I suppose one of the perks about continuing your education onto graduate school, is that you still get to enjoy spring breaks.  (And let me tell you, I have really needed a break from this semester!)  Last year I met up with my boyfriend, Connor, in Tahoe for a week of snowboarding at the Tahoe resorts.  This year, we opted to ditch the snow and head for a much warmer climate.  Las Vegas.

Flashing lights, extravagant shows, exclusive clubs, and uninhibited decisions make Las Vegas a spicy vacation destination for most.  However, ours was pretty much the exact opposite -dirt, coffee, climbing, PBR’s, and a week sans-showers.  We were in the glorious Red Rock Canyon!

Red Rock Canyon sits only about 20 minutes outside of the Vegas Strip and boasts thousands of climbing routes, for both traditional and sport climbing.  (For those of you who are not familiar with these terms, you can check out the climbing beta section of my blog for descriptions).

This was surprisingly my first climbing trip that was longer than two days.  That’s right, first!  I have been climbing almost 3 years now and it was basically as Connor had always described, “Coffee, climbing, and beer.”  Start the morning as soon as the sun comes up, drink your coffee, head out to climb until the sun goes down, then back to the campsite for beer and repeat.

 

Connor after a day of climbing, at the car with PBR and camelot #4 in hand.

Like most trips go, you have a list of things to accomplish and yet it is rare to be able to check them all off- this was no different.  We had a plethora of climbs that each one of us wanted to accomplish, and time could not give us that satisfaction.  Here is what we accomplished:

Monday: I arrived in Vegas at 7am and we went straight out to climb.  The climb was Chasing Shadows, 5.8+ Trad, 3 pitches.  The patina rock face hid the holds so well that you would just have to stand up, and hope there was a decent hand hold-which there generally was.  Although it wasn’t a classic, it was an awesome climb.

Beautiful spot at the base of Chasing Shadows

Tuesday: We had a party of 3 this day, which makes climbing multi-pitch routes difficult, so we had aimed to set out for the Black Corridor for sport routes.  However, we accidentally drove past the pullout – and in Red Rocks, once you are in the park, you are stuck on a 13 mile scenic overlook for 13 miles, so turning around wasn’t an option.  So instead it was back to the guide book and discover new potential routes.  (Luckily in Red Rocks, that isn’t hard to do!)  Mans best friend, 5.7 sport, 2 pitches –Casey and I both led a pitch of it.  Very easy climbing and bolted like a gym route- but still lots of fun!  Then we scrambled through and above a narrow slot canyon to Hidden edge, 5.10b (actually 5.11a, but who’s keeping track?) sport.  Then off to another area where I led the trad route, Spider line, 5.7 trad.  I just started leading trad this summer and haven’t had too much experience since, so it was great to try it again.  Let me tell you, leading trad is a whole different mind set when you have to place your own gear rather than relying on bolts!  The climb can be easy, but your mind likes to induce a certain fear factor.

 

Me, scrambling over a narrow slot canyon

Group photo at the summit of Spider Line

Wednesday: Oh man… Talk about amazing yet brutal day.  Or what I like to call, sufferfest morning to an unforgettable climb.  Connor and I woke up well before the sun was up to make coffee and set off for our climb (ok, so CONNOR actually was the one to wake up, make coffee and breakfast while he let me sleep a little longer – isn’t he just wonderful?)  If you know me, I am not generally the biggest fan of early mornings, but driving into Red Rock Canyon at sunrise is phenomenal!  The rocks glow with a certain grandeur and majesty that lasts if only for a few moments.  It is something worth getting up and seeing.  (I really recommend any sunrise adventure, as they tend to make the most beautiful ones.)

The hike was, well… I should explain hiking in the desert.  You can see your destination and so you walk in such direction.  Every so often, you come across a path, “sure, this looks promising!”  “Nope, lets change course.”  It makes hiking in the desert relatively easy.  But sand always makes things difficult and then, so do hills… Anyways!  It took us roughly 1.5 hours to hike to the base of our climb, Unimpeachable Groping, 5.10b sport.  Even with our early morning start, we were the third party in line for the route.  The climb was just pitch after pitch of outstanding features and thought-provoking technical moves (and epic, airy roof!).  Each move was 5.10 or harder and relatively overhung the whole way, made the grade pretty stout.  I led the first pitch and since bouldering all winter in the gym left me with zero endurance, Connor led the rest.  By the time we reached the top of the 5th pitch, it was getting late – and rather than continue up the other two, we decided to rap the route.  (It also had seemed like a perilous journey to join the congregating masses at the common descent route for the wall, when they yelled for rock fall and we never saw one party come down… Must have been some sort of epic at the top… better not wait in a line to get back to our packs and more importantly, beers!)

Connor and I roughly 600ft up on Unimpeachable Groping

Rapping off Unimpeachable Groping

Thursday: We slept in this morning and had a late start to our day.  It was a group of three again- Casey, Connor and myself headed out for Y2K, 5.10a mixed, 4 pitches.  Another amazing climb with yet another big roof! (See a trend here?)  Just great movement and wicked features on the rock.  One of my favorite things about climbing is the incredible views and exposure you get when atop the summit of a climb.  It is a feeling most people don’t get to experience (nor do they get to enjoy lunch on a ledge 400 ft up like we did!)

The guidebook warns of small crevices along the rap route that enjoy eating ropes once they get pulled.  And sure enough, on our descent we passed a freshly severed rope – remnants of an attempted rope rescue that must have ended in heartbreak…. Cutting a rope on a climb is like Aron Ralston chopping off his arm which was portrayed in 127 Hours, it totally sucks, but has to be done.  (Ok, so maybe not THAT dramatic).  Luckily our ropes did not see that same fate and we made it down safely.  Just in time for beers under the shade of the lone tree along the trail.

At the top anchor of Y2K

Friday: It was our last day climbing in Red Rocks, which was bittersweet.  We had all had such a great time during the week- coffee, climbing, beer, repeat.  Our whole party (5 of us) stuck together in the morning.  Due to our late start, we accomplished one pitch which I led – Bottoms up, 5.7 trad.  By lunchtime, Connor and I parted ways with the group to try to climb a super classic, Birdland, 5.7+ trad, (our thought was to beat the crowds by going late and climbing fast).  Unfortunately when we arrived at the base we noticed that two parties of older women either had the same idea, or were just horribly slow climbers.  We hoped for the former.  Nope, no such luck.  By the time it took Connor and I both to lead one pitch each, the women still had not climbed a full pitch.  Oh well, back down and to camp to drink beers and enjoy the sunset.

Saturday: Time to say my goodbye to Red Rocks.

Our Vegas adventure was not at all like Hunter S. Thompson’s trip but he can still sum it up pretty well, “Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run, but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant.”

It wasn’t all just fear and loathing in Las Vegas.

-Paige Ashley