First impressions: Crack climbing is SO hard. I'm wondering why I'm even here! It's so tough and so scary to place gear in a vertical crack and jam your hands and feet into these painful places. Ouch. But, the creek is beautiful. Nestled in a remote part of south-eastern Utah, the creek has some of the best crack climbing in the world. Splitter cracks, where 7 one-inch cams are needed at once, instead of the usual 1 or 2. Going with a group is essential in order to have enough gear for the climbs you want to do!
The Bridger Jacks after the descent
When I arrived I met up with a few of the ole Squamish crew, and got on some desert towers! The Bridger Jacks are a group of towers, with various routes to the top. It was amazing to be up there with views of the whole valley. At the end of the day, I took some big falls on an offwidth crack (a crack too wide for your hands to fit in, but too small for your body), and it spooked me a little bit. It's been a while since I'd become more comfortable falling on cams and nuts. Scary!!
On top of Sunflower Tower @ the Bridger Jacks
Finally got to meet up with Charlotte and Kenny and Derek, along with two lovely folks from Portland, Sarah and Dave. Mike also stopped in (driving his motorcycle from LA to CT) and we all went climbing for a few days. It was so so fun! And hard .. but fun! The nights were incredibly cold, but we managed to have a wonderful Thanksgiving feast by the fire, complete with pies and cool whip. Had to leave the Creek because it was 15 degrees at night, and 35 degrees during the day.. but onward to Red Rock!