I keep thinking of this climb I want to do called Cast Up a Highway that is shady in the morning, but I’m feeling a little slow on the draw from the beer consumption last night. Ann is waiting for our email friend Karen to show up, and Ted wants to climb, so I suggest it. It doesn’t look quite as good as I remembered when I see it – the steep bulgy face is covered with slightly rotten-looking flakes. But I rope up and get on anyway. The start isn’t hard but you go over a small roof before clipping the first bolt, which gets my heart going. Then I climb up to the crux and start going nowhere. There’s a bolt right there so my fall isn’t bad, but I’m upset because I know I can climb it. Rather than thrash, though, I let Ted finish it off. He has some trouble too, but works through it just as the sun is reaching us. I go up once more on TR and get through, but not how I’d like to. Argh.
5 responses to “Freeway Wall, Joshua Tree”
i found out the real name of the route:
Choss Pile # 9,000.
my version of the story/route.
i am anxious to get on something. i figure out a place in Echo Cove… lots of variet. we get there and it’s SUNNY and no book.
we go back and get the book and dylan suggests Choss Pile # 9,000 … but either i wasn’t listening OR he didn’t actually suggest this.
we get to the wall, dylan things I am doing “Nobody Walks in LA” and I think he’s doing “Cake Walk”… sound like a misque???? YEAH.
well, we split the difference and get on Choss Pile # 9,000.
dylan is shakin’ like milk and peels off 2-3 times. i recommend he shake out, let me lead the pile, then he can get back on it.
i lead it, with a couple of shakes… pulling on choss has a disheartening feeling.
i finish it and secretly think about how i would like killl dylan for getting us on Choss Pile # 9,000.
D then TR’s it successfully, doing the crux move(?) in a rather bold fashion.
yukk route. don’t do it… EVER!
God, Ted I wish you had a blog. I’d read it instead of mine!
exactly!
you flatter me,,,, i think.
to be honest, i’m just glad you took the time to reply. .. albeit a one-liner.
yet another note..
dylan and i TR’d “Coarse and Buggy”. the “walk” off involved considerable sliding. well, i did the route last and cleaned off the anchors and proceded to descend via Dylan’s version of the walk off, aka “slide off”.
when i got down, Dylan says something like “You have hole in your pants..” but he makes it seem minor.
2″x2″ 90 degree corner tear on my ass.
pants will have to be darned before they are worn again.
Those pants were darned as soon as they were in your possession…