The CragBaby

Ms. Pear (who will from here on out be referenced as the Route Slayer) and I have been wanting to hop on Castleton since last year. We had tried to run it this past November, but due to inclement weather were turned away, cragging for the day instead. So when the weather was looking nice and sunny this past weekend we decided to cruise down with our friends, Triznut and Frenchie, for a desert weekend and a break from “real life”.

On Saturday we spent the day cragging at the Ice Cream Parlor, each of us climbing a handful of pitches and I even taking a couple of the trad leads. Let me note, that I am NOT a trad climber by any means but am trying to develop a “trad lead head”. Learning to love this type of climbing is definitely a work in progress for me.

Triznut leading a very fun 5.8 finger crack.

Frenchie cleaning another excellent line after leading it.

That night we camped at the Castleton camping area. The Route Slayer and I were so exhausted we skipped our planned dinner and quickly toasted quesadillas. I gobbled mine down and was the first to bed around 10pm, instantly falling asleep.

My tent with a sun-lit Castleton in the background.

The next morn we spent an hour preparing our trad rack and cleaning up camp, then set off on the trail up to Castleton. I quickly realized that my lack of cardio for the last year due to the ankle injury and my climbing partner’s intense cardio workouts due to her scheduled Boston marathon run created a huge discrepancy in our hiking times. =) Thankfully she was the fastest of all four of us so I didn’t feel like a complete slacker.

The Frenchman hiking up to Castleton. Frenchie and Triznut ran the Kori-angles line, meeting the Route Slayer and I at the top to join ropes for the rappels.

The Route Slayer and I did the North Chimney line of Castleton, a four pitch 5.8 line. The blue line on this picture shows the approximate route (with the dotted line showing that we were actually on the backside or I guess really the middle of the tower). Beta for the route can be found here on MountainProject. There is an offwidth section on pitch 2 that requires a 4 to 4.5 camalot. Yet if new to offwidth, the Route Slayer actually suggest a 5 camalot.

I was real psyched on climbing Castleton, but I think I must have forgotten many aspects of tower climbing since I have only done one other tower to date. I somehow forgot that I am NOT a desert trad climber, I don’t particularly like exposure and I can often become a little queasy with great heights. None of these characteristics, especially combined, are useful on Castleton. =)

Me. Real jazzed. Well.. until I started to climb.

The Route Slayer pulling the boulder move at the bottom of the first pitch.

Me and the Route Slayer at the top of the first pitch. The Route Slayer had taken the first, and hardest, lead and had done a phenomenal job. I struggled mentally, even on top rope. The first pitch seemed pretty “in my face” with the exposure feeling more extreme than what I had expected from pitch 1. I was smiley in this picture, but deep down I wondered if I was going to hit the summit.

Me finishing up the second pitch. The Route Slayer took this picture as she vowed NEVER to climb an offwidth again. =)

The Route Slayer and I had decided in the morn that she would take the first two leads, the hardest of the four, and I would take the last two. I wasn’t quite sure on the hike up if I could actually take the last two leads as I seriously am not a trad climber. Yet, I thought I would see how the climb was feeling. By the top of the second pitch it was real obvious that me taking the last two leads was not going to happen. I continued to mentally struggle to feel even somewhat comfortable on these routes. The Route Slayer gladly stepped up (thank you again) and led the last two pitches easily.

The top of the 3rd pitch was a fantastic corridor, comfortable for sitting and enjoying the sun.

Me finishing up the 4th pitch, which was by far the most enjoyable pitch as it contained face holds and allowed the use of the trusty heel hook.

The Route Slayer and I hit the summit early afternoon, meeting Triznut and Frenchie who had beaten us by about half an hour. The summit views were spectacular and I felt honored to add my name into the summit diary, even with my entry stating that I was scared and hit the summit only due to luckily having the best climbing partner ever. =)

The view from the summit.

The Frenchman, Triznut, the Route Slayer and I.

