The CragBaby

From Bishop, California I drove home to SLC to spend a week and half hanging out with friends and resting the ankle I had managed to sprain in California.  (My Bishop pics and trip beta will soon be forthcoming.)

From SLC I caught the direct SLC to Paris flight, spending four weeks in France before heading over to the United Kingdom.  My first 5 days in France were spent in Lyon visiting my friend David (pics also coming soon), then I drove to Fontainebleau. I am still in Bleau and will be here for a couple more weeks.  So far Bleau is hands down my favorite destination I have visited on this road trip adventure.  Below are some pics of the last two weeks…

Me working Graviton. Such a great line with a heartbreaker finish.

Guillaume on the Red 13 traverse at Canche Aux Mercier. Fabulous line!  Guillaume was introduced to me by my friend David and has been a great friend here in Fontainebleau.  He has generously allowed me to crash at his house (located in a village outside of Bleau called La Vaudaue) and is always excited to get out climbing with me. =)

Jussi on Helicopter.  I had heard that this problem was an ankle eater… but silly old me hopped on anyway because it looked like an enjoyable problem.  After attempting it about four times, I feel from the crux “helicopter” move and re-tweaked my already sprained ankle.  Argh! 

Juho sending Druxmanie. =)  I really liked this climb and am hoping to go back for another try at the send.

Me on La Marie Rose. 

Working the crux topout of La Statique.

Jussi getting so close to sticking Vin Rouge, a 7a dyno.

One day I met three Finnish guys, Jussi, Juho and Tuomo, and ended up meeting up with them on 3 different days to climb.  Tuormo worked for a Finnish television company and had this great 8mm camera that rattled loudly while in use. He took a handful of footage on the days we climbed together.  Here he was taking footage of an excellent traverse at Fronchard Isatis.  The traverse isn’t named but is on #29 on the Red Circuit.  Good times!

I visited White Sands National Park on a rest day while in Hueco Tanks.  I was there for only a day, but it immediately topped my list of favorite national parks.  I would highly recommend stopping by if near the Las Cruces, New Mexico area.

The rolling white sand dunes looked like fresh white powder.  I even saw a family sledding down the dunes on toboggans. =)

Every once in awhile, vegetation can be spotted on the horizon.

Tracks in the sand.  It was actually real hard to take pictures because the reflection of the sun on the white sand was so bright and my eyes were very senstive. I had to wear a hat and sunglasses to see, and I am pretty sure I was still squinting.

CB loved it there!  She would run to the next sand dune… run back….

and then would need to sleep for a minute. =)

I would suggest going on the trail in the middle of the park. (I’m sorry, but I can’t remember the name right now.)  It is miles long, but going only a mile out is further than the usual visitor and provides the best views of the dunes.  Just make sure to follow the above markers as it would be extremely easy to get lost.

Re-circling to the series I started in December …. post 2 of Living the Nomadic Life.

1. Just Leave
2. The Best Car for the Road
3. What to Pack
4. Where to Visit
5. Tips and Tidbits

The “best” car for the road is quite a subjective topic as it depends more on what is important to you than the actual vehicle itself.  Things to consider include:

• How much do you want to spend on gasoline?
• Is your current vehicle reliable?  Or should you buy a new one?
• How many people are going on the trip?  (If traveling with another person, a car is probably NOT IDEAL as the car becomes your home and it is nice to have some space.)
• How much space do you need to feel comfortable and happy?  And how important is complete privacy (i.e. the windows of a car vs. the enclosure of a van)?

Basically there are three main options.  The biggest variables are space versus gasoline prices, giving up one for the other.

The Dream Home

I saw some fantastic van set-ups on the road, thinking especially of Prairie’s and Nick’s vehicles.  I unfortunately did not take any pictures. Argh!  I have emailed Prairie and hopefully will have some pictures to post up for you soon.  Basically the best van setup is where the bed is located at the very back by the back door allowing the middle of the van to be open.  Both of my friends had constructed their belongings to be in stacks or built shelves, creating an atmosphere of a true room.

Along these same lines is the camper setup. It doesn’t provide as much spare room as a van, but still creates a true home feeling..

Amy’s and Tripp’s camper setup.

The Lil Chicka posted her old travel vehicle on her blog.  You can see how they were able to organize in stacks, creating some walking space.

The Runner Up

Many people travel in SUVs or mini vans were the backseat is removed and the whole back is made into a bed, creating a storage space underneath the bed.

This picture is from TheRockClimberGirl blog. I traveled in a similar setup for about a week and it was very comfortable and worked well, requiring very little re-arrangement for sleeping.

The Tight Squeeze

For the penny pinches, traveling by car is an option.

