After breakfast Ted and I look at Dogleg and Double Cross, but they are both busy. So we wander over to The Flake and he starts up. The beginning chimney looks a little scrunchy even for him, then he exits right and puts a piece in that provides plenty of rope drag for the rest of the route. Following, in the hard part of the chimney I feel like my knees are in my ears. I move an inch or two at a time, grunting excessively. “What a strange thing we do ourselves getting on climbs like this,” I think. After I take out the rope drag piece though, the rest is gravy. Sweet featured hand crack to lumpy friction finish. At the top, Ted is in trouble for belaying off the rap station. Then, when we rap, Ted yells “ROPE!”, throws it, and hits an English tourist who complains loudly. I hear him tell her, “Yeah, that’s why we yell ROPE!” Then, when she is paralyzed with fear on the walk-off, he helps her down, step by step.
6 responses to “Joshua Tree – The Flake 5.8”
the reality is, BRING SLINGS AND ‘BINERS!!
i should NOT have belayed off the ends of the chains.
BUT,
nobody was up there when i got there. then there was like 5 people within 15 minutes.
2 people wanted to get off, but i had the links wrapped up (so to speak.. heh) with my belay. i felt bad.
i asked dylan if he was at a bolt and if he could clip in.. i was wanting to move my belay ONE CLIP AT A TIME WHILE I WAS IN A HUGE POD THAT IS SAFER THAN THE BOLTS (probably) so they could use ’em.
they declined. dylan was curious as to why i asked him… but they declined before i could answer him.
the english patient was impatient. her friend as the one that inititiated the bitching.
i told her straight out that there was NO getting around NOT hitting them with the rope. they were on a route directly below the rap.
anyway, when you yell out “ROPE!!” it’s not a question “May I please throw the rope now?? pretty please with sugar on top??”
It’s “Get the fukk outta they way! A rope is coming down and is gonna clean your clock if you don’t get out of the way!! So move your ass!!!”
THAT’S what yelling “ROPE!!” means.
i did help a diff english lassie down. it was weird… she said “I have never climbed outdoors before.”
but i wasn’t sure what that had to do with walking off a pile of rocks. .. seriously, the walk off was a no brainer.
i was happy to help. i like helping people. someday, i just wanna walk around JTree seeing if i can help people.. ok, that’s B.S.. but i am helpful.
in fact, i helped this tard-like woman unstick her stuck rope at Ryan Campground once. she was with some friends of mine and had berrated my stance on the U.S. Government (she’s a bleeding liberal).
still, i helped her get her rope out the next. me? oh yeah.. ima nice guy.
exited LEFT.
the moves are scrunchy. it’s a “thrasher” beginning for shizzle.
i was really really wanting to see dylan on it. .. leading or otherwise… it makes no difference.
the route is good.
by the time i got to the final part ~19′, there are 2 bolts on a slab. the rope had approximately 30 pounds of drag on it.
for the 2nd bolt, i actually had to hold (pull down) on the draw so i could pull rope up. i am fairly strong for my size, but i could barely pull that rope to the clip above my head.
the drag change those last moves into solid 5.10 moves for me.
i recommend this type of handicapping for anyone that wants to move up the grades. it’s one of the better ways to ruin an otherwise good route.
one more thing on the “ROPE!” deal.
i through one end… dylan through the other (he .. ahem.. ‘failed’ to mention that). we will never know which end hit ‘er. .. i am hoping it was both.
threw!.. i am through.
Name, when are you going to Pick one all your own? You are such a mysterious presence and all….
shut yer pie hole woman.