwards Mesa – a 6000-foot gain straight up from this
road, with packs for a week's camping and climbing. Even some aid
gear on that one. Near the top of the steep gully, we found there
were two climbers up there ahead of us – and they were
trundling boulders down our gully just for fun. Then they decided
they didn't have time to go back down to the car, so they spent the
night, warmed by a fire they built on some of the most pristine
ground I've ever seen. It was some time after that trip that I bought
a gun.
My plan on that trip was to live the week in running shoes and
rock shoes. I didn't carry boots at all. That night we had a
tremendous thunderstorm; we woke up to 2 inches of snow. It was
another day before The Mole dried off enough for climbing. It was
worth the wait. So was the rappel.
The tower that appears to be right next The Mole is The
Blockhouse.
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