Pierre traveled in this little car but had taken out the back seat and built a bed area that allowed him to lay flat, albeit with limited wiggle room.

When his car was completely packed up, it looked like this.

My Set Up = Tight Squeeze

I ended up with the tight squeeze approach because…

1. When I left home gasoline prices were $3.50 a gallon. I knew I would be traveling a lot and didn’t know how to forecast future fuel prices.
2. My Honda was very reliable and I trusted it to be able to go the whole trip, which it did.
3. I was traveling solo and so a tight squeeze approach could work for me.
4. I was content with the limited privacy and space.

I kept the front fairly clean so that CB could sit on the passenger side if she needed a break from the backseat.

I slept in the backseat, having this bed basically set up at all times.  The only thing I had to move when wanting to sleep was the crashpad (as it was stored on my bed) from the backseat to the front seat. (Yes… I slept in the backseat of my car…. for almost the entire 8 months.)

Most of my belongings were in the trunk.  Near the end of the trip I had organized everything into bins to ensure dryness as moisture liked to seep into my trunk (a fact I did not know as it never rains in Utah).  The empty spot in the picture was used for my cooler.

Have you been on the road before?  If so, what was your setup?  And what did you think about it?

Adrian on ‘Dirty Martini’.

Usually guidebooks include a list of area classic, which was the case in the Hueco Tanks guide; however, sometimes my favorites vary from those of the author.  For instance, many of the classics in the Hueco guidebook were high balls, which I don’t really enjoy (in fact usually skipped).  So I have started to compile some of my favorite lines in each area I visit, with the following being my Hueco list.

V0

• Small Potatoes area includes a whole handful of fabulous v0 – v2 climbs. (Small Potatoes, North Mountain)

V1

• Orifice Affair – (Lunch Rock area, North Mountain) 

V2

• Name? – (Small Potatoes, North Mountain) There is a prow climb in the small potatos area.  I can’t remember the name now (and I am sans guidebook as I am sitting in France) but remember this line being real fun.

V3

• La Delicate – (New Meadow, North Mountain) Technical slab climb.
• Ostersizer – (Backountry) This fun line is located in the backcountry next to Hobbit in a Blender.  However, I learned after I left that a huge chunk of it came off during the Rock Rodeo, splicing a brand new pad in half.
• Sign of the Cross – (Sign of the Cross, North Mountain) Tricky!  If you can’t reach the starting holds, get a boost.  Do-able, just takes a little time to figure out (at least for me).

V4

• Girls of Juarez – (Upper Lost Boulder, North Mountain)
• Moonshine Roof – (Backcountry) This roof includes a big first move that traverses into an intriguing surfboard feature, with a consistent finish.
• Warmup Roof – (Backcountry)
• T-Bone Shuffle – (North Mountain)

 V5

• Lobster Claw – (New Meadow, North Mountain) Fabulous line with many beta variations.
• Jigsaw Puzzle – (Backcountry)
• DragonFly – (Backcountry)

V6

• King Cobra – (New Meadow, North Mountain) Powerful! The finish looks so straightforward, but watch out as that heel hook likes to spit that heel right out.
• See Spot – (Big Time Boulder, North Moutain) Quite a tall problem that I did not send and probably never will. =)
• Baby Martini – (Martini Cave, North Mountain)

V7

• Big Iron on His Hip – (Martini Cave, North Mountain) This might have been my all time favorite climb at Hueco.  The sit start is popular line Dirty Martini, but if you are like me and can’t climb v9 right now this is a perfect alternative that includes all the enjoyable moves. =)  In order to send I had to use a bicycle, heel-toe cam and this great campus cross move.  SO FUN!
• Roughage – (Lunch Rocks, North Mountain)
• Speedbump – (New Meadow, North Mountain) This is a great line because it is so easy with the right beta and so hard otherwise.  The key move is a weird heel hook that seems impossible, but completely unocks the problem.
• Guns of Navarone – (North Moutain) A new line not in the book, located near Baby Face and Daily Dick Dose.  I actually never got the chance to try it, but it looks superb. Real long and crimpy, with the crimps supposedly becoming more positive the further you climb.

 V8

• Chris’s Arete – (North Mountain) The climb is said to be soft for the grade, and to be honest I agree with that assessment.  Regardless if it is a v7 or v8, try it… it is fun!
• Something Different –  (Backcountry) Only worked on this climb one day, but the moves (especially the beginning moves if you are shorter like myself) were intriguing.
• Sex after Death – (Backcountry) Hello crimps!

V9

• Dirty Martini – (Martini Cave, North Mountain) This is the only v9 that I hopped on.  The climb felt ok except for the shut down first move.  If you can pull this incredibly hard first move, the rest will be a cake walk.        