Triznut escaping the wind in the hangout area.

Getting ready for the first rappel.

A picture looking down on the first rap. I usually don’t like rappeling as it is the most common way climbers get hurt. This rap seemed especially intense due to the exposure, sheer wall and wind. This was the first time that I truly thought I might throw up upon looking over the edge. Why again do I climb for a hobby?

Soon enough we were all back on level ground.

Overall, climbing Castleton was a good experience. There were some downsides, for instance me almost crying twice and seriously thinking I might throw up. Ha ha…! I don’t know why this climb was so incredibly emotional for me. I hoped it was an off day or because I hadn’t been on a rope for awhile. Regardless, I did get to hang out in the sun with my friends and see some beautiful views of Moab. But mostly, I learned that deep down I am truly just a sport climber. I like the movement of sport routes, the face holds and the length of the climb. And you know what? That is ok. The more I climb, the more I learn that all my partners and I all have different fortes. Tower leads should be left up to Frenchie, Triznut and the Route Slayer. Please only send fixed gear leads my way. =)

My friend, the Greyhghost, gave me the heads up about a phenomenal recycling service in Utah. The company, Stone Castle, is in the computer and electronics recycling business specifically but recycles everything imaginable from monitors and hard drives to batteries, electronics, glass, plastics, microwaves, DVDs, cell phones etc. The company services Weber, Davis and Utah counties through a handful of location drops, but addresseses Salt Lake County with a pickup service. They pickup and recycle everything for free except monitors and tvs which cost a mere $5 fee.

To schedule a pickup appointment, call 801-731-9444 and tell them where you will leave the items. Fantastic!

Shaft and I cruised up to Solitude in celebration of St. Patty’s for half a day of skiing. The snow conditions were pretty good (meaning a little fresh powder only in the trees), but it was just nice to escape the city for a bit and take a break from the stresses of life.

No matter the ski day, the picture always looks the same. =)

I strive to volunteer on a weekly basis but am looking for some new volunteer opportunities. The places with which I currently affiliate my time include:

ARUP – I like to donate platelets on a bi-weekly basis, albeit I feel well. This is my favorite volunteer service because by sitting and watching a movie, I can directly impact a life. I choose to donate through ARUP because all donations are used at the local hospitals and very rarely do they receive enough donations to fulfill demand.

Climbing – During the summer I like to donate a climbing day to taking out climbing newbies. I do this because I used to be one of those newbies who couldn’t find a partner. And it sucks. By taking them out I can still have a beautiful day in the outdoors, teach proper safety techniques (keeping the climbing community safe) and allow someone else to enjoy the sport I love.

KCPW – I volunteer often during the KCPW pledge drives. KCPW is Salt Lake’s independent national public radio station (that barely escaped from being turned into a Christin station. Thank you again KCPW board members). I really love the programming, the KCPW crew and the point that they brought the BBC to its own frequency so that listeners could have BBC news 24/7. This volunteer opportunity is only on a semi-annual basis.

Ten Thousand Villages – I used to volunteer weekly with Ten Thousand Villages but have now put this on the back burner. I still really like the organization, but didn’t feel completely needed when I was there. I felt as if I didn’t show, the job would still get done… so why not spend my time elsewhere?

I have also looked into working with the Literacy Center of Utah, but have not started on with them as I just think the time commitment is too much for me to take on right now. I have also looked into NAMI (the National Alliance of Mental Illness). I was so jazzed when I found NAMI because I feel like mental illness is a prevalent disease that many people do not understand and I was hoping I could help with social awareness. I was so psyched for their cause I offered a year of my time, but they just didn’t know what to do with me. Thought their cause is good, at the time that I talked with them they seemed to still figure out how to operate, so I stepped away.

I would love to hear where you readers affiliate your volunteer time and why. I am looking for something that I love as much as platelet donation. Some form of service that is really needed and appreciated.