Hueco Tanks at sunset.  Photo by the beautiful Suzy Q.

Hueco Tanks is a premier bouldering destination located in El Paso, Texas with 1700+ boulder problems. (Please note that I had a house to stay in with friends while in Hueco, so much of this write-up is information I gathered from other climbers.)

Best Time to Visit

Hueco Tanks is a winter destination with the climbing season being from November to March, with the prime season being December to February. Expect it to still be quite warm during these months as the average temperature during my stay, from January 15 – February 15, was mid-60′s.

Length of Stay

The climbing is so numerous that a many month trip might still not be sufficient. I stayed for exactly a month and felt like I had just scratched the surface on the bouldering, and had yet to check out a single route.

How to Get There

Hueco Tanks is quite straightforward to locate. While in El Paso, navigate your way to Montana Avenue (also known as US-180 / US-62). Follow this road East until you see Hueco Tanks / Ranch Road. Make a left turn and follow this road to the visitor center of the park.

Guidebook

The guidebook is called Hueco Tanks and is authored by Matt Wilder and published by Wolverine. It is a phenomenal guidebook, making each area and problem easy to locate due to the inclusion of its 300+ color photos.

Climbing in Hueco

Hueco Tanks has a handful of rules and regulations. Basically there are 4 climbing area: North Mountain (the main area) and West Mountain, East Mountain and the East Spur (all 3 of referred to as the backcountry). North Mountain allows 70 climbers per day, 60 by reservation and 10 walk ins, with a cost of $5 per person. To make a reservation, call Texas Parks and Wildlife at 512-389-8900. The earlier you make a reservation the better, with people making reservations a year in advance.

To access the backcountry, you must have a guide. I believe there are 3 ways to line up a guide: commercial tours, volunteer tours and personal guide (meaning you personally know someone who is a guide and willing to take you out). Commercial tours are (I believe) ran out of the Rock Ranch and consist of groups of 10 people, $20 per person. The volunteer tours are free but it sounds like you are at the mercy of the crowd. My facts on these two types of tours could be a little off as I only went on tours with friends. If I were to do it again, I would strive to hop on more volunteer tours.

Classic Climbs

There are so many must do problems in Hueco, I am going to make this point its own blog post.

Camping

• Hueco Tanks Park – there is camping in the park, ranging from $12 – 16 per night. The upside of this camping is you are located right in the park. The cons include no dogs and gates shut at 6pm (meaning you can not drive in or out after 6pm.  Boo!).
• Rock Ranch – the Rock Ranch is located within a mile of the Park. The cost to camp is $5 a night, but discounted to $4 per night if staying for longer than 14 days. This is the main climber hang out and dogs are welcome.
• BLM Land – there is free camping on BLM land. I don’t know where it is located exactly (but could find out if one of you readers are interested). I just heard it was a little sketchy for the lone woman traveler, which I am.

Wi-fi

There is wifi in the park and at the ranger station. I think you are supposed to use this wifi only if you are a paid camper, but I believe most climbers would just walk over from the Rock Ranch.

Rest Day Activities

I usually worked on my rest days while in Texas, so don’t have too much advice in this area. Below are a few suggestions.

• White Sands National Park – I did take CB to this National Park and it was one of my favorite stops on my trip. The brilliant white sand looks like mountains covered in powder, including a handful of tourists sledding down the billows.  It is definitely worth the mere couple hour drive.
• El Paso – El Paso does have a lot to offer including a handful of museums and theaters.
• Carlsbad Caverns – I did not visit the caverns, located within a couple hour drive, but hear it is a worthy destination.
• Juarez, Mexico - Juarez is a mere 30 minute drive. In the past it was common for climbers to cross over the border to explore the neighboring country.  However, when I was visiting there was a lot of unrest and violence, especially in Juarez.  I only knew of one climber who made the trek on a rest day.
• Petroglyph tour – Hueco provides art tours of the many petroglyphs within the park.  I hear the tours are fabulous, but did not go on one.

Other

• Dogs – no dogs are allowed in the park (including the campground), nor can you keep them in your car due to the heat. The Rock Ranch does allow dogs to roam free on the lot, but this alternative didn’t quite work for me as I would have been nervous leaving CB (a chihuahua) to fend for herself.
• The Scene – the scene in Hueco is intense! Whew! Expect your visit to include fabulous climb after fabulous climb, but also expect to hear name dropping and lots of discussion of 8a cards. Expect to daily see v12′s crushed and don’t be surprised at all the photographers and their mass of gear. The climbing still makes it worth the trip, but the scene was by far my least favorite out of all the destinations I visited. I even heard a guy comment that he couldn’t send his project because of his shoelaces. Really?! Come on.

If you have any additional beta, please feel free to comment or email me.